Opaque Lucidity

Off The Air

I have come away from my conversation with David Lawrence with a new appreciation of how professional media folks view podcasting. Let there be no doubt: Lawrence loves podcasting. His point the other night was not that most podcasts suck, but that there needs to be some serious examination of how one goes about gaining an audience. On top of that, podcasters must constantly pursue excellence.

We also discussed "podfade". This is the term for podcasters who quit producing new shows. Often, the feed for their 'cast is still out there, but the show is essentially dead. Lawrence mentioned that this often occurs because new podcasters give up when they do not immediately gain a large audience or when the show stops being fun and starts being a job.

You've never asked, but I'm going to tell you why I do a podcast. First, I love history, especially US history. Our common past is full of stories so amazing that they make even the best fiction look weak. While I don't believe in reincarnation, there are times when I feel as if I have witnessed at least some of the great events of the past millenium.

Second, most Americans have a glaring lack of knowledge when it comes to history. I blame our education system. Many school systems teach social studies instead of solid history. As I used to say in my podcast's promo, WE ARE STANDING ON HISTORY. Everything that happens today has a story behind it that helps to explain why things are the way they are. People who say, "The world has gone crazy" or something similar don't have a firm grasp of history. Very, very little of what we experience today is new. The names change and the technology improves, but the emotions, intentions and sins remain the same.

I don't want to sound like I'm on some sort of history crusade, but in a way I am. I want to do just enough to make my listeners think, "I need to read up on this." As Americans, we should be proud of our history. Yes, this nation has done some terrible things. But overall, there has never been a nation that has done so much good for mankind. We never, ever should forget that.