Recently, I rode back from two hours of tennis with three of my tennis companions. The tennis was enjoyable, the ride back was not.
The driver tuned the radio to New York City’s NPR station. The three others seemed to enjoy the comedy/talk show named “wait wait – don’t tell me!”
It was much like other programs where participants try too hard to be funny and come in with at least partially prepared laugh lines. The program was liberal-oriented, such as the rough approximation below of one person’s statement:
“Oprah Winfrey might run for President. Seems unlikely, although we’ve had one totally inexperienced media person become President after defeating a well-qualified experienced person” (obviously referring to Trump and Clinton.)
Hillary Clinton, well qualified??!! I’d say she is well qualified at promising massive subsidies to special interest groups. The liberal bias here is palpable.
NPR is anti-Trump all day, every day, to paraphrase someone whose name I can’t remember. I think of Trump supporters whose taxes are helping to pay for this; it is offensive to have government-funded radio and television lean toward a particular viewpoint when all of us are paying for it.
I would be equally adamant if NPR and PBS were some kind of Rush Limbaugh-Trumpian network. But what if the programming were libertarian? I admit I’d probably enjoy listening, but would still think it immoral to have taxpayer-funded media promoting one viewpoint.
I have long thought that NPR and PBS will end up supporting some version of the Final Solution if the left or right gets dictatorial control of the country. The Final Solution could be any group; Jews, Blacks, Old White Men such as myself, Asians, liberals, environmentalists, conservatives; anyone.
In a less severe scenario, sustained Republican control could lead to NPR becoming a Trump mouthpiece; after all, bureaucracies’ first instinct is to survive. I’ll bet liberals wouldn’t be so fond of NPR then.
When I listen to programs such as this, I think “no wonder they hate us,” ‘they’ being conservatives and others not oriented toward our bi-coastal liberalism. And I think about some of the talk radio programs I hear in other parts of the country, and think “no wonder we hate them.” What I mean is, liberals and conservatives (or worse, populists) often slander each other so badly that they promote bitterness. Would anyone consider debates based upon reason and civility? I admit I’m far from good at that. And I have heard other libertarians insult the intelligence and goodwill of opponents instead of showing others our well-reasoned positions. I don’t focus on the sins of libertarians because we are so far from power compared to the others.
What also came to mind was the driver’s assumption that everyone in the car would be interested in this program. In New York City, there is an assumption that everyone agrees on basic liberal tenets. I know there are parts of the country where people assume everyone is conservative. The driver had the right to play what he wants on his car radio. On the other hand, was he making a political assumption that is disrespectful of positions at variance with his? I don’t know if I am too sensitive about this stuff and welcome comments from readers.