Radio Daze (Why Conservative Talk Radio Works)

[CitizenDick]

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?030811ta_talk_hertzberg

"Remember the old joke about politics being show business for ugly people? Well, right-wing radio is niche entertainment for the spiritually unattractive. It succeeds because a substantial segment of the right-wing rank and file enjoys listening, hour after hour, as smug, angry, disdainful middle-aged men spew raw contempt at reified enemies, named and unnamed. The radiocons seldom offer analysis or argument. To the chronically resentful, they offer the sadistic consolation of an endless sneer—at weaklings, victim-group whiners, cultural snobs, Hollywood hypocrites whose hearts bleed for the downtrodden though they themselves are rich and privileged, feminists, environmentalists, and, of course, “liberals,” defined as the Clintons, other members of the “Democrat Party,” and persons suspected of thinking that the state ought to help correct for various kinds of unfairnesses or calamities (economic, racial, climatic, medical) or of attaching themselves to some identity other than or in addition to “American” (black, gay, foreign, all humanity).

By contrast, most noncons—most people, for that matter—do not regard politics as entertainment. They regard it as politics. They wouldn’t think it was fun to listen to expressions of raw contempt for conservatives—oh, maybe for a little while now and then, just as some occasionally tune in Limbaugh to give themselves a masochistic thrill or to raise their blood pressure, but not long and often enough to sustain an industry. When they want to be entertained, they watch comedy or drama. For the radiocon audience, political hate talk is comedy and drama. To their ears, it’s music."

More at link

[MrBenchley]

1. Sadly, much of this is true

Limbaugh's audience is the sort of scum that used to make up lynching bees...

It's a lot harder to attract decent people, most have whom have daytime jobs that require thought, and would rather listen to music.

[flyingfish]

2. Right wing radio is like pro wrestling

In some ways both are these things are legitimate.
Right wing radio does address current events, politics, history, etc....
Pro wrestlers are athletes and do perform very athletic feats.
But at the end of the day everyone must realize that both of these things are staged and are not real. But everyone does not realized that both of these things are not real, which is the scary part.

Both are forms of entertainment intended to make money. The bottom line for both.

[samsingh]

3. it's all about passionate hate.

that always gets an audience. the time is right now for us to fight passionately as well.

[GOPFighter]

4. I agree - we must fight back hard and with a righteous fury!

They are talking about us! They are impugning our honor. We must not let that happen.

[Cha]

5. Well, Liberal Talk Radio works for me! I'm a new listener who

never even listened to the radio. I love the "The Mike Malloy Show"
@ 9pm to midnight. And "The Guy James Show" on Sat afternoons from 3pm to 6pm. Take Back The Media Radio is Great, too!

[realFedUp]

6. Plays to the worst in people...

Hard to imagine why real Christians listen to this drek and
still go to church on Sundays.

[BackDoorMan]

7. And when they get caught in their sick hateful lies...

They always say they were just kidding, joking...and liberals have no sense of humor...just enterainment? Bullshit until they are caught in their lies and distortions and hate, and if not caught will continue to use the lies for their disgusting greedy agenda.