JP and Elvis in Doghouse

CBS Radio has dropped "The Doghouse" show with JP and Elvis after the pair made a racially-insensitive call to a Chinese restaurant last month. While it was obviously bad-timing due to the racially-charged Don Imus situation, inspired by none other than racially-motivated terrorists, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (duh!), the call was also jejune and stupid; the pair is being dismissed as much for their reliance on the mental equivalent of on-air "fart jokes" as for their racial insensitivity.

As reported here a while back, the flap occurred when the DJs made a call to a local Chinese restaurant and harped on Asian stereotypes, using an exaggerated accent, asking for "flied lice," and so forth. The prank call was not necessarily racially offensive - unless you're an Asian-American just looking for a fight or have some ulterior motive - so much as stupid and certainly not funny. It was, literally, two jackasses calling and asking if the shop owner has "Prince Albert in a can." It reminded me exactly of that Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode where Meatwad finds it hilarious to call people and say, "My butt!" Over and over and over.

I really like what CBS President, Les Moonves, said about 'a society of permissiveness which makes people allow themselves to be demeaned,' and wanting to make a stand against such. But again, I have to say that you have to put this into perspective:

While the Asian-American community behind this push for the DJs' dismissal may be overreacting, theirs is an honest overreaction; they're offended, even if they are allowing themselves to be overly-offended in order to make their point. The prank call was a juvenile, stupid thing that lacked originality, irony, or any true humor; it catered to the lowest common denominator and was perpetrated by the same.

Don Imus' comments were relevant and humorous, even if irreverent and controversial. In fact, to say that Don Imus can't refer to certain people by using the very terms others in their community use, you create racial division. By that, I mean that if a black comedian had called them, "nappy-headed hos," it would have been comedy; when an old white man does it, it's "racially-insensitive." In fact, for those who can't tell the difference, therein is where the humor lies: in my - and many others' - mind, hearing a young, black person call them "nappy-headed hos" would have been ugly, but to hear this old, white man - who is known for his shock-white hair and large, black, cowboy hats - say the same, it's pretty funny. It's funny because you expect a young, black person to say something like that; you don't even expect an old, white guy to know those terms and use them correctly.

Which obviously speaks to the prevalence of such language-usage in our modern society.