LONGMONT, Colo. — Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann and the vast cast of political entertainers who populate cable television, talk radio and the blogosphere are modern day lotus-eaters.
In Greek mythology, the Lotus-Eaters gave Odysseus’ men narcotic laced flowers that caused the men to give up care for anything important. They were content to lounge peacefully without regard for home or duty. Odysseus had to forcefully extract the men from the grip of the Lotus-Eaters and take them back to the ships “weeping bitterly.”
This scene was played out in the book made movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, in a Las Vegas casino. Percy and his friends were on a mission to save humanity from the wrath of the gods but, under the trance of the lotus flowers, forgot their purpose. They, like Odysseus’ men, were content to frolic without concern for the real world.
We enter a lotus filled Las Vegas casino each time we tune into political entertainment on talk radio and cable television. As a nation, we have serious challenges that merit serious debate and considered action. But, serious issues are not being discussed in forums that purport to be “The Place for Politics” or “Fair and Balanced.” Instead, the leaders of talk show nation distract us by promoting division, mistrust and antipathy.
That’s the difference between the modern day lotus-eaters as compared to those from Greek mythology. The lotus-eaters of Odysseus’ age did no harm to those who excepted their “gifts.” The political entertainers of our age do great harm.
The talk show leaders pretend to be serious. They are given platforms by major corporations under the banner of “news” and “journalism.” But, rather than inform discussion, they distract us by cultivating anger and fear.
Political leaders and lay people alike are becoming incapacitated by loathing for our fellow Americans. Though we are not peacefully apathetic as were Odysseus’ men, the net effect is the same. We’re unable to face up to our challenges and obligations in a responsible manner.
Republicans in Congress don’t dare work with their Democratic counterparts. The primary defeats of conservative stalwarts Senator Bob Bennett of Utah and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (not yet official) sent a clear message. Don’t diverge from the Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck political doctrine or be struck down by talk show nation.
The Obama administration fears talk show nation, too. Baited by Andrew Breitbart’s doctored video, Shirley Sherrod was dismissed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture without due process. Conservative talk leaders could barely contain their glee over the Obama administration’s poor judgment.
The escalating war among talk show leaders has gone beyond normal hardball politics. The current tactics have reached a point we should all be shouting, “Enough!”
On one end of the spectrum is Keith Olbermann’s juvenile feature, “The Worst Person in the World.” Olbermann’s daily tirade serves no useful purpose beyond providing liberals with a chance to say “nyah, nyah, nyah” to the conservatives they love to hate. Indeed, it seems that hating conservatives is more important to many liberals than solving problems.
But, Olbermann’s approach is almost benign compared to Rush Limbaugh’s recent tactic to refer to President Obama as “Imam Obama.” Rush Limbaugh is clearly intelligent. He understands the power of language and symbolism. He knows that combining Islamic terms with the president’s name will incite fear and loathing.
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Limbaugh is using long established war time tactics. During times of war, people impose derogatory labels upon their “enemies” to make them seem less than human. It is far easier to attack and disparage someone who is less than human. Except now, talk show leaders are using these tactics against fellow Americans.
Indeed, others are adopting Limbaugh’s dehumanizing tactics. Bill Kelly’s Truth Squad, right here on The Washington Times Communities, employs symbolism to cultivate antipathy. A recent post, “Take back the victory mosque, formerly known as the White House,” includes a photo with a superimposed crescent moon and star, an internationally recognized symbol of the Islamic faith, on the White House. In the article, Mr. Kelly writes, “the President is not what he pretends to be.”
Serious people have serious disagreements with President Obama and his administration. Mr. Kelly’s tactics are not serious. They are gratuitous. They are embarrassing. Indeed, if no one else will say it, I will. These types of tactics are just plain wrong.
It is not just the political entertainers who distract us from serious concerns. We are distracting ourselves. We often place more energy into finding ways to insult those we dislike than figuring out ways to work together and solve problems.
I live near Boulder, Colorado. President Bush haters feel comfortable expressing their distaste for our now former president in the most vile terms. Bumper stickers that read, “The only Bush I trust is my own,” aren’t funny. They are pornographic.
bossco (Flickr)
Clearly we all have a First Amendment right to say what we want. And, there is great comfort knowing that we live in country where we can say literally anything about our political leaders without fear of repercussion.
But it is shameful to act with such vulgarity in a public setting. How can those who compare Republicans to Satan and mock Christians expect respectful treatment of Democrats and the current president? You can’t call people names and get warm fuzzies in return.
We don’t have an Odysseus to extract us from the lotus-eaters and force us back to our ships. We must do that for ourselves. The time has come for all of us to take action.
Political entertainers only have power if we let them have an audience. We can turn off the television. We can turn off the radio. We can tell our neighbors, in a cordial manner, that the unsavory bumper stickers are less than amusing.
These may be the most important political acts of our era. We may not be able to deal with any of the challenges facing our nation until we do. It’s time we all say, “Enough!”
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John Creighton can be found on Twitter @johncr8on and on Facebook.
