Monday, April 23, 2007

Unbelievable. Especially now.


WELL . . . it would appear you now have your Don Imus answer. At least to the part about how serious CBS Corp. chief Les Moonves was about this:

“There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society. That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision.”

Do Asians count as people "of color" to CBS? Or are they not, and they're just fair game? Is it OK to make vulgar and racist slurs about some of those created in the likeness of God but not others?

From tomorrow's edition of The New York Times:

CBS Radio suspended two hosts from an FM station in New York City today after an Asian-American advocacy organization complained about the broadcast of a six-minute prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant that was peppered with ethnic and sexual slurs.

The call was first played on “The Dog House With JV and Elvis,” a midmorning show on WFNY, on April 5, the day after Don Imus made his comment about the Rutgers women’s basketball team on WFAN, another CBS-owned station. The call was then replayed on “The Dog House” on Thursday, a week after Mr. Imus was fired by CBS Radio.

In the skit, a series of apparently unsuspecting employees of a Chinese restaurant are berated by a caller who tells one woman he would like to “come to your restaurant” to see her naked, especially a part of her body he refers to as “hot, Asian, spicy.” The caller also attempts to order “flied lice,” brags of his prowess in kung fu and repeatedly curses at several employees.

In a statement on Sunday, the four New York-area chapters of the Organization of Chinese Americans, an advocacy group, demanded an apology from the show’s two hosts and from CBS Radio, and called for the firing of the hosts and their producer.

In an interview today before the suspensions were announced, Vicki Shu Smolin, president of the organization’s New York City chapter, said she was mystified that CBS would allow the call to be broadcast in the first place and then would permit it to be replayed in the aftermath of the Imus incident. (“The Dog House” has been waging a broad campaign in support of Mr. Imus both on the show and on its Web site.)

“I just see plain ignorance in the CBS management — of the community, of who we are, of what we’re all about,” Ms. Shu Smolin said. “If they don’t fire the D.J.’s, it will be a double standard.”

She promised to rip a page from the playbook of the Rev. Al Sharpton, who led the charge for Mr. Imus’s dismissal, by staging protests of CBS Radio and boycotting advertisers on WFNY.

“They don’t think they’re going to get any backlash from the Asian-American community,” she said. “They’re definitely wrong.”

In an e-mail message sent this afternoon, a spokeswoman for CBS Radio, Karen Mateo, said that the two hosts, Jeff Vandergrift (JV) and Dan Lay (Elvis), had been suspended “without pay until further notice.” Mr. Vandergrift, Ms. Mateo said, had apologized on today’s show. The show, which began on WFNY (92.3 FM) in January 2006, can be heard outside the New York City market only via the Internet.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: First airing, day after Imus said what he said about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Repeat airing, week after Imus got fired. Like I said, all you need to know.

Trash is as trash does. That's what my mama says.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

33. On a side note..The political correctness that is being forced upon ALL OF US, by the numerous special interest groups, the liberal media, and the secular progressive movements are what I am offended at...actually throw the catholic league in there too, don't want to seem to far to the right. Who do I go after..(Sarcasm.)

Secondly
If you listened to the whole thing, and you cannot differentiate between a harmless prank call and hate speech, then I think you have issues that might need to be worked on by a shrink...(Oh no! that was insensitive!!! The United therapists & psychologist group is definitely gonna come after me...)

Even if you were offended by it have some respect for this Country, have some respect for our soildiers dieing so you are allowed to boycott, complain, picket and what ever else you can think of...

This country is not the Devil, millions of people would kill to live here and many die trying to come here...
But...
Welcome to the new America people...The nation of over grown babies, oversensitive spoiled brats.

Oh yeah, one last thing It's MY CHOICE to listen to them, its you're CHOICE to turn them off... All the special interest groups are doing is taking away the freedom to choose for EVERYONE... In the end it only equals corporate bullying, witch hunting, and censorship.

It will not stop any type of violence, and in fact it only enrages and creates tension.

The Mighty Favog said...

I listened to the whole bit in question from the "Dog House."

It was insulting, it was racist (as would be a prank call to a soul food restaurant using Aunt Jemima dialect and asking about watermelon), AND IT WASN'T EVEN FUNNY.

Not even remotely so, even in a "I feel so guilty for laughing at that" sense.

Racist. Insulting. Lame. Three strikes and JV and Elvis are out -- if for no other reason, lack of creativity and talent.