For the record, I like NPR and I think it’s worth funding. Even so, In light of the House passing a bill to strip NPR of federal funding, I thought I’d re-post this piece on the “dangers” of This American Life.
Weekend Public Radio: The Marxist’s Sabbath
Weekend public radio is a warm cozy cup of liberal chamomile tea. Saturday is the progressive’s radio Sabbath. Weekdays are reserved for marxist plots and socialistic schemes. Saturday is set aside for organic gardening techniques, car repair advice, word puzzle games, family fiddlers, and narcissistic human interest soliloquies.
Weekend public radio is a safe, soothing blend; a tempered progressive aroma with just a hint of deferentially moderate enlightenment.
I’m an in the car NPR kind of guy. Consequently, most of my carbon footprint education has occurred while driving. Even so, as I traverse the weekend landscape listening to my gas powered radio, I gain the satisfaction of hearing forward thinking ideology without the discomfort of actually doing something progressive. Weekend public radio allows me to simply rest in my balanced, moderate complacency. Why wouldn’t I pledge to keep such an efficient opiate on the air.
One of my favorite Saturday sedatives is This American Life. For those ignorant of all things progressive, This American Life is an hour long show dedicated to obsessive introspection. The title is a little misleading, as the show has nothing to do with being an American.
A more apt name might be, “This American Life in the eyes of a very insulated group of publicly funded radio producers.” Or a more concise title might be, “Look at me! Everything I say and do is really important!” Actually, that sounds a lot like America.
This American Life pretty much follows the same format. Ira Glass starts the show talking about something mundane and then hints at its possible profoundness or its interesting mundaneness. The rest of the show is full of well produced human interest thought pieces loosely associated with the day’s theme.
For example, if the show’s overarching theme is something like breathing, Ira would start the program interviewing a friend who breathes in an odd manner. Then we’d hear a story about a man whose defrost didn’t work, so he holds his breath while driving his car. Next there’d be an interview with a scientist who studies the effects of bad breath on lab mice and inner city youth. Finally, the show would end with David Sedaris in front of a live audience reading whatever the hell he wants.
This American Life is the perfect weekend public radio show. The content is visceral, but intellectually palatable. Progressive, yet harmless. This American Life is a sermon for the converted; a place where the pastor can preach to the choir and the choir can shout amen without fear of rebuke.
Progressives will never take over the world. They’re too content with their own enlightenment. They find their meaning in being the elite few who get it! Regular listeners gain their joy in being different from the ignorant masses. They’re too clever to share their vantage point with everyday people. If we all shared the same ground, who would we look down upon.
The astute reader will note that I am manifesting the same behavior I decry. So true. . . Come to think of it, wouldn’t that make a great theme for a show.
“The inconsistencies in each of us, the hypocrisy in all of us. Yah, that would be a really good show. We could regale our listeners with how keenly aware we are of our own duplicity. Someone contact David Sedaris and see if he’s written anything about being a hypocrite. Oh who am I kidding, just air whatever he sends us.”
Douglas Bursch is the author of Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It. He also hosts The Fairly Spiritual Show podcast.