Much has been made in the progressive community about the comments that could be construed as attacking the transgendered community made by Rob Williams and Arnie States of the Rob, Arnie, and Dawn in the Morning show.
An organized effort by GLBT organizations and many internet bloggers to get show sponsors to pull their advertising dollars was ultimately successful, as Chipotle, Bank of America, Snapple, and others canceled their ad buys.
And when this happened, I was very supportive of what had taken place, commenting:
Now that's how capitalism can be used to advance social goals. Kudos to all who used the power of their voice and purse to get these advertisers to pull their dollars.
I still believe that. Every individual has the right to complain about what they perceive to be injustices and wrongdoings and the right to organize with like-minded individuals to make their voice even louder. I'm also not naive enough to believe this is a First Amendment issue. The show's hosts were not fired or arrested by the government for their speech (I'm not going to get into FCC fines here).
In this case, it seems that the GLBT advocates won:
The hosts of a Sacramento radio program who were criticized for making anti-transgender remarks are planning to air a special segment this week featuring transgender advocates.
Rashad Robinson of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said Monday that the general manager of station KXRQ-FM told him that talk show hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States also plan to apologize during Thursday's show.
But did society as a whole win? I'm going to take the unpopular side and say that even though I support the rights of people and organizations to use their speech and purchasing power to advance their political agendas, at the end of the day, this sort of business-induced and self censorship, which is ever on the rise, is detrimental to a free society.
At this moment, the trend seems to be manifesting itself successfully mostly in terrestrial radio. I'm gathering because anyone can, for free, turn the dial to a terrestrial radio station and listen. The stations are supported solely by advertising revenue and, thus, are the easiest targets for coordinated boycotts. There has been no shortage of radio personalities that have been suspended or fired for their speech due to the threat of interest groups demanding advertisers pull their dollars: Opie & Anthony, JV and Elvis, Elliot in the Morning, etc.
Other mediums, while still often subject to protests and boycott-calls, have not been nearly as affected due to the fact that one must generally pay to experience this sort of entertainment. An example being the movie Tropic Thunder, which was, last year, the target of disability advocates due to the use of the word "retard" throughout the movie:
Carrying placards that read "Tropic Thunder Colossal Blunder" ,"Ban the Movie, Ban the Word", "The R Word is Hate Speech" and "DreamWorks Mean Works", referring to the studio that released the film, the Los Angeles premiere drew a collection of people representing several national and state groups.
"It's supposed to be a parody, but it's really a mockery of the word 'retarded'," said Myra Davola, of ARC (Advocacy, Respect and Commitment to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities) of California. "It's setting us back. It's purposeful and hateful to people that have disabilities."
Obviously this protest was unsuccessful as stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr., have since had their plates full of high-paying work. People will pay to see what they want to see, and with advertisers for the most part out of the picture, there is almost no risk of an "offensive" movie backfiring on its stars and producers.
So what happens to terrestrial radio personalities that get fired? The good ones, with an audience and potential to excel in a no-holds-barred atmosphere, move to satellite radio, where they are, for the most part, protected from the interest groups (Opie & Anthony was suspended for comments made by a guest about former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and the former First Lady Laura Bush). Some, like Don Imus, end up back on their feet on terrestrial radio, but doomed to a career of self-censorship . Others, not so popular, will be fired for good.
Another consequence is many terrestrial radio stations deciding that hosting potentially-controversial talk radio is too dangerous. Many lately have been switching formats to sports talk or innocuous Top 40 music.
So while interest groups and concerned citizens have every right to demand boycotts, firings, etc., are the consequences of their actions positive for society? I don't think so. Because, honestly, if you find something offensive on the radio, all you have to do is use one of the knobs on your radio. You can turn it off, or you can change stations to something you enjoy more.
Personally, I haven't listened to terrestrial radio regularly in a few years. I prefer my XM Radio where I can listen to uncensored Opie & Anthony, Ron & Fez, and music that hasn't been edited for language. But I can afford that luxury. Not everyone can. Plus, the finances for SiriusXM aren't all that stellar, and they could potentially go under in the near future.
So I am using my power of speech to advocate that instead of calling for wholesale boycotts and firings of shows and entertainers you may personally find offensive, turn off the radio or change the station. Your listenership will no longer be funding speech you don't enjoy, just like no one forces you to spend money to see a movie or buy a CD with speech that offends you.
I, for one, would prefer terrestrial radio to be filled with many different viewpoints and types of humor, rather than forced into a tiny cube of what's politically correct.