Political Entertainment

Killer Joe

New member
Ann Coulter or Al Franken?

Neither are good for politics but which can you stomach more? I'll take Al franken any day over Coulter-giest :rolleyes:

Of course you could take the easy way out and say neither :D
 
L

Limited

Guest
Neither! :D

Actually, I don't know who Al Franken is, but I have seen some horrendous clips of Ann Coulter saying things that any sane person would be ashamed of.
 
L

Limited

Guest
Oh that guy! I think I've seen him on Colbert once..

I thought he was pretty funny.
 
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DarthFerret

Guest
As a Republican (probably the only one on this board), I have to say that we do not claim Ann Coulton in any way shape or form. She is definately NOT a conservative.
 

Killer Joe

New member
I don't watch CNN much because I think they are too *middle of the road*, I prefer my news WAY biased to the left so I watch MSNBC,....alot! Countdown with Keith Olberman is my favorite news entertainment show on cable, aside from the Colbert Report and the Daily Show :rolleyes:

For 'real news' I listen to NPR, a bit to the left of center but I swear they stick up for the President way more than they ought to. :(
 
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DarthFerret

Guest
I actually do listen to Rush, however I usually do so for entertainment value. Amazingly enough, the afternoon talk host on KTRH in Houston (talk radio) is to the right of center (Chris Baker) and I listen to him a whole lot more often.
 

Killer Joe

New member
DarthFerret said:
As a Republican (probably the only one on this board), I have to say that we do not claim Ann Coulton in any way shape or form. She is definately NOT a conservative.
You're not the only conservative on these boards, all the folks who don't post on these Political threads are conservative,.........just kidding,...or...am..I....? :confused: ;) :p
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
Killer Joe said:
You're not the only conservative on these boards, all the folks who don't post on these Political threads are conservative,.........just kidding,...or...am..I....? :confused: ;) :p
Depends on what is being conserved...
 

Melkor

Well-known member
I would say that one of the biggest problems in American political discourse is the trends to create both false dichotomies and false equivalencies. In news reporting there is almost always just two sides and each are presented with equal weight. Additionally, people are presented as flip sides of the same coin. Olberman is the left O'Reilly, O'Reilly is the right Olberman. I think this kind of analysis generally obscures the real differences both between the actual points, and the actual individuals. I don't know what the solution is, and I don't oppose of these practices in all cases, but I think they are at somewhat epidemic levels in our current culture.
 

Killer Joe

New member
Melkor said:
I would say that one of the biggest problems in American political discourse is the trends to create both false dichotomies and false equivalencies. In news reporting there is almost always just two sides and each are presented with equal weight. Additionally, people are presented as flip sides of the same coin. Olberman is the left O'Reilly, O'Reilly is the right Olberman. I think this kind of analysis generally obscures the real differences both between the actual points, and the actual individuals. I don't know what the solution is, and I don't oppose of these practices in all cases, but I think they are at somewhat epidemic levels in our current culture.
The key is to differentiate between the benign and the informative. This whole thread is about Political Entertainment; to try and make a stand that Keith Olberman's show is a REAL news information program would be ridiculous. I still like it, I always watch it and am entertained by it but I know it's just for that; entertainment.

Its the Zealots that buy-into these shows as 'absolute' truth that I'm afraid are the problem not the networks that produce the shows.
 
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EricBess

Guest
It's actually a bit ironic. The "entertainers" tend to focus on extreams, which cater to a large percentage of the american public who are typically drones. I consider myself conservative (no, Darth, you are not the only one) and anyone who's gone toe-to-toe with me in a "heated" debate (they never really get heated around here - fortunately everyone respects each other's opinions enough) will attest.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of any of the political "humorists". Most of them think they are far more entertaining and/or enlightened than they really are and that just rubs me wrong, regardless of whether I agree with what they say. And for the record, I have agreed and disagreed with stances on both sides.

The irony is that the politicians themselves try to appear as centered as possible, while still taking a stand on certain "hot" issues. For example, I would be surprised if anyone who considers themselves "typically democrat, but..." would even consider voting for Rush. And yet the republican candidates frequently spin themselves to try to appeal to exactly those people. And vice versa...

The humorists have the advantage that they don't really care what people think of them. In fact, the more controversy, the more they are noticed.

And like Killer Joe says, the people that typically enjoy one or the other are more often than not zealots who are going to believe everything their favorite says and completely debunk what the counterpart says. Choose your truth...
 
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