Two Tribes on the Finally Friday Freakout

My head hurts. It has been a week of media personalities, companies and politicians acting badly. What is the difference between this week and any other?

There are some potentially unintended repercussions. At this point, it almost does not matter. I think I have an ache in my heart too. When I was thinking out the video of the week it didn't take long for me to remember this stunner from 1984. The band is Frankie Goes to Hollywood and this is Two Tribes.



I am a passionate believer of freedom of speech. I have found myself supporting really noxious people because no matter their behavior people still have the right to voice an opinion, a thought or a feeling.

There are exceptions. There are situations where I'd be the first to say go get the plank. I'm not sure that this is one of those times.

I am not a fan of Juan Williams. I don't seek out his reporting or commontary. If I heard him on NPR Weekend Edition I tended to tune him out within a minute of his analysis.

I don't watch commercial television anymore but if I did I sure as hell would not watch FOX News. Ain't that much antacid in the world.

And yet. There was a wrong done here. I don't think he should have been fired.

Yes, he should catch all the heat and borne the responsibilities of making those comments.



I am not supporting what he said. Nope, never and uh-uh. Bill O'Reilly said the similar things on ABC's The View. He still has his job. Rush says it as his mantra and clocks dollars by the second.

You can take to the bank that if a thought begins with "I'm not a bigot" you have got a problem. Remove the word Muslim and exchange it with Black, African-American, Woman, or any other descriptor of "the other."

Hey Juan, it was a fear based bigoted remark. Don't matter how many other people you think feel that way. It doesn't matter how nice you put it was a bigoted remark just the same. You can be exceedingly polite and still hurt a group of people.

I think I need medicine for the pain. Here is the thing. Mr. Williams was giving his opinion on how he felt on an airplane. His personal opinion. He has the right of the expression of that opinion.

Even if I disagree with it. We all have that right. That right is not negotiable.

Now free speech ain't free. You say it, you own it. It can cost you a job. It can separate you from friends and family. That is also a part of the freedom. The responsibility of honoring and speaking your words can get you into trouble.

Do you mean those word enough to stand by what you said? Are you willing to listen as other tell you that perhaps you are wrong, misguided or a bonehead?

Or do you suck up in glory how great you are when people who agree with you co-sign and lift you up as the poster child of clarity.

All of that is included in the freedom.

There is more to this story but it is beltway journalism. It is the part that I'll never know. Not sure I'm that interested. Juan Williams will do fine. I heard he just got hired at FOX News full time.

To each his own.

I do care about the future of NPR. I care that conservatives and extremists are salivating that this is a good time as any to remove any government funding of NPR and PBS.

Again.

I care that KCET, Los Angeles will no longer be a PBS television station as of January 1, 2011. I really care that this might give ideas to other PBS stations that want to leave and give it a go on their own.

If that happens we will lose an imperfect but necessary resource for community information, both local and international. If it is true that they do want to communicate with and work with the independent creative community in Los Angeles that would be great.

Not sure the corporate foundation supporters are gonna like it so much. True independent media that might have something to say about what is happening in Los Angeles. We all have cameras now.

It is too much. My head hurts some more. I need to Relax.



This is the uncensored version that I didn't know about. There are no 100% nekid people but there is a pound of leather, a tiger and well, happy men. If happy men dancing horizontally and vertically bothers you don't watch the video.