Thursday, November 08, 2007

Talk Radio - Why I can't listen

It's been a while since I've left the dominant talk radio station on in the car while I'm driving - at least, during the "talk" shows instead of the "news" shows. I occasionally turn it on, trying to time it so I can catch the traffic updates, without hearing too much of the "talk."

There was a time when I enjoyed it. But then I started looking more closely at the arguments being made. And I would get frustrated. I decided that life is too short to waste time being angry at the radio, so I turned it off.

The last couple of days have reminded me why I leave it off. In the short snippets I hear before they do the traffic update, I have been flabbergasted by what I hear.

Statements like "the government doesn't do ANYTHING to get those gas taxes - all they see is a big pot of gold." Really? Because I was under the impression that several hundred million dollars collected thusly were going into a freeway bypass to make traffic between Reno and Carson City safer and faster.

99% of everything said about illegal immigrants astounds me. So much is made of the "illegal" part, neglecting that it is, I believe, a civil offense. So until I hear him complaining about people that are let out of traffic tickets without full punishment, the "you can't make a wrong right just by passing a law" argument holds zero water for me. The immigration issue is maybe 10% worth discussing and 90% xenophobia and preying on people's fears. It's nearly racist, and it makes me sick to me stomach that we toletate such blowhards.

That's all. I just had to vent. And I need to remember - talk show hosts are people too, worthy of God's love and my own.

1 comment:

Kenny said...

One of the thing that bothers me most is that the "conversations" being had on pundits' shows is masquerading as rational debate when in reality it's just entertainment at best and self-interested propoganda at worst.

It's bad enough to be naked Self-Interest, but it's even worse to be Self-Interest pretending it to be Truth.