Something New

I've got about five minutes on a friend's computer, but that should be long enough for this entirely new, fresh post.

Now that the shutdown is over, President Obama made a speech about how politicians shouldn't listen to bloggers.  I'm honored he thinks we have that much power.

But much better, his list of people he believes that politicians who oppose him must be listening to includes "talking heads on radio."  This misses the whole point of talking heads.  It's a TV term.  On radio, hearing just one person talking was the norm.  But then came TV, which added a visual element, and nothing much happening became a problem. (As opposed to the radio disaster known as "dead air.")  Now, a serious discussion of political issues offered nothing on screen except the total lack of action known as a talking head.

I suppose the phrase has become so wide in its usage you can get away with it, but "talking heads on radio" is not unlike (and I've heard this too) saying "African-Americans from Africa."