Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I had a hard day and only just now realized that it has been 48 hours without fresh content.  So here's what I've come up with … from John McIntire's column in the City Paper:

Should I really be afraid? When Dina McGreevy started making the talk-show rounds to promote her new book — in which she writes about discovering she was married to the gay governor of New Jersey — I did a phone poll. “How do you know if you're married to a homo?” I asked. Bad taste? Yes. Am I attempting to encourage homophobia? Absolutely not. Will I be hoisted on my own petard if I continue to throw caution to the wind?

I'd like to know the results of that phone poll. 

Bad taste?  Of course.  Funny?  So-so.  Homophobic?  Not so much.  Maybe I'm biased because I know John isn't a homophobe, but is willing to exploit society's latent homophobia for his own amusement (and career).   Maybe I'm biased because he invented the Lesbian Correspondent shtick. 

Here's where we disagree.

As snotty newspaper executives like Chris Potter of the City Paper will tell you, everybody needs an editor. But could we please all get a grip? We've got much bigger problems than edgy radio. Like, you know, the war and stuff.sdf

Tis true that the way is a bigger problem than edgy radio.  But for those of us on the short end of the hate stick, Imus and ilk are a real problem.  Even some of John's stuff can be problematic precisely because there are yinzers out there who wouldn't know irony if it kicked them in the ass and bought them an IC Light.  Does that mean we should censor John or give Gab a bigger dump button?  Not necessarily.  But shock jocks have to take some responsibility for their words and their medium.  Being provocative carries some responsibility. 

Let's be fair — edgy radio is commodity and when people stop buyin', things change.  Imus and John and Gab have the right to express themselves as much as they please.  There is no right to get paid for it.

I hope John and Gab keep throwing caution to the wind b/c, frankly, radio can be really boring in Pittsburgh.  And people who think Johnny Mac rocks need to realize that he loves him some homos (not that there's anything wrong with that), black people, women and even homeless people. Forcing people to take a look at their own prejudice is a good thing.  Ridiculing and demeaning any group of people because they are gay, female, black, disabled, etc is not okay. 

Thin line, huh?  I'm glad I just wrestle with social problems in a more clean cut human servicy kind of way.