I don’t hate Glenn Beck. Maybe it’s because I remember how he used to be back before Obama. He used to be really funny. I also admire his drive and investigative skills as both a reporter and a historian. He’s such a good researcher. BUT it’s how he interrupts the things he finds which made me turn on him. It’s like the more he found out about the world, the more scared he got. I honestly believe he’s not fear-mongering, he’s actually afraid. The stuff he saids comes from a genuine place. I’ve listened and watched him long enough to know that much about it.
As you know, I don’t side with strictly left or right policies. I’ve always looked at what both sides had to say and came up with my own opinion. So I feel confident when I give my views on people like Beck, Limbaugh, and Hannity. People just love to take a piss on them without even taking the time to investigate what the media says about them. (This applies more so to Limbaugh than the others). Since I’m in the middle I can give my honest opinions on them without any party or political biased. So while we’re on the topic, might as well let it rip.
Everything the media blames on conservative talk people that is bad, is mostly true with Sean Hannity. While I don’t think any of these men are racist (because everyone on the right is racist according to the media), I can’t say Hannity isn’t a bigot where gays are concerned. Hannity does stand up for racial/womens rights, but doesn’t give a shit about gay ones. I also don’t like Hannity because he is the definition of spin-factor. Hannity will not report a story that doesn’t have spin on it. He’ll invite guest on his radio and Tv show, and bully them into saying what he wants them to say. O’Reilly does this somewhat, but no where near as bad as Hannity. What he’ll do is get one Leftist on the panel with two from the right (not counting him). Then they gangbang the fucker. This kind of behavior MSNBC does all the time, BUT I hate this kind of thing. What good is a debate when all you do is bash the opposing side with numbers. (Looking at you, The View).
I’ve already said what I think of Glenn Beck. I think he’s a flawed man, but he’s not a mean spirited one.He’s very intelligent, but he’s also so paranoid that it over rules his sanity. I will give Beck this: when he interviews someone on The Blaze, he doesn’t gangbang them. It’ll either be one on one, or generally an equal amount of panelist on both sides. Generally he likes to get into debates on a one-on-one level, which I like. Beck generally wants the second party to cut the BS and tell the public what they really stand for, so his line of question is geered towards that, not trying to push his own agenda. That being said, once the interview is over and he has to summarize his thoughts, he spins it. It isn’t that he just gives his own opinion, he’ll spin it.
With Rush, the whole interview argument is off the table. Rush won’t interview anyone unless it’s someone majorly important. I’ve heard him do maybe 5 interviews, and I’ve been listening to him since the Bush administration. Generally what Rush likes to do is talk about the news of the day, issues of a political nature, and discuss his pet subjects he’s interested in (global warming, corrupt media, idiot leftist, things like that). Rush’s style of presenting his stories is unlike anyone else in talk radio or... the media for that matter. He’ll straight up read or summarize a story as is with no spin. He’ll throw in a joke here or there, but when he’s actually reporting a story, he’s not throwing his two cents in. He might interrupt a story if he needs to add context to what’s being said (or explain something complicated) but overall he reads the story as is. Then, once all the pure facts from the story are out there, he’ll give his opinions. Now his opinion can be something that you’d disagree with completely, but the point is you got the whole story without him leading you to his conclusions. And that’s the point. He always says that he wants people to be able to think for themselves, which is why he doesn’t back politicians publicly or tell his audience to vote for this, or join that. Now, make no bones about it, he’s as conservative as the day is long, and he won’t hide from his principles. BUT he never has told anyone to do something (other than “go out and vote if you don’t like the current scheme of thing”)
The biggest thing the media likes to say about Rush is that he’s a bigot. Having listened to him all this time, I don’t really think that’s 100% true, but I don’t think it’s 100% false either. Rush does not agree with homosexual rights, however he doesn’t have a problem with homosexual people in general. The man had Elton John play at his wedding. Rush also isn’t a racist because I know for a fact two of his major staff members are black. That being said, he does not like affirmative action or minorities using their race as a way to get the government to do things for them. He’s... well he’s a conservative. Shocking as it seems, he believes in those values. He doesn’t like big government, he doesn’t like the biased media, he doesn’t like “false” global warming theories, and he doesn’t like being called the leader of the conservatives when he goes out of his way not to tell people to do things. He also knows he has a public image of being arrogant, and plays to that as a joke. 10 to 1 any clip you’ve heard the media play of him saying something comes from a joke he said taken out of context. In his mind, he’s in entertainment, and is not a politician. So he sets out to entertain. Unfortunately the public doesn’t see him as just a normal personality. But then again we’re talking about a public who didn’t know Stephen Colbert was putting on an act for the Colbert Report. The media DOES know this, however, and loves to use this against him.
Anyway. That was long and drawn out. But yes, I feel like if you want to know both sides of the coin, you have to be willing to listen to the regular media and talk radio. Rush is the least offensive to me, and more balanced on the conservative said. CNN is probably the best for the left. MSNBC and FOX news are both money whores who cater to their viewers and can’t be taken seriously. While both stations will do stories the others won’t, they are both filled with spin it might as well not be a story. It’s said that if you want to see the whole picture of something, you have to go to such lengths, but you can’t trust one source anymore. And in this day and age, when everything you want to find out is so easy to do, there’s no excuse not to look into something you’re curious about. The people (Like Rush) who give you their sources and actively ask you to back up what they are saying or prove them wrong are the people I want to listen too. A number of leftist people (like Bill Maher and the Amazing Atheist) do this as well. These are the people I want to listen too. They don’t want me to be a sheep, they want me to make my own decisions. I just wish the regular media felt the same.
