2021-02-18

Rush

_Starman__emblem_(Rush__2112__album)Another one bites the dust: Rush Limbaugh, from lung cancer, which is surely how he'd have wanted to go. Not everyone is sad; Emily "who?" Atkin isn't; and nor it would seem are the Watties, who have ignored this world-shaking event.

I only know RL as a right-wing-shock-jock-global-warming-denying-nutter; if you doubt the latter, RS provides a delightful example of his crass ignorance and willingness to fall for anything that leant his way. But "environmental issues" is only a small part of his Wiki article, so clearly I've seen only one facet.

However we can tell he's not really famous, because I never troubled with him here on this blog; I think in GW terms he has long been a has-been; he got more mentions in sci.env days, perhaps.

The best defence I can find from vaguely reliable sources is he was the quintessential American entertainer by Dominc Pino. That article doesn't really even attempt to defend what he said in any serious terms, and just regards it as entertainment. Which is probably correct: as the RS example shows, he was lamentably ignorant of science, and I've no particular reason to think he was any better informed on anything else; but that didn't matter to his large audience, because people want to be entertained. In the end, if forced to defend him - which I'm not, so I won't - I'd blame Dumb America. You get the right-wing-global-warming-denying-nutters you pay for.

Refs


* What do prime-age ‘NILF’ men do all day? A cautionary on universal basic income
Rush Limbaugh galvanised and embodied the modern American right - The Economist doesn't mention GW either.
* What I worked on - Paul Graham
* WATN: "ice age now" (pardon?) Robert "who?" Felix stiff (h/t WUWT)

5 comments:

Tom said...

Rush faded somewhat from public view after his schtick was superceded and surpassed by the Louse of Orange.

Graeme said...

Perhaps you should buy a ticket machine for people who want to piss on your grave. It might be a good investment case for you

William M. Connolley said...

John Cochrane isn't very happy either.

Phil said...

Rush Limbaugh On Jerry Garcia: "Just another dead doper. And a dirt bag." -- (On the occasion of his death.)

Good for the goose. Good for the gander.

Phil said...

One that I'll miss a lot, unlike Limberger.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6532/892.full