The "Schw****" word. We read:
"94 WYSP morning host Kidd Chris has been fired over a racist song performed by an in-studio guest in March. WYSP program director John Cook also lost his job over the fallout from the song "Schwoogies," sung to the tune of Blondie's "Call Me," that was performed March 21 in studio by a guest named Lady Gash.
"We found the song to be highly offensive and completely inappropriate for broadcast on our airwaves. When senior management of the station learned that it had been played, they took immediate steps to prevent it from ever appearing on the station again," CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo told us moments ago. "At the same time, we launched an extensive internal investigation into the situation including a thorough review of the editorial controls and systems we have in place to prevent this type of content from airing. We instituted additional educational training for the station, and have taken appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of the individuals involved." Mateo declined to comment on whether Kidd Chris would be paid out the life of his contract, which was to last another three years.
Source
The forbidden words are given in full at the link above, which is sort of interesting. It is OK to print them but not sing them?? In case they get taken down, I have also reposted them here.
To me what the song says is just a colloquial but not unreasonable commentary on the high rate of black crime and the lifestyle associated with that -- but the main issue is presumably the particular words used to make that commentary. I, of course, do not agree that ANY word is too offensive to be uttered. I am of the old "sticks and stones" persuasion. But I seem to be in a very small minority on that.
The academic objection would be that the song constitutes stereotyping -- but the thing is a song, not a dissertation -- and the song does not in any case say "ALL blacks". It leaves quantification up to the listener. And if you mentally insert "some" or "many", what the song says is defensible as a truth claim. But some truths may not be uttered these days, of course.
3 comments:
Ms. Gash certainly has a right to say what she wants, but the station has the same right to say "Not on our Airwaves!".
Also, John - by not quantifying "some" or even "most" she clearly implied "all".
Liberals dont belive in FREDOM OF SPEECH except for themselves alone
How dare Ms. Gash say these things about the nice, gentle, giving and caring people with the richly colored skin. Where would we be without their contributions to society?
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