FREEDOM HIGHWAY

inner monologue

Talk radio seems to me like America's inner monologue: it's what the country says to itself when it thinks nobody else is listening. The unique and defining social context of the call-in radio format is anonymity. What callers say under cover of anonymity, just as what hosts say while alone in the studio, is less inhibited than truly public speech. In addition, the fact that talk radio's prime directive is to serve as entertainment means that sensationalism and confrontation are encouraged. While this may favour a discourse which tends towards participants' basest and meanest instincts, it nevertheless affords a unique and eye-opening account of some of the demons and fears which animate some part of the American psyche.

The material gathered by the FREEDOM HIGHWAY project describes a world view in which the most highly espoused value is that of patriotism, an unquestioning devotion to god and country which leaves no room for doubt or dissent. Perhaps most disturbing is that it stems equally from ignorance as from arrogance.