Society: The end of an era, change begins

Recently more on-air personalities have been fired for remarks made which can be defined as racist. CBS Radio under pressure from Asian advocacy groups has dismissed two more shock jocks. As expected there was some minor protest from anti-censorship groups, but overall it was example of the times changing. The question now stands: where do things go from here?

The past era of shock media was embodied in the 1990’s. It seemed every station has a lineup of personalities willing to pull all the stops and continue to invent wilder stunts. It wasn’t a matter of what they could get away with, but of how many people would still be talking about it the next morning. Probably the most noticeable indicator the times have changed was when the ex-host of Politically Incorrect got fired for saying exactly that.

For the time being the general consensus is people want more responsible personalities broadcasting entertainment today. Long gone were the days of the zero sum game of using race in jokes. It’s not fair to euphonize it, when people add race to jokes, someone always is the source of the joke for everyone else’s “enjoyment”. And for the ones who might bring up the slipper slope argument, it won’t apply here. Currently the targets of censorship are public celebrities, people who make a living broadcasting to thousands of people. In the end the consumer can demand an entertainer to be removed if the opposition was large enough. It’s a numbers game, the majority always wins. If they really wanted to censor everything, why haven’t they gone after print media or liquor stores? In the end the most public people have a responsibility not to propagate what’s already in society: the worst of it.

From the side of the ones advocating removal, they see and hear the worst in society everyday. And for it to be publicized and viewed as entertainment was the last straw. By publishing content that makes racism as entertainment, it makes the content almost acceptable and enjoyable. The “just don’t watch” argument doesn’t stand as well, since in today’s society entertainment is everywhere, and there isn’t a way parents can control everything their kids watch and see outside the house. Kids would see it, think it’s acceptable, and eventually inadvertently use it furthering the cycle of misplaced hate.

The times are changing, and it’s it part of the cycle of things. The era of shock had their day, now things have to be done with people’s personal identities in mind. People will always find something that offends them, but finding versus experiencing are two completely different things. If people feel society is glamorizing the hate they experience everyday, they won’t take it sitting down. Respect is highly valued in any culture, it’s time we gave the same respect we demand for ourselves.