Ah, another category!

I've just read another excellent offering by Camille Paglia. I would love to buy her a beer sometime and let her just riff about whatever. Hahaha, she's great.



She mentions the fact that Imus is on the air again, with WABC Radio, at the expense of the Curtis & Kuby show. For those who are not familiar, Curtis Sliwa is the founder of the Guardian Angels, and you couldn't beat the New York out of him with an iron pipe. Ron Kuby is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney out of Manhattan. They had a very interesting left/right dynamic on the air that was far different than the Hannity & Colmes dynamic.

Personally, I can't believe Imus is back on the air. I mean I don't think he should be prevented from making a living, but he is fucking old, fucking rich, and a bigot. I don't want to listen to him even more than I didn't want to listen to him before. I really enjoyed the Curtis & Kuby show on internet radio.

I want you guys to read what Ron Kuby wrote about the situation. Kuby is an atheist, pro-abort, anti-war Communist (really, he's a commie), but I love him. Do you know why I love him? Because he's not an asshole. He's not a bomb thrower. He's not a hypocrite. You aren't going to see him fighting right-wing "hatred" by being a bigot or a hater himself. He does not want to control people or make them conform to his vision of the world. He's got the ability to make a good, persuasive argument without exposing BDS symptoms. He's a good guy. I want to buy him a beer too.



Granted....I'm definitely not one to say that the government has any business at all enforcing equality on the airwaves in terms of ideology. That idea is a relic of years gone by, and should never see the light of day again. If you can't come up with a competing product, don't cry to Uncle Sam that competition is too difficult for you to handle.

I will say this - I do agree with Kuby's point about "stationality" and how it stifles critical thinking (and, I'm certain he actually knows what the phrase means). Then again, I think Americans are absolutely in love with the idea - and it isn't a surprise that this extends to media formats outside of radio. People love living in a bubble where their orthodoxy is never challenged.

That being said, I think WABC made a ridiculous and stupid decision to put Imus on the air and take Curtis and Kuby off the air. They've lost me as an e-listener forever. I like the back and forth more and more these days. I love watching old episodes of Firing Line. I, like Camille Paglia, am going to miss Ron Kuby. I hope he gets a great radio gig somewhere else.