On the Tuesday edition of the Daily Show, host Jon Stewart had a segment about the cable channels reaction to the shooting at the US Holocaust Museum. He attempted to ridicule MSNBC’s blaming the right and the pundits Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Rielly blaming the left for setting off the alleged shooter. Unfortunately, Stewart and his writers missed the point of those reports and bought into the mainstream reporting that the shooter was a “lone wolf” crazy person.
There have been several killings by people later linked to right wing extremism. I know their extreme views didn’t kill the people – the people who pulled the trigger did – but think what it is like to listen the recent increase in Doomsday talk by the stars of right wing talk shows like Limbaugh and O’Reilly.
Everyday your warped view of the world is validated by the people you listen to on the TV and radio and you get to the point where you HAVE to do something. So while people like Limbaugh and O’Reilly didn’t kill anyone – their rhetoric – which has been more shrill since Obama took office – creates the powder keg and match that sets off people like the museum shooter who are not very rational in the first place.
The whole time Bush Jr. was in office I can’t think of any domestic terrorist killings happening because he was in office or from people irrationally afraid of his policies.
Here is the clip of the Daily Show:
You know, it's funny in an ironic "not-really-funny" way, but the Right (and the stupid "culturally conservative" on both sides- yes, I'm looking at you, Joe Lieberman) are so quick to blame heavy-metal music and shoot-'em up videogames and Hollywood for violence and the decline of culture. Ask them and they'll be sure and tell you how, every time someone who is emotionally disturbed anyhow comes in contact with these types of media and does something hideous, it is the fault of the media. Yet, Limbaugh and the rest can vomit every day via public airwaves and cable networks and there is no connection when someone who is emotionally disturbed anyhow takes THEIR vile bile and does something hideous? So let me make sure I understand- some kid dressed in black shoots up a school or fast-food joint and it is the fault of a videogame or music, but some middle age dudes or old racists terrified that the government is going to take away their guns or turn our country Socialist shoot up a museum or blow up a building or kill a doctor who is acting within current law and they are "lone wolves"? The media outlets that give the reactionaries a voice would not allow heavy-metal or gangsta rap to play on their channels (outside of a clip just short enough to be within fair-use so that O'Reilly or Beck could criticize it for destroying America) and their audiences would probably infer this is because of "values". Maybe these same outlets should question the airing of the views they DO broadcast for the same reason- they incite violence among the tragic among us who are ignored in receiving the mental health service desperately needed. If music and videogames and movies have to come with warnings and restrictions because of the views they promote, maybe Fox News should, too.