[BC] could someone explain this to me? Sure I can do that.

[Donna Halper]

At 04:56 PM 5/27/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>Donna, I respect you very much, but please allow me to make some points. 
>Thanks.

Doug, I respect you too, and I'd marry you if I were single and you were 
Jewish!  :)  But seriously, I am always reticent to even ask these sorts of 
questions because people from each side tend to line up and defend their 
side instead of examining the radio issues.

>Doug wrote--
>I seem to recall a program from the 70's which featured an opinionated 
>fellow. A rather jaded cuss who would rant routinely about the Irish, the 
>Catholics, the Mexicans, Germans, Poles, Puerto Ricans......and every 
>other race/creed/religion. This man's show was featured in prime time and 
>exposed to a vast audience............The level of rhetoric did not rise 
>to today's level, but it did send more than a ripple across the country.

Yes Archie Bunker was funny.  But he wasn't malicious and the other cast 
members always put him in his place.  On extreme talk radio (whether 
extreme right or extreme left), the host runs it and can make any 
assertions he or she wants, make any accusations, keep other views off the 
air, etc.  Comparing Archie Bunker to right-wing ranters (or their left 
wing equivalents) isn't the same thing.

>Doug also wrote--
>On the other hand, are you telling me that someone who makes an idiot of 
>themselves with preposterous claims and distortions (left or right-take 
>your pick) doesn't have a right to come off sounding like a lunatic?

Alas, when that view is echoed over and over and over and no other point of 
view can be heard, the public can conclude it must be true.  73% of Fox 
viewers believed the Iraqis were behind 9/11 and that Saddam had WMDs.  Up 
until recently, 9 out of 10 talk hosts came from the extreme right wing 
point of view and you can say all you want about liberal NEWS but liberal 
talk shows were a rarity-- overt and partisan political talk shows were 
almost always right wing till very recently and I say that absolutely did 
colour the way many people today see things because no other viewpoint was 
available.  Feel free to disagree and I still love you!