Racism ....shock jocks...awful!

[DammitJanet]

This was just brought to my attention. It is absolutely despicable.

I am posting the story as I found it on the web and will type in some comments from the local paper afterwards in another color.

AMERICAN INDIAN POINT OF VIEW ON RACISM: 40 YEARS AFTER MLK, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs chairman, Paul Brooks, issued the following statement today regarding the racially charged comments made on the April 1st airing of Raleigh’s G105 radio station “Bob and the Showgram.” The show is a production of Clear Channel Communications Corporation.

We are outraged with a public presentation of racially degrading and inflammatory comments similar to those by the “Don Imus Show” that infuriated the American public. On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination the world remembers and reviews advances made in American society by diverse ethnic groups to overcome racial disparities. Incidents such as these by media personalities on G105 evidence that the institution of racism is ever present, and demands redress and response by corporate America and government.

As leaders of North Carolina’s American Indian tribes, we will not tolerate the divisive and inflammatory statements made by radio talk show hosts Bob Dumas, Mike Morse, Kentucky Kristin, and intern Chelsea Prior, on Tuesday April 1, 2008. “Bob and the Showgram” have a history of controversial broadcast and have had subsequent disciplinary action, apparently to no avail. The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs will not tolerate this type of degradation towards American Indians, and demands the immediate termination of the radio talk show host, co-hosts, and the executive producer of this show. The Commission also calls for the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Clear Channel Communications Corporation and examine Clear Channel’s history, tolerance, and promotion of this type of inflammatory and reprehensible programming.

The statements made by these media personalities are not part of an isolated incident, however, this show reflects derogatory and insultuous comments against American Indians, African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. G105’s “Bob and the Showgram’s” remarks triggered an uproar by American Indians in North Carolina, due to its direct targeting of the Lumbee Indian Tribe, the largest American Indian tribe east of the Mississippi River.

Statements such as, “Indians are lazy…,” “Lumbees are in-bred…,” and references to Pocahontas as “Poca-Ho-tas” and Sacajawea as “Sacacooter” are slanderous and insulting to all American Indians, as well as the descendants and families of these two great historic American Indian women. The dialogue referring to a “teepee warming party” demonstrates that these individuals have no knowledge of North Carolina American Indian tribes and cultures. Such statements are further indicative of these individuals’ insensitivity, gross ignorance, and blatant bigotry against American Indians across this great nation.

The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs calls for all local, state, national, and tribal officials to condemn such programming on the public airwaves.


This press release was issued by Paul Brooks, Chairman for the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. Please distribute widely.

Rebekah Revels
Administrative Secretary
NC Commission of Indian Affairs
100 Six Forks Road
Suite 201
Raleigh NC 27609
919-789-5900

Indians are Lazy

The 15 minute racially charged broadcast started after UNC Pembroke intern Chelsea Prior told G105 radio personalities on air that she was marrying a Lumbee.

Bob Dumas, the host of the Raleigh radio morning talk show started calling Indians Lazy.

This is the Gods honest truth, Dumas told listeners at one point. "You look at the statistics...Indians are Lazy." "You cant say that," said cohost Kentucky Kristen. "You cant make that judgment call." "I dont know any Indian electricians," cohost Mike Morse said.

The racist comments continued while the personalities took turns taking jabs at Lumbees and Indian culture. They made references to former Miss North Carolina Rebekah Revels as the girl "who was naked."

Morse went on to say that Lumbee women were hot and that he was "down with the brown." Dumas then asked Prior about the Lumbee struggle for recognition. "Do you know why the big struggle about Lumbees and are they really Indians or not? One thing is they are inbred so their bloodline wasnt pure."

Dumas then said the tribe was black and American and European all mixed up. "We call it a swirl." he said.

"Its crazy because I go to school down there in Pembroke. Its crazy because you'll see the really dark skinned ones" said Prior. "Then there are some with pale skin, blue eyes and blond hair"

Kentucky Kristen then asked Prior about her fiance Deese appearance and Prior replied that he has the dark skin, eyes and hair.

"Did you tell your parents, Hey, at least he isnt black?" Morse replied. "For the longest time I didnt think his mother liked me because I was white" said Prior.

Dumas and Morse then started calling Prior derogatory names like "Pale Face" and laughing wildly.

"Do they call you 'Easy Booty?' Is that your Indian name?'" Morse said. "Do they call you Poco-HO-nas. Do they have any traditions at weddings like you have to do like all his friends get a turn?"

The men later referred to her as Saca-White-Jawea and Saca-Cooter.

"Are you going to have a lot of Lumbees there," asked Dumas.

"My guest list is about 200", Prior answered.

"Wow, all riding on horse for that." Dumas replied. "When they get there are they gonna circle the church?"

"We love our Lumbees though," Morse said. "I do because its like I said earlier, their girls are pretty hot."

Is this not the most vile thing you have heard! These guys need to be fired for good but all they did was suspend them for three days...ugh.

 

[tinamarie1]

So sad that ignorance is still rampant in this country

 

[Hound dog]

It doesn't shock me. I grew up with it. I listened to that sort of thing almost on a daily basis. It came from all segments of the community.

What makes me both mad and sick is that these guys are on the radio spouting this sort of thing, and evidently getting away with it. Probably all for the sake of ratings and publicity.

As a nation we like to think that we've come so far in racial equality, but in truth, we've only taken baby steps.

Janet thank you for posting this. I'll be passing it along to several Native American Councils I belong to in our area in case they've yet to see it.

Hugs

 

[Fran]

Inflammatory talk radio does this for ratings. It's a slithery way to get attention. Some simple minds actually believe some of the garbage spewed forth by many radio talking heads. They hide behind their right to an opinion but it is the lowest type of entertainment. As damaging as porn. in my humble opinion because it breeds hate.

There isn't a nationality or race that doesn't bear the burden of negative stereotyping. It does not make it right.

The best thing people can do to improve the quality of their radio stations is to stop listening and stop buying products advertised. Let your outrage hit them where they hurt. Their wallets.

Sarcasm and humor is different from downright hate mongering. It makes the picked upon race/nationality appear different from yourself. If I hear one more time about people being too politically correct and the offended should toughen up, I'll explode. It's the same empty heads who say "boys will be boys" when it's obvious that the child is affected. When the negativity is focused on that particular group they are the first to cry "foul".

Sorry, guess it's a hot button.

PS: if Loth or Cheryl find this out of line for this forum you are free to delete my thread.

 

[trinityroyal]

The best thing people can do to improve the quality of their radio stations is to stop listening and stop buying products advertised. Let your outrage hit them where they hurt. Their wallets.

Fran, I wholeheartedly agree. Hitting them in the wallets is the most likely way to have an effect.

Here's a thought...contact the companies that advertise on the radio station during the time that this show is on the air. Bring the nasty comments to their attention, and ask if they really want their products or services associated with this kind of derogatory and defamatory comment.

One of the underlying reasons that radio stations broadcast shocking content is to make sure that there's an audience to pay attention to the advertising (and companies pay a lot of money to buy ad slots at prime broadcast times). If the station starts losing ad revenue, it will not be long before they change the format or content of that show.

What a world we live in.

Trinity

 

[muttmeister]

I guess it is because I am OLD but I remember when people tried to be decent. Yes, I know that these kinds of ideas and comments have been around forever and have been applied to almost every group imaginable, but at least they were not said out loud on public media. Obviously, the idea of these shows is to make money and as long as they make money they will stay on the air. I am not really in favor of censorship in most cases but what ever happened to people trying to be good and decent? It seems that we keep slipping down into the slime and instead of people being upset by it, they laugh as if it's OK. Is that the direction we're headed a a country? There are lots of us that find that kind of thing awful, but apparently there is a market for it or it wouldn't be on. I like the idea of contacting sponsors because probably the only way to influence them is through their pocketbooks. And that is a sad commentary in itself.

 

[trinityroyal]

I am not really in favor of censorship in most cases but what ever happened to people trying to be good and decent? It seems that we keep slipping down into the slime and instead of people being upset by it, they laugh as if it's OK.

Muttmeister, this is so well put. It seems that people are more and more willing to put up with terrible behaviour because they don't want to appear shocked. It's as though being shocked by vile behaviour is worse in some people's minds than the vile behaviour itself.

Slightly unrelated, but part of the same continuum of bad public behaviour...

My Step-D was on the subway the other day, and some teenagers were harassing her. At one point, one of the boys splashed water from his water bottle onto her jacket. She told me that she didn't say or so anything because they were from a different ethnic group and she didn't want to appear "culturally insensitive". Since I happen to be a member of the group she was referring to, I asked her, "What makes you think that bad behaviour is part of this group's culture? Rudeness is rudeness. If it happens again, set off the emergency alarm and let the Transit Police decide."

She recognized bad behaviour, but she was so reluctant to appear unsophisticated that she said nothing.

It's sad.

 

[witzend]

A very good reason that I do not subscribe to talk radio of any sort, with the one exception of arts programs on NPR.

These folks are the lowest of the low, and this is just one time that they blatantly crossed the line instead of skirting it, as they usually do every day. They and their ilk are destroying the very fabric of our nation with their narrow minded knee-jerk inducing daily diatribe against individualized thought.

 

[Tiapet]

Janet,

Just and update, they got more suspension then that. I don't know the exact date the show got pulled now but they are not allowed back on air until April 14th. That show aired on April 1st.

I'll see if I can dig up more info if you like. They would like the show pulled permanently but he's a big deal around here so not likely to happen (read big $$). Also he tells many, many racially motivated offhanded material to all in his shows but particularly minorities. There was a rumor that he has ties to the K. It's all I know.

 

[Wiped Out]

This just makes me sick! in my opinion, I think anything short of being fired isn't enough. I think Fran is right-people need to not listen to this and not buy from the advertisers.

 

[DammitJanet]

I dont have access to his shows on the radio and only knew about it because the local "lazy and inbred Indians" are all up in arms.

I live in Robeson County and we have a huge Indian population. We are also the largest tribe east of the Mississippi from what I have been told. There is no reservation here and there never was. These Indians didnt live in Tee Pees.

What really bothers me the most is the idea that all the female Indian girls are hot to trot. This sends a bad message to the girls when we are desperately trying to lower teen birth rates. I will have to give them the fact that the girls here are generally very pretty but that doesnt equate to hot to trot. My husband is a Lumbee and my sons are half. My oldest grand daughter is actually about 3/4 Indian and she is cute as a bug! Yes some of the Lumbees have the blue eyes and blond curly hair. That comes from being part of Sir Walter Raleighs lost colony.

On the downside, Indians dont take well to being called names. They have tempers especially if they mix alcohol in there and most carry guns. I wouldnt want to be this radio host after what he said.

 

[susiestar]

I hate this kind of show. It is so damaging to everyone who hears it. I personally send emails/letters to the companies who make products advertised on these shows. I tell them that due to the offensive remarks on such and such radio show that their advertising supports, I will no longer purchase their products X or Y. I will instead purchase products competitor A produces, even if it is more expensive.

I have received apologies from many companies, I also involve groups I am part of (I write an email that anyone can put their name on and send and then include the address to send it to). I don't think shows have been pulled, but if more of us do this then the shows WILL be changed or cancelled.

Susie

 

[Marguerite]

Sorry to seem so ignorant, but what's a Lumbee?

And Janet, maybe I'm thick but I didn't realise you had Indian heritage. That's amazing. I'm just a white mongrel... OK, a dark-skinned white mongrel. I remember a conversation I had with a friend who is Aboriginal (Murri) and said I envied her the access to a long and ancient lineage. She can always look at the land and say, "This is where I come from." I can't do that.
Her answer was telling. "There have to be some compensations."

In Australia, up near Nimbin (Australia's answer to Woodstock) we have white people living in teepees. A neighbour used to often have one (a teepee) in his front yard. I was amazed at just how spacious they are inside, when you stand outside they seem so small. I remember we packed about twenty people inside this teepee, all sitting around the wall, with a fire in the middle. The neighbour is into shamanic drumming, she lives some fantasy of what Indian culture was, rather than anything much resembling reality. And no, she's not Indian in any way - she's an Irish redhead!

We get some shock jocks here who should be dragged off the radio, but they're too powerful. What can you do, when a shock jock owns the radio station? One of our shock jocks clearly seems to view himself as powerful enough to control national politics - a king maker. He's done a number of wrong things but always seems to escape a full investigation. He was the one who was accused of using his radio show to "reclaim the beaches" which led to the Cronulla riots a few years ago, with fighting between Muslim-Australian and Anglos. Nasty stuff.

Why don't all these shock jocks go back to where they came from? (just an idle wish...)

Marg