OUT HERE ON MY OWN
Well folks, here I am, out of the Penalty Box, and on my own. What a week it’s been!
One week ago today, I wrote a blog that changed my life. A blog that made me famous, or perhaps infamous is the better term. When I wrote it, I knew it was on the line of being controversial, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened.
Now, I am suddenly a “controversial figure” nationally. I am reviled by many as a “racist pig”, bigoted scumbag who deserved to be fired. At the same time I am saluted by seemingly just as many as a free speech advocate who didn’t give in to the political correctness police.
All of this controversy of course led to my firing from the radio station I had worked at since 1997. Sixteen years and I got fired for things I wrote in a blog that I had written for over two years that maybe 50 people read each week. It was a blog that I did on my own, that was not part of my job description. It was a blog that I did to help the station get maybe a few more “unique visitors and page views that they might not have without me. I wanted to try to build a following, and work on my writing style in case I wanted to go into that field sometime in the future.
I thought I was a pretty good writer. I was learning how to twist a phrase and word things in a powerful way. I was developing a writing style. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how powerful the written word was. It is way more powerful than the spoken word. As a lifelong radio guy who was trying to become a writer, that is something that I didn’t recognize.
When I wrote the column about the Asian golfers on the LPGA tour, and how their overabundance was hurting the tour, I thought it was a valid point. It had nothing to do with racism against Asian golfers. Folks, I swear to you and to God that it didn’t. I said in my column that it might SOUND that way, but I can tell you it wasn’t MEANT that way.
I would have said the same thing about Swedes if there were two dozen Swedish golfers in the top 50 on the money list. Does that make me racist against Swedes? It shouldn’t. I was simply trying to make the point that the LPGA tour isn’t as much fun to watch now as it used to be for me, and I presumed for a majority of others. It was a presumption that I guess I shouldn’t have made. Those who were offended by my premise didn’t like being lumped in with my presumption. I am sorry I made you folks feel that way. I am truly sorry to have angered and offended so many people with my words., but I have to stand by my basic premise, even after losing my job for it. Let me try to put it another way….
When you watch the Olympics, do you cheer for the US athletes when watching the coverage? At least more than the other counties athletes? While I am sure that many of the same people who assailed me will say “oh yes Craig, of course we would. We cheer for the thrill of the competition, and it is fine with us if a US athlete didn’t win a medal as long as they gave it their best”, I will again presume that most people will agree with me. You bet your ass you cheer for the Americans! That’s why most of the coverage on the TV networks focus on US competitors. If there isn’t an American swimmer in a swimming final, people tune out and turn the channel in droves.
That is what I am seeing with the LPGA tour. That makes me a racist? BULL! That makes me ethno-centric yes, but not a racist. I am so sorry that so many people took what I said to mean that I am anti-Korean or anti-Asian. Whatever you want to think, I know I am not. I have a Korean American cousin that I love very much. I have an Asian eye doctor at the Flaum eye institute who I am highly counting on in my battle against my blindness. I would never say “there are just too gosh darn many Asian doctors.” It is a different argument.
What I should have done, was write a column saying that there are just not enough American golfers doing well on the LPGA tour and it is hurting the popularity of the tour in the US. If I say that, there is no controversy and I still have a job. I know that now. Thing is, it’s the same thing. It’s the same argument, the same point. Singling out a specific culture or country is where I got myself in hot water. It wasn’t “politically correct” That is the big problem really. Isn’t it?
Say what you want, but this is all about our society of political correctness. My line about “pots and pans banging together” was a stupid thing for me to say, I admit. It was crass. It was classless. It also would have gotten big laughs from the studio audience if Archie Bunker said it in the 70’s. When I wrote that, I was trying to make an Archie Bunker-like comment to be funny while at the same time, backing up my point. It was a bad idea. Again, I apologize to anyone I offended with this stupid remark.
My new point following the whole thing, is that “political correctness” is ruining this country. And it’s not consistent. Charles Barkley can say that “white guys can’t jump” as much as he wants, but God forbid any white writer like myself says anything about black athletes and all hell will break loose. I know. A similar thing happened to me.
I am not going away folks. I will tell all the people who called me every vile name in the book, that I will not be beaten down. I am going to continuye to keep fighting for freedom of speech, no matter how rotten that speech may be.
The P.C. police would love nothing more than to see a country of robotic people who all think and say the exact same things. I am going to do what I can to try to make sure that doesn’t happen. Join me for the ride, tell your friends about craigschaller.com, and keep on coming back. I will try to keep giving you interesting things to read.
