I was speaking with my good friend Microdot and during our conversation I had the image of the Savoy Brown’s album cover, “Looking In,” which led to the thoughts of this posting.
As a young man in my early 20’s I took to traveling the world as the first part of my “Life’s Experience” education. I traveled most of the coastal countries in South America and Southern Europe over a two year time period.
One of the aspects I noticed many years ago during my travels, and I told many friends and peers when I got back into the U.S., of the culture shock enlightenment and the value of being outside of the U.S. and looking back in from the prospective of those in another country. It is quite different than what many here think, being based on limited exposure, what the world is about or what we think should be. This was an eye opening lesson from the “School Of Real Life” that I learned at a young age.
What comes to mind is the title of Rush Limbaugh’s early book titled, “The Way Things Should Be.” Those who bought this book thinking it is a good guideline for their facts and viewpoints, should also read, “The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error” which points out over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements!! Another good counter point book is, “Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot” by Al Franken, which takes point by point, fact by fact of Rush Limbaugh’s book and disproves every misleading, misinformation, aspect of Rush’s statements.
This being said, there are still too many that will quote Rush as being fact on subjects as Climate Change, Environment, Social Issues, etc., from a person that from his own admission, flunked out of college before getting into radio as a top forty music “Shock Jock.” Rush is still doing the same act today the only difference is it is now a “Political Shock Jock” platform. What has changed is Rush's progression from Marijuana to OxyContin for his epific visions. He should NOT be quoted or given any more credibility than Howard Stern when giving political advice. Both are entertaining to many but not credible politically in any stretch of the word.
There needs to be more critical thinking, questioning, and not just accepting what is being told as the “End All To Be All,” facts!
We now have proof of “Big Corporate Money” dominating the communication media in this country and the information being disseminated is skewed drastically. This "Big Money" also is having an undue influence with our political leaders today. Much like George Orwell’s book, “Nineteen Eighty Four,” we are seeing the science fiction predictions coming true today.
So in conclusion one could say, we need to wakeup and understand that, “The world is not the U.S.’s oyster,” or maybe Samuel Clemmons said it better, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
