One of the reasons that I wanted to take some special time to write this week was because last week I was listening to the radio and decided to forgo my 'sport's talk' and listen through the political radio stations.
I was reminded why I can't listen to them often.
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot I like about regular 'talk radio,' even the political stuff.
I'm fascinated by society. I love to talk about leadership. I think that holding people accountable for their words and actions is healthy. I think that the political process is bizarre but intriguing. I love to hash out issues and go to the mat in debate.
What I can't handle is the fear mongering.
What I can't handle is the manipulation.
What I can't handle is the extremism.
What I can't handle are the lies.
What I can't handle is that the hosts are more commonly trying to get ratings than perpetuate truth.
What I can't handle is needless hype.
Fear sells. Sure, sex sells, but in talk radio, fear sells far more, especially in this arena.
I know about fear (heck, I just launched the book I wrote in March about fear and panic attacks).
I used to read the newspaper every day for years in my early thirties, until one day I saw the toll that it took on my body and spirit. I still get all my news from feeds and make sure I'm relatively up on current events, but I can't soak in it any longer. Too much of it is toxic.
It would be one thing if the show hosts actually believed everything that they were saying, but very few do. I know you think that your guy/lady does, but you're probably wrong. They may be extreme even at the dinner table, but the only way that you can keep your radio show on air is to be shocking. Reality TV isn't reality- it's staged. Talk radio isn't honest opinions- it's ratings driven. How do I know? I was in that industry a little bit and I know full well how it works.
The Culture of Fear being created is damaging our nation. The world is already difficult and laced with evil. We don't need the 'good guys' adding to the problem. Let me give you an example. Let's say you want to talk about an issue. You can't talk about a middle of the road position. You can't talk about a balanced perspective. You can't talk about how you would teach your kids. You need to be extreme, or you won't have a program. Media is a very, very competitive market. There are thirty people waiting to take your place if your ratings go down.
Did you know that news agencies are private companies trying to make money? Did you know that they aren't interested in simply talking about the truth? They are interested in talking about select truth and stories that will grab your attention.
When Rush Limbaugh decides on what to talk about, he thinks about ratings. When Hannity decides what opinions to share and not share, he's thinking about ratings. When Anderson Cooper selects his stories, he's thinking about ratings. When Wolf Blitzer chooses topics, he's thinking about ratings.
Do you know who Howard Stern is? He's probably the biggest media magnate and personality in the last 20+ years. I'm sure you've heard of him, everyone has. Why? He's huge! What does he talk about? Sex and anything that teenage boys think is funny. Is that really how he is in life away from the microphone? Nope. He prides himself on how faithful he was to his first wife (until she divorced him). He talks about how he avoids the spotlight off camera. He talks about his mellow, normal life. So, why does he do all that? To make money and get popular- it's all a game.
My problem is that most people don't know that. I have friends getting stressed out and riled up every day with talk radio, or news stations, not realizing that they are being manipulated by the game. They get frustrated and lose the joy that Christ gave them because they can't see through what the game is. They think that it's entirely accurate. They think that it's just giving a perspective. It's not real!
I'll tell you what's real. It's real that both Democrats and Republican parties are filled with selfish, normal, power-hungry, good, kind, bizarre, selfless, boring, out of touch, passionate people. It's real that no one candidate is Jesus Christ running for office. It's real that although there is danger in the world and bad guys, not everything is the end of the world. It's real that ISIS is filled with hateful, over the top, extremists, but that extremist groups have always been trying to destroy people. It's real that people make mistakes and no one is perfect. It's real that there are good Muslims and bad Muslims just like good Christians and bad Christians.
I'm not downplaying that there are important things to talk about and that there are critical issues to discuss. I'm merely trying to bring things back down to perspective and remind us all that we are being played by the media. They don't even believe their own hype. They know how it works.
The more we can talk about real issues with real perspective, the healthier we will be.
