Hey Dread, are you gonna see the new Batman movie????

[Aimless]

I wouldn't recommend it:

http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_...tt-romney?lite

[Omega]

Crazy crackpots with rocking a tin-foil cockhats believed the Dark Knight was an allegory of George Bush committing necessary evils through convoluted vigilantism in Iraq. Nolan is the anti-thesis of Michael Boom, but I doubt he has a political agenda.

[RandBlade]

Holy ignorance, Batman!

Actually since we're ignoring spelling, its not the first time Rush has been wholly ignorant.

[Ominous Gamer]

Rush aint this stupid, but his listeners are.

[Flixy]

He is, remember the LRA?

[wiggin]

I don't think Rush is stupid, but he is occasionally ignorant. The issue is that he is willing to hold forth at great length on a subject with his opinions about how it proves liberals are wrong even if he is ignorant of the issue at hand.

His thinking is often unsophisticated even about topics he's not ignorant about, no question, but I don't think that sophistication and nuance are necessarily the same as intelligence.

I generally treat Rush the same as any demagogues in our media - ignore them. They're largely harmless since they are preaching to the converted.

[Dreadnaught]

Unfortunate coincidence...though a lot of things are looking unfortunate with this movie. I'll see it in two weeks, I hate going to movies when they open.

[Loki]

I generally treat Rush the same as any demagogues in our media - ignore them. They're largely harmless since they are preaching to the converted.

That's not entirely true. They might be preaching to people who are conservative, but can convince those people to become more extreme as a result. You think there would be as many birthers without people like Beck?

[RandBlade]

That's not entirely true. They might be preaching to people who are conservative, but can convince those people to become more extreme as a result. You think there would be as many birthers without people like Beck?

If there wasn't Beck there'd be someone else. However you also have the issue that while some listeners are already converted their children etc listening are getting brainwashed.

[Loki]

If there wasn't Beck there'd be someone else. However you also have the issue that while some listeners are already converted their children etc listening are getting brainwashed.

There would be another charismatic conservative, sure. But it's not out of the question that this conservative wouldn't be so zany.

[Flixy]

It worries me most that people who listen only to certain demagogues, be it left or right wing or something different, is not that it will change their views much. It might radicalize them a little bit, sure, but the most worrying to me is that they will genuinely believe some of the extreme views are normal, and acceptable. Some views of moderation to put things in perspective would be nice for everybody.

[Timbuk2]

Flix, you are the very voice of reason.

[RandBlade]

The problem is what do you define as mainstream or normal?

I've twice been overseas in recent years to countries that do not have English as the first language and on TV there were not many English-speaking TV Channels. Both times the first English-speaking TV channel I found was a news channel called RT. At first it was interesting to catch-up with some news but the way it was presented, the stories chosen the speakers used etc had such an extreme left-wing and anti-American bias that it would make the BBC look like Fox News in comparison. Turns out the R is short for Russia and the channel is funded by the Russian government. Many Russians may indeed find the Beeb to be far right in comparison to what they view as moderate.

I find sometimes people claiming to be "moderate" can be more dangerous than demagogues. At least the Ann Coultures of the world don't pretend to represent everyone.

[Flixy]

A starting point might be factual lies - which are called out by other media but not by media that their viewers watch.

I don't think it should be legally regulated or anything, but it is a sad day when media does not take their own responsibilities.

[Loki]

It worries me most that people who listen only to certain demagogues, be it left or right wing or something different, is not that it will change their views much. It might radicalize them a little bit, sure, but the most worrying to me is that they will genuinely believe some of the extreme views are normal, and acceptable. Some views of moderation to put things in perspective would be nice for everybody.

You don't need talking heads for that. People tend to seek out similarly minded people as friends. They're also reading papers that reinforce their beliefs, and generally ignoring sources that disprove them (except if to mock them).

[Aimless]

It worries me most that people who listen only to certain demagogues, be it left or right wing or something different, is not that it will change their views much. It might radicalize them a little bit, sure, but the most worrying to me is that they will genuinely believe some of the extreme views are normal, and acceptable. Some views of moderation to put things in perspective would be nice for everybody.

Demagogues? How 20th century. Try online communities