Wednesday, July 30, 2008

So Much For That

I’d really hoped the tragic shootings in Knoxville would have led to some kind of national dialogue about the inflammatory rhetoric that dominates our national discourse, primarily talk radio, and primarily on the conservative side, though I'd place some liberal talkers in that class as well.

But apparently the corporate media which rules our discourse has decided now is not the time for that conversation. Gee, I wonder why. I guess they’re making too much money off of keeping Americans divided and angry at one another.

Fox, CNN, ABC, ClearChannel -- they all disseminate intolerance over the pubic airwaves on a daily basis. They make money from it. Is it dangerous? Does it incite people to violence? Who knows? Is it worth talking about?

Nah!

Nothing to see here, move along ... and up next! Tune in as KSFO's Brian Sussman says Obama is running for Antichrist! Over at Fox News, Charles Krauthammer compares Obama’s Berlin appearance to a Nazi rally. Bill O'Reilly says rich people pay for poor folks to smoke reefers 24/7. And in Alaska, conservative talk show host Dan Fagan asserts: "There's nothing wrong with being an extremist.”

In other words, back to our regularly scheduled programming.