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Al Franken Radio - "Still Sucks!"
Slightly EFL, and this criticism is from the Left:Air America Radio is a Joke And a bad one at that... by Justin Felux A while back I listened to a recording of a teach-in at Colombia University in which Cornel West was giving a speech. "Yo, give it up for Brother West!" At the beginning he said, "Iâd like to thank that group that made September 13th an upbeat day for me, even given the death of brother Tupac Shakur." He was referring to the group of prisoners who took part in the Attica prison uprising oÂn September 13, 1971, the same day that Tupac died in 1996. Some of the white liberals in the audience responded by laughing, thinking that West was making a joke. They were so clueless that they didnât realize West was expressing genuine remorse over Tupacâs death. I was reminded of that incident when I started learning about this new "liberal radio network." I thought that a lot of black folks must be laughing right now, because although white liberals donât seem to realize it yet, Air America Radio is a joke. The jokeâs on George Soros. The network is making its debut in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. All three of these cities have a substantial black population. New York has the highest black population of any city in the country. Chicagoâs black population is nearly as large as its white population.. Generally speaking, blacks are much more liberal than their white counterparts. About 90% of blacks vote for the Democratic Party as opposed to just over 40% of whites. A quibble - voting Democratic doesnât necessaily mean youâre liberal, maybe that you vote in your self-interest (e.g., youâre a union / govât employee, etc.). Given these facts (???), oÂne might expect that African Americans would be prominently featured oÂn this new "liberal radio network." Sadly, the folks at Air America Radio could oÂnly find space for a grand total of 2 black people, by my count. Chuck D, frontman for the great rap group Public Enemy, deserves better than to be oÂne of the token black guys for this doomed misadventure. My last post on this indicated that Chucky D was getting cold feet on that count, so Iâll disagree with Justin on that one. The other is Mark Riley, who cohosts the show Morning Sedition. Suggested new title - Morning Sedation. Both Chuck D and Mark Riley have 2 white Depends on your perspective, Justin... In New York, Air Americaâs programming will be featured oÂn WLIB-1190 AM, which is owned by the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC). Prior to the partnership with Air America, WLIB had been serving New Yorkâs black community for decades. It was an outlet for black activists and featured unique "Afrocentric" programming. The CEO of the ICBC, Pierre Sutton, tells his listeners that the new move "gives us an opportunity to impact oÂn the world outside of our own community." Many in the black community I donât know, maybe buy a few CDâs, you cheap prick? This station had so much information. They would broadcast cricket games and news from back home. Other stations donât do that. I donât think there is going to be many black issues with the new format, and there will be less Caribbean callers because people wonât feel at home. That is where people tune in to get something from home." Tracey-McCallum, a listener originally from Jamaica, was equally upset by the changes. "Their programming was quite good and offered quite a bit of Caribbean news; so that oÂne source now is no longer available to us, and I think itâs a great disappointment," she said. The station will still feature Caribbean content, but it will be limited to the hours between midnight and 5 AM. Of course, most white liberals are too busy bubbling over with joy to give a damn. "At last we have Oh, yeah, I definitely see Chucky D signing on now! Also in attendance was comedian Al Franken, who Iâd like to hit you hard, you smug, arrogant, half-retard bastard... Franken now has his own show oÂn Air America, which he has mischievously titled The OâFranken Factor.
Or anyone else, for that matter! A brief scan of the reviews of Frankenâs first show indicate that most found it disappointing and boring. They should not have expected anything better from Franken, who has been telling the same 5 jokes for the past 2 years or so. The show featured a bland interview with war criminal Bob Kerrey about the 9/11 commission followed by an interview with sellout filmmaker Michael Moore. The show reached its climax when former vice president Al Gore called in. Moore used the opportunity to Takinâ that blue dress to the dry cleaners, Randi? The resulting analysis and content ended up being as hollow and partisan as Rush Limbaughâs show. The only shows that seem to have any promise are Janeane Garofaloâs Majority Report and The Laura Flanders Show (full disclosure: I had a nearly obsessive crush oÂn Garofalo as a teenager). Bad taste is neither Republican or Democrat. Discuss. Garofalo claims Noam Chomsky and Donât hold your breath. Sadly, it seems that nothing will be there to balance the utter whiteness of the networkâs format. Considering that the Democratic Party would be a political nonentity without the support of black voters, the fact that they are shut out and marginalized at every turn is beyond insulting. Air America Radio is just another episode in a long history of callous indifference and clueless misunderstanding the Democratic Party and white liberals in general have shown toward the black community. White liberals need to wake up and realize that this sort of business isnât going to cut it any longer, and black liberals need to speak up loudly and let them know it. Refusing to tune in to Air America Radio would be a good place to start. I know I wonât be. Justin Felux is a writer and activist based in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted at justins@alacrityisp.net. Air America, the Kursk of public radio... Posted by: Raj 2004-04-06 |
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