For some older readers

[veronica_rich]

At the age of 38, I've only witnessed a certain amount of things in history, of course. So I'm curious about something, from people my age or older, who can speak best to this: Do you think the political rhetoric/discussion/debate in the U.S. today is more ... incindiery, or charged, uncivilized (use your own word to basically mean "less diplomatic/calm") than it has been for decades?

I'm just curious, not only in the wake of Arizona last weekend, but as something I've wondered for the past several years. Some of the remarks and rhetoric and arguments and words I hear now as a matter of course are the kinds of things that back in the 1980s, I only truly remember from shows like "D.C. Follies" or "Spitting Image" - parodies of politics, exaggerated for comedy.

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

But no one heard those types of slurs on a day-to-day basis from Rush Limbaugh or Jon Stewart at that time.

You have a good point with this, and I can't disagree. Having it pounded at you every day has a negative effect - I have to lay off the news for months at a time because I can't handle it after a while bringing me down overall

But this brings up another point, which I'm sure you didn't intend. You were just mentioning two personalities who talk politics regularly, but I see a vast difference between these two people. Limbaugh pretends to be a journalist; at best, he's not even a good comedian. Stewart admits he's a comedian and eschews any "journalist" label, but frankly, he exhibits more journalistic tendencies in a month than Limbaugh ever has in 20 years. The important part of this, of course, is that Stewart is a comedian - if he brings up absurdities, well, he admits that's his job and he doesn't appear on any news venues. That's always been the court jester's job. **G**

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

I really didn't intend to invoke Jon's name (because I love him and respect him to pieces) but my mind blanked on Olbermann's name. Part of the reason why I watch TDS regularly (and, yes, I do get much of my news from a comedy show) is that JS makes a serious effort to be civil to his guests. Bill O'Reilly never bothers to make any efforts to be civil to somebody he doesn't agree with, even going so far as to call them "pinheads" to their faces. I cannot imagine JS doing anything remotely like that.

I was noticing in the coverage of the HCR repeal debates yesterday that the commentators (ABC, I think) mentioned repeatedly how "civil" the debate was until a Democrat pointed out that the Republicans were utilizing a propaganda tactic employed by the Nazis, that is, if you repeat a lie often enough, people will begin to believe it. All of a sudden, the Democrats were made out to be horrible "dividers" for daring to point out how the tactic was used. Nobody said the Republicans were Nazis, just that they were using a tactic that the Nazis had used. It just makes my stomach churn.

And, yeah, JS makes a fine court jester who I trust far more than any other TV news professional right now. Stephen Colbert, otoh, . . .;)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

My friend D has been saying this about the Republicans for several years - only she phrases it "tell the big lie and pretty soon, people will begin to believe it." I believe she might have even picked it up from The Prince.