Several times I have pined for cable television. I want to watch the excellent programs on BBC America, Turner Movie Classics, and Sundance. As always it would be hard to pass up the offerings from the Learning, Discovery, and History channels.
In short, cable television is good. Well, mostly good.
A few evenings ago I sat in the lobby of a car dealership, waiting to speak with a fleet manager. The television was on, a little too loud, tuned too FOX News. The program, just starting, happened to the the O'Riley Factor, a show I had heard much about but never witnessed in person.
Now I don't mind conservatives, I myself share many of the traditional conservative views. If tested, I would probably fall somewhere closer to moderate but we'll talk more about that during the 2004 elections.
The Factor and it's 'No Spin Zone' is not so much a news program as it is a witch hunt. This guys preys on peoples dignity like the President smokes out terrorists. How this passes for news, or even objective commentary, is beyond me. In fairness I've only seen one show but on this late afternoon Bill had one hell of a huge chip on his shoulder against France.
I'm all for making a joke at the expense of the French people but when I hear Mr. O'Riley command his minions to boycott French products, well that's just plain stupid.
The French would love nothing more than for us to stop consuming their products. Every day in America, thousands of people butcher the word croissant alone. And I shudder to think what most of my countrymen do with a good Brie.
No, a boycott would only create a cause for a French National Day of Celebration. Parisians in the millions would celebrate in a party not seen since the Liberation during World War II.
But hey, everyone should know this, including the host of a cable television news program. I guess with all those channels, the cable industry must be hurting for real objective and informed talent.
Perhaps it's time to take Airbag to the airwaves, at least I would get free cable.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Well said. I have not seen this show, only heard about it. This whole anti-French thing is getting 'way out of hand, and now, with the "Freedom Fries" thing at the House Cafeteria, I'm starting to get seriously embarassed for this country. This gets sadder by the minute.
BTW, I have a good buddy who lives in France, and he and the French folk with whom he consorts are of the opinion that our entrire country are glued to Fox News, which I have to repeatedly tell him is not true. It just goes to show you that our impressions of others can be badly skewed.
Damn, I forgot to include the bit about French 'Freedom' Fries. Oh how I can not wait until 2004.
I know a few people who live in Paris who are reasonable, genuine, nice human beings. About the whole Freedom Fries issue, they laugh. They also assure me that the french people, while they mostly disagree with the Bush Administration, arent so boneheaded as to attribute the actions of a country's government to every last one of its citizens.
I've seen O'Reilly on occassion. He's a complete bastard whose father obviously never showed him any affection. Too bad.
But no worries, Greg. It will all come back to get him. Karma.
No Q-Tips, cable, and I hope you didn't cancel your DSL, because that's no way to live! I think it was Newsweek that said Fox News is the news channel of choice for the Bush Administration and with O'Reilly there its no wonder. I do watch the show on occassion and I sometimes agree with his view point (although I'm not a conservative), but sometimes he is extremely myopic and unfair to his guests. I certainly wouldn't call his show news; its more like entertainment for Republicans.
First, O'Reilly's show isn't a news show (much in the same way that Larry King's show isn't a news show) and most people understand that he's a conservative with a chip on his shoulder. It's not trying to be impartial nor claims to be. (Unlike all the Evening News broadcasts which claim to be impartial but really aren't.)
The edgy nature of his show is what attracts certain kinds of viewers. I, myself, don't care for it. But I don't like Howard Stern or the other daytime shock shows.
Berzie: It's great that you voice your opinion on a topic you've had no experience with. There's nothing like talking badmouthing (or praising) something based on someone else's opinion. Wonderful.
And saying that Fox News is "not true" is about as accurate as saying Bill Clinton wasn't really the President. Sure, he didn't behave like a President, but he really was, in fact, the President.
Fox News channel has much of the same news as CNN but there are those additional stories (actual, true events) that Fox covers that the liberal news agencies ignore. It's really as simple as that.
But go ahead, post your impotent criticisms all the same. The "surface" crowd eats that stuff up. 8^)
O'Reilly has done some pretty out of line stuff in recent memory. There was the case a few months ago of threatening physical assault on a peace activist/9/11 family member. Last year he also advocated the military targeting of civilians. FAIR has sections on both O'Reilly himself and Fox News, interesting stuff.
Um, Boysen, I'm sorry that you are in the uncomfortable position of defending Fox News. I don't see that I was really praising or damning Fox News (I have actually seen the local version of it, which from what I can see is fairly tabloidish), just saying that I am embarrassed by the anti-French stuff and that not all of us here in the U.S. are watching Fox. (With the exception of the Simpsons, natch)
Point Beerzie.
Quiet please. Please quiet. Thank you.
15/15... service Boysen.
hehe, Greg, working to promote discourse.
I'm not uncomforable defending Fox News. It's basically a more thorough version of CNN. But don't take my word for it, visit TV Guide and enter your ZIP and you'll be fully informed in no time. No more worrisome comments coming back to bite you on the rear. No more wondering if your blog entry is fact or fiction, because you'll actually have some first hand experience from which to speak. Image that.
As to Fair... is it not worth mentioning that it's founder is now the senior producer for long-time liberal Phil Donahue? Oh no, of course not, then their comments against Fox News (and other conservatives) wouldn't be quite so valid.
Let's just be clear here, O'Reilly is a commentator on a political talk show. He's not Dan Rather and doesn't claim to be impartial. *cough cough* Fair, on the othe hand, claims to be "offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship." But browsing through their list of articles, it's easy to see to which side they lean.
I'd love to visit your site Sylvia, but it's been blocked by my company's firewall. ;^)
Good points but I was still a little shocked by how hard Mr. Bill was on his 'guests'. I'm surprised the guy can even get someone from an opposing view on his show!
Oh, I mean 15-30.
Sylvia, now serving.
Don't worry Boysen, you're not missing out on anything at my website. :P
As for FAIR, there's no doubt that they lean to the left. I don't mean to uphold them as the ultimate source of objective news coverage. And I think it's perfectly valid for O'Reilly to be a conservative political commentator. But political bias aside, I think it's still pretty questionable to harass and threaten physical violence to a guest on your TV show. FAIR might be on the liberal side of things but I wouldn't call their comments invalid because of that -- biased, perhaps. Their reporting of some of these O'Reilly incidents is pretty accurate from what I've seen and read in other sources. And it still doesn't change the fact that O'Reilly has done some nutty stuff.
But I mean, I'm also quite liberal, so does that mean that everything I say about Foxnews or Bill O'Reilly is invalid as well?
And Greg, how did I get roped into the match? :)
Oh surely, it's valid. But the context of the speaker and their relationship to a given topic sheds all kind of light on the substance of their point.
btw, I do not condone physical violence on people just because they've got screwy viewpoints. Not that Saddam feels the same. ;^)