Paul Ginnetty in "Limbaugh's Fans Are Certain They're Right," Newsday 11/12/03, discussed Limbaugh's "dittoheads" (fans), including the familiar observation that Limbaugh keeps his message simplistic and direct, avoiding any hint of nuance or complexity as much as possible.
I like the way he describes why Limbaugh's act is essentially a monologue, and why his particular approach quickly falls apart when he tries to engage directly with different views or even a mildly inquisitive journalist:
Limbaugh's brand of talk radio provides a pathologically intense version of [the] wish to be singing from the same hymnal. Crucial to this phenomenon is the absence of any real controversy during the broadcast. There are constant sparks of apparent conflict that make for engaging entertainment as he shadowboxes (with one hand tied behind his back, of course) with select sound bites of Hillary Rodham Clinto or Ted Kennedy.
Note that there are never any actual guests on the program; guests, even conservative one, risk obscuring simple truths with inconvenient facts or alternative hypotheses.
There are seldom any real disagreements between the host and the already converted choir to which he bombastically preaches. Their collective nickname says it all - they are the well-scrubbed ranks of "ditto-heads" - people who can be counted on to shout "amen," who have little to add but a grateful and admiring "ditto."
Did I mention that President Bush describes the bigoted dope fiend Limbaugh as a "national treasure"?
4 comments:
I am eagerly awaiting the liberal talk radio network...Al Franken has signed on as a host and is promising real guests -- what a concept!
FD, I have heard about that from Franken himself in the Charlie Rose interview. It's about time!
I'm looking forward to it, too. I don't think a liberal talk show can easily maintain as simplistic a position as Rush and his imitators, just because part of the liberal approach is to avoid oversimplifying issues into such easy buckets as, "Saddam evil, war good." But it's certainly possible to have a competing kind of program. Jerry Brown did one for years. But it won't be a mirror-image approach. - Bruce
jim hightower also had one for a while, at least in TX., i don't know if that continues or not. it was so refreshing.
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