Poor Don Imus

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIxwtWUx29jRyCtPa13npGFSEyogD91G4LH01

I feel sorry for Don Imus. I have never listed to any of his shows. I only know about him from the controversial comments he has made on race, his recant, his rehire, and now a redeux. It seems to me that people are now on a hair trigger just waiting for him to say something racial so that they can pounce all over him. He says he was misunderstood and my guess is that’s true and there will be some sort of public self flogging where people will all agree that he was taken out of context.

The issue I have is this – why is he, or anyone, on talk radio? This is not rhetorical. The reality is that people are ONLY hired for talk radio because they are edgy and in fact required to irritate people so that they can gain a following. Sort of like Rush Limbaugh. I wonder if Rush even believes half of what he says. I wonder if his addiction to OxyContin (http://opioids.com/oxycodone/rushlimbaugh.html) came from feeling so bad about what he has to do to make a living. These are political sideshow carnival barkers – there is little truth there, just inflammatory rhetoric. Folks, they are paid to do this. If the ratings are down, they are told to become more outrageous. This latest round of free media hype only strengthens Don's rating. What a vicious cycle especially for something that is only theater.

George Carlin - hero

George Carlin was a hero to me. This was a man of true brilliance. He replaced Lenny Bruce as someone who pushed the envelope of thought about the importance of individual thought and dismissed the all too popular groupthink. I remember listening to his seven dirty words album in high school and thought how cool it was that someone would say those things in public. I saw him twice in Vegas and over the years watched several of his television shows. What I first giggled about in high school I came to respect in adulthood. Words matter, but more importantly it is the thought pattern (or lack thereof) behind them. His influence will be missed. I wonder who will push the envelope now.