Both Craig and Gordon professed utter incomprehension at this treatment. Was it something they did? Junior asked the group whether he should confront this woman personally to find out what her problem is. The sense of the showgram was that he should not waste his time.
What surprised me about this discussion was that no one considered whether the neighbor's attitude might have had anything whatsoever to do with the fact that Junior/Gordon work at The Ticket. Not everyone in the Metro would recognize a Ticket host, but I'll bet the neighbors of each of them know who they are. [SEE CORRECTION -- FIRST COMMENTER BELOW.]
And some people just don't like The Ticket. Some people, in fact, dislike The Ticket a lot.
Sometimes some of you guys take me to task for my complaints about Ticket vulgarity and its attitude toward women. In fact, I seldom mind it very much, but among people who don't like The Ticket, a substantial percentage of them object to that aspect of its broadcast ethos. In other words, among people who don't like The Ticket, a lot of them dislike it for reasons that relate to issues about which people are culturally sensitive and highly judgmental. Although Junior is by no means the chief practitioner of the racy arts, perhaps his neighbor is tarring him with that brush.
Here is my question for Junior: Is your unfriendly neighbor a churchgoer? OK, hold on: One does not need to be a Christian in order to dislike The Ticket, of course, nor does being a Christian disqualify anyone from being a P1. However, among people who object to The Ticket on broadcast-standards grounds, I would think that a fairish percentage of them are churchy types who might well believe The Ticket to be at the vanguard of the decline in public and private morality and civility, the home of broadcast profanity and lewdness. They see it as a symbol of what has gone wrong with America. If the answer to my question is "yes," you might be on the road to an answer as to why your neighbor has no interest in brightening your day.
Um . . . of course I have absolutely no idea what Craig's neighbor has against him. Maybe she thinks his bike shorts are too revealing. In any event, I was surprised that neither Craig nor Gordon ascribed any significance to their own prominence, and what it might mean to people they encounter from day to day.
Don't laugh, and don't scoff. (Well, of course you can laugh and scoff, and feel free to do so in the comments.) But it would not shock me in the slightest if Junior's and Gordon's neighbors not only have no objection to how they keep their yards, but believe that they're actually bringing down property values.
They did bring up the possibility that the neighbors knew they worked for The Ticket and perhaps weren't a fan of either the station or of them in particular--though it was only brought up; it wasn't discussed in any meaningful sort of way.
ReplyDeleteI know one thing, several of my friends from NYC who have visited me find The Little One appallingly racist. They can't believe what they're hearing. This is especially so when I "force" them to listen to The Hardline. They almost all have made the same remark: "They think they're not being racist by acting so over the top. That it's an obvious joke. But they fail to understand that it's racist and very uncomfortable to listen to. How can you listen to this crap?"
Food for thought.
I can tell the difference between actual racism and making jokes, but Anon has a great point. As does MTC. A lot of people think of the Ticket as one step away from Howard Stern (not a compliment). And a lot of them are Christians. I am one who takes my Christianity seriously, but don't mind the Ticket's stuff so much, but I also realize I'm in the minority.
ReplyDeleteAs for racism and overall crude humor, it seems to not be so bad the last few years, but it still has moments which make me wonder why it never gets called out. If some newspaper wanted to, they could take any of a dozen recent incidents and write a story to make it sound at least as bad as, say, the "nappy hair" comment that got Don Imus fired. The fact that nobody has done that yet (other than Basckik's tweet) is amazing.
Anon, thanks for the correction. I thought I had heard the whole segment but I did miss any reference to the neighbor perhaps knowing of Junior's affiliation. Stand corrected, and thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are WAY ahead of me. I have on my list to write about racial comments on the channel. I'll come back to it with a main topic sometime, but if anyone wants to comment now, feel free. I have had exactly the same thought as James -- someday, someone is going to make an issue out of some racial comment, and it's going to mortify the CTO, terrify the sponsors, and damage someone's career.
I hasten to add that I find almost all of The Ticket's race talk within the bounds of acceptable racial joshing, even The Hardline -- but my standards aren't those of minority political action groups of the kind that got Mike Bacsik kicked.
Although somehow, I doubt that Junior's neighbor was overly concerned about the racial content. Probably more concerned about those compression shorts Junior wears on his bike rides that may be a bit too, uh, compressive in spots.
"Sometimes some of you guys take me to task for my complaints about Ticket vulgarity and its attitude toward women. In fact, I seldom mind it very much, but among people who don't like The Ticket, a substantial percentage of them object to that aspect of its broadcast ethos. In other words, among people who don't like The Ticket, a lot of them dislike it for reasons that relate to issues about which people are culturally sensitive and highly judgmental."
ReplyDeleteYou have no proof of this, and have no business relating this as fact. You are casually charging The Ticket with misogyny and racism. If you are a man of conscience, you will at least clarify your position; at best, recant.
This is a really interesting and important issue where our (and America's) favorite station is concerned. I wonder what black, Asian, and Latin listeners think about this? I also wonder what "the Community" thinks of Donnie's participation (and many times instigation of) in the racy, racial shenanigans? I have heard Dan from time to time say to the effect, in his patent joking/but in some ways not really joking manner: "Because we have Donavon we can say anything." And also: "Look, we're saying racist things under the guise of joking." Joking or not, I think Dan has a point.
ReplyDeleteI do not think anyone on the station is a racist. However, I do think that, sans Donnie Doo, none of them have an inkling of either what it is to be discriminated against or how some of what they say is insulting. If you notice the two hosts who rarely if ever make such statements are Bob and George. Both are, oddly enough in some eyes, the two politically and socially conservative hosts. This makes sense. Why? In my experience, it is my conservative friends who are very conscientious of such things. Else they are called racists, etc... Whereas myself and my fellow more liberally minded friends feel that we cannot by definition be racists and so whenever we make jokes or comments like, say, Corby does, "everyone" knows we don't mean it; in fact, we're in some way showing how backwards and awful such statements are. Is this, at least in part, what's going on?
Anyway, I don't intend to start some political thread. Actually, please don't! But I do think it's interesting how only Bob and George (at least as far as I can tell) are the only ones at The Little One who don't participate in the racial hi-jinx, and they're the only two conservative fellows up there.
Back to the main thrust/a final question: Does anyone else out there ever guffaw at the way Asians are treated on The Ticket? Sure many if not most of us laugh at Gordon's "oh God, no, she's CHINESE," or the hypothetical about being the Chinese Jimi Hendrix. But let's be honest, there's nothing stereotypical or culturally relevant there. What is it then? Is it truly racist? Racism for the sake of comedy?
Good gravy Anon Mc Troll, give it a rest. You raving idiot.
ReplyDeleteI intended that toward the Anon Mc Troll time-stamped February 25, 2012 12:00 AM, not the Anon who posted after he/she/(or most likely)it.
ReplyDeleteThis is my fault -- I intended this as a "Ticket Host Awareness of Own Celebrity" post and not a "Ticket is Insensitive and Dirty" post.
ReplyDelete============
@12 AM Anon: Swell, another non-reading Anonymous.
(1) I don't need "proof" for anything I write here.
(2) But this one's a slam-dunk. My "proof" that some people think The Ticket displays occasional poor judgment about racial, gender, and nationality remarks -- and let's not forget their close cousin, body-orifice-and-effluvia humor -- are the people I hear from on this site, via email, and in my everyday life who don't like the station. And I've caught my breath a few times myself by the channel, hoping maybe no one else heard that.
(3) That does not make the station as a whole either "racist" or "misogynistic" and we're not going to get into labeling here. I wouldn't listen to the station and certainly wouldn't spend the time I do on this site if that were my opinion. My concern, which I've expressed before and taken some care to qualify, is that one from time to time hears utterances on The Ticket that an overzealous -- hear that, Midnight Anon, I said "overzealous" -- special-interest group leader could use to whip up anti-Ticket sentiment among the group in question and create the kind of sponsor-boycott-threat firestorm that got Mike Bacsik fired in ONE DAY. Any one out there want that? I didn't think so. Conclusion: Race-gender-nationality-potty-based humor, which I do NOT disfavor as a general proposition, had better be employed with considerable discretion and even wit, and infrequently.
Gribble's Yu Darvish song is so terribly racist I can't believe they did it, and then actually replayed it this week.
ReplyDeleteAnd think about this:
ReplyDeleteThere are some media outlets in the Metro who would only be too happy to see The Ticket brought low, and news organizations that would be delighted to cooperate with a "community leader" who was calling for a sponsor boycott.
I don't want to see The Ticket de-fanged, or frightened to toss out the occasional interest-group reference, even if based on a stereotype. I just want it to use its heads about it.
Interesting that you point this out, Plainsman (other media outlets, etc.). I wonder if The Hardline's ties with Wilonsky, now that Wilonsky's no longer at the Observer and at their perceived competitor, could ever have an deleterious effect on the station? I could see some blogger/"reporter" looking to make a name for his or her self by "investigating" America's Favorite Station and even causing a Bacsik-like ruckus and/or some sort of protests... after all anyone who ever reads The Observer on regular basis knows that, excepting picketing Planned Parenthood, there's no protest it won't rally behind.
ReplyDeleteI concur, Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteSo lets take all the things everyone hates about the ticket out of the show. What do you have left, a crappy radio station that no one cares about it. Personally, if I dont like the content or the segment, i just tune out. And for those that cringe when the boys say something questionable when you have kids in the car, The Ticket isnt made to be listened to with the kids in the car and you know, so dont be so shocked when they something the kids shouldnt hear. Its not Disney radio for goodness sake.
ReplyDeleteScottsMerkin:
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone here has said "I hate x, y, or z about The Ticket." I think it's more of a general concern about some of the more gratuitous racially-tinged (or even flat out racial) things that are said with respect to the possible damaging consequences of said comments. Comments that at times seem to have little or no relevance to show content.
However, you're right in saying that those with children in the car might not want to listen to the station, as it's not Disney Radio.
I'm with Merkin, it's the effing Ticket. It is what it is, and that isn't children or bluehair radio.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Gordo/Junes neighbor issue..little old ladies aren't always the friendliest of folks..and Gordo looks like a drifter and Junes's bicycle shorts would be enough for me to cross the street. Not everyone is friendly, and the littlest of Tickets is the best damn thing on free radio.
i am extremely disappointed in you plainsman. - the real kickballhead.
ReplyDeleteI guess along with Anonymous, Cumulus Employee, and some made up "name," we now have to classify "the real kickballhead" as yet another moniker Anon Mc Troll goes by. Jeez dude, at least try to cultivate different writing styles; that way you can at least to attempt to disguise yourself. It would probably make your whole asinine endeavor more enjoyable. Then again, you are an idiot. And idiots usually like to bumble through life like it's a box of chocolates.
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