In this election season, Canadians are candidates, rappers are political pundits, and racism is the new “telling it like it is.” Everything we all thought we knew about politics has been thrown out the window; except that window is on a speeding car going in a direction no one knows.
Nowadays, it’s easier to share statistics and photos on Facebook than having an earnest discussion that doesn't turn towards you calling the other person some kind of Hitler, because, let’s face it, we’re all kind of like Hitler.
That’s why I think we definitely need another “Firing Line.”
Back in 1966, a show began with a soothing voice that sounded like a mix of an English accent- but drawn out longer and slower as if it were a southern one. As the well-dressed man in the chair continues on with infuriatingly verbose sentences, you start paying more attention and hear he’s making jokes, and he’s agreeing and proposing questions with the person you think he’s supposed to be arguing with. That’s William F. Buckley Jr. He’s one of the coolest guys that you might have heard of.
He’s the founder of the “National Review” and he’s considered the father of the modern Conservative movement. But, after watching him talk and discuss the issues, you might not believe that. Buckley isn't a Bill O’Reily or Judge Jeanine, he’s slow to anger (except one time with Gore Vidal but for brevity, we won’t talk about that), and he’s generally interested in what someone opposite him has to say. You would think if Allen Ginsberg was on a conservative debate show he would be ripped to shreds, but Buckley saw him as more than a stepping stone, something lacking in most of today's commentary.
“Firing Line” was not your average debate show. For starters, there was no loud whooshing sound effects as the camera panned to any graphics. The theme music was the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major by Bach. It’s not a show with talking heads, but two people on a stage sitting in chairs as they talk to each other. There aren’t interruptions, faux statistics, or even a raised tone. Buckley wanted to get at the rationale behind being on the left of an issue or even on the right. This wasn’t just a show about issues but culture also. “Firing Line” was a show that made debates cultural and relevant.
In essence, we need another “Firing Line” because people are stupid. I know it’s not really a nice thing to say so let me rephrase that. People are very illiterate. Not just in the reading sense, although plenty have tossed that to the wayside. But people don't study opposing views, watch the boring lectures, or have the uncomfortable talks. It’s easier to be insulated than expressive. We have to find a way to talk to people who don’t agree with us and know we just as right as we are wrong.
