This morning, before heading into work, I was watching
Mornings on 2, a local TV news program. I was trying
to get a traffic update before heading out onto the Bay
Area's freeway system. While I'm watching, the TV talking
heads report that John Rocker received a standing ovation
when he returned to the pitching mound last night in
Florida. What's more, NO ONE on the news team can figure
out WHY.
In an
interview with Sports Illustrated Magazine two months ago, Atlanta Braves
pitcher John Rocker repeatedly made racist, homophobic, and xenophobic remarks.
As a result, he's been reviled by the mainstream press and also received a 14
game suspension which will start at the beginning of the next season.
Back to Mornings on 2… After reporting that Rocker got a standing
ovation, the "news team" starts speculating on just why it is that this
happened. They speculate that the crowd is "anti-media" and they're showing
their support for the underdog. They speculate that the crowd is applauding the
public apology that Rocker made weeks after the original interview. They EVEN
speculate that the crowd is full of free speech advocates, and they're showing
their support for Rocker's first amendment rights.
I couldn't believe they could be so dense, so I got on-line and started
checking other mainstream news sources. ALL OF THEM seem puzzled by the crowd's
reaction. None seem to be able to figure it out.
ATTENTION OLD MEDIA: WAKE THE FUCK UP! THE CROWD IN THE BASEBALL PARK IN
FLORIDA GAVE JOHN ROCKER A STANDING OVATION BECAUSE THEY AGREE WITH
HIM! THE CROWD GAVE HIM A STANDING OVATION BECAUSE THEY'RE A BUNCH OF RACIST,
HOMOPHOBIC, XENOPHOBIC FUCKHEADS! PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES AND START
REPORTING THE NEWS THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!
As hard as it is to admit, Intolerance is alive and well in the United States.
Yesterday, in a baseball park in Florida, Intolerance received a standing
ovation.
