Artificial Indignation

Phil Robertson (SI.com)

In this season where we hope for "peace on earth, good will toward men" there are enough actual problems that we face without manufacturing more.   The media deserve their fair share of the blame with the crises and controversies that would never gain any momentum without them.   

 

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of TV's "Duck Dynasty" Louisiana family that manufactures duck calls got in hot water with the reality show's cable channel (A&E) over some anti-gay comments.   Cracker Barrel restaurants briefly stopped selling some Duck Dynasty merchandise, much to the chagrin of the popular show's fans.   This is a rare case in which I agree with one suggestion by Mike Huckabee that A&E and Cracker Barrel should have merely issued statements saying the comments were his own opinions and not necessarily their own, but don't get me wrong.  The high profile suspension was something A&E had every right to do.   If I went on one of the radio stations I work on and made these comments, my employer could suspend or fire me.  However, A&E's action only served to unleash a torrent of conservative protest over an alleged violation of his free speech rights.    To my friends on the left, I say we need to cool our jets over how offended we are with something a duck call maker says.   He's not the President or the Pope, and it wasn't so long ago when that was more of a majority opinion.   There has been real progress against homophobia.   To the right of the spectrum, the Duck Dynasty guy is no poster boy for free speech.   He doesn't merit this mentality of being a victim of political correctness.   This non-issue needs to go away quickly.   Chill out and have a Happy Holiday OR Merry Christmas... whatever you prefer.    

Memorable Radio Interviews

Peter Noone

I saw a radio blog post asking folks in the business, "Who was your favorite interview?"   The bulk of respondents really raved about how nice and down to earth country artists have been.   That was certainly the case when I talked with Ronnie Milsap in the eighties.   Rockers got mixed reviews.    I never thought of myself as primarily an interviewer.   That is partly because I've always had more of a passion for programming music (a dying art) and reporting news.   I also have a secret terror of sounding like a discussion went way longer than it needed to go, but over the years a lot of interviews come to mind.    My very first interview was folk rocker David Bromberg at my college station.   As with anything I do for the first time, I was very uncomfortable.   Through the years, I had many chats with politicians and civic leaders and learned a lot at a station I programmed - WLAD/Danbury, CT - from the midday talk show host Rhoda Daum whose show I produced.   I also got to see firsthand how Brad Davis at WDRC/Hartford handled some big name personalities back in the day like Johnny Cash, Andy Williams and Bobby Vinton.   Listen and learn.

 

My favorite interview was from my WDRC-FM days.   Peter Noone - Herman of Herman's Hermits - stopped by our studio before his headlining performance at out daylong Big D Oldies Fest in 1996.   He rolled so well through whatever I and the crowd of fans threw at him.   It was the fastest and most fun twelve minutes of my radio career.   Some recorded interviews can take a strange twist.   Rebecca Morse Whitten and I once talked with singer Andrea Boccelli at WBMW.   His English was very rough, so I edited it so thoroughly that he sounded fluent!     The worst interview?   Let's just say I never want to deal with a certain WNBA team again.    

Fitting Tributes, Little Policy Change

It is right to let the Newtown community mark the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre by staying away from private memorial observances in a town that has seen so much tragedy.    It is proper to respect the wishes of the victims' families by lighting a candle and performing random acts of kindness.   While access to that day's 911 tapes is part of our freedom of the press, it is also fitting that most media outlets responsibly kept these disturbing recordings off the air or greatly restricted them from public exposure.  

 

Yes, we have had many comforting words, wonderful gestures and good deeds in the wake of the Newtown shooting, but the disturbing issue remains.   Gun related violence remains as American as apple pie and is still a taboo subject among too many policymakers thanks to well funded gun manufacturer lobbies refusing to include access to assault rifles in the public debate.   Nationally this year, there have been many more initiatives to loosen gun laws than to tighten or enforce them while another 31,000 people died in gun violence.   The NRA and others shift all the blame on violent video games or access to mental health care while supporting the same politicians who cut mental health funding.   Connecticut politicians could no longer ignore this.   Do we have to wait for a bigger incident to rekindle even a discussion to include guns?   

Greatness

Former South African President Nelson Mandela passed away last week at 95.    This iconic figure personified hope in a society once legally defined by racial divisions under the brutally repressive system of apartheid, reconciliation under his presidency and a peaceful transition of power when he stepped down after one term.   All this happened on a continent where democracy and the rule of law have been more the exception than the rule.   That being said, the extreme right wingers have been very critical of the man as a "terrorist", working with radical organizations advocating the violent overthrow of the white-dominated South African regime fifty years ago.  

 

Wait a minute.   Didn't George Washington lead us in a bloody revolution against colonial rule and then preside over the founding of our country?   Didn't Abraham Lincoln oversee a bitter civil war to free the slaves and then call for malice toward none and charity for all?   Don't forget many members of the Jewish underground in Palestine who resorted to violence before establishing the democratic state of Israel.   In what way was Nelson Mandela different?    Examine the totality of his life and even when you factor in that he was not exactly always like Gandhi, he is undeniably deserving being called a great man.           

The Decision

Put on a smile.   Grow a thick skin.   Think only positive thoughts.   Get on with your life.   A lot of people have it worse off than you.   

 

People prone to depression hear these bits of advice from others who may mean well but aren't geared the same and don't understand the depths of this affliction.    From time to time, I get to feeling depressed.   It could happen during the holidays or the middle of summer when we're told to make the most of a joyous time and I'm just not feeling it.   It doesn't mean the same garden variety sadness that everyone gets.    It can affect someone's energy level and overall health.    It can be an isolating feeling that is not diminished with a few words of admonition, pep talk or pop psychology from friends.    I admit to some bouts of mild to moderate depression, most notably in my late teens when it felt like I was missing out on life.   If I knew how to snap out of it at will then I would have done it, but I did experience a moment of clarity almost 40 years ago to the day when the word "decision" really hit me.   It may have been subconscious thinking, but on some level I had made the decision to let this dark force rule my life.   Then I made a reverse decision to take control of what I could and not let depression rule over me.   Depression would return from time to time, but only when I temporarily forgot the lesson of 40 years ago.   

 

To friends and loved ones of people who suffer depression, please remember that a few simple supportive actions or words can be the best remedy you can offer.    Lincoln and Churchill suffered from depression, so don't assume their feelings are from some shameful character weakness.    Check this video equating depression with a "black dog".   Hopefully the depressed person will realize how much of their destiny is under their power when they take a step in the right direction.