Two of my worlds have collided - Talk radio, in which I have made my living... and autism, which has had a profound and lasting (hell, permanent!) impact on my family. Please give me a minute and a half of your time and listen to this:
For those of you who don't follow talk radio, Michael Savage is a nationally syndicated radical host who has made his living trying to offend as many people as possible. He considers himself a conservative, but honestly, to call him conservative is to give real conservatives a bad name. Savage largely exists to hurt people. A protest will be held in New York today, as parents of children with autism picket WOR radio in New York and demand that Savage be pulled from the air. I sympathize with those well-intentioned folks, but I think they are making a mistake.
The Michael Savages of the talk world thrive on controversy. It is the fuel that keeps their shows alive, and the spark that prompts more listeners to tune in and see what outrageous garbage will spew from their pie holes next. If Savage is pulled from this station today, he'll be on two new stations tomorrow.
No, this is yet another lesson that we learned in kindergarten that still applies today. If everyone just ignored Michael Savage, he would eventually go away. Or better yet - have a good chuckle at his expense. Imagine Savage walking a mile in your shoes - as the parent of an autistic child himself .
The belly laugh that that thought produces may just get this parent through the day!
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