Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts

by digby

Spocko, (the guy who chased Melanie Morgan off San Francisco radio) wrote this in the comments to our “pudding” series about questioning the premises of these right wing frames. He makes an excellent observation:

I decided that the only way to have an impact on the charade of the “market place of ideas” was to go to the only people they really listen to, the ones who paid them. The advertisers.

This is the “real world” and it is the ultimate of rejecting their premise.

I reject the entire premise of their show. The fake participation, the stacked deck with loving callers. I reject their rhetorical tricks that are used on people who do get through occasionally who they destroy with their high school debating tricks and shouting. (Hannity especially)

People like Rush, Hannity, Grover Norquist, Bill O’ Reilly and Coulter are the ones who create these kind of rhetorical games. They think up the frame. They then give them to their listeners who repeat them for their co-workers and family. My mom regularly uses the rhetorical tricks that Rush uses on the one person in the family who disagrees with her. But because this person doesn’t want to attack my mom she thinks she has “won the conversation”. Personally I hate having to have these conversations with people because I really don’t like confrontation. Especially if my goal it really to persuade and change someone’s mind rather than WIN the conversation. I think some men thing that if they humiliate the other person that they will then admit defeat. And that is what they want. “All right! You are right! I was wrong. You are the smarter person. I will change my ways!” These people often want to appeal to some third party and argue as if a impartial judge of debate is listening in.

What do I gain if I “win” a conversation on talk radio? Even if I had a segment where they didn’t control my volume and my on button, if I “won” the argument the second I’m off the air they will mock me. They never modify their opinion with the correct information. See how often they bring back Zombie facts. As Monty nicely put it, it’s NOT about an “honest inquiry or debate.” It’s about entertainment, stirring the pot or creating the media’s standard “X vs. Y” controversy story.

When I went after the talk radio hosts I chose to change the venue, work on them from outside their frame and even from outside the venue they control. And it had an impact.

The financial impact on the station was big, but the bigger picture method was bigger. They listened to the money people because even if they say, “We had great ratings!” the money people say, “We don’t care, we only like great ratings if they give us more money.” To save face (and to avoid a breach of contract lawsuit) they didn’t fire the K S F O radio hosts at the time, but eventually they slipped them the pink slip for doing the one sin that corporate radio doesn’t forgive, costing them money.

Spocko deserves a medal for fighting back against that shrieking creep Melanie Morgan. And that’s how he did it. Liberals should do it more often.

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