As never before, people with strange and bizarre views are being openly courted by television show "bookers," a breed of television denizen who is required to secure popular ratings-boosting guest as well as the more controversial guests who generate publicity buzz.
To make the host look good...
In many instances, the guest with the most bizarre or loathsome position is making a deal with the devil. In order to curry favor with their supporters and promote their message, they must be willingly to act as a foil to make the show's host look good. Or in the words of Rush Limbaugh, "the purpose of callers is to make me, America's Truth Detector; the Doctor of Democracy; the Most Dangerous Man in America; the All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie; defender of motherhood, protector of fatherhood and an all-around good guy, your host, look good."
But stripped of the adjectives, Limbaugh is right-on (pun intended) the money (pun intended) as to why controversial people are allowed air time. Although Limbaugh does not have guests, his callers are apparently screened so that the most negative and those that disagree with Rush are moved to the front of the line. During the call, listeners will hear Limbaugh skillfully, and often playfully, point out the inconsistencies in the caller's argument or use the call to segue into a subject that Limbaugh want to discuss.
Two-edged sword...
In agreeing to appear on a show, the guest is apparently agreeing to demonstrate, for one and all, their prejudice, their ignorance, their mean-spirited nature and highlight their sometimes despicable cause. Each guest must weigh the benefits of appearing on a show carefully, lest they have a negative effect on their cause as well as future show bookings. The only real caution is that the guest may either make the host look bad or present a neutral, bland position which puts the audience to sleep.
Smart Business...
Almost all celebrities and book authors know that, in order to generate book-selling or personal publicity, they must be somewhat controversial... or in industry parlance, provide a "hook" which will engage both the audience first and the host second. It does not matter whether or not the hook is positive or negative as long as it is not boring.
The Ann Coulter Stratagem...
Here is one very smart, somewhat attractive, lady who has apparently gamed the system.
Her background belies the controversy.
According to Wikipedia...
"As an undergraduate at Cornell University, Coulter helped found The Cornell Review, and was a member of the Delta Gamma national women's fraternity. She graduated cum laude from Cornell in 1984, and received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where she achieved membership in the Order of the Coif and was an editor of the Michigan Law Review. At Michigan, Coulter founded a local chapter of the Federalist Society and was trained at the National Journalism Center."
"After law school, Coulter served as a law clerk, in Kansas City, for Pasco Bowman II of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. After a short time working in New York City in private practice, where she specialized in corporate law, Coulter left to work for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee after the Republican Party took control of Congress in 1994. She handled crime and immigration issues for Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan, and helped craft legislation designed to ease the deportation of aliens convicted of felonies. She later became a litigator with the Center For Individual Rights."
She now positioned is a "right wing media darling" that has led to fame and fortune as a best-selling author, syndicated columnist and public speaker. Her books: High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton; Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right; Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism; How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter; Godless: The Church of Liberalism; and If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, all have built-in controversial hooks that continue to drive the Coulter publicity machine towards it intended target: informing America about her cause while making Coulter rich and famous. The American Dream personified.
Capitalizing on Unintended Consequences?
Now we see Coulter embroiled in another "high profile" controversy where the chattering classes debate whether or not Ann Coulter is anti-Semitic.
It starts with an innocent response (if there is such a thing in the Coulter/Deutsch world) to a question asked by advertising maven Donny Deutsch on his CNBC program, "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch."
"During the program, Coulter stated that the United States is a 'Christian nation' and suggested that Jews needed to 'perfect' themselves into Christians. Deutsch, a practicing Jew, told Coulter he found the comments personally offensive and anti-Semitic; Coulter replied that she could not understand his reaction."
“DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, 'Jews need to be perfected.' Those are the words out of your mouth.
COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.
DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --
COULTER: No!
DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?
COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.
DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought."
Both parties, as well as the major media players, have now engaged in debating the topic. Generating further heat, light and controversy -- and guaranteeing both participants in the conversation many more media appearances in the future.
Coulter, for her part, continues to looks like a hero to the right, right-wing loon to the liberals and as entertainment for all others. Deutsch, who is an easily forgettable personality, looks like the hero defending his faith.
I personally don't know, or even care, what Coulter apparently thinks or is saying. Or even if she misspoke. But I do know, that both parties to the exchange understand the publicity game well enough to exploit the situation, whatever it may be.
What can YOU do?
Enjoy the entertainment or switch the channel.
Realize that, callers and guests are there to engage the audience and it does not matter whether their positions are either positive or negative -- just so long as they are not boring. The goal is to drive the ratings upward and prevent the audience from switching the channel.
Filter all statements through your own sensibilities. Do not waste your own time, effort and emotion in the debate unless it increases your personal appearance, power, prestige and profits -- and, of course, makes you look good to your constituency.
-- steve
A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…
The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius
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