I’m beginning to dig my way out of the email and blog backlog and I’m pleased to discover that progress is being made on the KRXQ-FM shock jock case. I learned from this blog that Dr. Pepper and Chipotle restaurants have both pulled their advertising from the station. Hopefully some of the public outrage prompted those decisions. Good work, people of California. Let’s keep up the pressure. Because, you know, inciting violence against children is not a good use of radio station air time.
Here’s GLAAD’s coverage of the issue. And from this blog post I see we can add Verizon, Bank of America and Carl’s Jr to the list of ad withdrawals.
Per http://glaadblog.org/ the list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
* Chipotle
* Snapple (part of the Dr. Pepper bottling group)
* Sonic
* Bank of America
* Verizon
* Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
I’ve been really pleased to see how quickly people are responding to this.
Yep, me too.
I think everyone is blowing this way out of proportion. They have said many things like this about other subjects but just because it’s about “the gay” lifestyle, someone is so-called “offended.” If you don’t like what they say, simply turn off your radio.
What is this going to prove anyways? BTW, transgenders are weirdos and freaks.
You know, Mr. Jerk, I suspect that if a radio talk show host was encouraging his listeners to beat up your kids then you might take a different attitude.
That’s Jerkyman. They were not encouraging listeners to hit their kids. I am a regular listener to their show and if you were too you would know that Arnie is really not this way. He was using a hyperbole as they always do. But I’m sure you’re not a regular listener, just another lemming like the other glaad idiots. I guess there really is no freedom of speech…
Oh well. You suck.
Business has the power to get things done. It will probably get the show canned due to lack of sponsorship. We have to be responsible for our speech in America.
I agree that free speech also have consequences. However, this was taken way out of context. I hate to agree that Tom may be correct, they may just need to apologize. However, it’s probably too late. It’s really too bad, the show is really good and does contribute to the community.
Oh well, Tom sucks too.
Nice to see companies making responsible choices – I will vote with my dollars and make sure I spend money with them – and make sure they know why as well ;>
Wow. I’m sure all of you guys do not listen to the show at all. You’re just followers and lemmings and can’t make your own decisions.
I on the other hand will not be doing any business with the advertisers that cancelled. Funny thing is, Arnie loves Dr. Pepper.
Oh well, Twilight is a little bitch and sucks too.
I started the first BOYCOTT KRXQ page on Facebook and everyone is invited to join and keep the pressure on the station, its corporate owner Entercom (the 5th largest radio company in the country) and its shareholders. The only way to really make sure this hateful and extremely dangerous rhetoric doesn’t continue is to hit the station on its balance sheet. The fact of the matter is the hosts didn’t apologize and no disciplinary action was taken against them.
It’s important to remember that transgendered childred are 17 times more likely to be murdered than their counterparts. That is not a typo–17 times! So what some of your blog visitors are dismissing as a joke, is really anything but. And no matter what you feel about lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, inciting violence against children can NEVER be tolerated. And for anyone who thinks its can be, I really shudder to think what kind of parent you are.
Jerkyman:
There certainly is freedom of speech. And with freedom of speech comes the responsibility to take responsibility for your speech. Freedom of speech does not mean, “I have the right to say ignorant, hateful, and hurtful things and escape all possible consequences for saying them.” As Rush Limbaugh is fond of saying, “Words Mean Things.” You have the right to say whatever you want, but nobody else has the obligation to give you a platform for those things. And if I were spending my money on advertising, I wouldn’t want my product associated with evil, hurtful people — it’s bad for business.
And unlike anonymous Jerkeymen like you, I’m wiling to sign my real name to what I said. You, however, are a coward, and your “support” for people who are advocating evil acts — and saying that the best way to treat a gender non-conforming child is to beat the child with a shoe is in my opinion an evil thing to do — is worth about as much as your identity, which is nil.
Lila:
Thanks for dropping by, and for the good work. I shall go and look for your Facebook page.
Kevin, I do not at all advocate anyone doing any kind of evil acts to anyone. They were just using hyperbole as they always do. I do believe in our rights and consequences that come along with it. All I am saying here are you people that do not know the show at all on their day-to-day business. Ok, Rob and Arnie is a little edgy and probably crossed the line. They really are good and sympathetic people. They do the 29 hour Rob, Arnie and Dawn-a-thon every year to provide help for children with cancer, incurable diseases for the U.C. Davis Medical Center. They also are strong supporters for our local law enforcement as well as our troops in Iraq. But all you see is what happened on May 28th. They have postponed their show and their website limited to one page now with a letter from Rob Williams: http://www.robarnieanddawn.com. I’m sure all you guys want is this show just to go away. You know, there are just much bigger things to worry about that this. Like, America as we know it not existing probably in the next year or two. Welcome to the United States of China! Oh well…
I do not support throwing shoes at anyone nor calling children idiots. If you think that’s what I support, then you a lemming like the rest. I do think that transgenders do have some kind of mental disorder just like Rob and Arnie was saying.
Oh well, Kevin sucks and he seems to be a socialist ass.
Bill:
You appear to have defined the terms of your argument thusly:
1. Anyone who disagrees with you “sucks.”
2. Anyone who disagrees with you is a socialist.
How do you expect anyone to take you seriously?
I read the words that Your Heroes spoke. Those words have been documented, and nobody seems to have disputed that they did actually say those things. I don’t really care if they were hyperbolic. They were bigoted, hateful, and wrong, and if you believe the things you’ve said about transgendered people, so are you. You want plain speech? People who support violence and hatred toward transgendered people are ignorant and evil. That means I’m saying, plainly, that I think you are an ignorant and evil person for supporting hurtful, hateful, ignorant people.
I do support freedom of speech. Your Heroes have the right to say whatever they want on their own time. They have the right to say it on their show — but they also have the obligation to take responsibility for their actions. And the advertisers whose money pays their salaries have the right to say, “We dislike being associated with those people, so we’re going to stop paying them.” You think my heart would be broken if the owners of that station fired them? Not at all. They deserve it, 100%. That’s not censorship. That’s hope that people who act stupid get what’s coming to them.
I suggest that if you think your heroes are so great, you start paying their salaries and start a drive to buy advertising to pay them. “Freedom of Speech” does not mean “unlimited right to say anything I want anywhere I want, any time.” If I work for a commercial radio station, I work for the advertisers whose money keeps that station in business. That’s elementary facts of life. Why do you have difficulty with such simple and obvious concepts?
Bill:
Actually I think you’ll find that few people here disagree with you over the fact that many transgender people have a problem. The important question is what you should do about it. We now have decades of medical and psychological experience of such cases. What we have learned from this is that ridiculing the patients, threatening violence against them and other such attempts to “cure” them have no effect save to encourage them to commit suicide (or to get them murdered by people who have been encouraged to think of them as “freaks”). On the other hand, allowing them to live their lives in the way that they see fit results in their leading happy and productive lives. The earlier they can receive treatment, the more effective it is.
From what I have seen of the case, Dawn Rossi understood this all along. Given the current state of the program’s web site, it appears that Rob and Arnie have had it explained to them, and they are taking the message on board. Hopefully the end result of this will be that the show will continue, and that it will in future serve the whole of the local community, including those transgender people living in the region.
Kevin, say what ever you think. I never said the show can say whatever they want without consequence as you can see in my last two posts. I know who I am and you don’t, enough said!
Cheryl, I am just exercising my American right, I believe transgenders do have mental issues and that’s what Rob and Arnie were saying. Ok, went overboard but that’s what they are saying. Would it have been different if they had not said “freaks” or “weirdos” and “throwing a shoe?” Now, would it?
Cheryl, thanks for the link love.
Transpeople are also American citizens expressing THEIR rights to call them on the BS and shut down the hateful show if necessary.
If you weren’t wallowing in vanilla flavored privilege or getting your news from right wing hate radio Jerkyboy you’d understand that.
Free speech isn’t a monologue, it’s a DIALOGUE. A multicultural democracy cannot afford to have unchecked hate speech in its midst. POC’s and other minority groups cannot ever let hate speech slide without commentary.
One painful lesson of the sweep of human history for non-white people is that unchecked hate speech leads to violence against minority groups which leads to genocide.
Bill:
Would it have been different? Of course it would. That is the entire point. Seriously, if instead of talking about transgender people Rob and Arnie had suggested that you cure people who are autistic, or blind, by humiliating and beating them, would you think that was right?
They appear to be listening to the people who are talking to them. You clearly are not, you are still wallowing in ignorance, bigotry and hatred. Perhaps you need to listen to the show on Thursday.
Monica:
Yes, exactly. And thanks for all of your good work.
I will be listening to the show this Thursday, that’s all I have to say…
I would like to retract and apologize for everything I have said. I am listening to the show right now and understand more about transgenders. I understand that they are human just like me. I am sorry if I offended anyone.
Bill:
Thank you very much. Having blow-ups like this is very distressing for many of the people involved, but if the end result is that it helps more people understand what transgender people go through, and why it happens to them, then it is worthwhile.