If You Say It Loud Enough

Today's Anchorage Daily News reports that Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson (R-Eagle River) "would like it if home-schooling families could use their state allotments to buy religious textbooks, software and other curriculum--as long as it's academically meaty." Current law does not allow state money to buy such supplies. So Dyson asked the state attorney general to see if there might be a way around the law, and according to the AG, there might be--through legislative action.

"If the material meets academic standards, then it ought not be disqualified just on the basis that it has some religious connotations," Dyson said. The article concludes, "Dyson knows the issue--blending public school [funding] with religion--could raise some hackles. He cautioned people not to be 'reactionary' and urged tolerance."

I love HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, and watch it faithfully. The show's panel discussions, however, are often painfully frustrating to watch. Even when the panel conservative representatives are outnumbered 2 or 3 to 1, they get the most air time, and often the last word.

I've decided it's because they're loud. You know, as the song says, "If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious." I think it's a strategy. Your message doesn't have to make sense. Just talk over your opponent, and your message will be the only one heard. Win the shouting match, win the election.

And the strategy isn't just about decibels. In a shouting match between a smooth NPR voice and a strident Fox News voice, the latter will win every time. Conservatives don't seek out people with pleasant, well-modulated speaking voices. On the contrary. They want sharp voices that will cut through thoughtful conversation like noisy gongs and clanging symbols disrupting smooth jazz.

But there's more. The final and perhaps most important part of the strategy is the mindset of the speaker. When speakers banish all alternate possibilities from their mind, their voices are powerful in a way that comes through even in print.

And so we come back to Rep. Dyson. "If the material meets academic standards, then it ought not to be disqualified just on the basis that it has some religious connotations," he said. If you say it loud enough...

There is an unintended but welcome windfall for conservatives when they say things like that. It makes those of us on the left splutter with rage. Needless to say, spluttering is not very articulate. And rage isn't very helpful, either--it freezes our brains in their tracks, delays our reaction time. In the car on the way home from the debate, we compose witty responses, but it is far, far too late.

New rule, Bill. Debates, not shouting matches. I know shouting matches are more exciting (better for ratings), but somewhere there should be a forum for thoughtful discussion, where a moderator levels the playing field so that all voices can be heard.

Oh. I forgot. There is such a place. It's called PBS.