Monday, August 15, 2016

The Oppenheimer Report 8/15/16

Last week, our wireless hub crapped out and we were without internet service. After spending approximately three hours on the phone with various Bell technical assistants, we finally (we think) narrowed it down to this piece of wireless equipment. As one of my local friends sarcastically pointed out, these are “white boy problems” and last Thursday I picked up a new wireless hub while I was in Huntsville. Problem solved, hopefully. Last week, I made reference to my ever-increasing alienation from the world of new technology. While I have become reliant on the internet to communicate with my friends and musical colleagues, I seem to spend an inordinate amount of my time trying to figure out computer glitches and wrestling with new software and applications. Now, our wireless printer does not work because it will not communicate with the new router, so one technical problem is fixed, causing another problem.

 
The other day, one of the morning DJs at Hunters Bay Radio played a controversial hip hop song that prompted a complaint from one of our listeners. The song was a request, and it is in fact a mainstream song by a mainstream artist. Nevertheless, the language is offensive, and there is talk of drugs and sex. Some would argue that the song also deals with the sublimation of women, and this is a legitimate gripe. To the offended listener’s defense, the song was aired on a prime time morning show, there was no warning about the explicit language in the song, and it probably should not have been aired in the time slot it was. Call it an error in judgment; the DJ apologized, and it probably won’t happen again. That said, I’m one of those that is inclined to err on the side of free speech. Art is a reflection of our culture, and I like to think that that reflection is all encompassing. Don’t shoot the messenger.

 
I’m not a fan of rap music, although I do like some of the hip hop I’ve heard. I may be a racist – I probably am - I have few black friends and I don’t know much about African American culture. I fear what I don’t understand. Even though I grew up in downtown Buffalo, which has a large African American population, I am just as ignorant of that culture as the next white man. One need look no further than the news to see that racism is a huge problem in our society. The recent findings in Baltimore about systemic racism in the Baltimore police department is just one of a thousand examples of how far we have NOT come. I talk a lot about love and acceptance in this report, and I should take my own self-righteous advice. I actually liked this song in question, and I see why it is popular. The rhythm is inescapable and the lyrics deal with a culture about which I know very little. It is offensive to some, maybe many, but I suppose not to the large audience for whom the song was written. When I write a song, I write about what I know. For a rich white boy, this is light years away from the life about which Snoop Dogg knows. Hunters Bay Radio is a community radio station, and one of its many directives is to play a wide variety of music. It’s not all going to be easy listening. DJs air all sorts of music that is not for everyone. I’ve played a more than a few offensive songs on my show ( Jon Brooks’ Song entitled “The Only Good Thing Is An Old Dog” comes to mind, written from the point of view of a serial killer). Fortunately my show airs at a more acceptable time slot. Language changes over the year, morals and the concept of decency have changed as well. The argument that children are listening is a legitimate one, and maybe the timing was bad, and of course, we need to be mindful of what crosses the line. My line might be different from yours, but these days I don’t know how you keep your kids away from offensive material; it’s everywhere we look. Try as you might, you will likely never keep your kids away from the internet or its influences. Anyone with a cell phone has access to a surprising amount of bad things. I’m not a parent and sympathize with those trying to make sense of our increasingly messed up society to their kids. I will say that censorship never worked for me and only served to make the offending “art” more intriguing.  
 

I hope Hunters Bay Radio does not lose listeners because of one or two offensive songs. The station plays some of the most interesting music I have heard in a long time, on any radio station. Personally, I would rather err on the side of diversity than to completely sanitize our programming.    
 

  - Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED    

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