Glenn Beck's insensitive comments and transphobia on his talk show (heard on XM as well as 202 terrestrial radio stations)
I'm going to be brave here and weigh in on a topic or two I don't normally talk about on these radio boards.
Then again, being the Sirius satellite radio fan that I am, it's not often these days that I tune into AM radio talk-show programs. So, this morning, I was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time. I heard Glenn Beck's talk show program on WTAG Worcester (Mass.) and was appalled and outraged by what I heard.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not the sort to go flaming people on these boards. That's not my style. But Beck's comments and presentation regarding a particular subject were absolutely horrible, in my opinion. Not only did they show ignorance but also they had the potential to do great harm to certain people.
Let's put this in perspective, shall we? Doug "Greaseman" Tracht is a Washington, DC, area DJ who has generated controversy over the years for racially insensitive comments. In 1986 he said of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday, "Kill four more and we can take a whole week off." Then, in 1999, referring both to that year's upcoming Grammy awards ceremony and a then-current court homicide case involving a hate crime in Jasper, Texas, he played a Lauryn Hill track (she was nominated for 10 Grammies that year) and then said, "No wonder they drag them behind trucks" (or something to that effect).
Today, Glenn Beck weighed in on transgendered issues, demonstrating both his bigotry and his ignorance regarding the subject.
It could be argued that Doug "Greaseman" Tracht's Lauryn Hill comment was relatively (and mercifully) brief. But Glenn Beck went on for the better part of an hour with his anti-transgender nonsense. (I tuned out before the hour was over but I heard a good portion of Beck's rant.) (By the way, I'll return to Doug "Greaseman" Tracht momentarily before I'm finished writing this post.)
Beck's "news peg" was apparently the case of Lily McBeth, a 71-year-old teacher who is returning to the classroom in New Jersey following sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Beck addressed (pandered to?) the fears of parents but did absolutely nothing, in my opinion, to address reasons why these fears might or might not (in my opinion, for what that's worth) be valid.
Beck questioned whether parents would want their second graders learning that their teacher is transgendered. Well, the reality is that transgendered people do exist (and, might I add, frequently need to earn livings just like anyone else) and that it can not and will not turn a second-grader who is not transgendered into a transgendered person just because they might learn that such people do exist. (Also, yes, there have been case histories of kids -- known as "primary transsexuals" -- figuring out at ages as young as three that they are such, although some actually remain silent about that until adulthood. It's arguably doubtful that the presence or absence of a transgendered teacher in the classroom will make much difference one way or another, in the long run, where such kids are concerned, so far as them eventually figuring out who they are.)
Beck gratuitously discussed seeing a non-passable "eight-foot" transgendered person in the grocery at 9 PM. Well, okay, some transgendered people don't pass very well, but that's no reason to mock them, nor is it reason to ignore the fact that some transgendered people DO pass so well they sometimes blend into the proverbial woodwork.
The radio host stumbled over pronouns, mistakenly calling McBeth "he" on occasion. But certain other comments really stick out in my memory (and my proverbial "craw").
Beck made an inflammatory comment to the effect of, "I don't think anyone chooses to be a freak." (Now, wait a bleeping minute, he called transgendered people "freaks"? How is that better than referring to blacks by the n-word or using something equally offensive to refer to Jews?)
In passing, Beck compared being transgendered to being an alcoholic and also made a somewhat lengthier comparison to gays entering the priesthood.
(In fairness, Beck did stumble across an astute observation that he seemed to be illustrating, or trying to illustrate, with the gays-in-the-priesthood comparison: Sometimes -- and, yes, this is true -- transgendered people put up the "front" of being normal, either to hide their status from others, to deny it within themselves or to try to stamp out their true nature, or some combination thereof, by such things as marrying, having children -- not that transgendered people can't do that, by the way, but it can be used as a form of denial -- and, in the case of male-to-female transgendered people, entering stereotypically macho fields such as the military or police work... Well, shoot. With bigotry still rife, it's little wonder why transgendered people would feel compelled to do such things.)
Beck mockingly spoke of others writing in about how hateful he was being, even creating or imitating a keyboard clackity-clack sound. Well, yes. But do you have any inkling why that might be, Glenn?
To top off this foolishness, Beck took a call from someone who claimed to have once been transgendered but to have been "cured" by Jesus. Fortunately, this caller didn't get much time to proselytize, perhaps because Glenn Beck was so caught up in his own agenda.
It sickens me to realize that, according to Beck's own website, his show is heard on 202 affiliate radio stations in 47 states and the District of Columbia as well as on XM satellite radio, thus giving him a broad forum in which to spread this venom.
Most people recognize that racism is wrong. Although it sadly still exists and does still crop up on occasion, I feel it can be said that such things as Jim Crow, lynch mobs, poll taxes, "Bull" Connor and the like are mainly just bad memories from the past (kindly correct me if I'm wrong; I mean no offense, by the way) while the Ku Klux Klan and its ilk are effectively marginalized. This is as it should be, in my opinion.
But every year, people are murdered because of their real or perceived gender identity. And anti-transgender discrimination is still rife in areas such as employment. (For example, a San Francisco Department of Public Health study from 1999 found abnormally high unemployment rates amongst the transgendered.) No wonder some transgendered people resort to sex work -- they have to in order to survive!
Additionally, arguably unlike blacks (although I realize some may challenge that assertion; if so, have at it), transgendered people are still subject to sensationalist (ratings-grabbing?) exploitation by the likes of Jerry Springer and his ilk, and denunciations from right-wing preachers who like to pretend they know what they're talking about but don't. Furthermore, in recent years, from Maine to Illinois to California and from Allentown, PA, to Dearborn Heights, Mich., politicians have passed anti-discrimination laws covering the transgendered, only to have them denounced or challenged by members of the religious right.
So Doug "Greaseman" Tracht's comments weren't likely to sway many people, in my opinion, as most people correctly realize how wrong-headed racism is. But there is still a lot of ignorance out there regarding transgender issues and playing to listeners' transphobia, as I felt Glenn Beck did, has the potential to do grave harm.
Doug "Greaseman" Tracht was suspended and then fired for his Lauryn Hill comment. Will Glenn Beck be suspended and fired for his anti-transgender commentary?
Speaking of Jerry Springer, I felt Glenn Beck's coverage of the issue was like the Springer show without Springer's redeeming virtues (such as they are), such as the final thought and the pretense Jerry Springer sometimes has of being sensitive and socially-conscious.
There is no rule saying that broadcasters need be insensitive when discussing this topic. Larry King covered transgendered people a couple of weeks back on national television and radio (to wit, CNN) and, while I'm not convinced he's terribly knowledgeable about the subject, I felt he generally handled it with his usual dignity and class. Listeners, IMHO, were likely to come away with a greater understanding of the subject at hand.
Sadly, the same did not apply to Glenn Beck's show this morning.
P.S. -- I'm going to be still more brave and re-post this to the Coast-To-Coast and the XM satellite radio boards, as I think it's relevant.
(Forgive me, please, board moderators, if I've somehow made an inappropriate post. I do see beforehand how this can stir controversy, but, if folks handle this topic with the requisite dignity and respect, that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Note again that I am NOT setting out to flame Glenn Beck himself, per se. His on-air comments and presentation this morning, however, I have found to be vile and utterly reprehensible ... Also, by the way, this is not representative of future posts I intend to make on these boards; I've been participating here for several years, so for better or worse, folks here know what kind of posts I usually make.)
References:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/13978953.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transphobia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance
http://www.gender.org/remember/day/
http://www.glennbeck.com/affiliates/index.shtml
http://www.blackjournalism.com/shock.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Tracht
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cach...racht+++"Lauryn+Hill&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/07/24/state2139EDT0271.DTL
http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2003/07/25/4
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=cftg-02-02#S5.1X
www.lynnconway.com, also found at http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/conway.html
I'm going to be brave here and weigh in on a topic or two I don't normally talk about on these radio boards.
Then again, being the Sirius satellite radio fan that I am, it's not often these days that I tune into AM radio talk-show programs. So, this morning, I was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time. I heard Glenn Beck's talk show program on WTAG Worcester (Mass.) and was appalled and outraged by what I heard.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not the sort to go flaming people on these boards. That's not my style. But Beck's comments and presentation regarding a particular subject were absolutely horrible, in my opinion. Not only did they show ignorance but also they had the potential to do great harm to certain people.
Let's put this in perspective, shall we? Doug "Greaseman" Tracht is a Washington, DC, area DJ who has generated controversy over the years for racially insensitive comments. In 1986 he said of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday, "Kill four more and we can take a whole week off." Then, in 1999, referring both to that year's upcoming Grammy awards ceremony and a then-current court homicide case involving a hate crime in Jasper, Texas, he played a Lauryn Hill track (she was nominated for 10 Grammies that year) and then said, "No wonder they drag them behind trucks" (or something to that effect).
Today, Glenn Beck weighed in on transgendered issues, demonstrating both his bigotry and his ignorance regarding the subject.
It could be argued that Doug "Greaseman" Tracht's Lauryn Hill comment was relatively (and mercifully) brief. But Glenn Beck went on for the better part of an hour with his anti-transgender nonsense. (I tuned out before the hour was over but I heard a good portion of Beck's rant.) (By the way, I'll return to Doug "Greaseman" Tracht momentarily before I'm finished writing this post.)
Beck's "news peg" was apparently the case of Lily McBeth, a 71-year-old teacher who is returning to the classroom in New Jersey following sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Beck addressed (pandered to?) the fears of parents but did absolutely nothing, in my opinion, to address reasons why these fears might or might not (in my opinion, for what that's worth) be valid.
Beck questioned whether parents would want their second graders learning that their teacher is transgendered. Well, the reality is that transgendered people do exist (and, might I add, frequently need to earn livings just like anyone else) and that it can not and will not turn a second-grader who is not transgendered into a transgendered person just because they might learn that such people do exist. (Also, yes, there have been case histories of kids -- known as "primary transsexuals" -- figuring out at ages as young as three that they are such, although some actually remain silent about that until adulthood. It's arguably doubtful that the presence or absence of a transgendered teacher in the classroom will make much difference one way or another, in the long run, where such kids are concerned, so far as them eventually figuring out who they are.)
Beck gratuitously discussed seeing a non-passable "eight-foot" transgendered person in the grocery at 9 PM. Well, okay, some transgendered people don't pass very well, but that's no reason to mock them, nor is it reason to ignore the fact that some transgendered people DO pass so well they sometimes blend into the proverbial woodwork.
The radio host stumbled over pronouns, mistakenly calling McBeth "he" on occasion. But certain other comments really stick out in my memory (and my proverbial "craw").
Beck made an inflammatory comment to the effect of, "I don't think anyone chooses to be a freak." (Now, wait a bleeping minute, he called transgendered people "freaks"? How is that better than referring to blacks by the n-word or using something equally offensive to refer to Jews?)
In passing, Beck compared being transgendered to being an alcoholic and also made a somewhat lengthier comparison to gays entering the priesthood.
(In fairness, Beck did stumble across an astute observation that he seemed to be illustrating, or trying to illustrate, with the gays-in-the-priesthood comparison: Sometimes -- and, yes, this is true -- transgendered people put up the "front" of being normal, either to hide their status from others, to deny it within themselves or to try to stamp out their true nature, or some combination thereof, by such things as marrying, having children -- not that transgendered people can't do that, by the way, but it can be used as a form of denial -- and, in the case of male-to-female transgendered people, entering stereotypically macho fields such as the military or police work... Well, shoot. With bigotry still rife, it's little wonder why transgendered people would feel compelled to do such things.)
Beck mockingly spoke of others writing in about how hateful he was being, even creating or imitating a keyboard clackity-clack sound. Well, yes. But do you have any inkling why that might be, Glenn?
To top off this foolishness, Beck took a call from someone who claimed to have once been transgendered but to have been "cured" by Jesus. Fortunately, this caller didn't get much time to proselytize, perhaps because Glenn Beck was so caught up in his own agenda.
It sickens me to realize that, according to Beck's own website, his show is heard on 202 affiliate radio stations in 47 states and the District of Columbia as well as on XM satellite radio, thus giving him a broad forum in which to spread this venom.
Most people recognize that racism is wrong. Although it sadly still exists and does still crop up on occasion, I feel it can be said that such things as Jim Crow, lynch mobs, poll taxes, "Bull" Connor and the like are mainly just bad memories from the past (kindly correct me if I'm wrong; I mean no offense, by the way) while the Ku Klux Klan and its ilk are effectively marginalized. This is as it should be, in my opinion.
But every year, people are murdered because of their real or perceived gender identity. And anti-transgender discrimination is still rife in areas such as employment. (For example, a San Francisco Department of Public Health study from 1999 found abnormally high unemployment rates amongst the transgendered.) No wonder some transgendered people resort to sex work -- they have to in order to survive!
Additionally, arguably unlike blacks (although I realize some may challenge that assertion; if so, have at it), transgendered people are still subject to sensationalist (ratings-grabbing?) exploitation by the likes of Jerry Springer and his ilk, and denunciations from right-wing preachers who like to pretend they know what they're talking about but don't. Furthermore, in recent years, from Maine to Illinois to California and from Allentown, PA, to Dearborn Heights, Mich., politicians have passed anti-discrimination laws covering the transgendered, only to have them denounced or challenged by members of the religious right.
So Doug "Greaseman" Tracht's comments weren't likely to sway many people, in my opinion, as most people correctly realize how wrong-headed racism is. But there is still a lot of ignorance out there regarding transgender issues and playing to listeners' transphobia, as I felt Glenn Beck did, has the potential to do grave harm.
Doug "Greaseman" Tracht was suspended and then fired for his Lauryn Hill comment. Will Glenn Beck be suspended and fired for his anti-transgender commentary?
Speaking of Jerry Springer, I felt Glenn Beck's coverage of the issue was like the Springer show without Springer's redeeming virtues (such as they are), such as the final thought and the pretense Jerry Springer sometimes has of being sensitive and socially-conscious.
There is no rule saying that broadcasters need be insensitive when discussing this topic. Larry King covered transgendered people a couple of weeks back on national television and radio (to wit, CNN) and, while I'm not convinced he's terribly knowledgeable about the subject, I felt he generally handled it with his usual dignity and class. Listeners, IMHO, were likely to come away with a greater understanding of the subject at hand.
Sadly, the same did not apply to Glenn Beck's show this morning.
P.S. -- I'm going to be still more brave and re-post this to the Coast-To-Coast and the XM satellite radio boards, as I think it's relevant.
(Forgive me, please, board moderators, if I've somehow made an inappropriate post. I do see beforehand how this can stir controversy, but, if folks handle this topic with the requisite dignity and respect, that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Note again that I am NOT setting out to flame Glenn Beck himself, per se. His on-air comments and presentation this morning, however, I have found to be vile and utterly reprehensible ... Also, by the way, this is not representative of future posts I intend to make on these boards; I've been participating here for several years, so for better or worse, folks here know what kind of posts I usually make.)
References:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/13978953.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transphobia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance
http://www.gender.org/remember/day/
http://www.glennbeck.com/affiliates/index.shtml
http://www.blackjournalism.com/shock.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Tracht
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cach...racht+++"Lauryn+Hill&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/07/24/state2139EDT0271.DTL
http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2003/07/25/4
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=cftg-02-02#S5.1X
www.lynnconway.com, also found at http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/conway.html