RUSH: Here is Sarah in Albany, Georgia. Great to have you. Welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hi. I’m very nervous. I’ve called you many times. I’m a conservative political science professor, and a lot of that’s your fault.
RUSH: My fault?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: You don’t sound old enough to be a professor.
CALLER: I am. I am. Barely. I’m young. I’m in my early thirties, but you gave me the political curiosity, the intellectual curiosity. My father used to watch your show and listen to you, and then he would explain it to us. And it lit an interest that, after 12 years, I finished my education, and I focused on political science.
RUSH: Well, that is great. Congratulations.
CALLER: I wanted to thank you for that.
RUSH: Well, you like it then, obviously.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I love it. I love it.
RUSH: What age-group do you teach?
CALLER: College.
RUSH: Ooh. How do you go about that? Are they freshmen, juniors, sophomores, what are they?
CALLER: It’s mostly freshmen and sophomores.
RUSH: Freshmen and sophomores. So what do you assume they know when they arrive in your classroom? What’s your starting point?
CALLER: Very little. We start at the very, very beginning, and we learn the language and the terms, and I give them a media literacy assignment where they have to compare different media outlets on the same political event, and I try to give them the tools that — I certainly don’t teach them what to think, but more or less try to teach them how to think.
RUSH: Right. Critical thinking.
CALLER: That’s my intent, yes.
RUSH: So you teach them media literacy. You give them the terms to help them understand what the media is saying?
CALLER: I try to. I try to help them understand that there’s always a bias.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: And that you just have to find it. You have to dig down and find it.
RUSH: Well, that’s good for you.
CALLER: You’re responsible. I just wanted you to know. I’ve been dying to tell you that for the last 15 years. You gave me the curiosity, for sure.
RUSH: You’re responsible because you’re the one who accomplished it. You developed an interest and you went out there and you did it, so you achieved it.
CALLER: Well, yes. You were part of that, whether you’re aware of it or not.
RUSH: Well, no, I understand what you mean. This program gave you the interest in it, it inspired you to want to learn more about it, and so you did. And now you’re a teacher. You made my day. I appreciate it. I really do. We probably need more of you out there, actually.
CALLER: Well, I teach a bunch every semester. You know what I’m thinking, though? I’m thinking your children’s books are gonna do for the children what my father did for me. He made your material accessible to me as a child, and I think that you better watch out, your children’s books may be —
RUSH: So your father would listen to the program and he would tell you in his own words that he knew you could understand what kind of things happened on the program here?
CALLER: Yes, sir. He’s listening now, and he loves you.
RUSH: Oh, he’s listening now? What’s your father’s first name?
CALLER: Steven from Amelia Island.
RUSH: Amelia Island. Well, you know, everybody has to be someplace, and that’s not a bad place to be.
CALLER: That’s what he thinks.
RUSH: He’s right. Steven, thanks. And, Sarah, thank you. What a great call to end the day on Open Line Friday. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. I hope these children’s books have that exact effect. That is the mission. There is a mission behind these books and that is exactly what it is. So I appreciate your call and I appreciate your mentioning that, and don’t lose your humanity. Ahem.