Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Idiots
I'm not shy about my distaste for the right-wing blowhards who crowd the airwaves with their vitriol. I'm no fan of liberal talkshows either, but they tend to be less fast and loose with the facts. This post over at Wampum points out a prime example: Limbaugh et al. saying that a disease like Asperger's could be fixed by a few drinks.
While I'm aware that it might seem oversensitive and humorless to complain so, the fact is that these radio types have wide audiences who take their words as gospel. Yes, those audience may be of dubious intelligence, but they are nonetheless there. And they nonetheless seem to vote. Having Limbaugh and friends trivializing serious diseases has an effect: their audiences think they're not important, and research doesn't get funded, and there is no cure or even effective treatment. And our public health infrastructure continues to languish.
While I'm aware that it might seem oversensitive and humorless to complain so, the fact is that these radio types have wide audiences who take their words as gospel. Yes, those audience may be of dubious intelligence, but they are nonetheless there. And they nonetheless seem to vote. Having Limbaugh and friends trivializing serious diseases has an effect: their audiences think they're not important, and research doesn't get funded, and there is no cure or even effective treatment. And our public health infrastructure continues to languish.
