A spirited alternative to too much talk

Written by Joe Pisani
Tuesday, 14 December 2010 23:00

Denise was a caring, considerate woman who loved people, puppies and tequila, but she spent too much time listening to talk radio when she should have spent more time at the martini bar.

She started to change. She began to argue constantly about politics and government and scandals and taxes and alleged cover-ups, and in the process, she became an angry, self-righteous, intolerant woman who had all the answers and even more opinions.

Her family pleaded with her to turn off the radio and the TV and stop the flow of negative vibes that were transforming a candidate for the Sisters of Mercy into a recruit for the Taliban, but she wouldn’t listen. It seemed as if she had been taken over by aliens or even worse, the ghost of Mussolini.

I’ve heard similar stories about people on both sides of the political spectrum — liberal and conservative — who became angry and uncompromising.

At Christmas, when I see guests getting out of control because the same people are quarreling yet again about the same political issues, I want to jump on the table, take the turkey hostage and scream, “No drum sticks if you don’t stop arguing politics! For a change, let’s talk about something sensible like sex and religion!”

Christmas Day can be like the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. We have to stop the madness because it’s tearing us apart as a nation.

A recent issue of Newsweek listed the so-called “Highest-paid Pundits and Politicos.” These are the people who tell us how to think and live and vote — everyone from Rush Limbaugh, who makes $58.7 million a year, to Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show,” Sean Hannity, Bill Clinton, Keith Olbermann and Sarah Palin.

America is polarized largely because pundits and ideologues of every stripe take no hostages in public debate, and this acrimony spreads across the country like a virus. I’ve seen people who were good friends torn apart by politics, and the nastiness becomes unbearable as November approaches.

Professional whiners whip us into a frenzy over issues that can be solved only through compromise, but no one can compromise when all we do is demonize or look at each other one dimensionally based on political beliefs.

We walk around with boxing gloves on, and normally enlightened and compassionate people become belligerent blowhards and know-it-alls, who can’t have a purposeful discussion with someone who has different views.

Instead of a spirit that says, “Let’s work together to change things,” there’s a sabotage mentality that suggests nothing is right unless it’s done “my way.”

Denise finally found the will power to overcome her addiction to talk radio. She realized it was just making her angry, so she turned it off and started listening to classical music. Her blood pressure went down, and her chronic anger disappeared. She’s so calm now she can sleep through Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

Her views are the same, but she doesn’t feel compelled to shout at people who disagree with her — at least when she has a martini in her hand.

Joe Pisani can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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