If
the purpose of language is simply communication then Americans do it better
than any other people in the English speaking world.
Listen to Talkradio across the AM and
FM. bands, around this nation; North, South, East and West, when
an American speaks, you understand what they mean. Rich or poor, well-educated
or illiterate, resident of inner city or middle class,
ghetto, barrio or inner-city, callers make their points, express their
feelings, share their frustrations without affection, hesitation or nerves.
When they are listened to they have amazing stories to tell and an abundance
of ideas to share, but Limbaugh, and many who attempt to emulate him,
has made it clear on numerous occasions that the role of the caller
is to make him look good. They are there to serve his agenda.
“The
media are controlled by the Liberals.” That’s the mantra of
the majority of talk show hosts in this country. Liberals are bad, as
are Democrats. Conservatives and Republicans are good. If that statement,
so oft repeated, has merit to it, then it would appear that those who
hire these combative, “in your face” and frequently bombastic
people, are hired by Liberals. Liberals have “an agenda”;
an obviously sinister plan, including a desire to turn this into a socialist
state, to tax the rich out of existence, to weaken the military and a
mission to disarm the American public, while at the same time advocating
the tearing down of our national borders and a strong desire to legalize
and promote the use of drugs in the schools and the goal of making this
“a Godless society,” while advocating the killing of babies
(i.e. pro-choice).
None of that is accurate, but if you repeat the lie frequently enough,
on thousands of radio stations, there will be many who believe it to be
gospel.
In
most cities the major conservative players are syndicated, which means
that local issues are utterly ignored. It would appear that to them,
Los Angeles and California concerns don’t matter. When L.A is the
place, more and more, where the stone hits the water, sending a ripple-
out effect right the way across the country; new fashions, fads, films,
music and much more it becomes difficult to comprehend. How pathetic that
California should be ignored when it ranks along with France as the 5th
or 6th economy of the world. Perhaps they ignore California because most
people in this state vote Democratic and every single major elective office,
without exception, is held by a Democrat.
We
are at war with terrorism. We are likely to be at war against Iraq. There
is the prospect of conflicts arising in many parts of the world, at any
time - from North Korea to the Indian sub-continent, from Indonesia to
Israel, and only conservative voices have the stage from which to parrot
the administration’s point of view. It is, apparently, “un-American”
to be critical or to even question the policies, aims and motives of the
Bush administration. We need, urgently, voices of dissent on the air.
The Republican Party keeps the faithful abundantly supplied with information
and talking points to use on their broadcasts. It is all so well staged-managed.
We
have seen a radical change in station ownership since the Reagan administration,
where fewer and fewer corporations own more and more of the means of communication.
ClearChannel, for example, owns over twelve hundred radio stations. Fewer
and fewer outlets are owned by individuals who live in the communities
from which they broadcast. The large corporate owners are not people who
subscribe to the idea that these are the public’s airwaves. There
was a time when every station felt obliged to present news on the hour
and half-hour and all made a willing attempt to broadcast public service
announcements that dealt with issues pertaining to the community’s
needs and interests. That no longer is the case with the majority of radio
stations. Very few have a newsroom of any sort and fewer still have a
staff member whose function it is to ascertain the needs of the community.
My
alma mater, the BBC, had on its Broadcast House doorway the simple inscription,
“To inform, entertain and enlighten.” I’ll add to that,
simply, “to show hospitality.”
