Sometimes Hate Is The Controlling Emotion

A lot of people like Rush Limbaugh, a lot of people hate him. Most people have no feelings one way or the other about him. I listen to his show a few times each week and have for many years... starting in 1989. Unlike some, I do not think he is as great as he appears to think of himself. Likewise, I do not think he is evil incarnate... as some others appear to think.

I recently decided I would look into reviews for Limbaugh's latest book. Not that I am looking to purchase it, it is intended for children after all. But I wanted to see how it has been received. Some of the reviews are by those who hate the guy, some are by those who idolize the guy... very few are not biased. The first review I read was not a review of the book but a polemic on Limbaugh. It insulted, it ranted, it said nothing about the book except to point out the reviewer's issues with the cover picture.  It became clear that the reviewer hadn't read the book. There are reasons, good ones, why the cover picture is as it is.

I run into numerous articles about Limbaugh on the net, most are unfriendly to put it mildly. He irritates some people no end it seems. Most of those who hate him do not listen to his show and appear to get their information about him from the Huffington Post, the Daily Kos, and/or Media Matters for America. Let's just say these sites do not view Limbaugh in a friendly manner.  It's understandable, Limbaugh is the polar opposite (politically) of those who run, and write on, those sites.

I am not one of those who allows others to dictate his feelings. This is probably due to childhood experiences with food my mother served (Hint: I actually liked lima beans). Enhanced during my teen years. So I tend to investigate controversial figures myself. With Limbaugh, however, I had heard nothing about him before I ran across his radio show (a "best of" rerun, I guess) one Saturday afternoon on my way home from work in Jacksonville. I had no preconceptions about him.  I found him entertaining. He used humor (self-deprecating and against others). He was bombastic, a real self promoter.

It's obvious to me that he uses his controversial image to his advantage. And he has certainly done well for himself. That much, no one can deny.