"Haters" Unite with the O'Riley Factor

Yo, why you hatin' b?

Before I begin, throughout this piece, you will randomly see the text phrase "Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban"...please treat it as an annoying piece of code you would normally ignore in any other IT situation. Its use is simply a desperate means of attracting web hits.

My intent is to, perhaps, prove Bill O'Riley right on one account...explanation below.

I looked up from the computer a moment ago and noticed that Fox News was on...*shudder*. Completely accidental, I did not have control of the remote. I hopelessly reached for the remote control, digits flailing, but the laptop was too heavy. The bitter irony here is, living in my new location of Jakarta, I actually pay for my cable service (no more climbing telephone poles for me)...I pay to receive Fox News. - Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban - There is actually a transaction that takes place - yes, voluntary exchange - that includes my being able to watch this programming (word choice intentional). Today's smattering of intelligence insulting banter was a predictable deluge of slander against the "liberal" media.

Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban

The word "liberal" has become a popular tool of criticism, used by the political right to describe anyone who exhibits even a modicum of tolerance for anyone whose life style or political point of view differs from what Pat Robertson might slur between highballs and lines of coke off a 14-year old boy's bare ass. - Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban - It's one of those inside jokes that took me a while to get, not because I'm an idiot, but because I'm not on the inside. I know people who take offense to this usage of the term. I've always found this interesting because such media is not directed to a general population, but a to demographic of people who explicitly identify with this brand of rhetoric.

Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban

I don't take offense for three reasons:

1. These "liberals" they speak of are a little too far right for my own flavor. I'm a registered socialist...and even those green schmucks come off a little candy-assed for my taste.
2. If I were listening to one of these programs, it was by accident and I deserve to be insulted.
3. The root of the word liberal is "liberalism", an early 18th century brand of political-economic thought that most closely resembles the present "conservative" political right. Knowing this rather obscure bit of trivia, I even find self-proclaimed "liberals" a little silly...one of my own little inside jokes that nobody gets.

Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban

The O'Riley Factor is apparently a rather popular show. I'm not sure if it amounts to dedicated viewers, or the addition of horrified passersby who can't tear their eyes from the bloody, twisted wreck of intellectual integrity displayed before them. Anywho, the phrase which caught my attention this evening was not "liberal", but the use of a current nomenclature of popular culture: Bill O'Riley, completely straight faced (not sure if I could even do it) replaced the word "liberal" with "hater". Upon hearing this, I looked up to see a picture of Al Franken as a radio show host with the tagline of "liberal media", or something like that. I promptly lost interest in delving deeper. However, I couldn't shake the "hater" comment...especially when he used it repeatedly throughout the segment while interviewing a communications professor from a respected university.

Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban

So, how is Bill O'Riley right? Generally, intellectually arrogant people (like myself) have a rather grim outlook on the level of intelligence of the general population. I believe Grand Old Bill (B has a P sound in the Arabic language...another inside joke) feels much the same way. This is why he, and his "news" colleagues, devote such considerable effort to thought provoking dialogue and critical political commentary.

Bill O'Riley transcends sub-urban

I am of the belief that he thinks his audience is a touch slow, and I tend to agree. So, to better with those less literate, he's loosened his power tie just a little bit, turned his ball cap to the side, and started droppin' k-nowledge for all da shorties out there. Good job Bill. Way to honor those rating points.