JAMIE GANGEL: What did you learn from rehab?That's not advice I need now, but it's advice that would have helped me tremendously if I had heard it and taken it to heart when I was younger. Do you worry about what people think and try to tailor yourself into the person you imagine they will like?
RUSH: You know, I actually thank God for my addiction, because I learned more about myself in rehab than I would have ever learned otherwise. There was a time where I desperately cared what people thought of me. Desperately.... Not professionally. I always somehow knew that that didn't matter. But personally. When you're worried about what people think, you stop being who you are.... And you start tailoring yourself to everybody else so that they'll like you.
JAMIE GANGEL: You don't worry what people think about you?
RUSH: Oh, I'd be insane if I did.
JAMIE GANGEL: Mmm.
RUSH: I don't even give people the power to offend me.
JAMIE GANGEL: Oh.
RUSH: You cannot offend me.
October 13, 2009
A lesson in personal freedom, from Rush Limbaugh.
From Part 2 of Rush Limbaugh on "The Today Show":
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I think that many very popular successful celebrities, politicians and writers feel the same way, they don't read criticism of themselves and their work. They would go nuts if they did and their work would suffer.
No, but sometimes I do imagine people look at me, shake their heads and think to themselves: dude could use some serious rehab work.
Ann, Why not just call the man and ask him to mention your name on his show?
Posting this suck-up drivel every day is embarrassing.
Nope. (Surprised?)
The Macho Response
Rehab is for quitters.
What most people think of us and what those people who are important in our lives (spouse, kids, etc.) think are two different things. We do moderate our behavior for the ones in the latter category, but, for most of the world, Ricky Nelson had it right - "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself".
(1) I don’t believe Mr. Limbaugh is saying he is completely insensitive and thus indifferent to whether people like him. He is saying: “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” The difference is one of degree, I should think.
(2) “I put on an act sometimes, and people think I’m insensitive. Really, it’s like a kind of armor because I’m too sensitive. If there are two hundred people in a room and one of them doesn’t like me, I’ve got to get out.”
-- Marlon Brando
Fear is the big motivator in changing behaviors - it’ll either get you to work toward change or keeps where you are. As long as it’s perceived as *working*, as long as you feel safe doing it, why change, why worry about it?
1. Most people are too busy worrying about what people think about them, to think about you.
2. The best way not to let someone get your goat is to not let them know where its tied up.
"Do you worry about what people think and try to tailor yourself into the person you imagine they will like?"
Like everything Ann, there is some truth to that. But isn't there a place for shame? Do we really want to be some kind of Nitzchien superman immune to the opinions of others?
Peer pressure - did no one ever talk about it when you were young, Althouse? This is not an undiscovered country.
I don't give a shit about what people think about me. I was telling my British/Indian husband that this weekend.
When I was younger I cared but I don't care now.
I am a loner also so I don't have a group of friends that I feel I need to compete against.
I have friends and shit but for the most part I am on my own.
I jerked off last night and shot a pretty decent load. There were 4 seperate gulps spraying from my head.
"Do you worry about what people think and try to tailor yourself into the person you imagine they will like?"
As with most things, it's best to avoid extremes. Worry/tailor? No. Indifferent/in-your-face? Also, no. It comes with the territory, each of us being a social animal and all of us needing erasers with our pencils (and all for the same reason). Most adults have grown comfortable in their own skin, having long gotten over the teen-thing that makes them all want to be indistinguishable in dress, speech, taste and ideas. But keeping tabs on how others react is an excellent way of avoiding tiresome displays of self-absorbtion.
Ann Althouse:
"Do you worry about what people think and try to tailor yourself into the person you imagine they will like?"
More than I generally care to admit, and I do consider that a personal failing.
However, there is a flipside, as some of the others have pointed out. The person who cares not a bit about what others think of him can often be an unbearably unpleasant narcissist.
Some of the best advice I ever got:
"Do you know who you are?"
"Yes."
"Then what does it matter what anyone says about you?"
There's one in particular who I think presents himself as someone the group of the moment will like. He makes promises to gain their acceptance and "love". And every promise has an expiration date.
wv: retai
"The only thing I care about is the love of my family and the respect of my friends. The rest of the world can go to hell."
John Wayne
There's a line, I guess.
John's right that shame can have a great effect on losers. I mean, look at this thread. A couple of idiots attacking Althouse just for talking about Rush. Those folks need to feel some shame. We've got Crack Emcee, shamelessly spamming as usual, with a nearly empty comment that's supposed to make us think he's not an awful writer somehow. Shame, please.
Edhutcher's right though. Life isn't about impressing everyone who is going to bash you. Please yourself. If you're acting in a shameless way... in a way you'd be embarassed to be witnessed by your grandma, yeah... shame. But the random Jeremys who will always search for some attack? don't give them the power.
It's the distinction: what should lead to shame and what shouldn't, that will decide who can handle the real world. Rush had a rough bit. His pain killer addiction was not immoral so much as tragic, after all, he didn't set out to abuse drugs, but rather got hooked while ill. But a lot of the media world didn't care. The same folks that defend Polanski or Michael Jackson had assumed Rush was somehow worse.
Either Rush can address that unfair charge, and give it power, or he can accept that he's living his one life and make the most of it.
It's one of those grey rules that we all understand implicitely, but so few have mastered. That's why Beth dumbly snarks 'duh... they teach you that in school... duh'. OK, Beth... as if gradeschool isn't the best place to go to prove Rush is right about this.
Then again, Beth likes LGF even after I asked her what she thought of them posting the N word on other blogs. That's what shame is for.
(the other kev)
Why not just call the man and ask him to mention your name on his show?
Your reading comprehension really sucks, you know that?
Slow Joe,
If I ever claimed to be a good writer that would be one thing - but I never have - and a single link is "spam"?
Dude, you've got issues.
You shame yourself.
Nobody's really loved for themselves. Are they? I mean, all love is projection.
I mean right now.. You are in my movie and I’m in your movie.
Bored to Death HBO
Its over when you walk away.
Like everything Ann, there is some truth to that. But isn't there a place for shame? Do we really want to be some kind of Nitzchien superman immune to the opinions of others?
When I was young, I cared a lot about what other people thought of me. Rush needed rehab to shed this; for me, it just came with age. However, I now (still?) care a lot about what I think about myself. It's self appraisal that keeps me (usually) doing the right thing. I've found it really stings what I don't behave the way I ought to, and I go out of my way to avoid that.
It's about the only benefit of aging, but for me it's been a biggie.
Well, I would disagree that it's something taught in school - it's something that's learned (or not) by what's modeled at home.
As for Rush, props. I'm not a fan professionally, but am one, personally.
I had a professional mentor for a while.
One of her pieces of wisdom:
What other people say about you and how they treat you tells you more about them than it does about you.
Useful in simple situations if you have a boss whose wife is on his case, whose dog pooped on the new rug, and whose kid left his bike behind the car one morning, and he comes to work and you are on the receiving end.
Also useful in more "nuanced" ;-) situations.
While it does not excuse one from listening to criticism (always valuable -- they might be right) it helps to keep things in perspective.
Graceful people treat others with grace even when they are pissed. Ugly people treat people in ugly ways, often even when they are not pissed.
So, as another wise person has said -- consider the source.
I figure if God says I'm okay, I'm okay. That cuts out the middleman.
Do you all actually believe that Rush believes all that stuff? He is a performer, no more no less. Does he care about what people say and thing, you bet. Glad he doesn't depend on me listening to him. Would rather have dead silence in the car than listen to his hate filled drivel. Sexist, racist, misogynist crook.
Hey, Jeremy, If you think this is drivel, don't do it. Free will and all.
Although it's easy to say that you don't care what others think of you the fact is that rare indeed is the person who doesn't know to within a millimeter where he stands in the social pecking order, what his status is; and rarer still is the person who doesn't care.
who knows or cares what Rush thinks--Victoria: at least your advice to Jeremy was on target
There is a body of research and knowledge about the differing Attachment Styles of persons. There are basically the Avoidant and the Anxious styles with a growing group of Normals as well. The way the Mother relates to an enfants needs seems to make people into one type or another. Learning to replace the Anxious style with Normal is a skill that Rush may have had to learn I suspect from reading his protests that no one gets to him. His three wives got to him, and he turned to pain killers for self medication. Actually rush tries so hard to please his radio audience that he must be a recovering Anxious.Not that there is anything wrong with being one except the hard work and wounds always suffered when an Anxious tries to win love from an Avoidant type.
@Beth Note that I said "and taken it to heart." It's one of these things that you hear but it doesn't really get through. I don't really know what it takes to take it to heart, but there's an off chance my putting it here could affect someone. It's a point I've made from my personal point of view many times, and I thought it was interesting to see the connection to rehab.
Once again Rush knows where liberals' goats are tied.
"Actually rush tries so hard to please his radio audience that he must be a recovering Anxious."
Yes, did you hear him going on and on yesterday about how anxious he gets doing a speech before a group. How he can't plan his performance by writing it, and he spends the whole day worrying about whether he'll do enough.
The funny thing is that he goes on the radio all the time, but isn't anxious about that. I relate to that, because I have no anxiety about writing on the blog and only a little about teaching a class but if I have to travel somewhere and do a presentation, it feels completely different.
I like Rush. He's more of a newsman than Jon Stewart and more of an entertainer than Wolf Blitzer.
http://unfinishedlives.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/catlin_-_dance_to_the_berdache.jpg
I liked the pictures of these Native Americans doing a bear dance. Quite hilarious!
Their culture was quite different from ours. They apparently felt more free to be hilarious, like Rush.
It matters what some people think about you, because you have learned to value their judgement.
However, the PC mentality of today's society tries to take rational thought out of the process.
I had a professional mentor for a while.
One of her pieces of wisdom:
What other people say about you and how they treat you tells you more about them than it does about you.
Useful in simple situations if you have a boss whose wife is on his case, whose dog pooped on the new rug, and whose kid left his bike behind the car one morning, and he comes to work and you are on the receiving end.
Also useful in more "nuanced" ;-) situations.
While it does not excuse one from listening to criticism (always valuable -- they might be right) it helps to keep things in perspective.
Graceful people treat others with grace even when they are pissed. Ugly people treat people in ugly ways, often even when they are not pissed.
So, as another wise person has said -- consider the source.
I figure if God says I'm okay, I'm okay. That cuts out the middleman.
Dear Professor...The respect for our boundaries is in place in our own spaces that we legitimately rule over. The brand new space may have a new authority without any respect for our boundaries ( An avoidant type or two), and then what will we do. I try to find some safe people in the new place to trust by observing their sharp dressed look and their social intelligence. Women usually have a harder time in adjusting in new places because of embeded sexism that men never encounter. Just be yourself and be humble works best for me.
Rush really going to town on his show today re: the fake, slanderous quotes circulating in the media (and posted on here yesterday by Montague Montaigne and Jeremy), in which he supposedly praised slavery and James Earl Ray. Says he's tracked their origin to a blogger in 2005. He's sending letters to MSNBC and CNN demanding retraction and apology.
I try to follow the counsel of a desert father who said that neither praise nor blame should change us in any way -- compliments don't inflate you, and criticism doesn't defeat you.
I'm not there yet, but this is what I aspire to, and sometimes I have glimpses of this kind of sane, balanced life.
Peace to you,
Chris
gene's huge brain should hope rush's lawyers don't come after him. he's got the loot to do so.
duh.
Of course you don't care what people think, Althouse. That explains why, when Andrew Sullivan said something snarky about your marriage to Meade, you went ballistic, and then brought it up again weeks later. Because those things don't affect you at all!!
Thanks for today's biggest laugh.
Excuse me Jon, but how are the comments slanderous? Have they damaged Rush's reputation?
Floyd...Word to the wise: many warrior types are in total control and think cooly when under a personal attack, but let that attack be made against a friend or a loved one of theirs and that attacker is in for a surprise at the level of the warfare that will have started.
"Excuse me Jon, but how are the comments slanderous? Have they damaged Rush's reputation?"
To the reasonable person standard, of course.
I don't care what people think about me either. More people could use this advice and take it to heart. Too much consensus superficiality in humanity.
but it's advice that would have helped me tremendously if I had heard it and taken it to heart when I was younger.
There’s a saying, “When the student is ready the teacher appears.” I fully believe that we realize or take things to heart when we’re ready – and no sooner.
Slander is spoken. The word you are looking for is libelous, I think (IANAL -- but I'm am anal)
He cannot be offended, but he can be libeled.
That's fair enough, but still funny.
And it's somewhat ironic to be talking about Rush worrying about his reputation right under a quote from the guy saying he doesn't care what other people think about him!
@Kathy I always thought that it was "when the glass is empty, the bartender appears". Thanks for the correction.
I like Rush, but I get a little tired of celebs accusing others of libel or slander and not backing it up by filing a lawsuit against the slanderer. Granted, it's a tougher task to win when you're a big shot, but by not suing, it makes the opposition look like they have some credibility.
He wouldn't have to sue everybody -- just one or two carefully chosen blowhards. Make them squeal like the pigs they are. That'll keep the rest of the nattering nabobs at bay.
No. I (obviously) further care what most others think of me. Those I do care about are comfortable with me and therefore, so am I. Simply live life in a nondestructive manner and you've nailed the bulk of it.
Once I became an adult I realized that no one has ever done anything to me that I did not give them permission to do.
There are very few people whose opinions and evaluations I value, and not even in a general way--just in the arenas in which I deal with them. My reference group, upon whom my survival and success depends.
Rush is his own business. He doesn't have to kowtow. If his audience disappears tomorrow, he can live off the means he has accumulated so far.
I'm not there yet, but financial independence means the freedom to care very little what others think.
I've always been independent minded and not a crowd follower anyway. My own internal standards and goals and ideas are far superior than what others oculd impose on me anyway.
My guess is Rush and you still care, somewhat, what some people think--but you have wisely narrowed that circle down, down, down. But as we get older we often do get wiser about these things. And yes it would have been useful to learn this when we were younger. But you only really learn it from experience.
Your reputation is your greatest asset in life. It defines who you are and how people will respond to you. It's very hard to say that you don't care what others think while at the same time prizing your reputation.
When we say "I don't care what people think" usually we mean "I don't care what certain people think" or "I am willing to say or do certain things without regard to what people think." Our reputations have a lot to do with what people we exclude from the universe of those whose opinions we value, and what things we are willing to say or do without regard to the reaction we get.
I didn't do it as much as my Mom did, but we had a big sheet of butcher paper on the wall over our kitchen table when I was little that said, "Conform not unto the world, but be transformed..." My tendency is to be a "people pleaser" and I think that having the rule not to conform, to stand apart, to stand *against* opinion, drilled in like that probably made that tendency far less damaging to me than it might have been.
What I found myself telling my children when they have interpersonal traumas is that you simply can't make yourself responsible for other people's attitudes. You're powerless over them anyway, and trying to take responsibility for what they think or even if they like you or not is destructive. I tell them that they can only be responsible for themselves, their own attitudes and their own actions.
Lastly, to paraphrase some fictional characters of an author I admire... Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. Honor may require the destruction of your Reputation.
I don't really know what it takes to take it to heart, but there's an off chance my putting it here could affect someone.
I don't know that it comes from hearing it from anyone, but from age, and experience. Maybe some people have that awareness built into their temperament, and if so, they're lucky. But I doubt it's a lesson learned from hearing it.
When we say "I don't care what people think" usually we mean "I don't care what certain people think" or "I am willing to say or do certain things without regard to what people think."
Or possibly “I am not willing to become a different person entirely on the vain hope that everyone I meet in the world will like me”.
I learned way back in 9th grade that some people in this world are not going to like you, no matter what you do, and there is no point in trying to win those people over. Be polite and kind, yes. You can only control what you do, not how others react, so there is no point in getting upset about it.
My concern for how others judge or perceive me dissipates like waves from a stone dropped in a pond.
I care deeply what my wife, my mother, and my siblings think. The further out from my little platoon, the less I am concerned.
But if my center lacks love and grace, all is in vain.
Kirby (1:04 PM), you might want to look up berdache. It does not have anything to do with bears.
I may have missed some subtle humor.
But I doubt it's a lesson learned from hearing it.
Not immediately, of course not.
But I think this Althouse post, like many others, can be classified fairly under the rubric of “practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.”
Althouse has been planting these seeds for years.
When I think of all the time I wasted shaving and bathing when I was younger, I just get sick. For what? So a bunch of damn fools would think I smell OK according to their narrow olfactory standards. Fools all of us.
"The only thing I care about is the love of my family and the respect of my friends. The rest of the world can go to hell."
John Wayne
Actually, Wayne - and pretty much most everyone else for that matter - only felt that way after he became rich enough to never worry about whether or not he could feed his family.
Of course, the down side of being able to say what you want without worrying what other people think, is that your unbridled opinions could prevent you from getting a desired job... or becoming a member of an exclusive image conscious club.
Assuming falsely attributing a racist comment is defamation (I don't know), it would be great for Rush to sue the people saying it on TV and the networks if they don't retract. It also would have the virtue of being a simple lawsuit. Assuming such a statement is defamatory (which I think it correct), the only issues would be whether the statement was true (i.e., whether he actually made the alleged statement); and if not true, whether when the speaker stated Rush made the statement, he acted in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of what he said. These cable news yakkers making the statement probably have virtually no basis for alleging Rush made that statement (they probaly would lie about reading it somewhere), which probably is reckless disregard for the truth.
All you trolls are just envious that Rush makes more in 6 months then you will PUT TOGETHER make in a lifetime.
Kansas City - unfortunately Rush will not sue those bastards for libel/slander. He's way too nice to LIEberals.
Assuming falsely attributing a racist comment is defamation (I don't know), it would be great for Rush to sue the people saying it on TV and the networks if they don't retract.
Which racist comment is that?
Rush Limbaugh currently makes over $50 million/year. That's a lot of moolah. I'd be Rush's bootlicker for a fraction of that.
Titus... only four?
Can a person who claims that he can't be offended be defamed, though?
I think that's an interesting question.
And it's somewhat ironic to be talking about Rush worrying about his reputation right under a quote from the guy saying he doesn't care what other people think about him!
There's a difference between taking what people say personally and defending your livelihood. His professional reputation translates directly into millions of dollars.
I'm an asshole. If others don't get that, then they can bite me.
I love all things great and small.
Folks who claim not to care what other people think of them are usually doing so in an effort to impress other other people with their independence.
Sorry, man, there's no escaping status anxiety for any of us.
sonicfrog said...
Which racist comment is that?
The comments were:
"I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back; I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."
and
"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray. We miss you, James. Godspeed"
The quotes appeared in the book 101 People who are REALLY Screwing Up America by Jack Huberman
Rush denies saying them, and neither the book nor anyone repeating the quotes cite when or where they were said.
When I was twenty I really cared what other people thought about me.
When I was thirty I decided I was going stop caring what people thought about me.
When I was forty I realized nobody had ever been thinking about me.
I am proud to join here with a long list of folks who never change their behavior to manipulate a situation to their personal benefit.
What are the odds?
Another facet of this subject is that even if I do care what someone thinks, and they disapprove, what do I do about it.
If I agree with them, then they are doing me a favor by pointing it out and encouraging me to improve.
If I disagree, then why do I care? I have considered their opinion and still choose to be what I am. I have to disappoint either them or myself. I can get another friend, but I have to face me everyday.
Ann, I have no problem with trolls and your decisions about them, but rank pornography is simply beneath this site. Why do you allow Titus to post? Don't lose loyal readers in the process of ignoring his slow build-up to inevitable public disgrace. One of us is going to leave this excellent site -- your choice.
I bet there are few far left liberal lawyers who would love to take Rush's case and sue the crap out of those who have slandered him. What a great country !
AJ,
Is there supposed to be an "a" between "are" and "few" in that sentence. One letter makes a huge difference. Funny language. English, and now with typos so common, you have to ask.
Rush doesn't care what his detractors say or think about him so long as they can't hurt him.
So far Rush's detractors haven't hurt him regarding his show & his listeners & enough listeners keep listening to him so that enough sponsors keep sponsoring him.
Rush's detractors can force some (many/most?) of his listeners to keep silent in public (e.g., at B-B-Qs/cocktail parties/lunches/speeches before civic groups) about their listening to him, or at least make such listeners apologetic & force them to publicly distance themselves somewhat from him. This does not bother Rush &, I guess, makes him think these wary listeners are wusses. Er, up to a point, Lord Rush.
Rush's detractors can, however, hurt him, Bigtime, with the NFL players & owners by painting him a racist even if they have no proof of any racist utterances from him. This absurd defamation may make him mad & put him in an attack mode, but it has prevented him from appearing again on ESPN & will, I'm certain, prevent him from owning a part of an NFL team.
As many people have noted, with the MSM, sometimes a story is just too good to be fact checked before it's put out.
And I suspect that if Jay Leno went out on the street & asked "Who said the following words:
'Slavery built the South. It had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.'"
a lot of Jay Walkers would now answer: "Rush Limbaugh".
And I'd like to be a fly on the wall of some churches this Sunday when the minister gives his sermon.
I know liberals who disagree entirely with Rush, but still listen to him. He is interesting regardless of your view. He's current, important, intelligent, engaging, full of surprises and irreverent. No wonder his enemies hate him.
Ironic that Bill Maher called HIS show "Politically Incorrect".
I suspect Rush will get some retractions and apologies.
I don't think the interesting points about Rush saying he cannot be offended have anything to do with a potential defamation claim. The required element of defamation is not that the person who is the subject of the defamation was offended by the comment; it is the effect of the defamatory comment on the person's reputation in the minds of other persons.
Bago:
Yes, I meant to type "I bet there are a few"..
Thanks for pointing that out.
The thing about Limbaugh that many liberals forget is that when he came along about 20 or so years ago there was virtually no one in the media reflecting the conservative or libertarian point of view. Then, all of a sudden, you turn on the radio and there is someone--for the first time--apparently having the time of his life time lampooning doctrinaire feminists, the affirmative action spoils system and mind-numbing political correctness.
To me, Limbaugh's great appeal was that he said things I always believed but never heard anyone in the media ever say before. After decades of cognitive dissonance, I finally could listen to Limbaugh and realize I wasn't crazy and I wasn't alone.
I don't catch Limbaugh very much anymore but I'm very glad he's still on the air.
Learning to value and balance
Truth and Grace,
has been a challenge for me,
but in doing so I am slowly becoming free of the patterns which used to keep me bound and fearful of others and my own responses.
Too much emphasis on the truth side and I quickly turn to judgement
Too much grace and I enable.
Maintaining this balance is not as easy as it might sound but using those two standards has provided me with a way to measure and gage myself as well as the opinions I receive from others.
I continue to be amazed at the variety of people seeking to convince or push their version of truth with little or no grace, wit, humor or understanding.
At the same time, I also continue to be amazed at the variety of ways others find to balance or add those missing elements.
The irony in the Rush-is-racist scandal is that the quote(s) can be found all over the evil internet which the MSM has been accusing over the past year as being shallow, amateur, an unreliable resource and that the people (bloggers) who hang out there, besides wearing pajamas, don't do any fact checking.
Eventually arriving at Huberman's book (if they bothered to check at all, which they haven't till probably Monday afternoon) they would find . . . .. . .
No attribution, date time, place, person.
Ooops.
wv acytties
That feeling going up (or down) the leg when one realizes they have stepped in it.
I agree with the poster who said that Titus needs to be given a time out.
In other news, Chris Mathews of Obama's cheerleader network is openly calling for Rush to be murdered.
Democrats are the party of hate.
Thanks for the quotes.
I was listening to Hugh Hewitt today and heard him mention that there were some pseudo quotes attributed to Rush, but i didn't know what they were. Hugh went on to call Rodger Goodell a moron and liberal, neither of which I believe is true.
Goodell has done more to put players on notice that bad behavior will not be tolerated than any other major sport commissioner. Google Goodell / PacMan Jones or Chris Henry for an example.
Rush may not have said the specific quotes you mentioned, but there are many other quotes that are just as controversial. That doesn't mean that Rush was wrong or racist, but he does take great pleasure in getting under peoples skin, even if the core of what he's saying is "truth-to-power" (God I hate that phrase).
Jerry Jones and Al Davis aside, there is a long tradition of owners being invisible to the game. Yes, they can made a tremendous difference for the game, but it's always in the background. Jones may showboat from time to time, but has never said anything truly repugnant - unless you're a Redskins fan. The once brilliant Al Davis? Everyone knows he has become a joke as an owner and has destroyed, but he's establishment and there is probably no way to get him out of the chair short of death. Even then, he will still find a way to screw up the Raiders organization. Owners of sports teams have been given the boot before for saying outlandish things. Former Reds owner Marge Schott comes to mind. Even if Rush's past comments (the ones he's actually said) could be looked over, he would almost certainly have to give up his radio career to become a viable owner.
Lastly, Goodell, in his action to say who he does and does not feel would be right for an ownership position, is actually a very conservative idea. Goodell is simply speaking his mind. And how many times has Rush railed against government interference of, say, the ability of landlords to rent to whomever he sees fit. It's free enterprise and market forces at work.
Do I personally think Rush would be a successful owner? Yes. He's knowledgeable about the game and is a good businessman. And I think he sees that you have to be very hands-off to be successful (google Dan Snyder). Yet he would certainly have to give up his radio career. Again, the down side of being able to say what you want without worrying what other people think, is that your unbridled opinions could prevent you from getting a desired job... or becoming a member of an exclusive image conscious club. This makes me think this is nothing but a publicity stunt anyway. A great one at that!
That's not advice I need now, but it's advice that would have helped me tremendously if I had heard it and taken it to heart when I was younger. Do you worry about what people think and try to tailor yourself into the person you imagine they will like?
Isn't that the definition of being young?
These media outlets better pray to God that the Rams deal goes through. If it doesn't, as a result of publshing fabricated quotes, it's a LOT easier to show actual damages, and put a dollar figure on them.
Rush's status as a public figure won't be as much of a shield then, when you have tortious interference with an actual contract... or negotiations to enter same.
Here's a couple of things about this post.
Like Rush, but not exactly like him, I was glad when I found out about his addiction problem. It explained why his show had been going downhill for a couple of years. There were too many days where Rush seemed to be mailing it in, too many days where he was in a rush to get out the door, and too many days when he lacked his passion. Every so often he would still hit the hight notes.
When his problems came to light it explained everything. These days he's engaged, enthusiastic, energetic, and passionate. Qualities that allow his intelligence and humor to make him great.
Here's the other thing about this transcript. "Rush: 'I don't give people the power to offend me.'" I think Rush is fooling himself. He seems mighty offended about the pushback to his attempt to buy the St. Louis Rams. I think his defense is clumsy and he could do a lot better.
Life is a series of tradeoffs. Not caring about what other people think about him led to Dave Checkett's throwing Rush under a bus today.
Public Opinion Nazi says "No Rams for you!"
Sure, Rush doesn't care what people say about him. Except today he's whining BIG TIME about not being able to participate in buying the St. Louis Rams.
Whine, whine, whine.
Rush the crybaby.
And the sound of Althouse silence as her hero shows himself to be a lame, wimpy, crybaby who is OBSESSED with what other people have been saying about him!
Waaaaaah!
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