I am old enough to remember one of Pete Seeger’s songs that goes like this:
“One man’s hands can’t tear a prison down.
Two men’s hands can’t tear a prison down.
But if two and two and fifty make a million;
We’ll see that day come round.
We’ll see that day come round.”
This morning, on Facebook, a colleague for whom I have great respect posted a very thoughtful letter that he wrote and sent the Clear Channel Communications, the parent company of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. In it he expressed his concern and disgust over Mr. Limbaugh’s recent rant against Sandra Fluke. I reposted the letter hoping that Facebook would do its thing and more people would read what Rick Ufford-Chase wrote. Several friends added their comments and their likes. One person, though, posted a comment more than just liking my post. His response, which caused me to take a step back for a moment, was he thought “liberals believed in free speech.”
I do.
Believe in free speech, that is.
And, I believe in the importance of civil discourse.
And, I believe in personal responsibility for what one says and does.
And, I believe in accountability when one’s words or actions are deemed offensive or destructive.
When my children were growing up they were not allowed to call other people names. And, calling another person stupid was one of the few things you could not say in an honest conversation in our home.
I would guess…or, at least, hope…
That most parents and most households have similar standards.
Why then should I not be offended when a public figure speaks in a way that most of us would not allow our children or co-workers to use in public discourse? In this case it is the words slut and prostitute to describe a young woman merely because he disagrees with her?
I find that personally offensive and corporately destructive.
And, following my own advice, I can no longer just shake my head and turn away.
So, here is my request…
Take a moment to read the letter that Rick wrote which is pasted below, and if you agree with him, as I do, edit the letter to reflect your own views and send it to publicrelations@clearchannel.com.
My voice in the public sphere is small, but I know a number of people take a moment to read what I write (Thank you!). If you think this issue is important, please pass it on.
Repost it.
Reblog it.
Send your friends and email.
And, ask them to do the same.
I wonder how many letters we can add to their inbox.
But, let’s not stop there.
Let’s continue to hold each other accountable and our elected officials and public voices accountable to a level of discourse that is appropriate for the country and political process we value.
So, in advance, thank you.
Here is the letter that Rick wrote:
Mr. Mays CEO, Clear Channel Communications
Ms. Dollinger, Public Relations
Dear Mr. Mays and Ms. Dollinger,
This is not a canned letter, and I don’t normally take the time to write letters of complaint. I am a deeply committed Christian, lean toward liberal on most issues. I believe that it is healthy for our country when people of differing political opinions engage in civil discourse about their hopes for our country. For the record, I do not own a television and typically listen to more than five hours of radio a day, dividing my time between National Public Radio and the AM and FM stations of New York City. I listen to a lot of talk radio, but do not and will not listen to any of it – conservative or liberal – that engages in personal attacks against other in the guise of news.
Rush Limbaugh is rarely civil with those with whom he disagrees and I almost always find him offensive and injurious to our country, but his comments this week about Sandra Fluke are way, way beyond anything that reasonable people can countenance.
Leaving aside the issue of Mr. Limbaugh’s remarkable hypocrisy, I am deeply troubled by the divisive, polarizing language he employs. I intend to write to all of the sponsors for his radio show and inform them that I will boycott their products until they drop their sponsorship. An apology is not enough. Experience suggests that Mr. Limbaugh will twist the apology to the point where it is unrecognizable as such, and will follow with equally hate-filled diatribes in the future. Such discourse offers nothing of value to our country. Even worse, it rewards politicians who choose to join in with their own increasingly nasty, negative attacks, and encourages our citizens to demonize others rather than to engage in thoughtful conversation and develop a shared commitment to make our communities stronger.
I intend to use my limited influence to convince friends, family and colleagues to make a similar decision. Drop Mr. Limbaugh’s show now. Show me, and others, that you care, as we do, about creating a country in which good people can disagree respectfully with one another. Democracy depends on such commitments, and is threatened each time we engage in the kind of personal attacks that are the mainstay of Mr. Limbaugh’s commentary.
Leave a Reply