For the past few weeks, the media has had a field day with a certain “shock jock” radio host and the fallout from his inconsiderate comments. The repercussions of this type of behavior can be alarming, since a certain percentage of the population will always believe what they are told and do not have the tenacity to question the strong and opinionated messages to which they are exposed. Why has this new breed of radio host, ‘the shock jock’, become such a phenomenon, and how widespread will the repercussions of his dogmatic pronouncements be felt?

Once upon a time, every radio host could press a ‘delete’ button, when a caller verbalized something that was deemed too controversial, offensive or politically incorrect. The pendulum has swung the other way now, and the ‘shock jock’ mentality is permeating the airwaves like never before. Some people may just say ‘well don’t listen, change the station’, which is a valid argument. On the other hand, gullible, thoughtless, or just plain lonely listeners take in every word and become desensitized to rants. People who live insular lives, or children and young adults who are not very worldly, are easy targets for those who want to pursue their own agendas. This is especially true of young adults who have not yet taken strong stands on issues of importance to the community.

These formative years as they grow up are important. The skills to filter information based on hate and intolerance are not fully developed and if this type of language is heard often enough, people are at risk of developing negative and intolerant personality traits. It is a type of desensitizer; listeners may not be aware of adopting the personal biases of a crash athlete. A reluctance to challenge their views and take the presenters’ arguments at face value could come to dominate a person’s thought processes.

Personal biases and prejudices are instinctual in the human race. If a radio presenter is passionate about getting his message across to the widest possible audience, or if he is the spokesman for a group of people seeking to influence public opinion, he will be able to subtly manipulate his listeners, conditioning them for an extended period of time. time frame. The ‘shock jock’ cultivates a following over the years of stalwart adherents who begin to believe that the ‘great man’s pronouncements’ are gospel. Once the presenter has reached this happy state of affairs, he begins to wield immense public influence with very little for anyone to ensure that his views on accountability are appropriate or acceptable to the community at large. general.

If daily bouts of vicious diatribe, biased reporting on matters of public interest, and personal attacks on those who oppose their views, are repeatedly fed to the listening public, it can result in a mindset of vitriol and bigotry, where people they get swept up in the heat of the moment and lose their sense of perspective and gullibility. It’s an old age problem…the aim of the ‘shock jock’ is to reach as many listeners as possible, they will seek to appeal to the most basic instincts, biases and prejudices of their listeners, those on the fringes, on the fringes of the society at large, seeking a voice to dispel their own fears and prejudices.

Everyone knows that all discussions and opinions must be fair. Both sides of an argument should always be given equal weight in public forums. The ‘shock jock’ mentality does not incorporate fairness. Their opinion takes precedence over any fair and equitable debate, and very often, a challenging point of view on the air becomes the subject of ridicule by the host. There have been times, when the truth is stretched, manipulated, and poetic license taken, to accommodate the radio host. This is not always obvious to the listener.

Critical thinking skills are crucial for all individuals to reach their full potential in the adult world. This, of course, means being prepared to question and be skeptical of any opinion and point of view presented by radio hosts who claim to have “divine insights” into the debate. Most topics of public discussion should generate a level of sensitive and mature public discourse without being hijacked by radio hosts running their own agendas. Often their focus is purely self-interest or, at best, the opinions of those who pay them to broadcast opinions on their behalf. The ‘money for reviews’ debacle in which radio hosts parrot the opinions of their payers often under the guise of personally holding those opinions or endorsing their products as if using them, has become a modus common operative. for potential sponsors.

The repercussions of this type of transmission on our national airwaves have far-reaching consequences. People can become immune to the softer, tougher facets of human nature. It has the potential to reduce the kindness and tolerance of people who, perhaps through no fault of their own, find themselves in dire circumstances. However, we have the potential to reverse this trend and return to the more positive attributes of our human nature, if we refuse to accept much of the verbal diatribe that is thrown by ‘chock jocks’ on our airwaves. We should look beyond verbal rhetoric and spin by critically analyzing what we are told and forming our own opinions in a fair and non-judgmental manner; we can counteract the negativity and the feelings of inadequacy and hate that radio ‘shock jocks’ seek to instill in us.

A fundamental principle of our society is that everyone should have the freedom of expression. Impact athletes exploit this in a way that demeans our community and use scare tactics to stifle those who would question their biases. They do not hold a special position of privilege or ‘divine right’, they are not elected to the office they hold, and they are only responsible to those who pay their salaries, but they do wield tremendous influence. The time has come to license radio hosts, to hold them accountable for their actions and behaviors, just like all citizens of our community.