Quote: Unless he has a PHD in religion and is a historian, I can't believe anything he says.
I ... he says that has a PhD in addition to a few other degrees in the first minute of the video.
I think he mentions it before he gives any answer. I think I know more about his educational biography than his stance on the subject.
If only the interviewer actually brought up the contents of the book (you know, if she read it) we'd know the answer to that. But, damnit, he's a muslim... what does HE know?
She is a terrible interviewer. She never attacked any substance in the book ie. "You claimed {Specific Topic} but another historian Dr. {insert name} claims they were false because of {insert counter claim}."
The whole interview was "Well you're a muslim so you are obviously bias so you shouldn't write about Christian beliefs."
Even if he was bias, her assertion is very wrong. I'm pretty sure most Egyptologists don't worship Osiris, yet they are experts in their fields. Do all Roman historians worship Venus & Neptune; Greek Historians worship Zeus & Apollo???
I agree, she was just trying to disprove his book based on his own personal religion.
On another note, I think almost all media is that way anymore, they aren't really interested in the facts, only stirring the pot and/or getting someone to say or do something controversial to create a story.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
I read an article the other day that upwards of 40 different radio stations are contemplating dropping Limbaugh and Hannity because of sagging ratings.
I could barely make it through this "interview." FloridaFan - the man repeated his academic credentials in reaction to the host consistently bringing up his Muslim belief. This shouldn't have been discussed at all, and he never would have brought up his credentials if the host had not led off with the "controversy" and his personal faith. I'm not sure why this guy agreed to come on FOX News anyway. Cable news is not the place to have a reasoned, nuanced discussion, but if you have to promote a book, sometimes you've got to go slumming. There was a brief moment near the end when the host shut her mouth for 30 seconds and allowed him to say something about the subject matter. He doubts she read his book? I doubt she has ever read an academic book in her life. Just a pretty face and an empty head to be used as a conduit for the producers' talking points. Ad hominem arguments are used by those who do not possess the intelligence to deal with a rational argument. Somebody PM this video to anarchy2day.
Quote: FloridaFan - the man repeated his academic credentials in reaction to the host consistently bringing up his Muslim belief.
I am aware of that, and that's why my first reply was in the purple sarcasm font, because it was hardly an interview on the book. I then thought I clarified myself in my second response more or less stating she was just pushing buttons and had no interest in actually discussing the contents of his book.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
Quote: I think such is true for anything to do with politics. Criticize X politician or X party, and their supporters respond with something along the lines of "Yeah, well Y politician or Y party did Z!!!!!"
Meanwhile, nothing gets solved.
And that, in a nutshell is the big problem. We're unable to move forward because they keep pulling at each other. Tug of war.. if both sides are equally strong, it ends in stalemate.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Quote: With that said... the only reason I see for defending FOX is that many feel an attack on FOX is an attack on conservative beliefs. But if you truly have core conservative beliefs, how could you look at that network and feel that it honestly represents you?
Precisely. My beliefs and philosophy tend to be conservative. I, like the good professor, work in academia. The majority in my field hold progressive beliefs and liberal politics. What bothers me most is their contention that conservatives lack intelligence. My initial reaction is against their own ignorance of the conservative philosophy and historical tradition which includes the greatest minds the world has ever known. But then I look to contemporary culture and realize that no one who experiences the stupidity of Fox News or the unthinking dogmatism of Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck would believe that conservatives can also be intellectuals with a compelling philosophy and world view. I am happy to hear that ratings for Limbaugh and Hannity are down. If those two were gone, a major obstacle in the way of respectable conservative philosophy would be removed. So, this is my plea, from one conservative to another. please stop watching Fox News and listening to Limbaugh/Hannity. You think you are doing conservativism a favor, but actually you are damaging it more than you realize.
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
MSNBC is about as bad... but I will hand it to the left, they have done a much better job of mocking than the right..... attaching the ramblings of Limbaugh, Hannity, Palin, etc to issues whereas the right has had a much harder time using the ramblings of Matthews and his cohorts on the left against them...
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
MSNBC is just as bad as Fox News because progressive philosophies and liberal politics have also been built by some of the greatest minds the world has ever known. MSNBC, like Fox News, drains the intelligence, rational coherence, and comprehensiveness out of the very figures it reveres. If, as a conservative, you cannot admit that Karl Marx deserves respect as one of the greatest minds of the 19th century, you are not doing conservativism any favors. I disagree with Marx on many points, and I oppose his ideas whenever they come up in an academic setting, but I still respect the intellectual rigor of his work, and I even find much in his writings that I agree with. Until you can do this as a conservative, I don't want you for an ally. I think this is the fundamental problem with Fox News and MSNBC; they have no respect for the intelligence, the rationality, and the reasonableness of the opposition. Instead, they slap labels on the other side and dismiss them just as easily. I doubt anyone at Fox News has seriously read Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, or John Rawls; I also doubt that anyone at MSNBC has seriously read Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, or Charles Murray. It's anti-intellectualism run amok, and both sides are guilty. I threw out my TV last year and haven't regretted it a day since then. I encourage every thinking American to do the same.
Quote: I doubt anyone at Fox News has seriously read Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, or John Rawls; I also doubt that anyone at MSNBC has seriously read Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, or Charles Murray.
Ok, sadly you have left the realm of political pundits and talking heads because I seriously doubt that most of our congressmen and senators have read any of that either.
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
MSNBC is about as bad... but I will hand it to the left, they have done a much better job of mocking than the right..... attaching the ramblings of Limbaugh, Hannity, Palin, etc to issues whereas the right has had a much harder time using the ramblings of Matthews and his cohorts on the left against them...
They're pretty much the exact same thing. MSNBC is modeled after FOX.
I was just poking fun at whoever it was that brought them up earlier in the thread. If someone mocks FOX, it's pretty much obligatory that someone cite MSNBC, as if it's somehow validating FOX.
And it's not that anyone's doing a 'better job'. MSNBC has terrible ratings. FOX doesn't. Therefore, they get far more negative attention.
Quote: And it's not that anyone's doing a 'better job'.
I still disagree... and I'm not talking about the networks specifically... the left is just better organized than the right and gets a lot more mileage when Palin or Limbaugh says something stupid than the right does when somebody on the left says something stupid.. and I think that is largely because younger people tend to lean left, they tend to use more social networking communication, therefore they get the stuff to more people faster....
I think we may have to just agree to disagree on this one.
I don't really see any organizational or tactical edge going on. It more or less comes down to exposure.
And maybe this is nitpicking your examples rather than your whole point, but Palin and Limbaugh aren't the best people to cite.
Their entire careers are based on making outrageous and incensing comments. Not to mention the fact that Palin makes Bush look like a thoughtful and eloquent speaker. She is probably the single dumbest political figure I think I've ever seen. Of course she's going to get bashed like a pinata.
I can't really think of their counterparts in that regard. I mean, who on the other side works so actively at saying outrageous things? I don't mean just that they say outrageous things, but that their careers are built around it.
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
Let's put it this way...I'd rather get my info from people like Greg Gutfeld, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Patti Ann Browne, Sean Hannity, and to a lesser extent Bill O'Reilly than anything pMSNBC and the obama leg humpers churns out. Their ass kissers for obama, Chris Matthews (thrill up his leg) and Rachael Madcow are just unwatchable.There's a reason why pMSNBC is dead last in cable news ratings.
Last edited by Molly Hatchet Dawg; 07/29/1305:54 PM.
"My opinions and feelings are mine and shall not be influenced by anyone....especially liberals."
Quote: Ok, sadly you have left the realm of political pundits and talking heads because I seriously doubt that most of our congressmen and senators have read any of that either.
Sad, indeed. Although, there is no reason I should expect any different. As Tocqueville astutely observed, the citizenry of a democratic nation, in general, will not be well read. Of course, we read the newspapers and watch the cable news, and we are quite knowledgable about current events. But when it comes to the philosophical foundations upon which our beliefs--and especially our political beliefs--rest, we are woefully ignorant. I don't expect the average working citizen to be well read; there isn't enough time in the day, and they don't really need to read such things anyway. They are supposed to be able to rely upon others who are more advantageously situated to investigate the best that has been known and thought and transmit it to the people who don't have the time for such investigations. This is where we are failing, and we will continue to fail as long as Fox News and MSNBC dominate the minds of the citizenry. Molly Hatchet Dawg -- free yourself from the mediocrity that is cable news. Stop defending one over the other; reject them both as peddlers of intellectual degeneracy.
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
MSNBC is just as bad as Fox News because progressive philosophies and liberal politics have also been built by some of the greatest minds the world has ever known. MSNBC, like Fox News, drains the intelligence, rational coherence, and comprehensiveness out of the very figures it reveres. If, as a conservative, you cannot admit that Karl Marx deserves respect as one of the greatest minds of the 19th century, you are not doing conservativism any favors. I disagree with Marx on many points, and I oppose his ideas whenever they come up in an academic setting, but I still respect the intellectual rigor of his work, and I even find much in his writings that I agree with. Until you can do this as a conservative, I don't want you for an ally. I think this is the fundamental problem with Fox News and MSNBC; they have no respect for the intelligence, the rationality, and the reasonableness of the opposition. Instead, they slap labels on the other side and dismiss them just as easily. I doubt anyone at Fox News has seriously read Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, or John Rawls; I also doubt that anyone at MSNBC has seriously read Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, or Charles Murray. It's anti-intellectualism run amok, and both sides are guilty. I threw out my TV last year and haven't regretted it a day since then. I encourage every thinking American to do the same.
This is spot on. It's just how the media is now. The average human being is simple and enjoys flashing headlines for their own confirmation bias. Rather than admitting this people prefer to attack others as a defense mechanism. Nobody needs a psychology degree to figure out that people get defensive when they feel their line of thinking is questioned or attacked. You can see a little of it in this thread. MSNBC and Fox News are complete trash when it comes to reporting the news with integrity. It's not about being right it's about being first and getting viewers. Viewers generate revenue and that's good for business.
Quote: I don't really see any organizational or tactical edge going on. It more or less comes down to exposure.
Which I sort of covered with my social media comments... and it's not organizational or tactical, it's a byproduct of who the mainstream media wants to portray as stupid and who they don't.
Quote: I can't really think of their counterparts in that regard. I mean, who on the other side works so actively at saying outrageous things? I don't mean just that they say outrageous things, but that their careers are built around it.
Which I largely agree with... and the republicans rode the wave of outrageousness and gained quite a bit of momentum... but it has become a caricature of itself and people have, at best tuned it out, at worst it has really soured them on the republican party and has, to some degree, probably caused a lot of the fractures within the party. As a republican you are almost forced to side with the pundits like Limbaugh or Hannity.... even in their outrageousness or risk having them turn against you on the air... speaking to many of the people you need to vote for you..... and many of them will trust Hannity and hear far more from him than they will from you....
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
Let's put it this way...I'd rather get my info from people like Greg Gutfeld, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Patti Ann Browne, Sean Hannity, and to a lesser extent Bill O'Reilly than anything pMSNBC and the obama leg humpers churns out. Their ass kissers for obama, Chris Matthews (thrill up his leg) and Rachael Madcow are just unwatchable.There's a reason why pMSNBC is dead last in cable news ratings.
Almost all - if not all - of those people you mentioned would adopt their counterparts persona if it doubled their salary.
I guarantee it.
Sean Hannity would become Rachel "Madcow" (clever) in a heartbeat if it doubled his income. (They already have the same haircut).
Quote: it's a byproduct of who the mainstream media wants to portray as stupid and who they don't.
Portraying a president as stupid or smart means little in the long run.
People can disagree with me that Bush and Obama aren't that different, but you can't argue that they've both gotten away with some heinous stuff, with even the harshest media boiling down to little more than 'He's an evil idiot!'
I know you guys like to believe the media has some sort of liberal bias, and, frankly, I've about given up on arguing against that, but the truth is the media's bias is profit-driven. It's market-driven. That's it.
If Obama's approval rating dropped to 5%, every network in America would bury him except for any niche netwrok that decided there was money in being contrarian.
They'd pimp the Green Party if the money was right. And you need to think deeper if you believe otherwise.
Quote: MSNBC and Fox News are complete trash when it comes to reporting the news with integrity
I'd say that goes for just about all news and media these days. They all are pushing an agenda and/or trying to garner ratings. It's not about the news itself, it is about how exciting or dramatic they can make it, which is why we seldom get the whole story, or we get incorrect information in their haste to "be the first".
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
Let's put it this way...I'd rather get my info from people like Greg Gutfeld, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Patti Ann Browne, Sean Hannity, and to a lesser extent Bill O'Reilly than anything pMSNBC and the obama leg humpers churns out. Their ass kissers for obama, Chris Matthews (thrill up his leg) and Rachael Madcow are just unwatchable.There's a reason why pMSNBC is dead last in cable news ratings.
Almost all - if not all - of those people you mentioned would adopt their counterparts persona if it doubled their salary.
I guarantee it.
Sean Hannity would become Rachel "Madcow" (clever) in a heartbeat if it doubled his income. (They already have the same haircut).
You're being duped, my friend.
Being duped? I don't think so. I'll believe it when I see it.
"My opinions and feelings are mine and shall not be influenced by anyone....especially liberals."
You can hear it everyday when these goofballs try to sell you food insurance or gold.
Can you make an honest intellectual argument for the merit and value of Sean Hannity and FOX without comparing them to other networks or talking heads?
Quote: But what about MSNBC? They're worse than FOX, right?
Just kidding. Well said.
Let's put it this way...I'd rather get my info from people like Greg Gutfeld, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Patti Ann Browne, Sean Hannity, and to a lesser extent Bill O'Reilly than anything pMSNBC and the obama leg humpers churns out. Their ass kissers for obama, Chris Matthews (thrill up his leg) and Rachael Madcow are just unwatchable.There's a reason why pMSNBC is dead last in cable news ratings.
Just sayin, Molly: I think you prefer this cast of characters because they cater to the slant which you've already adopted... and NOT because they're any more "fair," "balanced," or credible than those you reject.
When it comes to FOX and MSNBC, I look at them the same way I look at soap operas:
Deciding between FOX and MSNBC (or 'All My Children' and 'Days Of Our Lives') is like having to choose which you'd rather eat for dinner:
Cat feces or dog feces.
Either one is gonna smell up your kitchen something awful... and BOTH provide the exact same nutritional 'benefit.'
__________
Ratings aside, there's a reason that both exist... it's called: "preaching to the choir."
I can tolerate about 15-30 seconds/month of either, before I start to throw up a little in my mouth.
Without an on-screen guide, I couldn't tell you where to find either of these Propaganda Palaces on my TV. I loathe them both- and treat them with equal measures of disdain.
Hence, my earlier observation: they're flip sides of the same counterfeit coin.
Worthless as legal 'intellectual tender,' you can only spend that coin at The Company Store.
Cheap. And easy, for those in their respective "amen corners." The both of them.
I think the irony is that if a Muslim scholar questions the legitimacy of Christ, he gets a few bad interviews.
If a Christian scholar questions the legitimacy of Muhammad, he or she gets death threats or in some instance actual death.
I'd be surprised if Dr. Azlan didn't get his share of death threats from this. Christianity has it's share of crazy fundamentalists too. Islam hasn't cornered the market on zealotry.
I think the irony is that if a Muslim scholar questions the legitimacy of Christ, he gets a few bad interviews.
If a Christian scholar questions the legitimacy of Muhammad, he or she gets death threats or in some instance actual death.
I'd be surprised if Dr. Azlan didn't get his share of death threats from this. Christianity has it's share of crazy fundamentalists too. Islam hasn't cornered the market on zealotry.
Cornered the market? Oh, definitely not... but it absolutely has the largest chunk of the market share. It is definitely the 800-lb gorilla in Cray-cray Land.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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