Has talk radio been good for our national discourse? Have Rush & the other talk shows educated us on politics?

Answer 1

Rush and his ilk have capitalized on hate politics through distortion, lies, personal attacks and extreme divisiveness. The rise of such individuals has been bad for this country. The more extreme one is, the more attention that person can engender and some people actually believe what they hear these outrageous people say.

Answer 2

"What has occurred to our skill to disagree agreeably?" nicely it by no potential certainly existed for one. human beings would have been extra civil, and we decide for to color the previous in very nostalgic and noble easy... yet in certainty civil discourse has numerous the time been particularly uncivil. bypass back and look at any component in history and you detect politicians and persons transforming into down appropriate violent while managing opposing perspectives. interior the US on my own we've had duels to the dying, attack on the floor of congress, weapons being brandished and assassinations. Rome the forge of Democracy and discourse, grow to be packed to the gills with subterfuge and political wars that replaced "Civil discourse". The Greece, Egypt, Germany, Britain, Japan, China, Latin u . s . a . of america, Europe, Asia... a number of those countries and areas are pox marked with uncivil civil discourse throughout the time of history. If i will say one element approximately talk radio is that a minimum of now the uncivil nature is expressed and normally restricted to obnoxious talk and behaviour on the radio. interior the previous it would been interior the streets and interior the political mobs and thats the place we traditionally locate the violence welling up.

Answer 3

Have Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto been good for our national discourse?

I don't agree with the contents of either, but would defend their continued publication. I've read the Communist Manifesto and somehow magically didn't turn into a Communist...

Does censorship increase or decrease the appeal or legitimacy of an idea? Are ideas forced into a subversive position any less influential? Who do we trust with the task of deciding what ideas are fit for unfettered dispersal?

Answer 4

Yes. In a Pew poll regarding political awareness, it showed that people who listen to Rush or O'Rielly, and who watch The Daily Show or Colbert Report are more informed regarding politics than those who watch the nightly news, with the least politically informed being those who get their news from the morning shows.

Because they bring up points to ponder. Not just the typical shallow media crap about who "won" a debate, but in depth discussions about what they said. About legislation that is good or bad, and why it is good or bad, not just about whether it was a Republican or Democrat "win" or "loss".

And unlike the media, they don't hide their political leanings. And they don't pretend to be objective and unbiased like the media pretends it is.

Answer 5

Talk radio has been very good for our national discourse. Like when people have been feeling down and want to talk to hundreds, thousands of people, they can talk on a show and vent there steam in any way they choose, and later, they can make unbiased political decisions. Nobody can really teach us about politics, because it is our opinion that makes politics what it is today.

Answer 6

Nope. People that listen to political talk radio do so because they like being told what they already believe (no matter how false it may be). All it's done is introduce shouting an opponent down instead of using rational discourse. It's "political Jerry Springer". This kind of "argument" only serves to dumb-down the political debate in this country.

Answer 7

I keep hearing people say that people like Rush lie and spout nothing but propaganda.

Here's a challenge. Somebody pick one thing Rush or Hannity or O'Reilly have said on their show, in context, and let's see if it is a falsehood and/or a lie.

I guarantee you, with honest attention to the facts, they will turn out to be right on the money every time.

Then, the left will pull out another "example of a lie" and we can do this dance all day.

If you want nothing but propaganda and slander, by all means tune in to Air America. I can find an infinite number of straight up quotes or unfounded accusations and lies about Bush and every member of the Administration.

Answer 8

Can't stand Limbaugh. Wish he just drop of the face of the earth & take Bill O'Reilly & the rest of the Fox news with him & also take that transvestite Mann Coulter with them. All of the above ain't worth a minute of my time to listen to or watch on tv. I would rather watch the Daily show & the Colbert report

Answer 9

I agree with the above poster that most people only listen to people with similar political views.

I just started listening to Rush, and I really enjoy his show. I am also a big fan of the O'Rielly Factor(spelling?)

But yes, to a certain extent it helps people, but sadly many political and social teachers in school, teach to push there own political views onto there students.

Answer 10

I hate talk fests on radio and TV. Music music and poetry emotion standing by my side.