I’m on the updates mailing list for Sojourners, a progressive Christian ministry and magazine. I’ve gotten three requests to add my name to letters to be sent to the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The letters disagree with the stands that these pundits have taken on such issues as health care reform. I haven’t added my name but I did send this e-mail.
“ I have received your e mails asking me to sign letters to be sent to the like of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Hey, I don’t have a problem with that. I honestly believe that these pundits either don’t check their facts or are outright liars. I just don’t believe this tactic will work.
These commentators have built their business plan on a particular segment of the population. They aren’t going to abandon that audience. The audience that presumably listens to the commercials that pay for their airtime. They benefit from these advertising dollars. It would probably be harder but go after the companies. Without their dollars they don’t get airtime.
Hey, it’s perfect capitalism. The pundits have the right to say what they want. The companies have the right to spend their advertising dollars where they will. They just don’t have the right to do it with our dollars: the only votes we seem to have that count for anything.
I believe the message to the companies is simple. We find so and so’s views to be either poorly researched or out right lies. Since your company supports this programming with your advertising budget we can only assume that you either support these views or haven’t done your research either. It’s your right to do this. It isn’t your right to expect that you can do it with our money.
Heck, I’m probably not the first one to come up with this. And the word boycott has such negative baggage these days. From Irish home rule to Montgomery Alabama if the cause is just then God is with us.”
And the screams about censorship if such a campaign did work would be so, dare I say satisfying. And that’s one of the things that always bugged me about the likes of Limbaugh, Colter and Hannity. They claim the right to say whatever they want whenever they want. And nobody can say anything about it. Go after their advertisers and it’s “censorship.” As I said in the e-mail: you’ve got the right to say what you want. You just don’t have the right to do it on my dime.
So, I guess I’ll have to do some limited Fox watching with the mute button engaged. And be prepared to send some e-mails to their advertisers.
5 comments:
Right On!oh, Write on!
Hi Jackie, I don't think I can actually bring myself to watch Fox News or to listen to Hannity or Limbaugh on the radio but if you post the advertisers here, I'd be more than happy to join a boycott. I'm beyond disgusted with the inflammatory, often racist rhetoric that is spewed by these people as I imagine many people are.
Stacy
Bit of an update. Apparently I'm not the first person to suggest going after the advertisers. I sent the e mail before Sojourners posted info that they're trying to get advertisors names.
One nice thnig about TV. You don't have to listen, just engage the mute button, keep half an eye out for commercials and write down names. I'd have a hard time listening too.
Update, update. Advertisors have pulled their stuff from Glenn Beck but there are claims that his audience is up. Although how long he'll last with no ad support is up for grabs.
And everybody be sure to have their houses in order, they'll go after us too.
Just because and "audience is up" doesn't mean the guy is recruiting new believers. a lot of people tune into these guys after they say or do something sensational just to be part of the drama. Kind of like people standing around the scene of an accident s\to see if they can see any blood. I don't know WHY human beings do this, but they DO...
And we need to go after advertisers, not necessarily because we disagree with the views expressed by these idiots, but because we want to discourage this sort of programming altogether. It ISN'T constructive, it DOESN'T do anyting to solve the nations's problems, it DOESN'T promote the kind of behavior we would like to see from our neighbors or would like our children to learn. So why are we subsidizing it?
I can't watch enough tv to get the names of those advertisers (but you can bet there are a ****load of drug companies on the list...) But if you get me the list, I'll ad my "vote" to the pool...
Actually if we could limit most of our spending to local companies and stores we would probably avoid most of the advertisers of this crap.
I use herbs for most of my health care needs so that takes care of the drug companies.
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