I’ll chime in on this one because the answer is part of my point: Given the alternatives, I can’t say I would have liked to see him do anything different, really. (Maybe say a couple of different things at different times, call out Morgan on his idiotic nominal murder statistic comparison, etc.), but overall, as I said it was refreshing to me. Maybe I’ve just heard so much nonsense from that British asswipe that I’d personally be ready to go off like that, so it was nice to see it happen. Plus it was nice to watch a Piers Morgan segment for once and not have to listen to Piers Morgan. And finally, as I said, it was gratifying to see the facts, the anger, the resentment, and the resistance all shoved in that elitist’s chubby face.
But even aside from the personal enjoyment I got out of it, I honestly don’t see how Jones could have gotten more out of it. It’s not like he gets invited on MSM every week. You gotta take advantage of these opportunities when you get em, and I’m sure Jones got more buzz and more traffic from the appearance the way he did it, than if he did it as, say, a Walter Block.
And ultimately that’s really what it’s about. You’re not going to change anyone’s mind from a single appearance on a talk show (particularly one in which you’re a guest, and the host (whose name is the show’s title) hold’s essentially the polar opposite view.) You’re lucky if you even get a fair presentation of your own position by the time the footage actually goes to air.
The best you can hope for is to get some new people to tune in to your show, or read your book. And you can pretty much guarantee Jones accomplished that, and more than likely, in a much bigger way than if he was Mr. Doormat, or even Mr. Schmooze or Mr. Manners. These days especially, with so much access to so much information and entertainment, the most sensational things get the most attention. (There’s only so much time anyone has in their day.)
And not only are direct viewers of the program getting a segment that stands out, the segment itself is now news outside the program. The appearance is getting coverage particularly because of its outlandish nature…and therefore Jones is getting even more attention and an even wider reach than just the CNN audience (which is already outside of his normal demo).
It’s not about presenting yourself in such a way that the particular audience of each particular show you appear on will accept you, or even find you “nice” and “respectable”…all that matters is if they are intrigued enough to check you out in your own element…whether that’s your radio show, your films, your website, or whatever (which is another plus for Jones…as he has all of the above). And again, it doesn’t even matter what the nature of the intrigue is…Remember, Howard Stern haters were listening to him nearly twice as much as his fans. All that matters is that they’re tuned in. Before long, they’re considering notions and viewing things from a perspective they never even knew existed before. Much like described at the end of the story relayed here.