May 26, 2012

What's Worse?


What’s worse? Hardcore music that promotes violence and lawlessness, or vitriolic right-wing talk radio filled with hate and intolerance?

The first often degrades women, advocates illicit drug use, and thrives on a culture of homophobia, criminality, and materialism.

The second shouts down dissent, employs fear-mongering and manipulative tactics to influence people, and is generally intolerant, bigoted, and greedy.

So which is worse?

The argument for music is strong. Considering the market for this kind of “entertainment is young males ages 11-25, a group that is already impressionable, often disillusioned, and responsible for most crime anyway, it would be hard to underestimate music's negative influence, particularly on younger generations.

Yet extreme right-wing radio is just as formidable a threat of the American way of life. Programming that includes Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and their ilk account for a good chunk of the radio dial. Their demographic (men, ages 18-50) is large, vocal, and  (usually) uninformed. Put this together with the fact that so many of these shows promote outright bigotry and anti-intellectualism, and you could argue that rabid talk radio is directly responsible for the dumbing-down of America.


Since proving a negative is difficult, I'll call it a tie.


2 comments:

  1. Right wing radio is as popular as it is because the right wing opinion has been banned on all other forms of media. To dismiss right wing opinion as "hate" "bigoted" and "uninformed" is to put it gently, Orwellian. It is easier to dismiss opposing views in this manner than to offer up an opposing view. In contrast, the Left wing view seen on TV news and the majority of news papers offers up a more of a head in the sand approach by just ignoring what threatens the ideological dogma. Numbers, statistics and other basic fact isn't as compassionate as the left wing approach but to paint it with a broad brush as hateful, bigoted and uninformed is in and of itself hateful, bigoted and means of shutting down "dissent". Left wingers like you, David, should realize there are opposing views to yours in this country and we too deserve some form of representation to keep checks and balances in place.

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  2. Not my intent to label all right wing talk as hate, but you'll have a hard time convincing me that Limbaugh and his ilk aren't hateful and bigoted. As for the "persecuted right" syndrome, I don't buy it. There's no more "left-wing bias" than there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy" a 15 years ago. Dissent is good, hatefulness isn't. (I'm not a left-winger, by the way.)

    Thanks for offering an opposing view. It's an election season and I was hoping for a bit of debate here.

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