Can James O'Brien only win an argument by shouting over a caller every 5 seconds?

[Snowmunch]

James O'Brien on LBC has this manner of talking and shouting over people he disagrees with that only the intellectually insecure resort to as an act of sheer desperation. He has this sense of deep self loathing that soon rears its ugly head in the form of a deep seated hatred against anyone who wins an argument. The really weird thing is that as the presenter on the radio, and team of a producer, researchers and others, a few seconds delay control, and a fade button, he frequently abuses callers from his position of power. Odd, when he pretends to be such a hand-wringing lefty. I suspect he was bullied very badly as a child at his public school for his accent, and it's all coming out now. Also, his show is very under researched, and often a few seconds searching on Google, reveals what complete tosh he talks. He had this show on ITV, and it was appalling, and received universally terrible reviews. Some day time TV watching people mistake his arrogance, rudeness and abuse of power for some ability to argue, but the truth is his main talent is to dish out verbal bullying followed by the fade out. No wonder he hates himself so much.

[Lottapianos]

Haha, I'm listening to him right now He's such a twerp and nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is. He's a great talk radio host in terms of being a good rabble rouser, and I do find him very entertaining, but yes, he's extremely rude and condescending sometimes. His ITV show was mortifying, like a bad Kilroy copy.

I listen to him when I can because I find his show impossible to not engage with but I agree with all of your comments about him. Maybe my blood pressure is too low and listening to LBC is my body's way of trying to compensate???

[scatteroflight]

Haha, brilliant assessment OP. I enjoyed his argument with Kay Burley over Frank Lampard. But aside from that he really is a gigantic Lefty idiot.

[WorraLiberty]

Never heard of him.

Still, he seems quite important to you so why not ring the show put all this on his Facebook/Twitter pages if he has them?

[Snowmunch]

WorraLiberty, you haven't read my post properly have you? Why would I ring him and put my head on his block in his self loathing verbal bullying control environment? That's why he has so few expert guests on his show, because they are smart enough to know better.

I've written lots of short messages on dozens of presenters, journalists, various odd bods, but none are important to me, other than the ability to spend 5 mins expressing an opinion, either good or bad.

But I do think it is important to identify and highlight bullies in life in general, as a social benefit to all, because so many naive or ignorant people, say things like "oh, it's just banter, he's so funny".

[WorraLiberty]

Of course I read your post properly, hence the reason I crossed out 'ring the show'

But if you feel this strongly about him, he's more likely to read this if you put it on his FB page or Twitter, unless he's an avid Mumsnet user

[Icimoi]

If you think O'Brien is bad, you should listen to that idiot Nick Ferrari. He does the same thing of shouting over and interrupting people who are presenting views he doesn't like, but he also goes in for terminating the call when he is really losing the argument. But what adds extra levels of irritation for me is the way he keeps muttering when the other person is talking - again only if they are saying sensible things that point up the weaknesses in his point of view: anything to try to distract attention from them. In the highly unlikely event that I was ever asked for an interview on his show, I would insist on terms that he has to keep his mouth firmly shut at all times until I have finished what I want to say.

[CaptainTripps]

I quite like JOB and no doubt he will see this thread. But, boy, does he talk over callers and interrupt pretty much all the time. Maybe he was just getting back into the swing of things after his week off?

[Lottapianos]

'That's why he has so few expert guests on his show, because they are smart enough to know better'

You're right, but he talks about like its a great badge of honour - we dont' have so called 'experts' on this show because we keep it real with you normal folks instead. Yeah, whatever.

Icimoi, I indulge in a bit of Ferrari listening sometimes too. My blood pressure is definitely iffy.

[Snowmunch]

WorraLiberty, Despite you repeatedly telling me what I think ("he must be very important to you" & "you feel strongly about this"), clearly with you being in a position that you know me so well, I have no interest in posting anything on his social media.

You deliberately "deleted" your comment about "ring him" by putting a line through it, which leaves the text still completely readable. Hence I felt obliged to respond. Suggest you delete in the normal way in future, like everyone else.

[Snowmunch]

Love the Ferrari, Lottapianos. He's so polite and well mannered even when someone's on the line he adamantly disagrees with.

He's very intellectually secure, which comes with confidence, experience and age.

I wish there were someone on LBC that could match him as a presenter.

[CalonDu]

I think you might not have a very finely developed sense of irony grasped the point of the MN strikethrough, OP...

[JustMeOverHere]

Try the off switch if you don't like it or change station?

[WorraLiberty]

Blimey, you're a bundle of joy and happiness OP

[Snowmunch]

Icimoi, Couldn't disagree more. Ferrari is the best presenter on LBC (and by the far the best paid) and is far better mannered than O'Brien.

Ferrari mutters sometimes irrespective of whether he agrees with someone or not. He often does it as a form of self deprecation.

He also does this muttering when he's being shouted at by some rabid union leader - very quietly saying things like "if I could get a word in edgeways" but allowing the rant to continue for a long long time, often

Even this morning he was insulted several times by some Union leader ranting he was "selfish" and "ignorant", O'Brien would have shouted someone like that down, while fading them out. It shows Ferrari's maturity and intellectual security.

[Lottapianos]

Oh for jeff sake, can no-one have a bit of a moan and rant about trivial stuff anymore? Leave OP alone, she's just blowing off a bit of steam about a silly radio program

[Lottapianos]

Although Snowmuch, you have to be kidding about Ferrari. Polite and well mannered eh? So long as you're not a woman who's even vaguely feminist, or anyone who's got anything to do with unions.

[Snowmunch]

JustMeOverHere, Did I say I don't like it? No,no,no, I enjoy it as a social study on how presenters, who pretend they are empathetic and caring, abuse their considerable position of power against what O'Brien probably (wrongly) thinks is his intellectual inferior. It's like a case study of verbal abuse by the powerful against the weak. Fascinating, if unpleasant. I just wish I could do something about it.

[FarFromAnyRoad]

I've never heard of him and have way more important things to do with my time than getting aerated over someone who gets my blood pressure up. I agree with Worra - you clearly DO feel strongly about this.

As for your snippy comment Suggest you delete in the normal way in future, like everyone else - what way is this then please? Do you mean you think she should have reported her whole post rather than use the strikethrough function? Odd. The post makes perfect sense to me and I get the humour in it.

[Lottapianos]

But not better things to do than come onto a thread about someone you've never heard of, and write arsey comments? Off you go and do your much more important things and take Worra with you

[Icimoi]

No, Ferrari absolutely does not mutter as self-deprecation. He blatantly does it to distract attention when the person he is talking to is producing inconvenient facts which show up his lazy lack of research and knee-jerk ill-thought-out opinions. He constantly interrupts and doesn't let people finish what they are saying - but again, only when they disagree with him or are putting forward a viewpoint or facts that he doesn't like.

For instance, I remember hearing him having a discussion about legal aid: he was full of nonsense about fat cat legal aid lawyers living in luxury, and when his interviewee tried to give precise figures on the hourly rates paid which disprove this, he simply wouldn't let them get it out. And when he appears show concern for something, it tends to be within very strict parameters - for instance, he knows he's not allowed to be anti-breastfeeding in public, but he'll dress up the issue with false concern for elderly people who in his view would find it offensive. And, as Lotta says, anyone expressing vaguely feminist views is invariably the enemy for him.

[Lottapianos]

Ah yes, Ici, all the hand wringing about breastfeeding in public, because well yes of course you have to feed the baby and all, but golly gosh, what about the old blokes in the pub who don't know where to look?! My heart pumps purple piss for the old blokes in the pub, and for Ferrari's kneejerk tabloid nonsense!

Any woman who he interviews about anything vaguely feminist is always referred to in a withering tone as Ms X all the way through. His chortling and matey 'banter' with the likes of Boris Johnson and Kelvin McKenzie makes me hurl, violently.

[Snowmunch]

FarfromAnyRoad, Judgin by your last post seems like you are the one who is snippy and has very strong opinions. I believe it is called projection. I mean deleting with a strike through, while leaving the text on the post. Odd that you don't get that.

[Icimoi]

Snowmunch, does it occur to you that MN offers the strikethrough facility so that it can be used in precisely the way Worra did? Otherwise, of course, there would be no point in it - I'm perfectly sure that everyone who posts on here knows precisely how to delete something when they don't want it to show in the message. Have a look at other threads and you'll discover other people using it in exactly the same way.

[WorraLiberty]

I wouldn't bother trying to explain Icimoi

The OP has 'quoted' me twice and both of those 'quotes' were wrong.

She's taken "he seems quite important to you" and " if you feel strongly about him" and changed it to suit her. Seemingly so she could accuse me of 'repeatedly telling her what she thinks'.

You couldn't make it up

Except she did

[Babycham1979]

James O'B is the best thing on LBC. Well, him and the Ken Livingstone and David Mellor show on a Saturday morning.

You're right that he does sometimes get a bit shouty when he's worked-up about something, but he usually crushes others' bonkers arguments with some pretty robust logic they just can't counter. Hence the refusal of the likes of Boris Johnson to go on his show (but his regular appearances on that of his panting sycophant, Nick Ferrari).

The calls where James O'B absolutely destroyed IDS, ran rings around an anti-muslim racist, and argued passionately and beautifully for the tub drivers' right to strike for their employment rights are all radio gold, and achieved wordwide attention.

His daytime TV show did look like utter shite. Happily, I've always been at work while it's on and so haven't had the pain of seeing it. His appearances on Newsnight have always been excellent; he refuses to take any of the nonsense and waffle from the craven politicos, while maintaining manners and respect when dealing with the non-politicians.