The O'Reilly File: The lunatic is in his head

What makes Britney Spears intriguing is that she's a walking car wreck. To the American public, she's more interesting now than she ever was.

So that's why we continue to pay attention, even as we grow more disgusted.

But what makes us continue to watch Bill O'Reilly, even as he continues to embarrass himself with racist innuendo and bigoted labeling?

Because watching Bill O'Reilly is like watching somebody laugh at a car wreck.

He was accused of sexual harassment, but he went on the offensive, discrediting his accusers and solidifying his support. He quickly snuffed out the flames before they grew by defining his accuser, and repeatedly painting her as emotionally disturbed.

He's duplicitous, saying he represents mainstream America when his point-of-view is consistently conservative. He repeats this lie so much, in fact, that people believe it to be true.

In politics, that's called campaigning. In the real world, it's called manipulation.

He also constantly reinforces stereotypes - particularly ones that negatively label people with mental illness - by using words like "loon" to describe people who disagree with him. Yet, unlike Don Imus, he gets away with it. Here's an example:



The bottom line is that he taps into an audience that appears to be hungering for this kind of Morton Downey Jr.-type of bullying commentary that relies heavily on the politics of destruction and prejudice.

His ratings, as a result, are higher than Mars. And he attracts viewers of every political stripe - including myself, sometimes (I pay attention because I consider it "oppositional research") because he uses his loudness and abusive behavior as a tool to get people to stop channel surfing.

He has provided much worse examples of mental health stereotyping than what was displayed in the above video. Indeed, O'Reilly's attacks have become so strong lately that he's used the word "loon" to describe virtually anybody who disagrees with him.

His favorite targets are the "left-wing loons" who protest the war in Iraq. He's applied it to movie stars who have opposed President Bush. In his interview with Bill Maher, he actually spared the comedian by calling him "thoughtful," but he didn't spare the "left-wing loons" who appear on Maher's HBO show.

Perhaps Keith Olbermann, the MSNBC commentator who is Bill's arch nemesis, said it best when he talked about how O'Reilly's recent behavior has been way over the top - even for Bill.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Olbermann is becoming much more competitive with Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor" in the 8 p.m. time slot. Maybe it's because O'Reilly has put his foot in his mouth once too often.

Or maybe it's because O'Reilly, to use Olbermann's more politically-correct term than the word "loon," has become "unhinged."



"Brain Damage" by Pink Floyd

The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path

The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more

And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too
Ill see you on the dark side of the moon

The lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me till Im sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
Theres someone in my head but its not me.

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band youre in starts playing different tunes
Ill see you on the dark side of the moon.