Let’s All Do Better
To quote that great political philosopher, Vito Corleone, “How did things ever get so far?” Like so many Americans, I’ve been absolutely disgusted by the level of ugliness, division and polarization in our country over the last few years and especially the last two months. All I can think of is “how did we get here”? How did we get to a point where Americans view their political opponents, not as people we disagree with, or people we don’t want to vote for, but as our enemies? To me, this is the saddest thing in the world. We’re all Americans. If you’re a conservative Republican, the liberal Democrat that lives on the other side of town is still your neighbor. Just because he thinks you shouldn’t go bankrupt if you get sick and lose your health insurance, that doesn’t mean he’s trying to mount a Communist takeover of your country.
If you’re a liberal Democrat, the guy you see at the grocery store with a Trump hat isn’t a racist or some double digit IQ buffoon, he just wants lower taxes and a secure border. We’re all in this together. As I’ve been researching this and thinking about it to see how we’ve gotten to this point in our country, I’ve come to the conclusion, that there’s no one reason. It’s a multitude of factors and one of those factors is the media. The media….both the mainstream media and the so-called alternative media of cable news and talk radio, have not been a unifying force. They’ve been fanning the flames of division. Profiting off of divisiveness. The day of the Capitol Hill riots was CNN’s highest rated day in history! More than 9/11, the Iraq War or Katrina.
So, I felt the need to reiterate both to you and to myself, the things that I’m trying to do on my daily radio show. First and foremost, this show is about entertainment. We try to joke around. We try to have some fun. We try to cover some offbeat topics to give your mind an opportunity to wander. So, there will be entire hours, sometimes even entire shows, where we don’t even mention politics, which I know is anathema to some of you, but I want you to listen anyway, because it’s good for you. Life is about so much more than politics. There’s family, friends, culture, the arts, movies, books, sports, business, food, drinks, travel. Honestly, I’m convinced that so much of the reason this country is in the shape it’s in right now is because so many people tend to live in a bubble in which they only hear about politics….no wonder they’re so angry, I would be too. However, my overnight show on WABC, doesn’t need to be a show that’s devoid off politics and civic affairs. When we do discuss civic affairs and political matters, I’m making an effort to present ALL POINTS OF VIEW… either in terms of guests, callers or audio clips. All points of view are welcome on the show. Let’s discuss them. Let’s debate them. Let’s talk about them intelligently. Let’s learn from each other. Let’s teach other. There’s no need to insult each other, there’s no need to call names. Let’s work through some of these tough issues respectfully.
Now that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. You’ll hear me do impersonations of Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer, Joe Scarborough and others. But these are all about having fun. It’s not meant to be mean-spirited. It’s supposed to be fun. I want all points of view heard on this show, which is more than the big tech companies seems to want.
I hope other people who are privileged enough to work in media for a living will all join me in trying to do better, but I also hope individual citizens will make more of an effort to broaden their media consumption diet and to think twice before calling someone a name on social media or attacking them personally.
Frank Morano hosts “The Other Side of Midnight” on WABC Radio in New York.
