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.