This Is Why We Should All Hate Fox 6

In Milwaukee, local TV news is its own special brand of raunchy sleaze... even by typical local TV news standards.  Not only do an unusual number of media conglomerates (such as Hearst Television and Journal Communications) have flagship TV stations here; but the demographics correlate closely to national averages, making it an ideal test market for such conglomerates to see how far they can push divisive, hot button issues.

The result is a market that’s just big enough to feel important, with station budgets large enough to make them look important; but still not quite big enough to actually be important.  Thus, TV news in Milwaukee is the perfect storm for sniveling bottom-feeders… from reporters on up through program directors… who are desperate to “make it” by broadcasting the most asininely sensationalistic material possible.

Last night, the local Fox affiliate, WITI (better known as Fox 6), led with this story, which it teased as an “assault,” but wound up being about a Waukesha woman who had a (as in literally just one) not-so-nice sentence said to her by a bus driver.

Yes, seriously.

Mind you, this wasn’t filler tacked on right before the news switched to weather… this was the LEAD STORY.

Granted, the bus driver’s comment “as long as you’re short, fat and white, you will not speak to me like that again,” was inappropriate, and reasonable grounds for termination.  But as anyone who’s the least bit familiar with public transportation can tell you, verbal confrontations on busses and trains are hardly newsworthy.  Even physical altercations that happen to be caught on video barely make it past youtube in most major cities.

So why was this story not only aired, but given the most prominent part of the broadcast?

The simple fact is, Fox 6 knows its audience.  They know inner-city people, and college-educated city dwellers don’t watch local news, meaning their audience skews heavily suburban and rural.  Because this is the Midwest, that means it also skews heavily white, middle-aged, and conservative.  They also know they’re in the most segregated metro area in America.

So… for those of you who haven’t yet clicked on the link above… which part of that “short, fat, and white” comment that the bus driver made to the passenger do you think the story focused on?  

(I’ll give you a hint… they made no mention of the driver’s height or weight.)

Fox 6 has a lengthy and well-documented history of going out of its way to demonize the local African-American population.  I gave up on them (and eventually all local news) during my freshman year of college when they kept re-playing a 5-second clip of a handful of students (mostly of color) being rowdy outside of a local high school as an example of students behavior throughout the entire district.  The next night, they showed mugshots of a Kenosha couple that was arrested for child abuse, but blurred their faces so that all you could see was that they had dark brown skin.

So am I surprised that Fox 6 decided to run with what would be a relatively benign story if not for their ability to package it as a mean black meanie harassing an innocent white girl; knowing their resentful, High Life swilling, AM talk radio-listening audience would eat it right up?  Nope. 

But such conduct is, sadly, quite typical for WITI… and pretty much expected from a Fox affiliate.

An Open Letter To Robin Thicke

Dear Robin Thicke,

At the risk of sounding forward… f*ck you, you musically colonizing douche.

F*ck you, and f*ck a guy like Pharell who I've considered a musical genius, and (reluctantly) still do.  Because even if you're completely oblivious to what is going on here (and considering your privileged upbringing in LA, I wouldn't put it past you), I have a hard time believing he is.

Like you, I am also an American Caucasian male who is trying to make it as a musician in an African-American style of music… only in my case, it's rock and roll.

You see, even though rock music has been a predominantly caucasian art form for at least the past 50 years, my respect for the music I love and the craft I have chosen to dedicate my life to mastering will not allow me to forget that it would not exist if not for the Robert Johnson's, John Lee Hooker's and Chuck Berry's of the world… just as the style of music you do would not exist if not for artists like Marvin Gaye, whose work you CLEARLY lifted for the biggest hit of your career.

White artists such as ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Seger, Michael McDonald, Teena Marie, Amy Winehouse, and many others have gone out of their way to recognize the work of the African-American musicians whose work and accomplishments helped paved the way for their own success.  You, however, have entered the realm of frauds such as Elvis and Pat Boone… guys who lived some of the most prolific careers pop music has ever seen without giving proper credit to the African-American artists whose songs they stole until well after the fact… if ever at all.

Not only have you done exactly this, but you've decided to sue the children of the man whose work you lifted in a borderline-sociopathic attempt to wrangle legal control of something you had absolutely no hand in creating. 

Although I can't claim to have ever been a serious fan of your work, I always used to respect the audaciousness of your willing to step outside of the stereotypes of what someone who comes from your background is expected to do.  However, your pre-emptive strike against the Gaye family is a damning indictment of your creativity if I've ever seen one, as well as the lack of confidence you must have in it.

I know my lack of support will probably not affect your career at all, and there's probably only a minimal chance you'll ever actually read this.  Even if you do, I wouldn't expect you to do anything but look at your bank account and say "Oh f*cking well," but the purpose of this letter is not to change your mind.  Even if you were to drop the lawsuit tomorrow, the fact that you even took it this far is reprehensible enough.

Rather, I write this letter because we have now reached a point in history in which most people alive today are not old enough to remember Marvin Gaye's heyday, the 1970s; and it is my hope that, unlike Elvis, you do NOT enjoy an undeserved legacy as a creative innovator in the world of music… especially not over an artist like Marvin Gaye, who truly was such a thing.

If this letter contributes in any way… regardless of how big or small… towards preventing such an injustice from happening, it will have served its purpose.

Sincerely,
Some Asshole