this is why i have to stop reading the snark comms and cnn

For those who haven't seen this yet and have a problem with low blood pressure, so skyrocketing it would be a good idea:

GLAAD calls for apology from "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show" for encouraging the beating of transgender or questioning children



Okay. I get that conservatives aren't--as a group--sociopathic. But there's something about radio that turns conservatism into a fairly interesting DSMIV category, and maybe we can blame like, radio waves cooking their brains, but I really want to know in a very non-ironic way--do liberals call for the beating and humiliation of transgendered kids?

I grew up in a Reaganseque conservative lower middle class family--you do not get more conservative than that, because if there's one thing my class is good at, it's fucking itself over and I think we make up like, the entire Republican base. Not just conservative--we're rural conservative from rural Texas and I'm four generations off a guy who showed up in Galveston from Berlin on a tiny boat. My Dad's a believer in neoconism like religion and if it were conservative to marry a man, he'd be Rush Limbaugh's boyfriend, you see where I'm going with this? So it's not like I've never seen a conservative. I live and cook and hang out with them and probably dated at least one and my family is stuffed with them. In the normal way of things, I should damn well be one.

When I was in eighth grade, my teacher told us that boys wanted their wives to be virgins. When I was in eleventh grade, my Spanish teacher compared girls having sex to a piece of tape, and that having too many partners meant we wouldn't bond with our husbands like mothers do with their children--I am not fucking with you, she had a piece of tape she kept smashing into the blackboard to illustrate it.

So as you can see, my liberal started quite early.

So it's not like I don't have context here when I say--we cannot judge a party by its most extreme members and its shock jocks, except really, what else are we going to do? They own the Republican party. We have whackos. They weren't speakers of the fucking House of Representatives. We have crazies. They're not (usually) invited to speak at mainstream Democratic conventions as guests of honor. We have incredibly stupid people that do stupid things, like all people everywhere; we are not special. But in general, we don't kill doctors in the house of God, we don't bomb clinics, and we don't advocate beating transgendered children on a public radio station. I don't even think we advocate beating children at all. Maybe?

I'm not even denying liberals have a healthy amount of crazy, it's not like I don't wince at radical environmentalism, but look at that list and tell me which one of these things is not directly linked to professed conservative values.

I'm not saying that conservatism is a group that's made its mark by being the last, best hope for fear and intolerance. I don't have to. Your extremists are saying it for me. And they're the only ones who seem to be talking.

Contact info at Unfunny Business for KRXQ-FM.

We can't take back the bullet that stole Dr. Tiller's life and there's no way to reverse the clinic bombings that have stolen lives, health, and tried to break women all over this country; what's been stolen by fear and violence can never be replaced, only mourned. We can't stop people from fearing what they do not understand, but I'm okay with compromising and shutting them the fuck up.

Comments

[kass]

Oh, for fuck's sake.

*furious*

I come from good Conservative Texas stock too (though -- well, Jewish Conservative Texas stock, which is its own special brand of crazy, I think) but this just appalls me.

[seperis]

I was sure it had to be one of those crazy shock jock joke stupidities--still unacceptable, but more in the stupid. Color me surprised to realize it was crazy shock jock but without the joke.

Just. Beyond no.

[elke_tanzer]

You are eloquent and I greatly enjoy reading your ventings.

Rock on, you!

[seperis]

Thanks. I am trying to avoid going back and fuming again until I can sense i am no longer in stroke territory.

[kellyfaboo]

Er, how is child abuse and hate crimes funny?

I don't know who is stupider. The morons on the show, or the morons who haven't fired them yet for inciting violence against children.

[seperis]

The mystery continues on that one. IDGI.

[artisan447]

I'm a whole half-a-world away from you and I get this.

And much as I wish I didn't, I get this:
When I was in eighth grade, my teacher told us that boys wanted their wives to be virgins.

...except, for me, it was probably 12th grade (what can I say, I was taught by nuns).

I will say, though, I'm a firm believer in the adage that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". So go you for posting and drawing attention. It might be just a drop in the bucket, but it counts.

[scrollgirl]

Yeah, I wrote an email to the radio station yesterday. Rob and Arnie need to be FIRED immediately, and the station needs to issue an incredibly heartfelt apology. I feel bad for the female host, Dawn, though. I can't imagine how she must've felt being in the same room with that much ugliness and not knowing how/being able to shut them up.

[druidspell]

I think I'm stroking out, will someone call 911?

[tatterdemalionkit]

oh, oh my God. Listening to 45 seconds of that made me literally sick. There aren't words; there really aren't.

[pionie]

I'm all for there not being any sacred cows in comedy, but advocating violence and discrimination isn't debunking a sacred cow. It's just plain nasty. Good rant!