That was the funniest clip to me.

Browne

I’ll miss you, Farai.

–Bryan

As a mexican man, I often wonder how nice it is to have so much of a sense of entitlement that ANY minute subject where your demographic (the demo that runs our institutions and most represented in every aspect of america) is mentioned negatively prompts folks to complain and demand inclusion or PC-feelgood correction immediately. It must be nice to be so sensitive to exclusion or negative representation and not be either disregarded as “ethnocentric” or go utterly insane by the amount of negativity and exclusion that is thrown at your ethnicity.

I dont know how that feels , nor does any minority man, woman or wombat; because we are CONSTANTLY cast in a bad light and excluded. Im an environmental planner and do you think I have ever been considered for anything beyond “community outreach” (guess what communities?), despite my technical training experience and track record? I’m a muralist and do you know how many times I have heard ” I dont want it to be graffiti” despite my portfolio not having any graffiti-like compositions, lack of using spraycans, and resume of proffessional art experience. Honestly, when I paint at schools I hear old white male teachers say “I thought you were tagging” every single f’n time EXCEPT when I have white artistts with me.

I mean this goshdarned blog in itself exists to address the exclusion our communities recieve from the blogging world and all other media forms, and there are already countless complaints from folks about excluding or being unfair to ONE specific group of people who are otherwise the center of attention everywhere else. We cant even get these narcissists to stop co-opting the term “eastside” which has been codified by millions of angelinos for over a century. It’s like a spoiled only child complaining because mom volunteers down at the orphanage (not you soc, this who issue). It’s like oakies putting up signs saying “what about my civil rights” when their public housing was integrated.

NPR and PBS needs to get that babyboomers are going to die and they need to stop tailoring all of their programs to that person. I am not interested in having a conversation with a 1970 perspective.

See as the print world didn’t get it and the music industry didn’t get it the next group of people that need to figure it out before all of their programming is cut and they are completely irrelevant are the PBS and NPR set.

I predict in ten years they are all going to be gone and bitching about how the internet video and video blogs and podcasts stole their audience just like the mainstream print media does now. I mean I would love it if NPR and PBS got a clue, but you know really all we need to do is get a hold of video camera and some flexible software and we can do our own NPR. I hate to recreate the wheel when we have this resource that does have value, but the alt radio media is doing the exact same thing they accused “the man” of when they came into existence in the 1970s.

Also they need to cancel some people who have been on longer than I have been alive and who are just rambling about nonsense now.

To me this is the future of NPR, PBS and the likes of them:

http://www.illdoctrine.com/

That guy and people like him are the future and that’s too bad that NPR doesn’t want to try to work with that, but you know I guess this is how you get innovative. You fill the need that is not being met, so NPR totally sucks in this move, but this is a future nail in their coffin.

They’ll be like these print people whining about their jobs, maybe if some of these print journalist had written about something other than their friends they wouldn’t have to teach at a community college now, because about five years prior to all of the layoffs in media most of these reporters (especially in LA) were pretty much dialing it in. They pretty much could have done their job from Las Vegas or India that’s how in depth many people’s writing was.

Browne

Personally, if there is an NPR show that I would dump in place of News and Notes, it would be The Diane Rehm Show. The woman has spasmodic dysphonia, which is a problem when you host a two hour talk show. The coverage of topics overlaps that with Talk of the Nation. Although produced by WAMU in Washington, it is syndicated by NPR and NPR gives its funding (the same arrangement for Fresh Air). Give Diane Rehm a well deserved retirement for 35 years on the radio. Of course, when your niece is the person firing folks, it’s not going to happen.

“Secondly, how is “and not just during our appropriate month you didn’t even have to be married to a white person to get on her show” not racist? I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em, and I’m sure you’re the same way”

How is me calling out the obvious racist? It’s kind of true. You do see lots of black people doing black history month in February. Most progressive people of color who get mainstream acknowledgement are married to white people. I mean seriously we can’t say that?

I didn’t know you were the PC type, oh yeah PC only is negative when it doesn’t talk shit about people of color or women. I totally forgot about that.

Being PC in regards to white people and their feelings is just being reasonable and fair.

And I think it’s super duper awesome that you want to have a conversation TOO!!! FABBY DADDY!!!

“I guess I was just put off by the overtones of the above quoted passage,” Soc.

Well that was my point, to put you off and to possibly illicit some flame type commentary. This is the internet, we have to keep it interesting.

“I guess, perhaps, that I’m sensitive to divisive/exclusionary language. When someone talks about stuff that’s about “non-whites” my ears prick up and I have to wonder why they’re putting aside a cultural/ethnic group.” Soc

Well you know Soc, I’ll tell you I too am sensitive to divisive language. Do you go on LAist, Blogging LA, LA Curbed and talk about their divisive language, I want to see some proof of your sensitivity. Show me when you were offended when white people did something divisive, there are LOADS AND LOADS of examples online. Since this is your thing, provide me of some links to your outrage. I doubt you have any, but you know I’m not god. I have been wrong before.

And the reason I exclude your ethnic group (I’m assuming your white), because I think you guys are pretty well represented in the media, I could be wrong, but it seems to me that it’s white people media day all day everyday to me, don’t think I don’t appreciate white people and all of the awesome things you’ve done. My step mom is white, my boyfriend is white, so don’t think I don’t love yah lots. I totally do, but I think that other people’s views are important too and the only way for that to happen is to acknowledge that some people aren’t represented.

And maybe the common thread of those people not being represented are that they aren’t white. How is me saying that offensive? I didn’t exclude anyone the media did and I’m just restating what they did, maybe you should talk to the people who own the media.

Now I also often go into class, but often that’s too much for the average Angeleno to grasp and I think it’s a bit too easy for people to pretend that racism doesn’t exist when I go into that vein of discussion.

Browne

Tavis cut his ties with NPR a long time ago. He was pretty vocal about his lack of faith in NPR supporting minority programming. Looks like he was correct.

http://www.current.org/news/news0423smiley.shtml
http://www.pri.org

Secondly, how is “and not just during our appropriate month you didn’t even have to be married to a white person to get on her show” not racist? I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em, and I’m sure you’re the same way.

Thirdly, you’re right about keeping a tight focus in your article. That’s a good thing, I guess I was just put off by the overtones of the above quoted passage, and remember hearing on NPR earlier that day about the other show that was canceled and the chunk of staff the organization was losing.

Fourth, putting up someone black doesn’t bother me – and I don’t watch Fox News. How does my questioning of your post illustrate either of these points?

Lastly, I think I found the root of the problem. I’m upset that NPR has to lay off a bunch of people and cancel some of its programming. You seem to be upset that they’re canceling a show by a young black woman who was/is “pretty much the only person in the established media who viewed non-white people in the blogosphere as relevant to the editorial conversations of the day.”

I guess, perhaps, that I’m sensitive to divisive/exclusionary language. When someone talks about stuff that’s about “non-whites” my ears prick up and I have to wonder why they’re putting aside a cultural/ethnic group.

I like Farai Chideya and since people read this blog I put it up and what does my post was too narrow means?

Zocalo only picks people to talk to from the old school of establishment of multiculuralism. Do they have anyone on there under 45?

Oh I forgot Zocalo will pick people under 45 if the white mainstream media says they are ok and safe.

I think it’s totally unfair that ethnic people of color in their twenties and thirties get pretty much no acknowledgement in regards to what they are doing, unless they water it down to be entertaining to the typical Santa Monica yuppie moderate Democrat.

White people in the alternative media get airtime and book deals before their 40th birthday (and they can be totally outrageous and innovative and it is completely ok) and people of color have to turn 50 and then they get to be on a group panel at Zocalo or get to talk to Tavis, and sorry that’s not good enough.

Farai was the only person talking to YOUNG (that’s the key) YOUNG people of color (who are from American neighborhoods, because of course if someone is from some other place and ethnic they are different) in the alternative media of the blogosphere since I fit in this demographic and she was giving us acknowledgment, I acknowledge her.

Feel free to express your opinions on this matter, but too narrow of a focus? Please, isn’t every post or column or piece of media info out there a narrow focus. How do I write more broadly, should I make it more Fox News and stupid for you?

Sorry if me putting up someone black bothered you, because for some reason that’s what I think the problem is for you Soc. I could have put up a progessive white guy and put the same words and I suspect you would have been fine completely fine with it.

I never even said that NPR (in the post, that was what you took from that, if I thought NPR was racist I would have just said that in the post, I’ve never pulled punches on it before I dedicated a whole post to Kevin Roderick and the LA Times doing things that I perceived as racist, so…) was being racist or whatever certain other people implied I simply said this show was good and this show should be supported, now of course you can put whatever spin you want to put on that, but those are your issues not mine.

Browne