Are Rush Limbaugh listeners capable of independent thought?

[Stinky The Clown]

The question is put sarcastically, but is asked seriously: do his listeners form their own political opinions and positions or do they simply follow his lead? Obviously none of us can know the answer to this, but how do you see it?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. They don't call themselves "Dittoheads" for nothing!

:banghead:

[11 Bravo]

30. Hammer ... meet nail. End of discussion.

[TheWraith]

2. No. Next question? nt

[pscot]

3. No

[Kingofalldems]

4. I have talked to quite a few and the answer is no.

[hifiguy]

5. No, not in any way.

Thinking is too much hard work and it's easier to let the Vicodin Pig fill their heads up with the sewage he spews. If he told his drooling millions to stand on their heads and stack marbles they'd break their necks trying to do it. They are imbeciles.

[hamsterjill]

6. My experience with most of them is

That they follow Rush's lead because most of the other peopel that they know, associate with, are related to, etc. - follow Rush. The ones that I know tend to enjoy feeling a part of the fold. They don't want to be seen as being "different".

But then again, of course, my thinking may be jaded. I live in Texas and we are constantly inundated with idiots that think Rush knows all! The stupidity really is, at times, just astounding!

[eleny]

7. I think he's their anger puppet

They have the gut feelings and he provides the talking points.

There has to be a "there" there for him to have found and developed his audience.

In other words he fanned a flame into a bonfire.

[DenverDad]

21. I agree with that.

He puts their incomprehensible hatred into words.

[brooklynite]

8. Yes and no...

I think a good number form their own political opinion (admittedly based on limited information and biases) and then go to Rush for reinforcement.

[End Of The Road]

9. It reinforces.

Yes, I had a fabulous boss once, well-educated, long-time moderate republican. Rush reinforced his opinion.

Me, I'm a well-educated, long-time democrat. The boss & I had some FUN discussions!

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

10. They once had a tiny sense of independent thought

Then they were told to listen to Limpballs. They had the choice of listening to him that day or the next.
That was the extent of their independent thought.

[stellanoir]

11. i guess they are called "dittoheads" for a darned good reason.

n/t

[Enrique]

12. they probably wouldn't enjoy the show if they did

he talks to his listeners as if they were idiots.

[InkAddict]

13. Thought? They even need a laugh track to encourage their

chuckling and a lighted "applause" sign so they'll know when to express proper appreciation for the next corporate commercial, never mind the host or the "performers" - even for crazy-a&* pushers like Rush himself. Now if it were Jesus...come back to make decisions about their righteousness, well...

[War Horse]

14. I was told once by a Limbaugh fan

that I shouldn't just listen to him a couple of times and judge him based on that. "It takes at least six weeks of regular listening before it takes" - those were his exact words...

[Historic NY]

18. I had a guy tell me that ...my reply why would I need that big asshole..

to tell me what to think. Mindless people need to be told, I then walked away form him and haven't even acknownledged him in over 4 yrs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. That guy understood at a primal level

Psy Ops, and sadly did not have the wherewithal to stop.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

31. So, he's basically admitting

that what Rush is doing is brainwashing? :shrug:

[Botany]

15. No

I know a very successful trial attorney and he asks potential jurors if they listen to that good old Rush Limbaugh
and if they say yes he will drop them from the jury pool ...... and it has nothing to do w/ politics but because
they are not open to hearing facts w/ an open mind.

[county worker]

16. All of the ditto heads that I know or knew have told me that I have to listen for a long while

and then I will understand that Rush is right. So my guess is that is what they have done which is to say they have given over their minds to Rush.

[guitar man]

17. No

I've given up trying to talk to them. I swear, I can have a conversation with one of them on a particular issue and I've gotten quite a few of them to supposedly "see the light" until they turn the radio on the next day, then they are right back to where they were. :banghead:

[Stinky The Clown]

29. Funny you mention that. I have had identical experiences.

They look at you sort of slack jawed and then start nodding in agreement. They even repeat your words back as if they're actually undergoing a bout of comprehension . . . . and then they're right back to Rushbo the next day.

These people are cave dwellers.

[Ahpook]

38. Very much the same experience

Engage in a certain current event and you get some bark but still unsure how to respond. After Limpies show the next day or so they are experts.

Its fucking pathetic!

[spanone]

19. they're not capable of thought, period.

[FiveGoodMen]

20. ANY amount of independent thought would reveal that Rush is a lying piece of shit

So, no.

[madrchsod]

22. nope......

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. I listen to the show from time to time

and no, they are not. Unless you are aware of how PSY OPS works... it is easy to fall prey to it. And he has gotten that much more sophisticated over the years. Only reason, IMHO, that Glenny was taken off the air... is that he is too brash... but he communicates the same message actually;

[Proud Liberal Dem]

32. How do you do it?

I can't listen to him for more than five seconds before I want to put my fist through my poor defenseless car radio. I have pretty much the same reaction to Hannity, Boortz, et. al. :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Because I am looking for cues to propaganda techniques

I am doing this far more as an academic exercise.

Here is how it's changed over the years.

REPETITION. It used to be the exact same words, over and over again back in the 1980s. These days he can give you the same message over a fifteen minute time slot... in five different ways. Linguistically that is a feat all on it's own.

He also modulates his voice far more. HIs "my friends" shtick is at a lower pitch (where glenny failed miserably, and boort is actually better) than it used to be. It is almost a congenial tone. as if you were talking to a real friend.

What is scary is that of all these shit stirrers... the best is actually O'Reilly.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

35. Interesting

Any good articles/resources about how propaganda works (particularly political propaganda)? :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. Start with any good study on GERMAN propaganda

of WW II and the 1930s, They are patterning this on the big lie theory used back then

[Proud Liberal Dem]

43. Goebbels, et. al

Thanks!

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. Yep, Goebgels et al

why reinvent the wheel?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

50. Right

The right has no creativity/originality.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. Modern neurology actually proves that it is not about imagination

but partly about physiology. In fact, our knowledge of this is so sophisticated that you can target adds and fear to a specific group of people these days. But it is not about lack of imagination... these tactics have worked for a LONG TIME. They were explained by Goebbels, but if you read Plato's Republic... you find glimmers of it there.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

52. You do seem pretty knowledgeable about this stuff.

I remember all too well the propaganda leading up to the war in Iraq and the 2004 election.

[kentuck]

25. "Mega-dittoes, Rush. It's such an honor to speak with you..."

:puke:

[cordelia]

26. No

[DataException]

27. It's funny - I've listened to several of these guys from time to time.

It's amazing to me how a good percentage of the callers actually sound like they're doing a type of impression of the host they're calling into.

I've heard Savage callers calling in and screaming using the same shrill, screechy kind of tone. Many even seem to pick up the "New Yorky" dialect (even though they're calling from Kansas.

Likewise, the Dennis Miller callers will seem to try to do a rapid fire succession of one-liners.

and on and on....

It's the strangest thing! Try and listen for it sometime and see what I mean...

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Welcome to DU

and you are correct... it is part of the propaganda techniques used.

:hi:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

28. Or, any kind of thought?

[HubertHeaver]

34. Rush Limbaugh listeners are incapable of independent thought.

[Zax2me]

36. Unfortunately, yes.

They take his lead and run with it, often in wrong directions and end up in worse places than he does.
If they were sheep they would be easier to gate up. Instead they are like mice, off in every direction but the correct one.
Infesting everything.

[treestar]

40. They might have been, but they are so invested in believing the

simple world view he promotes, that hearing it again and again is a comfort to them of sorts. He is telling them what they want to hear, and giving them new ideas that they think supports what they want to think. After a while, they lose the ability to see the complexity in any issue.

For instance, they are certain that lower taxes bring in higher revenues. They believe this happened under Reagan. They believe this so firmly that they have no idea why the Bush tax cuts are followed by a deficit. When Rush comes up with an explanation, that will do it for them.

[Initech]

41. Cheney admitted he's a huge fan. 'nuff said!

[TheCowsCameHome]

42. They have nothing to think with.

[fascisthunter]

44. yes, but they are too scared to allow themselves to do so

...so instead, they really on those who can chew up info only to regurgitate it all, like a mother bird does for her young when feeding them.

[anAustralianobserver]

45. Childish authoritarian personalities. You can see the paranoia in their eyes when someone is

thinking for him/herself. It's as if they are thinking, "They seem to be thinking for themselves just like Rush! How do they do that?? Maybe they're really intelligent and evil, nah they're just brainwashed by liberal schools and media. Now what was that {specious} point Rush made again? I'll try running that up the flagpole..."

[Exilednight]

47. Capable? Yes. Do they? No. The same can be said about some "Democrats" n/t

[flvegan]

48. Ding ding ding. Winnah!

[rustydog]

49. My favorite arguement-ender with Right-Wingers:

"You need to read more than Rush Limbaugh's lips."