I'll try to come up with some more varied topics to post about shortly. But for now, one more post about the Arizona shootings. When Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik spoke out at a news conference about the violent rhetoric being spewed by talk radio and cable news, some of the political punditry and blogosphere went ballistic (so to speak) about it. And got very defensive. Tellingly--as Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo said on Monday's Countdown with Keith Olbermann--it was the right wing, not the left, that got very indignant. And Dupnik never pointed to either side of the aisle.
Monday, January 10, 2011
So, Which Side of the Aisle is More Vitriolic?
Labels:
Arizona,
Assassination,
Gun Violence,
Guns,
Shooting
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The Sheriff of Pima County is a lefty and today went on to blame Rush Limbaugh.
ReplyDeleteI really am not a fan of Rush and rarely listen to him, but while he is provocative, he has never gone and say people should commit violence.
I don't think anyone in the media can influence a person, right or left, to commit violence. If a person commits violence, they do it on their own- people are not robots.
Both sides have their flame throwers but they entertain. If someone commits a crime because of a talk show host or TV guy, then that person has many more problems than being easily influenced.
But I must say, the left in this case, was far more unhinged than the right. Especially at first when the left thought the shooter was right wing or was influenced by talk radio. However, when it turned out that this guy was at best a wacko or worse, a left wing wacko, the left shut up pretty quickly, especially over at the Las Vegas Sun. Personally, I think the guy is just deranged, looking for attention and enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.
I think rhetoric, amplified by the right media personality CAN incite people to do things they might not otherwise do. Glenn Beck, I'm sure you'd agree, has some followers who border on disciples. Now, think about some of the more 'round-the-bend declarations of Mr. Beck (it shouldn't be too hard). Then think about Jim Jones. Then revisit the premise.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure it's been proven that the shooter was a lefty OR a righty. But it's interesting that when the Sheriff made his comments, it was the right who got all defensive about it.