Don Quixote’s Thought for the Day: “Radio friendly” politics

I was chatting with my son the other day about music.  He didn’t much like mine (50 years of pop/light rock from the Beatles to Nickleback) because, he said, it was too “radio friendly.”  He then played me the most listened to song on his IPOD, by a guy who couldn’t sing, singing a song so ugly it barely qualified as music.   Since when did “radio friendly” (a term which I take to me pleasant and catchy enough that a lot of listeners will want to listen to it) become a pejorative?

My son’s comment reminded me of the snobs who don’t own a TV, listen only to NPR, read only the New York Times, regularly attend the ballet and the opera and look down on everyone who doesn’t share their refined tastes.  But maybe the ordinary folks who prefer BBQ to fancy fish eggs, who listen to Taylor Swift and Uncle Kracker, who watch reality TV and football games are on to something.

Thay’d better be.  After all, if we don’t think they are smart enough to make good choices with their entertainment dollars, how can we possibly put much faith in their political choices?  Make no mistake, as has been pointed out here recently, the vocal advocates on either side of the aisle are not likely to convince many of the advocates on the other side.  It’s the good people of America we have to persuade.  Maybe we should give a little more respect to their choices and tailor our message accordingly.