Are you kidding me?, Limbaugh constantly race baits, does this mean Limbaugh himself is racist?, probably not. He puts this act on to pacify his audience. Many of his listeners WANT to hear this type of divisive race baiting. Its what makes him money. Limbaugh himself admitted he is only in this to make profit. His schtick is all an act. His comments do have consequence and he has to take responibility for those comments, thats why he is constantly saying hes "sorry". He should post a diclaimer before his show airs stating that this is all an act. But that would make his listeners heads explode. He should air a warning before and after his show: "The Rush Limbaugh show is merely entertainment and Rush Limbaugh is only an entertainer and if you feel yourself being swayed during the next three hours, you should seek medical attention immediately."
Interesting to see the blatant disregard for responsibility exhibited by Rush's defenders. As though everyone is completely blameless for the angry hate that currently seethes through the US political and cultural situation. If Rush is not at least partially to blame for cultivating such a vitriolic atmosphere then just how did we get here?
The guy is publicly visible and heard daily by millions. He is not espousing much in a positive regard and is intentionally over the top. But one problem is that most people probably take Rush at his word, that he really does believe what he says. But that he self admittedly does not, its critical for each listener to recognize he will say anything for personal gain. He will shamelessly lie to you and not give a damn about the consequences as long as it makes him a buck.
When I was a kid, I watched wrestling every Saturday morning, and I loved it. And then, perhaps through maturity, I realized that wrestling was fake, and I stopped watching it. Three decades later, wrestling is bigger than ever, and I realize it's not kids watching. It's grown men.
Rush Limbaugh discovered a sector of our society which have certain fringe beliefs, and began preaching to those persons as though they were his flock. Like wrestling, he created a persona to "entertain" Like wrestling, it's always been entertainment and about the money. And like wrestling, many of his "flock" cannot see that it's fake. They believe. They are sheep. They are the Dittoheads.
Some people would call his deception a fraud. Black's Law Dictionary defines fraud as "an intentional perversion of the truth for the purpose of inducing another in reliance upon it to part with some valuable thing belonging to him or to surrender a legal right."
The problem with arguing fraud is that Rush Limbaugh is so over the top that the listener would have to be a idiot to not know it was just entertainment. It doesn't mean that Rush isn't a idiot, but can you really blame Rush for his listener's stupidity? If I were eleven, I might be susceptible to such "intentional perversions of the truth..." But alas, I have grown up.
His is the archetypal path that a lowly seminary student can follow to go from preacher to televangelist superstar, where the fame, fans, money and POWER flow like milk and honey. And that power is based on the flocks admiration and blind allegiance to the one that feeds their need for spirituality, or in the case of Limbaugh, the need to release their deeply rooted hatred.
It is that ability to whip up the his followers into an active frenzy that strikes fear in the hearts of republican leaders and lawmakers. In Limbaugh they found their mystical conservative icon with which to align themselves. But like the master that suddenly becomes the student to his apprentice, they find that the real power comes from he who can actually control the zombies.
Perhaps some listeners should harken to your Personal Savior: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God".
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