Well just in case you thought shit was finally looking up, I'm back to bring you down a notch or twelve.
June 2, 2009— In a lengthy May 28 tirade on the Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning radio show heard in Sacramento, California on KRXQ 98.5 FM and Reno, Nevada on KDOT 104.5 FM, hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States verbally attacked transgender children. While discussing a recent story about a transgender child in Omaha, Nebraska and her parents’ decision to support her transition, the two hosts spent more than 30 minutes explicitly promoting child abuse of and making cruel, dehumanizing and defamatory comments toward transgender children.
You can read the transcript itself here.
Okay let's take this from the bottom and say, what kind of coward would promote child abuse anyway? Oh wait, that's right, plenty of people don't see anything wrong with hitting a child. To teach hir a "lesson" and give them "character". As if we don't fuck with the children enough and wonder why shit happens *eye roll*
And now we take it to the most obvious level of wrongness: YOU ARE PROMOTING VIOLENCE TOWARDS TRANSGENDER CHILDREN.
(I don't think they heard you)
Well that's plenty fucked up. You know, children don't get abused enough for being different or being perceived as different, but the child in question of the original story was fortunate enough to have understanding parents that supported her decision. Do you know how damn rare that is? What's not so rare, unfortunately, is idiots like these two that address transgender people as "men in dresses" (nooo) and "freaks" (nooo again) and basically perpetuate the violence against them that exists already (noooooo). Good job fellas. You pretty much just said sometimes it's okay to beat and/or kill your fellow human being because they aren't "correct".
Well in some better news, at least one person got it:
To her credit, co-host Dawn Rossi stood up to Williams and States during the segment.
Despite her apparent lack of familiarity with transgender issues, Rossi repeatedly defended transgender people and made an on-air apology for her colleagues’ defamatory remarks.
What's that you say, you want...oh contact info. Well:
John Geary
Vice President & General Manager
KRXQ-FM
(916) 339-4209
jgeary@entercom.com
Arnie States
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rad@robarnieanddawn.com
Rob Williams
On Air Personality
KRXQ-FM
(916) 334-7777
rwilliams@entercom.com
Edit of no consequence: Well that didn't take long, the DJs have rolled out the "I's just playin" defense. Evasive maneuverrrrrs!
A Sacramento radio DJ said Wednesday his recent on-air comments about transgender people were "a joke," adding that he would never call on parents to beat their children.
"I know a lot of people don't understand this," he said a moment later. "That's a joke."
The DJs added that regular listeners to their show know that they make jokes about a variety of topics, offending lots people in the process.
KRXQ's station manager defended the DJs.
"The show is filled with hyperbole and they use exaggerations to make a point," Jim Fox said.
Aww, look at the low-rent Howard Stern knockoffs.
No, no sir. Whatever you were TRYING to do, it failed. What you PROBABLY did was incite violence against transgender people and perpetuate hateful stereotypes. What you actually DID do was look like a total jack ass not once but a few times.
For the last time the "I's just playin" defense doesn't work. Eeevvvverrrr. It makes you look fucking ignorant. Human lives aren't a joke. The sooner we all get that, the better.
