Talk Radio Vs. The Leaf Blower

Well, I've been gone awhile, having the same sort of fun that every Wisconsin homeowner faces this time of year: blowing leaves, winterizing the house, blowing leaves, winterizing the cars, blowing leaves...well, you get the idea. As everyone knows, blowing and raking leaves is not the most intellectually stimulating or challenging job, and it does allow the mind to wander.

Some of the musings can be profound (Is there a God?) to the profrane (If there is a God, why the $%*!@ did he put all these $%&@* leaves in my &^#%@ yard?) and everywhere in between.

One of the things that crossed my mind was the comparison of my leaf blower to talk radio. There are some obvious similarities. They both exist only to constantly expel air, can drone on for hours, and if you listen to it long enough, it can make you insane.

One of the biggest differences is that at the end of the day, the leaf blower actually serves a constructive purpose. If used properly, the leaf blower will have been useful in clearing the yard of leaves. Talk radio serves no discernible purpose. At the end of the day, talk radio has done little, if anything, to alter the world around it. Those that listen and feed off of the tripe, will continue to believe it. Those that don't believe still won't.

Which leads back to one last similarity. Both the leaf blower and those that live off of talk radio are tools.