Political Talk Shows Influence on Public Opinion

Political talk shows and radio shows have been around for decades influencing public opinion, campaign trails, and reinstating political beliefs. Hosts of both television and radio shows have significant effect on listeners and their opinions of government effectiveness and issues at large.

Many argue that talk shows bring government participation to the general public while others say that it encourages negative views toward government. While this seems to be a controversial issue in the political world, all will agree that they give politicians a new way to talk to the public and also a way for the public to convey their opinions directly to politicians.

Many political scientists and scholars alike fear that many talk show hosts entertain more than inform the public. For instance Stephen Colbert is a popular talk show host among young adults. The Colbert Report is not a serious news outlet, but many uninformed college students take his sarcasm as legitimate news. This is an alarming trend as Colbert, Jon Stewart, and many other similar hosts are rising in popularity. On the other hand these shows are offering the public and young people in particular, a look into the political world when they would otherwise not be interested.

For the more traditional viewer or listener talk shows can offer a negative opinion towards the government and its institutions. Since the 1960’s the general trend of the public’s confidence in democratic institutions has been a pessimistic one. Also most importantly the overall distrust of government can have serious repercussions according to Robinson who says, “in the long run, democratic systems do not –cannot- survive monetary or social crisis with institutions that lack the public’s trust and respect”. Another scholar, Jamieson, argues that news media in particular focuses primarily on attack and counterattack and dismisses the status quo. Also that mass media serves to undermine the political process.

Another argument for those who believe the news offers a negative depiction toward governmental institutions is that many users of a particular media tend to adopt the perception of the hosts or news network. For instance studies have shown that network television news, talk radio, and entertainment talk shows depict Congress, the Presidency, and public schools negatively which reduces the public’s confidence in them as well. This has a negative effect on democracy as a whole and can limit public participation.

Extreme hosts of both radio and television talk shows can have a negative or positive effect on the general public depending on your political connotation. Rush Limbaugh is probably one of the most conservative radio hosts on the air today. For conservatives around the country he is an enforcer of their beliefs and helps to tell moderates of extremist Republican views. While on the other hand the Al Franken show is an extremely liberal radio show that challenges conservative beliefs. While members of both parties may not agree with what either are saying both will agree that radio talk show has influenced many campaigns, candidates, and legislators to change policies or get elected.

Radio and television has become an important outlet for politicians and political theorists around the country and even the world. Although some of the shows can have a negative effect on public opinion, it also allows many uninterested Americans a brief look into the political world. As the years go by it will continue to be an effective and convenient way for the masses to obtain political information from a variety of sources.

Liberal

Liberalism

The word liberal has been used for well over 700 years and has a long standing history in the political and economic arenas. It is derived from the Latin word liber meaning free; not slave, and is commonly associated with the word “liberty” and the overall concept of freedom. Some key liberal philosophers include, John Locke, Adam Smith, and Rousseau. From their works and theories we get classical liberalism, but classical liberalism is certainly not the same as liberalism is used today.

The idea that liberty is an essential right of the people has been repeated throughout history in politics. One of the first uses was in Livy’s History of Rome from its Foundation, which focused on the conflicts between the Plebeian and Patrician classes. The idea of liberty and freedom was thrown out during the middle ages, but made a comeback during the Italian Renaissance. The struggles between the Italian city states and the Papal States continued the fight for liberty and succeeded with having elections, the rule of law, and free enterprise until conquered by outside forces. Other smaller predecessors to liberalism include the Eighty Year’s War, aspects of the Magna Carta, and some medieval Islamic ethics.

John Locke is considered to be one of the most influential contributors to liberal theory. A main idea expressed in all of Locke’s works was the rights of life, liberty, and property. Locke believed that property was created by the application of labor. He also believed that property preceded government and that government cannot “dispose of the estates of the subjects arbitrarily”. Locke strongly believed that human nature was characterized by tolerance and reason and thought that it made men inherently selfish. He was also a firm believer in governmental checks and balances and believed in the right to a revolution. Those ideas and many other Lockean philosophies would play a large role in the writing of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations written in 1776 enunciated the liberal principles of free trade. One of his most notable contributions to classical liberalism is the idea of the invisible hand. The invisible hand is a term describing how self interest and a free market help the economy control itself with no governmental intervention. Also that increased competition and increased supply would lower the cost to its production cost and a small profit giving us the “natural price”. Smith also believed that while human motives were usually greedy and selfish, this benefited the free market and society as a whole anyways. That concept was later adapted by the laissez-faire economists of the 19th century. Meritocracy is the second liberal idea Smith introduced. It is the idea that one can advance simply based on their will to succeed. Smith also believed that because of self-improvement, meritocracy would efficiently move the labor force and lead to a more efficient economy.

The word liberal was used in other contexts prior to being used as a political term or theory. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) the word was first used in 1375 to describe those arts or sciences that were considered worthy of a free man; hence the term liberal arts. It wasn’t until 1490 that we got a meaning that is similar to the political idea of liberal. In 1490 it was used to mean free from restraint, free from speech or action; often in a bad sense. The word continued to fluctuate and change meaning between 1375 and 1801. In 1616 it was even used to describe parts of the body; ample, large, but in 1801 we first saw the traditional usage.

The OED cites that the 1801 usage was, “of political opinions: favorable to constitutional changes and legal or administrative reforms tending in the direction of freedom or democracy. Hence used as the designation of the party holding such opinions, in England or other states; opposed to Conservative”. In 1812 the editors of the Spanish Constitution were the first to use the word in a political sense as a noun. They called themselves Liberales to express their opposition to the absolutist power of the Spanish monarchy. By 1823 the meaning had morphed into religious aspects. It was often applied to a member of a church or religious sect whose opinions were more open minded than those set by the standard of orthodoxy.

Liberal made a political jump for another time between 1877 and 1937. The shift from classical liberalism to “new” or modern liberalism occurred for a variety of reasons. The industrial revolution increased wealth and the economy, but created a number of social problems. Such problems included, pollution, child labor, overcrowding, as well as longer life expectancies, and lower mortality rates. Advanced agricultural techniques created a migration of labor from the rural areas into the cities and for the first time the demand for food rose while the prices plunged. Classical economists believed these problems would work themselves out, but that was not the case. During the 19th century voting was extended to a wider base of the population and citizens often voted for more government intervention with the economy, child labor laws, and social activism as a whole.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is credited with redefining American liberalism and reshaping the Democratic Party as a whole. Faced with the Great Depression in the 1930’s FDR created the New Deal which included programs to help the unemployed, reenergize the economy, and reform the banking systems. Many of these programs are still influential today including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Social Security. He brought the United States out of isolationism with the involvement in WWII and created new opportunities for African-Americans and women. The creation of the United Nations helped shape the post-war world.

The ideas and philosophies that Roosevelt established in the 1930’s and 40’s are considered the modern liberals ideals. Regulating businesses, limited social welfare, broad racial, sexual, and religious tolerance, and eagerness towards affirmative action are modern ideals of a liberal. Liberals today disagree with the writings of Adam Smith especially that of laissez-faire economics, as that is associated with conservative ideals today. Liberals have gone from smaller government and less involvement to bigger government and more social liberties. In fact the ideas of classical liberalism often go hand in hand with those of modern conservatism.

When the word liberal is spoken today most Americans immediately think of the Democratic Party; the two are almost synonymous. A liberal is still someone who is open minded and embraces new ideas like stated in 1781, but their political philosophies have shifted into a larger government and more involvement. The word will continue to change as politics does, but for now I believe the correct definition of a liberal is someone who favors change and believes in equality for all mankind.

Media's Effect on Language

Media has a great effect on persuading people into buying their products. Labels, bright colors, and beautiful people in your advertisements are all there to distract you from the actual product and only focus on the ad. You may think that you are not affected by such cliché words and phrases such as, better than blank, but in reality you are. Whether you are conscious of it or not you will think to yourself wow this is better than brand x or wow this tastes horrible I like brand x better. Also the media plays a large role in how the nation or culture perceives a word. In the reading for Wednesday the meaning of the word macho was debated. The author of the essay thought that macho was used as a derogatory term in the United States, but in Latin American countries it was seen positively. However, in reality most Americans think of the song “Macho, macho man…..” which is usually played during a manly commercial for food, beer, or a sporting event. What the author said about most people seeing it negatively, for example a womanizer who only stands around drinking beer and demeaning his wife or women in general, is not true. Another example of a word being influenced by the media is, hot. The word hot literally means to be very warm and uncomfortable. Because of pop culture and outlets such as MTV and VH1 it has come to mean a very attractive person. It can also be used to describe something as cool or hip. For example, that’s a hot car, does not mean that the car is literally warm it means that it is a “badass” car or a cool car. The media skews meanings of words without even realizing it, but I believe that it helps a language grow. Simply because the word has multiple meanings which can be both confusing and helpful at times does not mean the language is dying, it’s changing.

Improper English

Improper English is considered by many linguists to not be language. For example, ain’t and youins are certainly not proper and should not be part of academic papers, but there is no denying that they aren’t words. People all over the country use improper words all the time, yet people still understand them and realize that they are words. Simply because a word causes you to cringe or you yourself may not understand what that word means, someone in another area of the country probably knows exactly what it is. Also many great writers that we study today wrote in improper forms. Shakespeare for example is famous for writing in improper English, yet he is known as the greatest playwright of all time. Also conjunctions play a huge role in improper usage of the language. The examples listed previously are just two of the many screw ups we see and hear everyday. Ain’t is short for am not. Example, I ain’t going to the store. We hear that and immediately know that the person means, I am not going to the store, either they are too lazy or uneducated to know better or it is just part of their speech. I also believe that much of improper usage is due to regional slang. In certain areas of our country people butcher the English language constantly. The South is especially known for our horrible accents and slang words found within the region. In the movie “Do you Speak American?” the reporter travelled the nation examining that statement and concluding that it is essentially true. People have used slang words and improper conjunctions for years, there is nothing wrong with it simply because the majority of people who follow slang know the acceptable form of the words they are using improperly. The language is not dying, it is only shifting, and just like everything else in our world it was bound to.

Reading Response

The way men and women communicate is very different in a variety of ways. Their writing styles differ, there relationships with those of the same sex, and how they behave in public. Women tend to be more open with their feelings while men stereotypically hide theirs. The part that I found most interesting in Tanmen’s “Put Down that Paper and Talk to Me” was the Best Friends excerpt. I know from my own life that I talk to my best friend almost constantly. I text her if I see someone worth talking about, I call her after every class, and see her for hours everyday. Of course our relationship has changed since coming to college because we are with each other a lot more, where as in high school we had our families to go home to and other factors. I also know from experience how males handle there friendships. Guys don’t talk or text there friends throughout the day, they just assume they will call them later for dinner, play basketball, workout or whatever manly activity they enjoy. I also found it interesting that when women are asked who there best friend is they almost always say the one whom they talk to daily. While men say the guy who hangs out with them the most, not the one that he talks to. The “Comfort of Home” section was also very true. I know that when my father comes home from work all he wants to do is eat a nice dinner and watch television. Where as my mother comes home and asks me about my day and tells me all about her day at work, she hardly ever just sits down and watches TV in silence. The stereotypes of men and women’s communication stand strong for the most part. Occasionally you will find a talkative man and there’s always that quiet reserved girl.

Language Memoir

As I walked into my first day of Spanish class in ninth grade I was a little apprehensive to learning a new language. I had taken Spanish in elementary school, but that was easier and simpler vocabulary, now I was in the big time. My teacher that year was Senora Corbett who was a short, lively middle aged woman who was a legend at my high school. She would yell randomly and called you out in class for almost anything, but learning Spanish in her classroom came easily for me and I received an A. Thinking I was a pro at this language stuff I signed up for honors Spanish two the following year. That next year I had Senora Salters who was an amazing teacher. She had us do small skits with a group, projects in Spanish, and weekly vocabulary quizzes. All of that would seem like hell to a 15 year old sophomore, but for some reason everyone loved her. Again I excelled in her class because I was interested through her teaching. That summer I moved from Ft. Myers, Florida to Chattanooga, TN. I had been going to a relatively large public high school and I would now be attending a small private all-girls school. Terrified of switching schools 800 miles away my junior year I thought that at least I would have an interesting Spanish class and hopefully meet some new friends. Spanish was my second period of the day and I arrived anxiously, hoping that I would have a fun teacher and maybe one of the girls who invited me to sit with her in assembly would be in my class. Unfortunately none of my newfound friends were there, but my teacher did seem energetic and interesting. Senor Akers I would soon find out was energetic, but maybe slightly off color and definitely had a reputation throughout school. The class started slowly with reading many stories and briefly discussing them, but all of a sudden I felt lost. I had no idea what this man was saying to me as he asked the class questions, and luckily it appeared no one else did. I struggled through the first semester obtaining a C+, certainly not the grade I was used to in Spanish classes. The following semester we transitioned into lots of compositions and short essays. I was left clueless as he would not clearly explain the different forms of verbs and conjunctions that the Spanish language uses. I quickly became frustrated and my lack of effort in the class was declining. My Mom suggested I go to his help session. I began attending it at least once a week, but still found the class difficult. I somehow pulled out an A the next semester, clearly out of effort to excel, but my interest in the Spanish language declined rapidly after that year.
Reading the stories about different people’s struggles to learn English certainly reminds me of my difficult times with trying to understand Spanish. Almost all of us take for granted the wonderful gift of English that we all have. For it is a language that nearly every person in the world can recognize, and many know how to communicate with it on a basic level. For anyone who has ever tried to learn a foreign language, whether or not they excelled in it, everyone had a rough spot along the way. We should all recognize just how difficult it is for Hispanics and many other non-English speakers to learn English and not to punish them or look down upon them for not being able to speak our complicated language as fluently as us.

620 words.

First Reading Response

Language is a combination of symbols and sounds we use to communicate with those around us. How do we know what a chair is though? We could call it any other name and it would still be something that you sat in. The way we relate a sound to a meaning is very interesting to me. I know that we understand meanings of words and sounds by repetition and through our parents or caretakers directions, but the psychology of language is what most interests me. In the reading from About Language, Rodriguez describes how when he was a small child he would think of English and American voices as the public language and when he heard Spanish he would consider that a language to be spoken inside a private place. English had a high pitched sound to him that made him feel left out because he could not speak it as fast or fluently as Americans; where as Spanish had a soothing, comforting sound that made him feel at ease, like in his home.
Language is something that can make you feel at home or lost and confused in the world. If you are unfamiliar with a particular language you typically become very nervous and flustered, and your sentences become fragmented and confusing. However, when you are speaking a language in which you are fluent in and confident things come easily and you are able to express abstract ideas and have deep intellectual conversations.