“Their Souls Are Screaming Out For What You Have”
Unlike many New Yorkers I know, I do not have an easy time listening to Michael Savage. I squirm when caught in a car in NY when the driver tunes in to his show. While appreciating his support for Israel, I find his manner over the top, and his content simplistic. All this makes his July 12 remarks more significant, for the pure genuineness of his observations.
Apparently invited to a leyl Shabbos dinner, he meets ten Chabad teenaged girls, and is overwhelmed by their purity. It leads him to contrast their life style with that of their non-religious peers, and to advise them not to be jealous of the lifestyles of cultural icons, because nothing that the beautiful people have holds a candle to what the G-d-fearing have. He notes how many belong in rehab – and can’t stick it out. Why does their stardom fade and fizzle? Savage tells these girls quite simply: “Their souls are screaming out for what you have.”
I just listened to that link of Michael Savage talking about those innocent, pure, Orthodox Jewish teenage girls. I must admit that hearing what he said, filled me with a certain pride for my people, almost making me wish that I myself were still that innocent. I recall something that Carl Jung (and probably Viktor Frankl as well) said, that it was his experience that those who had a fulfilling spiritual life, did not need his services, and those who did needed his services, were cut off from their spirituality. If nothing else, it sure makes one pause and think.
As for Michael Savage’s radio personality, while I will admit that he can be over the top at times, and that there is only so much of him that I can listen to before I yearn to change the channel, that really, most of the radio talk show hosts are not cordial, calm, and polite on a regular basis. Part of this is, I believe, genuine passion for their subject, but part of this is also that such behavior brings ratings. Most people are simply not drawn into a calm, intellectual discussion. I think that was the point of Caroline Glick doing that brilliant We Con the World video: she reached millions of people that she probably never would have through her calm, lengthy, well-reasoned newspaper columns.
yet, savage himself is not mushpah , and his soul cries out not. the actors of the MO oriented Srugim spend time with the DL communities they will portray, yet no personal influence. the tshuva bug just doesn’t bite everyone, even of those exposed to the message …..
Listening discretion is advised for the linked clip. I recommend skipping 0:20 to 1:20.
Accept the truth from wherever the source.
“While appreciating his support for Israel , I find his manner over the top, and his content simplistic.”
Although I find his style to be ranting, which is perhaps necessary in the talk-show business, the program is sometimes on in my kitchen on Erev Shabbos.
In the middle of a recent political discussion of how Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder(the title of his book), he suddenly discussed why secularists and Liberal America(the two being interchangeable ) are afraid of religion, the reason being, because it would force them to higher their moral standards. I couldn’t help exclaiming out loud, “Wow! A mussar schmooze from Michael Savage! ”
Though I appreciated his remarks and he appears to be on to something(“v’lo avdu avodas kochavim ela l’hatir la’hem arayos b’farhesya”), I would also urge caution in using The Savage Nation as an authoritative source for either matters of hashkafah or for those of a political nature 🙂
I’ve been listening carefully to Michael Savage for quite a while and although he never reveals his religious heritage, his real name is Michael Weiner and hails from the Bronx and Jamaica, Queens. His invisible religious identity lends more credence to his pro-Jewish, pro-Israel views and while he might not mirror our Torah-true values, I believe it’s a function of his being a ‘tinok shenishbah.’ Nonetheless he influences more than 10 million listeners each week.
H. Newman, I heard the clip from another site. Must have been bowdlerized. I do think it’s kind of ironic that these kids stayed so pure, even though some have been listening to Savage since, as he says, age 8. But other than that, it was a sweet soundbite and shows there’s some pintele yid left. He’s on late in this market, no temptation to listen to him but if I would, I would definitely put on the headphones to spare the kids.
The problem with Michael Savage is that he tends to go back and forth between calm, rational, wise commentator (as in this clip) and raving lunatic.