I don’t listen to WDCG’s G-105 morning drive time bigot Bob Dumas of “Bob and the Showgram,” I did years ago, but it’s easy to tire of juvenile, offensive frat boy humor that gets him in hot water all the time, and he’s an equal opportunity offender. (N&O):
In the radio segment, Dumas and co-hosts kidded an intern about her upcoming marriage to a Lumbee Indian. Dumas joked that Indians are “lazy” and that “a lot of Indians live on the reservation.” He also asked whether the groom’s grandfather would stand on the side of the road “with a single tear.”After that BS, complaints to the FCC and Clear Channel Communications quickly rolled in. WDCG General Manager Dick Harlow released this statement on the station’s web site:Co-host Mike Morse asked: “After you guys get married, are you going to have a tepee-warming party?”
“WDCG apologizes to any listener that may have found remarks or recordings played Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 during Bob and the Showgram to be offensive, derogatory or insensitive. WDCG does not condone inappropriate behavior, language or insensitive remarks.”This is the same station, by the way, that sponsored a Straight Pride Parade in Chapel Hill, NC.…Paul Brooks, chairman of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, released a statement lambasting “Bob and the Showgram” for the Tuesday remarks, as well as a history of “derogatory and insultuous comments against American Indians, African Americans, Asians and Hispanics.”
More below the fold.
When I did a write up about the event at DKos, someone from the area wrote this about Dumas:
Bob “Dick” Dumas (Dumbass) of said Showgram was “sanctioned” at G-105 a couple of years ago for advocating that drivers should start targeting cyclists on Triangle roads, but only after the publicity made it to major media outlets and even as far away as Australia (which is a cycling nuts country, but I digress). Frankly, that was benign compared to some of the other stuff he’s done. He is a self-professed Southern Baptist (in the cultural sense more than the religious sense), so what does that say?Here’s a little blast from the past; some photos from the Straight Pride parade back in 2004. My wife Kate and I went over to do a little “oppo research.”He also brought you the radio show “Straight Eye for the Gay Guy” where they tried to dress this poor guy up in plaid and cowboy boots and take him to a redneck bar and teach him how to pick up women. Nice.
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| West Franklin, street where the parade was held. | So pathetic a turnout that the traffic was still flowing at the start time (10:45) |
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| Well, here is the whole crowd that showed up, no lie.. | However, it seemed as though half of this crowd was actually queer folks. |
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| So the parade begins. | The other mascot finally gets his suit on. |
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| Again, it seemed few proud straight folks decided to march. | The G-105 logo was not abundant during this. By the way, this was one of 3 trucks that had a blow-up sex doll aboard. |
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| The festivities ended after about 15 minutes, tops, at Henderson St. | There was a table selling “Flaming Heterosexual” merchandise. We didn’t notice much sales activity. |
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| We came prepared with a sign, but decided the event was too pathetic to participate in it… |
We’ll save it for the NC Pride parade. |
26 Responses to “NC deejay hurls slurs at Native Americans”
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Why do these assholes always apologise “if people FELT offended”. Weasels. It’s not about someone ‘taking it the wrong way’. WHAT THEY SAID WAS OFFENSIVE. The only legitimate apology is ’sorry for our offensive remarks’.
The ‘apology’ they issued is akin to ’sorry your face got in the way of my fist’.
Love your and Kate’s signs by the way!
This is what is wrong with the US today. Who gives a flying fart what anyone says. Back in the day we always said “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” There are many things that Bob says that are idiotic but hey that is when I change the station. By calling them names (assholes, stupid, redneck, etc) you are offending people (namely me). So where the hell is my apology? That is what I thought. Grow up and shut up … that goes for you too Bob.
Awww, adorable signs, Pam & Kate!
The straight pride parade is stupid, but it reminds me of something that happened last week, when a straight friend was telling me about how a huge percentage of her coworkers at her current job are gay. “I feel like the odd one out,” she said. “This must be what it feels like for gay people all the time, except people are actually mean to them about it.” So I patted her on the shoulder and said, half-joking, “Well, you know, it really is okay to be straight!” She grinned, but then said, “Hey, that actually helped.” It’s not like either of us thought that in most of life she was being discriminated against (or even that anyone at her job was doing that), but it seemed like the right thing to do to address her slight feeling of discomfort and say that hey, she wasn’t *bad* for being straight–just different from the majority (at her current job).
Kind of like Kate’s sign, actually.
“Asshole” and “stupid” are descriptions of behaviour, Doc, which can be shown to be true or false descriptions. Personally, I think someone who makes money off insulting an entire race of people *is* pretty much the definition of asshole, but YMMV.
“Redneck” is a bit offensive, true. How about some empathy for people who get called worse than that all the time? It’s fine for someone to say “sticks and stones” when they’ve never had to face the fact that the hate behind words might lead to actual beatings with sticks and stones. Or refers to people like themselves having been and deserving to be beaten up.
His slurs are especially offensive given the Lumbee history with the federal government not fully recognizing them as a tribe–they don’t even have a reservation, moron!
OT - there is a debate on the rec list at DKos about McCain ending Roe v Wade and the trogs are out.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/5/21102/37447/560/489628
sorry for the OT
thanks
I “miss-saw” (Bushisms a plenty — it’s not on the rec list .. but the trogs are still out
And in “the day” you had lots of people getting lynched, and lots of people growing up insane. Sticks and stones may break bones, but you’ll remember names way after the scars heal.
Words do, in fact, mean something.
Back in the day we always said “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”
Back in the day, people were lynched, tarred and feathered, jailed and brutalized, etc. for being different. Good ol’ days, yep!
Your point was …
Apropos of nothing, the Lumbee are a fascinating American Original. They are almost certainly not First Nation in the sense of having existed before the arrival of the white man, but they are unambiguously a unique culture, true to themselves, and without question a genuine people unto themselves, as much so as any other. Their heritage draws on Native Americans, runaway slaves, and the outcasts of the colonial Europeans. Like the Geechee, the We-Sorts, and the Melugeons, they exist as living evidence of the clash of cultures that is essential to understanding the origins of the USA, but which the vast majority of USAmericans have no idea even exist. Despite the fact that I’m descended from Germans settlers who came after the Revolution and Dutch settlers who came before the English, the peoples I most identify with are the triracial isolates who draw together the cultures of three continents and who have managed to survive against incredible odds to the present day.
As a Cherokee, I could really care less WHAT anyone says about the Lumbee “tribe”. There’s a reason the govt took so long to recognize them as a sov. nation…because they are NOT a legitimate tribe as far as we’re concerned.
Leave it to people that aren’t the race being attacked to throw a fit.
Lumbee. What a joke.
The slurs towards american indians…still a joke.
People who aren’t indians getting upset at people making fun of indians…biggest joke.
It’s hard to describe how deeply these sort of things wound you as a person, especially for persons who rarely face this. I will freely admit that I don’t hear racist comments against Native Americans often (I appear to take after dad’s side of the family, so it’s not obvious that I have a lot of Native blood in me).
A few years ago, a co-worker used the phrase “Indian giver” in front of me. I know that she didn’t mean any disrespect to me, it was just a phrase she grew up with. Still, it hit me like a physical slap in the face. Anyone who comments about “sticks and stones” truly doesn’t understand what it feels like to have racism thrust in your face. It hurts hard. It hurts so bad, it’s almost a physical pain, even though you weren’t touched. I will never forget it.
Thanks Pam for posting this. I’m happy that we are no longer sweeping this type of racism under the carpet. It’s not a joke if the other person doesn’t find it funny.
Great comment, btw Dinogirl. I hate when companies offer the standard not-apology of “I’m sorry your skin isn’t thick enough to take a joke”.
I can’t speak for other ‘minorities,’ but African-Americans have something of a cultural awareness regarding ethnic slurs. When a white person uses such an expression, it isn’t just about callous disregard for an individual’s feelings. It calls up a long history of violence and oppression. That isn’t to say that I expect every white person who uses an ethnically insensitive term to come riding to my home in the middle of the night with guns and torches; times have changed and the sacrifices of the past have produced a great deal of progress.
However, in these times when white people are being instructed (and none too subtly) to fear the ever-growing Brown Menace, public displays of callous bigotry have to be called out. As Dave and Sara at Orcinus have been documenting so diligently, eliminationism in our society is a very serious issue. And it always starts with words.
So to Doc, if one is a member of the privileged group (or if one imagines that one is ‘in’ on that privilege), then perhaps one can afford to be so cavalier about publicly broadcast eliminationist prattle. As a person who does not share that skin, it is in my best interests to be more vigilant. And I understand that people have the right to speak their minds (as small as those minds might be). So say what you want, m—–f—–, but be certain that I’m watching your bigoted ass.
I should note, to those who aren’t aware, I do have Native American heritage — on both sides of my family.
People who aren’t indians getting upset at people making fun of indians…biggest joke.
Yeah, you’re so right.
People should only sit up and take notice of injustice when it personally happens to them.
Oh, and it is also a rule that if the insulter is so ignorant that they use the wrong slur against the insultee, the episode officially “doesn’t count”.
“i have native american heritage on both sides of my family”
I’ve always loved hearing this…especially from the tourists on the res that think it’s some big feat or some fact that allows others to relate to us.
“i’m (insert fraction here) Cherokee (or other legit tribe)”
My favorite response is always coming up with an obscure fraction and telling them that’s how much white man I am.
Unless you’ve lived on the res, I’ve never cared much for anyone who claims to have “native american heritage” and treats it like it’s a reason for them to get upset over a recycling commercial.
Or a joke of said recycling commercial.
a reason for them to get upset over a recycling commercial.
Yes, I too am one of the bazillions of Americans who are at least part Native American on some side of the family, somewhere.
You know what?
A) I don’t care overmuch about this particular tidbit, at least no more than I care about the fact that I also have both Cossack and Ashkenazi Jewish blood. Irony of ironies, eh? Welcome to 21st Century America, where everyone whose family has been here more than a generation or two is of mixed ancestry.
B) My general sense of disgust about this whole stupid radio morning show episode has NOTHING to do with any First Nations ancestry I may or may not have. It has to do with my conscience as a human being. My parents (all 15-odd ancestries) raised me to understand that we DO NOT insult people over things they can’t really control, like how they look or what their last name is or how much money they have. And yes, that extends to mocking someone based on your understanding of their racial or ethnic background.
Also, you know what? Ethnic/religious purity arguments bore me. I don’t care if it’s “You’re not really Jewish unless your mother is”, “Barack Obama isn’t ‘black enough’”, “Mormons aren’t really Christians,” etc. etc. etc. ENOUGH ALREADY!
Mike: Whether or not you think the Lumbee are a legitimate tribe, they are treated like crap in NC by people who treat lots of other people of color like crap, too. As a human being, I don’t like seeing people treated like crap.
I love the signs. Priceless. If it hadn’t genuinely involved some homophobes trying to stick it to gay people, the parade could have been a great meta-joke on homophobia.
This level of playground racism is pretty much what I dealt with growing up - for instance, having a Sioux father meant that he must be a lawyer, and a half Cherokee mother meant that she must be a jeep. Growing up exceedingly proud of a heritage that was little more than a joke to 90% of the other kids was pretty heartbreaking, but I stop short of thinking that I’ve felt any significant/institutional oppression. Just stupid jokes that I took way too personally. I’m not swarthy enough for most people in Oregon to be “Native American,” so whatever bitterness I harbour is for people who think their nominal amount of native blood cancels mine.
Mike: I’ve never lived on a reservation, and this has a lot to do with the fact that a drought forced my grandmother’s family to move to Oregon when she was still a child. I don’t see why living there is a pre-requisite to having your heritage mean something.
I, too, am amused by people who tell me they’re such and such quantity when it is obviously just a matter of interest to them, but having seen the state of the reservations in Oregon (and feeling no connection to the cultural practices of the tribes in this area) I just keep it in my heart, where I think it matters most.
I would defer to Pam and her family’s heritage, but in many parts of Maryland it is quite common for African-Americans to share in Native American heritage. In Prince George’s County, Maryland’s largest majority Black jurisdiction, many, many Black residents are descended of the Piscataway Nation, who (if my history is correct) intermarried fairly freely with escaped slaves and liberated slaved in Maryland and from nearby Washington, DC.
The Proctor and Savoy clans in that county extend very wide and far there; most members of those families are descended from the Piscataway, who are in Maryland anywhere not a recognized/scheduled tribe for BIA purposes.
I should note, to those who aren’t aware, I do have Native American heritage — on both sides of my family.
OK, I’m not trying to be a dick, but have you confirmed that? I only ask because I saw a documentary on PBS with Henry Louis Gates about African-American geneaology with a specific focus on interracial aspects, and a lot of people were certain they had Native American ancestors. But they did DNA swabs (on famous people, like Tina Turner), and they had no NA DNA at all; it was just family lore.
When I was a kid in the ’70s, it seemed like everybody, black and white alike, claimed to be 1/16 Cherokee. Of course, it was the era of Alcatraz, the BIA protests, “Cherokee Nation,” and that fake Injun with the single tear.
Sometimes family legends are right!
My 6th great-grandmother Meribah Wardwell was 1/2 Indian. Her mother was captured in 1720, had a child and was eventually reunited with her family. This was someone else’s research I just found online, but aligns perfectly with what I have.
Mike: Most Indians don’t even live on reservations, they’re more urban now.
I have both Lumbee and Cherokee friends and have visited both areas of NC. Both are beautiful people and cultures, and the Lumbee definitely are a unique set of people, bound together by blood, history, a strong sense-of-place, a unique dialect. Why doesn’t that make them a “legitimate tribe”? Please answer, since you and other Cherokees seem to take the job of “cultural police.” And do you consider the Mashantucket Pequots a “legitimate tribe” even though they’ve lost their language and culture and are predominately African American, yet they are Federally Recognized?
Lumbees seem to get a bad rep because they are mixed. But Cherokees are no different; they are mixed people also. My close Cherokee friend from the NC rez looks black, and I have other Cherokee friends who look white…from the rez! And I’ve met Lumbees who look like full-bloods.
I think its sad that Indians themselves have accepted blood quantums as the way to determine who belongs and who does not…who is Federally Recognized and who is not. Who is full blood and who is mixed. Who has light skin and who is too dark! And on and on….Indians have forgotten their own histories before European contact and still use use the colonized protocol to define and recognize each other as Indians!
And let us all say “Amen.”
and therefore never send to know for whom the troll yells
it trolls for thee.
Bob has offended many people while having his show. I actually am glad that somebody has finally come public with the topics of his show. There have been many racially motivated jokes made on his show that were more offensive than the remarks of Don Imus and as a black race we stood up against that but yet allow Dumas to rape us of our pride everyday. So what the Lumbee Indians are doing is something that should have already have been done. We in America think things are funny that are idiotic. But only when it hits home do we get upset. As far as them note being real indians a comment that was made from a user above. I would like for you to read your history. Plus with comments like that you are actually no different from Dumas. Now personally i support the cancellation of the radio show and he should not be allowed back on the air.