I had a discussion this week about why I don't like Rush Limbaugh. I didn't really get to make my point before the whole discussion turned into a Conservative vs. Liberal opinion debate. It was rather unfulfilling, so I thought I'd share my reasoning.

But first… This is NOT a political issue. It's a marketing issue.

First, a definition. I define a “shock jock” as any media person who polarizes their audience with extremist statements. It doesn't matter if they say it to “shock” you or if they believe it. If they polarize you in that way, they're shock jocks in my book.

Notable Shock Jocks: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Howard Stern. I'm not familiar with any outstanding liberal shock jocks, though I think Democracy Now is a show which is a good example.

Full disclosure. I am a moderate who leans liberal. However, as I said above, this is not a political issue for me.

Let me be straight. Rush Limbaugh is good at what he does. Reading his bio on Wikipedia, he is a brilliant marketer. He's great at creating engagement, getting people to talk, he's good at entertaining people. But ultimately, he is a marketer. The best marketers polarize their audience. You will love or hate what they say and the “love” people are YOUR people. The “hate” people are not. Pretty simple, right?

Personally, I despise shock jocks not for the content of their discussions, but the extremist nature of their polarization. The key of that phrase is “extremist”.

We hear a lot about extremism in the news these days. Usually, it's associated with Middle East terrorists…

That's the problem I have with shock jocks, especially political ones. They spout extremist philosophies. Whether you think they are right or wrong is only relevant insofar as how they are acted upon. When extremists start subjugating others, that's when it becomes an issue.

Recently, there was an article on the Birmingham news website about a local shock jock who was telling Christian judges to break the law by not approving gay marriages in Alabama. This shock jock telling judges to break the law to fit his belief.

We'll totally leave out the fact that the guy doesn't understand the Bible. Yes, Jesus himself avoided ever speaking against the political establishment saying, “render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's”. Meaning, “I'm not telling you to break any laws and rebel against Rome.”

Extremists are why we have Fox News and MSNBC. It's biased news, and they do it really well. People are no longer reporting what's news. They're reporting drama. They're reporting misery. They're making a living off the misery of others. They're belittling people for entertainment. Doesn't that sound horrible? Why become a part of that?

Don't get me wrong. I love the occasional Aggie joke too. 😉

But if the news was just Aggie jokes, or Longhorn jokes, or minority jokes, I wouldn't be interested in those either. In fact, I don't like much stand up comedy for that reason too. (Well, that's one reason) It gets old.

Now that said, I understand schedenfreude. I've met people who listen to Rush Limbaugh because it's exciting drama. It's like reality shows or soap operas… What stupid thing is he gonna say next. But the challenge is to stay true. If you spend three hours a day listening to someone spout extremist philosophy, it's brainwashing… IMHO That becomes a part of who you are and what you believe.

I listen to podcasts about marketing, not because I soak in everything they say, but because I know, over time I will learn some awesome new techniques for promoting my music.

It's the same thing with shock jocks. Do you believe in the idea of the Femi-Nazi? Well, if you don't, keep listening to Rush Limbaugh and you may.

Is that really what you want? To be an extremist?

Admittedly, not everyone is so easily persuaded. But most are. That's why advertising is so successful. What's that line from Candide?

“I am easily assimilated.
I am so easily assimilated.”