Talk show host Phil was a leftie, no doubt about it. What's nice to be able to point out, though, is that he was never rude to his guests as far as I can recall. When he asked a question, he gave time for the guest to answer it. He didn't call names. He let his own views be known, to be sure, but he didn't denigrate those guests with whom he disagreed.
We could use more hosts with such skills today, on all ends of the political spectrum.
Pop on over to Mr. Chanman's blog and watch this YouTube video of Phil and Milton Friedman. Then pop over to this post I wrote last year for links to Phil and Ayn Rand.
3 comments:
Not all lefties are vituperative and sneering cardboard cutouts but the comforting illusions of the left certainly favor that kind of behavior. When you know you're courageous, generous, compassionate and intelligent that implies certain qualities in those who oppose you. Most lefties give in to the temptation embodied in the phony virtues they're led to see in themselves and act accordingly.
You could see the dynamic operating in the clip.
Ol' Phil thinks he's a lion of courage in being nobly outraged at the greed that he's certain is the beating heart of capitalism. Milt takes Phil's legs out from under him with the painfully obvious observation that capitalism is not the source of greed and that self-interest, which is the less inflammatory term that describes what's being referred too as greed, is a fact of life and no amount of government regulation is going to make it go away.
I couldn't agree with you more, Darren.
In fact, the entire concept of commentary shows these days is anything but helpful. People sit down for three to four hours and listen to agenda-driven entertainers shout down guests and each other. And at the end of the evening, they've learned nothing and simply intensified the rigidity of their views with no specific reasons why. It's very sad.
Neil Postman rightly pointed out that all the information found in an hour-long television broadcast could be found on one page of a newspaper. That says a ton about the current state of discourse in the country.
Phil Donahue. I still remember the strange "transexual" shows he would do, and his odd guests. These were things we were all sure were made up, because no way any man would do that in real life.
:P
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