How qre KCPT's "Week In Review" and "Ruckus" Not Racist?

What do you call a news program in a major city of America that only has white people on it, discussing what are supposed to be local issues?

Not one African-American. Not one Hispanic or Latina/Latino. Nothing.

Only white people.

What is that but racist?

On both programs' panels, not one "person of color." "Ruckus" did, this week, have the head of our local Jazz Museum, Rashida Phillips on at the beginning of the program but no minority, save a woman, on the panel.

Only white people can give answers to what our problems are and what the solutions might be?

And how, exactly, can people like Dave Helling and Steve Kraske and Mike Mahoney support and continue to support this and these programs?

Why does the local Hispanic media like Dos Mundos support this group?

What Do You Suppose It Will Take To Get KCPT To Recognize There Is a Hispanic Community Here?

Really, this puzzles me.

It took far too long to get KCPT to get one token black person reliably, week after week, on their weekly news programs, "Ruckus" and "Week In Review" and even now, they still get left off some weeks.

That was bad enough but the station still hasn't recognized or accepted or something there is a Hispanic Community in the metropolitan area.

Sure, we still get loads and loads o' white folk what with Right Wing, Republican Mike Shanin and his also Right Wing, Republican buddy Woody Cozad (don't get me started) but the shows are heavily, heavily weighted with bleached white people.

As I've said before, their commercials are all the time putting up minorities in them, asking people to send their money like so many Christian churches but what is it going to take to get a token Hispanice on both these shows each week?

They've recognized there is the Dos Mundos newspaper, having one of their staff on not long ago. You'd think they could--and would--maybe call them up once a week and ask if someone would show up for the program.

At least they let women---one, usually, each week, another token--on the program but once again, it's usually a white woman to round out that very varied group.

This week on Ruckus, they had 3 white people---ONE WOMAN!--and Terry Riley, a former City Council person.

And forget about "Week in Review" this week. The entire show was bleached white people. Every one of them.

Minorities??

Bah!

They don't live here in Kansas City!

Right, KCPT?

I would like to now take this time and place to formally challenge KCPT---a PBS station, after all--to please, for the love of God and fairness and decency and all that is good, to start having, reliably, one Hispanic, one member of the black community, one woman and one---ONLY ONE--white guy on these two programs each week, going forward, indefinitely.

Seriously.

It just doesn't seem like too much to ask.

They say they rely on our contributions in order to survive, exist.

How about including ALL of us?

KCPT?

Have you no shame whatever?

Fairness? Balance? Decency in journalism?

Any of that?

KCPT's "Ruckus": All White, All the Time

Once again this week, KCPT-TV's weekly news program "Ruckus" was all white people, solving all the people's problems. The most open minded they could be was having two women on the panel.

They even discussed the DACA, "dreamers" controversy, possibly effecting 800,000 Hispanic people in the nation but do you think they'd include one minority, one Hispanic from the Kansas City metropolitan area?

NAH.....

They'll keep it lily-white.

Who are we kidding?

Because there aren't any minorities in this city.

No Blacks.  No Hispanics. No Mexican-Americans. None of them. Not in this town.

We know that.

Right?

Well, except on their own commercials, asking for donations and contributions--money--to keep the station running.

Side note:  In a -little bit--of a defense of KCPT here, they did include one Black man, Eric Wesson, on their show this week. Of course, it was a discussion, on that show, about the minority community demanding a percentage portion of the work if we do, in fact, build a new single-terminal airport. Two white men, one white woman and Mr. Wesson.

#Lttlegains

Yet One More Lily White "Ruckus" Last Evening

Yes sir and ma'am, yet one more lily white, bleached white, exclusive, exclusionist "Ruckus" news weekly last evening on our PBS station KCPT. Not one--not even one--person of color on the show. One woman but that, as usual, is as close to a minority as they got.

They go out of their way, every week, to include a middle-aged, middle-class, irrelevant white guy who calls himself a "Libertarian" but again---not one person of a minority.  And then there's always the really old, white guy with silver hair and moustache because, you know, old white guys' opinions just aren't "out there" enough already, right? (Other than the moustache, isn't that what Mike Shanin is already there for?).

The only question now is, will they do the same thing, yet again, with their other news weekly show, Nick Haines' "Week in Review"?  It's usually what they do, of course.

Pitiful

KCPT's Again, Still Lily-White "Ruckus"

If you watched KCPT's and Mike Shanin's weekly news program "Ruckus" again this evening, once more, you would think that the Kansas City metropolitan area has not one "person of color" within its borders. Not one Black American, not one Hispanic, not one Asian, nothing. Zip, Nada.

Fortunately, they did have three women on their panel--again, very white--so there's something but the rest? White men, mostly old. All three of the men are clearly Right Wing being one Libertarian and the other two deeply Right Wing.

It really does seem as though no minority person's experience nor opinion matter either to this organization, the local PBS station, or to this city.

And once more, part of the panel discussion was about our just-passed November election. Clearly they think no person in this metropolitan area has any input worth giving to the voting and all its ramifications?

Is there not one person in this city that couldn't be included on this little, cozy club?

Really?

Their name does stand for Kansas City Public Broadcasting.  Right?

Happy National Taco Day!

National Taco Day - Oct 4, 2016

Happy national taco day! - NBCActionNews.com - Kansas City

Celebrate National Taco Day (October 4th)

The Possible Incredibility of Our American Presidency

Sure, I'd prefer Senator Sanders to win not just the Democratic nomination but presidency but.....

but think of this.

If the first black President the Democrats gave the United States was followed by the first female president...

Who then also gave us the first Hispanic vice president....

Clinton-Castro Appearance in San Antonio

But think about it. Think about this 2016 presidential race. 

It looks very like a Democrat will win the whole thing.

When you look at the Republican candidates, it seems clear their candidates are, honestly, far too extreme, at the very least, to be elected, if not just downright.....   well.....  dumb.  Honestly. Legitimately.

So, truth be told, again, we're going to go from the first black president to either the first female...

Or the first, oldest, Jewish president in the nation's history.

Fantastic times, ladies and gentlemen.

Fantastic times.

Entertainment Overnight -- New Work

I've rather passively followed Kurt Elling's work for years. Once again, I'm reminded how I like his work.

Entertainment overnight -- That's Why I'm Staying

Senate Republicans turn American history on its head

I don't know if you were paying attention two days ago but, as the title above says, Senate Republicans just further turned American history on its head.

I think all of us were taught, in grade school and middle and high school, all, that America was about equality and fairness.

Right?

Well, nuts to all that, say those Senate Republicans, yet one more time with their vote Wednesday this week:

Senate Republicans unanimously reject equal pay bill

Despite weeks of heavy messaging, Democrats failed to get a single GOP vote as the third attempt in recent years to pass the wage equality legislation fell six votes short.

“The promise of equal pay for equal work should not be a partisan issue — it should be a matter of common sense and fairness, an essential step for the security of our families, the growth of our economy, and the strength of our middle class,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement after the vote.

“Unfortunately, Senate Republicans disagree,” she added.

I say again, why any woman--any woman--in this nation would vote Republican, for this political party or for anyone in it is beyond me.

Now that I'm at it, why would black Americans vote for them? Republicans have come out against renewing the Civil Rights Act. 

Gays? Republicans are famously, famously against equality here, too, for gay Americans.

The elderly? Unless their wealthy, of course?  Republicans are for dismantling Social Security.

Hispanics? Republicans are notoriously against immigration reform of virtually any sort.

It truly seems the only people left to vote Republican are white, wealthy men.

Well, and any middle- and lower-class American the Republicans are able to dupe.

Republicans against equal pay for women

With this result yesterday:

Senate Republicans unanimously reject equal pay bill

What woman, what working woman would vote Republican?

What woman, Hispanic, black, gay or elderly person would vote for this political party, for that matter?

I just don't get it.

Republicans: Against progress, even against America

Republicans and the entire Republican Party have been impeding progress for the nation and for Americans for so long, we're nearly getting immune to it.

But we can't be. We can't let these injustices stand. We need the nation to move forward and on so many different levels, not least of which is regarding the economy. Here's just two current examples, from yesterday  in The New York Times:

New GOP Bid to Limit Voting in Swing States

Already, nine states, under Republican control, have passed measures making it harder to vote since the beginning of 2013.

And this is one of the worst cases of the Republicans' handiwork. Getting fewer and fewer Americans to vote. How un-American can they be or get?

Then there's this one:

California Farmers Short of Labor, and Patience

Growers say inaction on immigration legislation is hurting productivity, and a powerful group that represents them says its members may withhold campaign contributions.

And this one is a real beaut since, in the last few elections, more and more Hispanics have been voting for the Democrats because, well, they get support from them. The Republicans say they're trying to be inclusive for all kinds of people--Hispanics included--yet they've famously and even notoriously and very publicly been fighting anything remotely close to creating a path to citizenship for Hispanics, Mexicans and others.

Thus also explaining far too many Kansas Citians' opinions

When I read comments in newspapers and especially on blogs (one local blog in particular, ahem), I am frequently stunned to read how some white people think they're oppressed by some racism because of, of all things, black people especially but minorities in general.  Today, on the interweb, I found out why:

Study Finds White Americans Believe They Experience More Racism Than African Americans

Pretty stunning stuff, however wrong:

There’s a saying that “the new racism is to deny that racism exists.” If that is the case, it may explain a study conducted by researchers from Tufts University’s School of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Business School. Their findings claim that self-described white Americans believe they have “replaced blacks” as the primary victims of racial discrimination in contemporary America.

The authors say that their study highlights how the expectations of a “post-racial” society, predicted or imagined in the wake of Barack Obama’s presidency, has far from been achieved.

The study finds that while both Caucasian and African Americans agree that anti-black racism has decreased over the last 60 years, whites believe that anti-white racism has increased. 

And that's all pretty bizarre--and, of course, wrong, deeply wrong--but here's the really big kicker:

...the study finds that the majority of Caucasians believe that anti-white racism is a “bigger problem” than what African Americans face.

Right.  Got it.  Sure it is.  Whatever.  Whatever you say, honkie.

 ”It’s a pretty surprising finding when you think of the wide range of disparities that still exist in society, most of which show black Americans with worse outcomes than whites in areas such as income, home ownership, health and employment.”  --Tufts Associate Professor of Psychology Samuel Sommers, PhD

Yes, it's "pretty surprising", all right.

Freaking wow.

"Pity party on aisle five!"

If people who are losing their jobs or getting their pay cut or whatever, would realize who's doing that to them---the boss or the corporations, you know, the wealthy people---maybe they'd realize who the real problem is.

But no.  Just like with our current president.

Blame the black guy.

Links:   

Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game That They Are Now Los

Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Whites Believe They Are Victims of Racism More Often Than Blacks

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The types of people the voter ID laws effect

Let's see, female, check; handicapped, check; elderly, check; possibly even Hispanic--that way they'd get a four-way win.

The Republican strategy:  If you can't get 'em to follow and vote for you, take away their vote.

Just not if you're black or minority or poor

Mitt Romney, Candidate for President of Caucasiastan

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

No surprise. Jon Stewart hits it out of the ballpark yet again.

Big weekend for the city

Yes sir, there are a great deal of things going on in Kansas City this weekend.

First up is one of the year's best First Friday in the Crossroads because it's not blistering hot or freezing cold right now. That should be a terrific turnout.

Second is the Brookside Art Fair.

Next up is Cinco de Mayo so every Mexican restaurant in the area will also be packing them in.

Finally--it's a short list, if even a full weekend--"The Avengers" movie opens. I expect it will be packed, for those interested.

So, whatever you're doing this weekend, y'all, have a great time. Let's be careful out there.

What part of "equal" do we just not get?

Click on picture for legibility

Republicans also now disenfranchising Military Veterans

More shamelessness from the Right Wing and Republicans. Not only are they disenfranchising the elderly of the country and Hispanics and poor and possibly Black Americans and other minorities but now, what with their limiting the voters with various voter ID requirements, it's gotten worse and its come down on our military veterans. Veterans want to know why a military service ID card is good under the new Wisconsin voter ID law, but a photo ID card issued by the VA isn't. Crazy, right? But that's your Republican Party for you. They don't want us voting. Link: http://www.aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/willing-die-their-country-unable-vote-it

One more group Republicans are pushing away

The Republicans add yet one more group to their long list of people who shouldn't belong to the group and who, of course, shouldn't vote for or with them. Up to now it's been Blacks, Hispanics and gays, now they add women. Well, women who are for their own rights and reproductive rights, anyway. God bless their pointy little heads. Links: http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.html; http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/how-the-gop-went-back-to-the-1950s-in-just-one-day.php