I was very saddened to hear that conservative radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, has advanced lung cancer. Being a cancer survivor, my heart goes out to him and his family, and the fear they must be experiencing. It’s a devastating disease.
Some say, “It’s time to lay our differences down.” I do not wish to see the end of Rush Limbaugh. I hope he fully recovers. I only wish to see the end of his toxic career that has spanned over a quarter of a century. During that time, Rush Limbaugh’s words have polluted our airwaves with vile hatred, misogyny, xenophobia, anti-gun sense, anti-LGBT rhetoric, racism, bigotry and merciless aporophobia.
Limbaugh has been generously cruel with the words he spews out to the public on a daily basis. He once attacked Michael J. Fox for faking/exaggerating Parkinson's Disease. He compared Chelsea Clinton to a dog when she was 12. He told an African American woman to call back when she took the “bone” out of her nose. He disparaged scientific evidence and minimized the negative effects of smoking on one’s health. Hundreds of malign Rush Limbaugh quotes have been documented from his taped shows. Some include him calling children on government-assisted lunches “wanton little waifs and surfs,” or implying gay men are “pedophiles,” or calling women “semen receptacles,” and describing documented immigrants as “lazy,” “invasive species of mollusks” and “spermatozoa.” In 2012 Limbaugh called a then-unknown college student, Sandra Fluke, a “slut” and “prostitute” on the air for three days, while she was sitting in front of Congress advocating for free mandated birth control, especially in cases when it’s medically necessary.
After Limbaugh’s rant about Sandra Fluke, there was a massive public outcry and several large grassroots organizations emerged including Stop Rush, Flush Rush and Boycott Rush. For three years, concerned citizens and consumers protested, petitioned and rallied against Limbaugh, convincing thousands of his sponsors, big and small, to pull ads from his show and causing radio stations to drop him. The movement cost Limbaugh, his parent company, iHeart Music, and Cumulus—far into the millions. After he was all but crushed, he laid low—then clawed his way back up.
A smug Limbaugh says, “It’s free speech, folks!” when criticized. But it’s not merely free speech. His words are odious and ominous. Rush Limbaugh spews, peddles and propagates hate speech, which ultimately instigates bullying, abuse, hate crimes, violence, and murder.
Yes, I hope Limbaugh survives cancer. And no, I will not lay the differences down.