One false equivalency is often made between cable news channels FOX "News" and MSNBC. Just the same, right? Hardly. FOX "News" is a right-slanted channel at all times. They've admitted so in their "opinion" programming, but it is amply evident in their "hard news" programs as well, which are cross-pollinated with the other shows to render the difference whisper-thin. MSNBC on the other hand three opinion shows from a left-leaning perspective (The Ed Show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and The Rachel Maddow Show), one that straddles the line (Hardball), and a three-hours-per-day show from former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. As soon as FOX puts on a liberal for three hours every morning, I might be willing to reconsider my stance.
But I'm no cheerleader for any corporate entity. I simply dislike "conventional wisdom" that flies in the face of the facts. And it gets even worse when you get down to the individual personalities. Let's just take two, Rachel Maddow and Glenn Beck. Rachel is funny and snarky, and unabashedly liberal. She can get serious, but a tone of humor (though sometimes gallows humor) hangs over the proceedings. Glenn gets emotional, paranoid, reactionary and bombastic. He sees Nazi and communist allegories everywhere. And he cries. Rachel only does that when she's laughing.
But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out the commencement speeches given by both hosts to graduating classes at Smith College and at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. I'll let you guess which one is which.
I actually like Rachel and know she is a very smart woman, but this was a pretty lame address. If I had been one of the graduating class I would have been disappointed to say the least. A big C-. Having Glen Beck speak at your graduation though............would be enough to make most anyone stay home, especially when it is a day of celebrating higher education, enlightened thought, and hard work. Did they not hear him admit to being an entertainer and not believing in the things he purports to be true and right? Both he and Rachel were bad choices, Glen for his insincerity and Rachel for her marginal and overly political speech.
ReplyDeleteAfter rewatching Rachel's address, I can see where you're coming from, I suppose. Not actually being a college graduate myself, I've never had to set through a commencement address.
ReplyDeleteMy comparison was more about the differences between two popular political pundits than it was about the overall appropriateness of their speeches for their venues. Point taken.
But if both speakers were chosen by the student bodies, I guess they got what they paid for. And I still like Rachel better (obviously).
I am a conservative & still thought Rachel's speech was better, stronger, full of great analogies & principles for living. What else would you want from a graduation speaker than to send these bright young minds off into the world with a gem or two of practical wisdom? I would give her a resounding "A".
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