Sunday, December 19, 2010

Talk Radio

          Government officials, talk radio hosts, bloggers, and anyone with people who listen to them have a tremendous power and responsibilty.  If a congressman says something stupid, people tend to judge him quickly. Sometimes they go as far as to judge his whole political party. When everything you say can effect the perception of a large group of people, you have responsibility not to sound like an idiot.
          Talk radio hosts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbauh, and Matt Mittan have thousands of followers. When an issue comes up in congress or with the president everyone looks to them. They want to know what these guys have to say. They can actually influence public opinion just by taking a stand on an issue. Talk radio hosts like Rush that are very conservative, have lots of liberal viewers as well. Liberals listen/watch Rush's/caller's positions and uses them to prepare their arguements in advance of questions/attacks. Because Rush is aware that liberals are listening/watching he is sometimes afraid to take a position.
          There are 3 problems with the way people of influence use their words. The first is that some poeple understand the power of their words too well. They use their words to prevoke reactions from people. For example, I could tell one friend that another talked bad about them. I can use the hurt persons feelings to get them to lash out at this other person. All it takes is a few cafefully chosen words.  They have that much power. Many goverment officials are well versed in manipulating people this way. The second problem is when people don't understand the power of their words and they say stupid stuff.  They don't realize that an uneducated voice can influence people as well. Any action that results from uneducated words and thought processes leads to more stupidity. Lastly, because people don't realize the power of their words, they also don't understand their value. When words lose their value there is no reason to choose them wisely or to tell the truth. People have forgotten that, "Your word is your bond." The false words of many government officials are a clear indication of it's corruption. However, there is also a growing trend in the media to simply bend or exaggerate the meaning of their words.
          As with any change in humanity's character, if we intend to change people's thought process about the use of their words, we have to do it one person at a time. So choose your words carefully!

2 comments:

  1. I agree with most of your post except your statement that Rush is sometimes afraid to take a position. I don't know why you think this, but from my having listened to him, I don't think he fears to take a position and certainly not a position that would "offend" a liberal. On the contrary, he seems to love to "yank their chain".

    As for people choosing their words carefully, I will share with you this quote from an unknown author: "Be careful of your thoughts, they may become words at any moment."

    ReplyDelete
  2. I said Rush was sometimes afraid to take a position because he said so himself. It was in reference to the changes that Beverly Purdue has been making. He was afraid if he said he supported her that liberals would not and it would hurt her efforts.

    As for your quote, I agree. Negative thoughts that become words are dangerous. Words have power and we must be careful only to speak good things into existence!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete