Apr
9
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
I occasionally listen to Phil Valentine, such as when I’m in the car and have little else to entertain. This is not meant to disparage Mr. Valentine, not at all; it’s just that I am not a huge fan of argumentative radio – it usually makes me feel worse, not better. Phil Valentine has a great voice — perfect for his medium — and his subject matter is typically preferable to the rancid hatred that’s spread in the mornings by self-professed Christian Michael “Rapture” DelGiorno. (I want to address some of Mr. DelGiorno’s inflammatory comments on another day, and soon.)
I do not agree with many of Phil Valentine’s positions, but that isn’t saying much, for folks who toe their party lines, no matter how ridiculous, will get neither frequent agreement nor much respect from me.
Topics upon which I actually DO agree with Phil include the ridiculousness of the fairness doctrine, which if put into place, might have a negative impact on conservative talk radio. I do not dislike the fairness doctrine for that reason, of course, for I am not a fan of conservative talk radio,
liberal talk radio, or any type of fundamentalist “our positions are the correct ones, damn the rest” programming. It’s just plain staring me in the face that the fairness doctrine is anything but fair; free speech is simply far too important to frack with in such a partisan manner.
Those poor dirt people!
Actually, I am surprised, with so many conservatives now on board with reducing pollution, recycling, green construction, and other earth-friendly moves, that Phil continues to use this kind of name-calling on his show. I know from talking to others that it offends, and the offended ones of whom I speak are not necessarily dirt people themselves.
Back in March, one caller to Phil’s show, a misguided gentleman (we’ll call him Rubel) who obviously felt the need to get back at those nasty greens, bragged about all the electricity he was going to waste during Earth Hour. Rube had even purchased extra light bulbs to burn and was really planning on showing those dumb people (who actually think it is good to conserve energy) a thing or two! Well, I was waiting for Phil to make fun of the guy, but instead Phil gave Rube his solid support and even told Rube to be sure and call the show again later to let him know how it went. I sat in my car, shocked! Wait, no — shocked I was not.
Phil Valentine is in the Entertainment Business
But at least I was entertained. Yes, entertained – a word which brings up another important point. Phil Valentine and others like him are entertainers; they are not meant to be taken seriously, especially when they cover science stories and debates and delve into complex matters which they understand only enough to be dangerous, occasionally sounding to some as though they understood the full implications of the so-called case being made.
These critiques of mine – laughable, I know, for I am a simple man – are not reserved only for the conservative right; they apply to fundamentalists of all stripes (be they monk or Brahmin, Turk or Jew) who believe their own positions are by default the correct ones, the moral ones, the proper ones – when in fact their positions — just like my own, all these things I am typing — are merely opinions. And you know what they say about opinions.
Hatred:Bad. Working Together to Solve Problems:Good.
Harboring hatred definitely does some bad things to good people, and it seems really unfortunate to me that Phil Valentine and some others (especially those more vitriolic than Phil) – people who could do so much good for Nashville, for the country, and for the world — instead use their popularity and their unique positions to influence people in negative ways, increasing levels of hatred toward folks with whom they may have even minor disagreements. Like those damn dirt people. . . 
(I joke, people, because I love — for I am one – maybe a relatively weak dirt person, but a dirt person all the same. How anyone could NOT be a dirt person is a little hard to understand, since whatever happens to our environment ends up happening to us. Or do some folks not see this simple truth?)
A couple of conservatives who are class acts (not that there are only two!) might be Dave Ramsey and John McCain. Dave Ramsey goes out of his way on his show NOT to display animosity toward political figures for whom he may not have voted and with whom he may disagree. Dave Ramsey is a great example of someone who is not divisive; one might say Dave is a uniter, not a divider. Likewise, John McCain was given numerous opportunities to criticize and insult Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, but he did not stoop to that level despite what was surely burdensome, near-constant pressure to do so. These are, I believe, relatively good examples of conservative class acts.
Are talk show hosts afraid of losing their audiences should they display similar tact?
Patently Weak “Arguments”
Phil Valentine fans — or anyone who takes what a radio talk show host says as fact — must be lacking in some key areas (such as science, law, philosophy, and theology, to name a few). I mean, to believe some of the “arguments” Phil uses to support his positions would require the setting aside of certain realities. I am convinced his adherents, minions, and acolytes are the same people who read astrology and rush to find their daily horoscope before reading real news. Here are a couple of examples (paraphrased, since I do not have the quotes in front of me):
“I think it would be nice for the world’s average temperature to go up a couple of degrees.”
From this and many other statements Phil Valentine regularly makes on the anti-nature segments of his shows, it is easy to see that he does not even begin to understand the subject. I am no expert in the earth sciences myself, but I know enough to see some serious logical flaws here.
“There is nothing wrong with too much carbon dioxide; after all, trees emit it.”
Does he not realize that too much of something, even if it is a natural substance, is bad? What about too much sulfur in the air? That’d be just great. How about too much natural arsenic in the water? That’s cool – it’s nature, after all!
“X (number of) scientists have signed a document saying that global warming is in fact not happening on a scale we need to worry about, if it’s even occurring at all.”
There could be any number of people that would sign any document, but this has nothing to do with the accuracy, or the rightness or wrongness, of the document itself. Come on, people.
It is scary to think that some listeners might actually think radio talk show hosts are scientifically on the ball regarding these matters. It seems clear that Phil takes the sides he does, not because he believes them (how could he?), but because he is paid to do so.
I have just learned that Phil Valentine won an honorable mention for “for outstanding editorial oversight in the pursuit of scientific integrity” regarding his views on carbon dioxide. Thank you, Mary Mancini and Bruce Barry.
And yes, I have heard Phil Valentine talk about separation of church and state. Bruce Barry’s column in the Nashville Scene covered this better than I ever could:
I realize that calling out Phil Valentine for his rhetorical hallucinations is old hat, but he outdid himself in his latest Sunday assault on reality. Yesterday Phil used his Tennessean column to showcase his abject ignorance about constitutional law, rehashing a simplistic and misinformed argument that no legal basis for disentangling government and religion exists since the phrase “separation of church and state” doesn’t appear in the U.S. . .Read more…
Regarding Mary Mancini’s post (What Does Phil Valentine Have to do to Get Fired from the Tennessean?) on Liberadio, I must say OMG and ask — did Phil Valentine actually assert that the ACLU rushes to the aid of someone only if they are not a Christian?” This is unbelievable and underscores my point even better than any of my own statements, Mary – for even I, hackish simpleton that I am, know that the ACLU does not discriminate in that area.
To Summarize and Get Back to Work
I am quite pleased that today, more and more people seem to be thinking for themselves using the tools of logic and reason — in other words, engaging in free thought — as opposed to sporting the old cavalier attitude that one’s party line (or one’s religion, philosophy, or what have you) are inerrant and infallible. (To some, we are known as “free thinkers,” which is all right by me.) With some serious luck (were there but such a thing), we may see fundamentalism on its way out. That may be too much to hope for.
References and Resources – Phil Valentine
The Phil Valentine Show
Supertalk 99.7 WTN - Nashville’s Talk Radio
Westwood One
Blogging about Phil Valentine
Nashville Scene: What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?
Phil Valentine Cares Not For Your Hate-Speech Label
Liberadio: What Does Phil Valentine Have to do to Get Fired from the Tennessean?
Liberadio: More Posts Mentioning Phil Valentine
We Love a Good Phil Valentine-Smackdown in the Morning. Especially when accompanied by a good chuckle or two. Caleb Hannan at the Scene’s Pith in the Wind blog makes our day: C’mon liberals. Let’s give Phil Valentine a break. He spends upwards of 10 to 15 minutes every Friday afternoon texting his column 160 characters at a time to a harried Tennessean editor. The least […]Read more…
Slap a Corset on Bill Hobbs And Call it a Day That’s right, I said a corset. Because while the rest of us move into the 21st Century, Bill Hobbs, press flack for the Tennessee Republican Party is still living in 1909. What else could explain his lambasting of “Earth Hour” as “the latest environmental wacko campaign?” Bill says: On average, life expectancy from birth for the average American […] Read more…
Free and Fair Elections Are Something We Can All Agree On, Right? I’m looking for a little “word up” from anyone on the right about this Voter Confidence Act kerfuffle. Anyone? Anyone? Slater? Gill? Valentine? DelGiorno? Bristol?
Aren’t free and fair elections something we can all agree on? Don’t you guys see the dangers inherent in electronic voting? I can only assume that like us, you want to win elections fairly. […] Read more…
TONIGHT: Liberadio(!) and Drinking Liberally Present “Thirsty Third Thursdays” The Nashville chapter of Drinking Liberally, led by the indefatigable Amie Hollis, has been meeting every Thursday at The Flying Saucer for years and years. (There’s also a chapter in Memphis - every Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at RP Billiards - and Chattanooga). Starting tonight — and until either Tennessee turns blue or […]
Read more…
Phil Valentine’s Column Watch: Two Down… It looks like Mr. Bruce Barry might have started something with his Pith in the Wind post complaining about Phil Valentine’s Tennessean column (“What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?”). The Wilson County Post, serving Lebanon, Watertown, and Mt. Juliet, has decided to “discontinue publishing” Phil Valentine’s column in […] Read more…
What Does Phil Valentine Have to Do to Get Fired from the Tennessean? Good thing I checked the local blogs before sitting down to quell my frustration and anger by writing about Phil Valentine’s latest pack of lies and obfuscations in Sunday’s Tennessean. Bruce Barry, writing for the Nashville Scene’s Pith in the Wind beat me to it. Thanks, Bruce, for saying exactly what I wanted to say […] Read more…
Steve Gill’s Birthday Suit One of the things most worrisome about last week’s English Only special election was the effect that anti-immigrant right-wing ideologue mouthpieces Steve Gill, Phil Valentine, and Michael “It’s Delivery Not” DelGiorno, would have on the outcome. Let’s face it, two hours a week of us presenting reasoned and well-rounded interviews and opinion opposing the referendum […] Read more…
Plagarism, Talking Points, or Formula? An astute commenter (and Nathan Moore) points out the similarities in Steve Gill’s most recent opinion piece in the Nashville City Paper and an article entitled, “Hillary Clinton’s Fix,” by Al Kamen of The Washington Post. In light of Milwaukee Magazine’s recently published must read by an ex-conservative talk radio program director, which confirms that […]
Read more…
Liberadio(!) Podcast: November 24, 2008 - We Are Thankful Summary: Guests include State Senator Andy Berke, Councilman at large Jerry Maynard, Jennifer Buck Wallace, and Elbert Ventura. Part 1 - We Are Thankful For… - Freddie gets a crazy idea for us to say, out loud and on the radio, what we are thankful for. Bet you can guess one of them.
McCain Adviser: Are There Documented instances of voter fraud? “No.” First, let’s establish the difference between election fraud and voter fraud. Election fraud is a systematic effort by those with power to steal an election through vote manipulation and voter suppression. Voter fraud is when a voter attempts to vote more than once or by impersonating someone else. The McCain campaign has been huckstering the […]
Read more…
Comments
6 Responses to “Phil Valentine: Entertainer, Not Scientist”
Leave a Reply
[…] the United Church of Christ. The UCC was Barack Obama’s “home” denomination for 20 years Phil Valentine: Entertainer, Not Scientist - stephenfrasier.com 04/09/2009 Wednesday, April 08, 2009 I occasionally listen to Phil Valentine , […]
[…] Assorted Enthrallments placed an observative post today on Phil Valentine: Entertainer, Not ScientistHere’s a quick excerptWednesday, April 08, 2009 I occasionally listen to Phil Valentine , such as when I’m in the car and have little else to entertain. This is not meant to disparage Mr. Valentine, not at all; it’s just that I am not a huge fan of argumentative radio – it usually makes me feel worse, not better. Phil Valentine has a great voice — perfect for his medium — and his subject matter is typically preferable to the rancid hatred that’s spread in the mornings by self-professed Christian Michael “Rapture […]
There you go with more hate speech against Phil Valentine.
Interesting rant although much of it was either taken out of context or made up. On the global warming front, can you show me any link between what humans are doing and any kind of global warming? Of course, not. There is no link. In fact, the planet has been cooling since 1998. Experts are now saying they expect it to cool until 2015 when it will start warming again. Of course, they have no idea.
What I dislike about this whole global warming movement, aside from its gross lack of scientific evidence, is the way it longs to control everyone. That’s what Earth Hour was all about. If cities really felt that cutting off lights would help they would leave them off all the time. It was a show, nothing more. Al Gore uses more energy than some small countries yet his mansion (that uses 10 times the power of the average home) gets a green award. Again, it’s all show, no substance.
I actually make my own biodiesel. Does Al? Does Madonna? It might be different were it not for the fact that most of the people screaming the loudest about conservation (rock stars, movie stars and Al Gore) are the largest consumers of energy, individually, on the planet. It’s time to put up or shut up.
I would say that there is a fair amount of scientific evidence of global warming. A single Google search will validate that. There is a smaller amount of scientific evidence to suggest that global warming is a farce. Scientific evidence is rarely 100% unified on any idea. For instance, the idea that the earth is flat is supported by some scientific evidence(http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm), but the majority of the evidence disproves it, or, perhaps more accurately, supports the idea that the earth is round.
I am no scientist either, but here is an article(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2023835.stm) (also courtesy of a quick Google search) from 2002 where the EPA admitted to a link between humans and global warming (and another here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070204111643.htm). I am sure the science behind is sound because an overwhelming majority of environmental scientists agree (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210532.htm).
As to your point about Al Gore being a hypocrite: the stats you list may or may not be accurate, but I cannot see how that impacts the arguments for or against humans impacting global warming. For the sake of the discussion, let’s assume that Al is a jerk and get back to the science.
It would be interesting to learn how a radio/tv/internet personality goes about educating him/herself on a scientific or technical subject prior to espousing an opinion. I am guessing it is more or less the same way I do it….Lots of gut, little science.
Don’t get me started with people who pass themselves off as being conservative or liberal or whatever when, like you said, all they really do is rally to the far ends of the spectrum to stir up more trouble. They are entertainers like you say. You’re a talk show host, Phil. Just like Rush. I’m trying to think of some liberal radio entertainer talk show hosts, but I cannot think of any. Someone help me here?
See, now you’ve gotten me flustered and off track. Who cares if Al Gore uses more electricity that you! I’ll bet Bill Gates’ house uses more than Al Gore’s, but you don’t see the media beating him up. Oh well. How much gas do you burn in a week, Phil? Eh? I ride my bike to work every day so I don’t fill the oil tycoons’ pockets with my hard earned cash any more than I have to. Does that give me the right to hammer you for using gas every day? Not really. So lay off Al Gore and lay off beating up others. Be an example instead of a problem. Tell us what you do to make the world a better place. How’s that for ranting?
Why does Nashville,TN always get stuck with hate mongers like Phil Valentine!! Maybe its a southern thing, what else could it be. He will say anything about anybody, dead or alive, true or false; just anything to bring attention to himself. This man truly represents the southern “white pride” even though he has let his hair grow back to hide what he truly is. He thrives on mean spirited, hateful, and vicious comments about those who do not deserve his attacks and rath. A deacon; how could a church tolerate his vile messages and profess to be a christian. If this is christian, I would have to pass and look to the stars rather than this. God help Nashville and help Phil Valentine and those who he terrifies with his lies…………