Originally posted by Goober5000
How is he different from Michael Savage?
Honest question, not trying to start a flame war.
Well let's see... first, when Eric Idle is an ass its called "parody" or "satire". Why? Because he's a comedian. I'd say that makes him very different from Savage just on the surface.
Second, when Eric Idle complains that the federal government will fine you more for offenses of taste (uttering "F
U
C
K
" on the radio or showing a nipple on television) than they have fined certain radio DJs for breaking the actual law*, he's stating a fact, not an opinion. He's not calling them evil nazi-loving liberal swines. He's saying they're completely bass-ackwards in the way they enforce laws and regulations.
Third, when Idle points out that Martha Stewart gets put in jail for securities fraud (okay, for perjury, but perjury over securities fraud) but lets Halliburton (who has provably been cheating the federal government out of not millions, but BILLIONS of dollars on bogus invoicing, according to the Federal governments own General Accouting Office) go unmolested--nay, not unmolested, rewarded further with more contracts and nary a slap on the hand or stern word uttered--well, I'd say again, Idle's adherence to the facts, rather than declaring the opposition to be freaky, pinko socialist liberals makes him a touch different.
The rest of the song is just purely silly namecalling, which, given Eric Idle's profession is what one might call a 'job responsibility'.
I'd say these things make him very, very different from Mr. Savage. Savage holds himself out as an expert regularly (listen to his radio program). His record, however, shows his only expertise being environmental science, medical botany and anthropology. The same record also shows a rather telling anti-islamic prejudice of a frightening degree. By placing himself in the role of expert, not the role of comedian, he makes himself immensely different from the likes of Idle.
*the FCC neither makes nor enforces laws. Showing a nipple or uttering curses on broadcast television violates a regulation and carries no criminal penalties. Further, no court is involved in the creation or enforcement of these regulations. On the other hand, tramping around town and paying people to write you prescriptions for drugs so you can get your fix is a violation of several criminal and civil laws, no matter where you are in the US. Which one of these will net you a higher cash payment to the Federal Government though? If you said 'breaking the law!', you'd be wrong. The real answer is 'showing an unsanctioned nipple on television'. Somehow, I think that's rather an upside-down management of penalties.