I realize the subject of this post is a little strongly worded. But if it got your attention, then it is worded exactly right!!!!
I do not listen to the radio in my car. I mostly listen to CD's. I realize even that is old school, but I do not have an auxiliary jack or USB port in my car to hook up my iPod so I work with what I have. Those occasions that I do listen to the radio, I mostly listen to the stand up comedy station. There are 2 main "rock" stations in Denver, 93.3 and 106.7, both owned by Clear Channel. I rarely listen to either of them because in my opinion, their playlists are (expletive) awful.
I'll first explain my distaste for Clear Channel as a company. In 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Clear Channel distributed a memo to its 1,200+ stations. The memo contained 165 songs containing "questionable lyrics" and a "suggestion" that these songs might not want to be played. As a society, we have argued and fought to protect our freedom of speech and our right to artistic expression. This memo should be looked at as a slap in the face of that freedom. Clear Channel used a tragic event to "suggest" increased censorship on its stations. I won't post the entire list of songs here, but among the highlights are ALL songs by Rage Against the Machine, Imagine by John Lennon (really?????), and Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm (but not the original recording by Michael Jackson oddly enough).
Now for the local issue, 106.7 has a love affair with the band Five Finger Death Punch. You literally cannot listen to this station for an hour without hearing this band at least once. The reason for this is the singer of the band is from Denver, CO. Keep in mind, Five Finger Death Punch IS NOT from Denver, they did not get famous in Denver, but for some reason 106.7 and their DJ's seem to have a need to claim some sort of responsibility for their success. Personally I dislike the band. Nothing personal, I just am not a fan. So this morning I'm driving to work and I decide to skim through the channels to see what they're playing. Who do you think is playing on 106.7 the first time I've turned on that station in months? Five Finger Death Punch OF COURSE. I listened for all of about 2 seconds before I just turned the radio off.
So there you go folks. I hope this entertained you a bit. See you next time.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
ESPN East Coast Bias
Alright everyone. Now, for years people have accused ESPN of having an East Coast bias when televising sporting events, in particular baseball games. I will first present an argument why this makes sense. For the East Coast baseball fan, a game will start at, say, 6:40 PM. Now assuming this game doesn't get crazy out of hand, like the score is 15-14 or something, it will complete in about 3 hours. So all those East Coast fans can get to bed at a reasonable hour, between 10 and 11 PM. That same game begins at 6:40 on the West Coast, well that's 9:40 for the East Coast fan. Now despite this argument, let me be clear that I am not defending the decision, in fact I am 100% against it and tonight is a prime example of that.
As a San Francisco Giants fan I will admit that I am biased in this matter. But here are the facts. Tonight the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. First, let's state the obvious. The Giants and Dodgers have a fierce and historical rivalry. This is right up there with Yankees-Red Sox, if not even more heated. I can't recall a game where a Yankees or Red Sox player went after an opposing player with a bat. Guess what? It HAS happened in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry (see Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro, August 22, 1965). Even if you still think Yankees-Red Sox is the #1 rivalry in baseball, Giants-Dodgers has to at the very least rate a close 2nd. So that's the obvious.
Now for the not so obvious, the pitching matchup this evening. Pitching for the Dodgers is Clayton Kershaw who, despite being off to a slow start in his first 3 starts, was the National League Cy Young Award winner as well as the NL MVP (which has only happened 10 times in HISTORY). Pitching for the Giants is Madison Bumgarner who was the National League Championship Series MVP AND the World Series MVP. So you have arguably the 2 best pitchers in the National League facing each other tonight. And where is ESPN? Why, they're in Washington, DC televising the Cardinals at the the Nationals of course. East Coast bias is in tact.
Let me also go one step further to defend the National League game. In football they constantly talk about Quarterbacks head to head. Take Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. But the reality is the Quarterbacks aren't really facing each other. They're never on the field at the same time, so a head to head record is really meaningless. In the American League pitchers never have to face each other due to the Designated Hitter. But in the National League the pitchers do hit. So yes we would actually get to see Madison Bumgarner face Clayton Kershaw, both as a pitcher and as a hitter. All the more intrigue to this game, and all the more reason that this game should be televised, but the heads at ESPN apparently feel the bedtimes of people on the East Coast are more important.
As a San Francisco Giants fan I will admit that I am biased in this matter. But here are the facts. Tonight the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. First, let's state the obvious. The Giants and Dodgers have a fierce and historical rivalry. This is right up there with Yankees-Red Sox, if not even more heated. I can't recall a game where a Yankees or Red Sox player went after an opposing player with a bat. Guess what? It HAS happened in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry (see Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro, August 22, 1965). Even if you still think Yankees-Red Sox is the #1 rivalry in baseball, Giants-Dodgers has to at the very least rate a close 2nd. So that's the obvious.
Now for the not so obvious, the pitching matchup this evening. Pitching for the Dodgers is Clayton Kershaw who, despite being off to a slow start in his first 3 starts, was the National League Cy Young Award winner as well as the NL MVP (which has only happened 10 times in HISTORY). Pitching for the Giants is Madison Bumgarner who was the National League Championship Series MVP AND the World Series MVP. So you have arguably the 2 best pitchers in the National League facing each other tonight. And where is ESPN? Why, they're in Washington, DC televising the Cardinals at the the Nationals of course. East Coast bias is in tact.
Let me also go one step further to defend the National League game. In football they constantly talk about Quarterbacks head to head. Take Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. But the reality is the Quarterbacks aren't really facing each other. They're never on the field at the same time, so a head to head record is really meaningless. In the American League pitchers never have to face each other due to the Designated Hitter. But in the National League the pitchers do hit. So yes we would actually get to see Madison Bumgarner face Clayton Kershaw, both as a pitcher and as a hitter. All the more intrigue to this game, and all the more reason that this game should be televised, but the heads at ESPN apparently feel the bedtimes of people on the East Coast are more important.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
People need to read a dictionary
Hey everyone. So it's been a bit since my last blog, but I saw something today that kind of made me shake my head. At first I wasn't going to comment on it, but then I read some other people's comments and It's a little comical the level of ignorance of some people. So let me tell you what I'm talking about.
This week, a pizzeria in Walkerton, Indiana closed it's doors due to backlash over comments the owner made regarding same-sex marriage. Basically, the owner said they would not cater a same-sex marriage because they are a Christian establishment. Phone calls and backlash over social media have caused the pizzeria to close until the backlash cools down. Now, before we get into some of the things that have been said, let me first say that I am not defending nor condemning the actions of the shop in any way. I am a heterosexual male and I am for same-sex relationships and marriages. While there are some of you who may disagree with my opinion, remember it is MY OPINION. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong. You have the right to feel and believe whatever you wish. I'm not going to try and sway you one way or another. But as far as myself, I see nothing wrong with it. Who am I to deny you what makes you happy, or WHO makes you happy?
The owner's father spoke to ABC and said, "That's a lifestyle that you choose. I choose to be heterosexual, they choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head because they choose that lifestyle?" Now, there is something wrong with this statement. Science tells us that genetics and the structure of the brain have something to do with determining whether a person is gay or straight. So in that sense, no it is not a lifestyle choice. A person can choose not to act upon their urges, but this is the same as an alcoholic choosing not to drink. It doesn't mean they're not an alcoholic. But they are making a choice. The part I do agree with in the statement is, why should anyone be beat over the head because our choices are different than another's? We see this type of uproar more often where some establishment refuses to serve gay customers and the public reacts this way. Remember Chick-fil-A? But flip the roles, what if an establishment owned by a gay individual or a gay couple refused to serve heterosexual customers. Would the public outcry be the same?
Now, here's where we're going to get into some of the comments made. The owner has said the business is not discriminating against anybody, but she and her family have their beliefs and other people are entitled to their own. Some people who have to come to their defense say it is not discrimination because homosexuality is not a race. I'll give you a minute to contemplate that last one there and hopefully your head didn't explode. At what point did discrimination become solely a race issue? Did I miss that memo? Now, this particular individual goes on to say that homosexuality is immoral and against the word of God. I have no hatred towards Christians for the most part, but statements like this really suggest these people are intellectually at the bottom of the curve. As a business owner you do have the right to refuse service, but don't try to say this isn't discrimination. The definition of discrimination is "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". So to refuse to serve someone because they are gay is textbook discrimination. Your religious belief does not justify that. So please, stop trying to use Christianity like it's some sort of fiery shield to hide behind while also rationalizing your personal bigotry.
So, there you go folks. Let me clarify for any of you who may think this is some veiled manifesto, this is not a pro-gay/anti-gay message. This is not a way for me to bash on Christianity. This is merely a report of something that happened this week and my own commentary, MY OPINION, on these facts. If you agree with me or disagree with me, great. Leave a comment telling me why. Dialogue is a great thing. If what I've said pissed you off, maybe you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. But if it made you think, if some of my commentary made you laugh a little bit, whether inside or out loud, then really that was the whole point. Yes I'm going to have my own opinions, and yes I hope I do get to comment on more serious or controversial topics, but my goal is to entertain you. So I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time.
This week, a pizzeria in Walkerton, Indiana closed it's doors due to backlash over comments the owner made regarding same-sex marriage. Basically, the owner said they would not cater a same-sex marriage because they are a Christian establishment. Phone calls and backlash over social media have caused the pizzeria to close until the backlash cools down. Now, before we get into some of the things that have been said, let me first say that I am not defending nor condemning the actions of the shop in any way. I am a heterosexual male and I am for same-sex relationships and marriages. While there are some of you who may disagree with my opinion, remember it is MY OPINION. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong. You have the right to feel and believe whatever you wish. I'm not going to try and sway you one way or another. But as far as myself, I see nothing wrong with it. Who am I to deny you what makes you happy, or WHO makes you happy?
The owner's father spoke to ABC and said, "That's a lifestyle that you choose. I choose to be heterosexual, they choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head because they choose that lifestyle?" Now, there is something wrong with this statement. Science tells us that genetics and the structure of the brain have something to do with determining whether a person is gay or straight. So in that sense, no it is not a lifestyle choice. A person can choose not to act upon their urges, but this is the same as an alcoholic choosing not to drink. It doesn't mean they're not an alcoholic. But they are making a choice. The part I do agree with in the statement is, why should anyone be beat over the head because our choices are different than another's? We see this type of uproar more often where some establishment refuses to serve gay customers and the public reacts this way. Remember Chick-fil-A? But flip the roles, what if an establishment owned by a gay individual or a gay couple refused to serve heterosexual customers. Would the public outcry be the same?
Now, here's where we're going to get into some of the comments made. The owner has said the business is not discriminating against anybody, but she and her family have their beliefs and other people are entitled to their own. Some people who have to come to their defense say it is not discrimination because homosexuality is not a race. I'll give you a minute to contemplate that last one there and hopefully your head didn't explode. At what point did discrimination become solely a race issue? Did I miss that memo? Now, this particular individual goes on to say that homosexuality is immoral and against the word of God. I have no hatred towards Christians for the most part, but statements like this really suggest these people are intellectually at the bottom of the curve. As a business owner you do have the right to refuse service, but don't try to say this isn't discrimination. The definition of discrimination is "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". So to refuse to serve someone because they are gay is textbook discrimination. Your religious belief does not justify that. So please, stop trying to use Christianity like it's some sort of fiery shield to hide behind while also rationalizing your personal bigotry.
So, there you go folks. Let me clarify for any of you who may think this is some veiled manifesto, this is not a pro-gay/anti-gay message. This is not a way for me to bash on Christianity. This is merely a report of something that happened this week and my own commentary, MY OPINION, on these facts. If you agree with me or disagree with me, great. Leave a comment telling me why. Dialogue is a great thing. If what I've said pissed you off, maybe you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. But if it made you think, if some of my commentary made you laugh a little bit, whether inside or out loud, then really that was the whole point. Yes I'm going to have my own opinions, and yes I hope I do get to comment on more serious or controversial topics, but my goal is to entertain you. So I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time.
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