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"Rocker"-ing the Media Boat's Hidden Agendas

© Deborah Lagarde

© 2000 by Deborah Lagarde. Comments? e-mail: "mailto:dlagarde@suite101.com"

The John Rocker "hate speech" issue has been thoroughly covered by both the establishment and alternative presses, with the "http://www.nypost.com" and Canada's "http://www.nationalpost.com" giving (in the case of the former) surprsingly thoughtful and unemotional analysis of this issue which never should have come up at all. What they both said in their own little ways was this: what Rocker said was stupid, but we'll defend to our death his right to say it.

Meanwhile, the (left-leaning) establishment press bemoaned his "hate crime" while the (right-leaning) alternatives, ignoring the fact the Rocker behaved like an idiot by what he said, did nothing but decry the "thought police" for denying Rocker the right to get away with it when, at the same time, folks like Ted Turner get away with saying (as he's said), "Christians are losers."

Again--as I've said here many times before--both the establishment and right-alternative organs expose themselves for the agenda mongers they really are.

Now, I will have (I hope) the final word on this nonsense.

What Rocker said about riders of the No. 7 train in Queens, New York, was stupid and obnoxious, and if he wants to make an idiot of himself, so be it. His quote is in Sports Illustrated at "http://www.si.com" if you still don't know what he said after all these weeks. As for Turner, I've already quoted his equally idiotic remark, but if he wants to make a total jerk of himself (and lose his wife Jane in the process) then let him. He's rich enough!

And yes, people can say what they want in public, the so-called thought police notwithstanding. Further, they can even say it in the press, even if they are celebrities, and even if they are, like so many of today's rich and famous, merely shooting off their mouths.

It is the use of the Rocker/Turner "loud mouth" issue by both sides of the press that is the real issue! Now let me say this plain and simple so even you agenda-laden "press monkeys" can understand: defend or prosecute him in your papers and zines, but stop your nonsense about berating the other side because the other side is "just being politically correct" or "acting like the thought police" on the one hand, or the other side is "defending hate" or "just bashing gays/blacks/purple-haired freaks/mothers/welfare mothers/Jackson Heights residents/New York Mets fans" on the other hand.

And you media folks can print what you want to, of course. But stop doing it and telling us media consumers you're doing it on behalf of giving us "the truth". Why can't you be honest and admit you put nonsense like this in your papers merely to sell them and to hell with "truth"?

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