Anchorage Daily News

Disciplinary action must be taken

This letter comes from myself and the Rural Human Services Group 15 -- a group of university students and elders who are committed to serving all Alaskans by improving health and social services.

We are responding to the derogatory comments made on 100.5-FM "The Fox" radio station's Woody and Wilcox show recently. We must see accountability for the degradation of our Native women. Our Native women are held in high regard, as all women should be. We feel that disciplinary action must be taken, not only with the DJs, but with the radio station itself.

We live in a time and place where comments promoting hate cannot be tolerated. We urge all Alaskans, men and women, Native and non-Native, to take a stand that such comments have no place on the radio or anyplace else. We should hope that the show's sponsors will also reconsider their continued support as these derogatory statements reflect on them.

Woody and Wilcox, we hope that your mothers, daughters, wives/girlfriends, sisters, nieces and grandmothers are as ashamed and disgusted as we are.

-- Teisha Simmons

Fairbanks

Vent frustration by volunteering

While I certainly don't condone the comments made by Woody and Wilcox, I have to wonder if the effort mustered to suspend the two could have been diverted to a better cause. According to the article ("DJs silenced after racial slur," April 16), Michelle Davis was so offended by the comments, she called the station manager, e-mailed a network of friends, wrote to news media, Native leaders, politicians and the FCC. While I have no way of knowing how much time that took, it's safe to say it was one hour at the very least.

Now, what if everyone who was offended by the comments spent one hour volunteering at a battered women's shelter. Imagine the impact of thousands of people consolidating their efforts to comfort and soothe the victims of this heinous abuse. Instead, we're going to try to get two idiots fired. What they said was wrong and they deserve to be reprimanded, but whether they return to the airwaves or not, it won't prevent one single abuse. Isn't that what is at the heart of the matter?

If you are outraged by something, use your energy to make a difference, not an example.

-- Shawn Schaefer

Anchorage

DJs should read from Dr. King

Here is a quote for Woody and Wilcox;

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

-- Helen Setuk

Anchorage

Fire the insensitive shock jocks

Recently two local insensitive disc jockeys (Woody and Wilcox) from 100.5-FM "The Fox" made some incredibly ignorant, racist remarks about Alaska Native women. This type of behavior has no place in our society. This offends not only the Native population but all Alaskans.

The station stated that it was handling it internally and that it would not happen again. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated; at the very least they should be fired immediately. Don Imus made the same type of offending remarks and was fired from his job.

I encourage all Alaskans to pressure not only the radio station, but its sponsors to do the right thing. Not only should they be removed from their jobs, but they should be shipped out of the state. Their comments are not only disgusting, but degrading as well, and they should be ashamed of themselves. For the station to support them is incomprehensible.

-- Doug Lyon

Anchorage

Shameful attitudes linger

Jokes represent attitudes, stereotypes. Dumb blonde jokes show the stereotype of stupid women concerned with their appearance. While exaggerated to be funny, those jokes show an attitude toward the group they portray, and there is a certain subset of the population that exemplifies the lack of common sense noted in the jokes.

Racial slurs, like that made on 100.5-FM about a week ago, have much more offensive undertones. Instead of implying pretty young women lack common sense, jokes targeting racial groups imply that the behavior noted in the joke is typical, tied to skin color. Young blonde women gain common sense (mostly), but race is an unchangeable trait. Like practical jokes, insulting humor is only amusing to the people who are joking; those they are laughing at are generally considerably less amused.

These DJs have been dealt with; nonetheless, the attitudes they exemplified are still around. Their example encouraged acceptance of these attitudes in the listeners. Especially here, where there are such high rates of violence toward women, respect toward women regardless of race should be a concern to anyone targeting young men as their main audience. Before making a disrespectful joke, put yourself in the shoes of the person being made fun of. If you wouldn't like it, they probably won't either.

-- Grace Amundsen

Anchorage

Woody and Wilcox not bad guys

"Shock radio," sadly, has been accepted in the United States for years. The comment made by Woody and Wilcox during their radio show on KBFX 100.5-FM radio about Native women was very offensive and they should be reprimanded.

But to call them "shock radio" and to demand they be fired is absurd.

I became a fan of the Woody and Wilcox show two years ago, after they moved up here, because I couldn't take the abusive, mean-spirited and extremely racist comments on the Bob and Mark show at KWHL 106.5-FM. (Probably why they're no longer at KBFX.) They've been making fun of Alaska Natives for years and denigrating women all along the way. Why are they not yanked off the air?

For those who have called for the firing of Woody and Wilcox, if you've listened to them regularly, you would know them to be two of the most decent guys you will ever meet. They most certainly regret their vulgar twist on the old Alaska proverb that was vulgar on its own merit.

Focus your anger toward racism that has existed on the radio in Anchorage for years, not on Woody and Wilcox.

-- Larry Austin

Anchorage

Radio comments are deplorable

The "Woody and Wilcox Show" made one of the most appalling statements that I have ever heard during their shock jock show about whether or not you're a true Alaskan; "Have you made love to the Yukon River and peed in a Native woman?"

This degrades Alaska Native woman on so many levels and adds to all sorts of stereotypes. I am a young Alaska Native woman and I think that this comment is just deplorable and really shows the immaturity and ignorance of "grown men." Radio hosts are so open about their opinions and they think that they can get away with anything because they have top ratings from listeners. In no uncertain terms would this statement be appropriate to say about any nationality, i.e. African-American, Asian, Caucasian, American Indian, etc.

-- Adrianne Ahlstrand

Anchorage

We should all express outrage

I suppose that it is the nature of "shock jocks" that they say things that are edgy and in your face, but honestly, there must be a line that is not crossed.

The First Amendment protects our right of speech but it does not protect you when you express racist statements that demean women and perpetuate hate. In our society today, the blind eye hurts us the most; it is when people fail to act in the moment of injustice that we have prevented our community from breaking free from the chains of bigotry and oppression. The comments made on the Woody and Wilcox show should not be taken lightly and if during the broadcast you laughed you should feel shame; and not just shame for yourself but shame for the community that raised you to think these comments are both humorous and acceptable.

Expect more from our society and we can succeed, but before we can achieve anything, we must do more than sanction these two individuals with fines, loss of their jobs and "sensitivity training." We must each take a stand for what is right and educate our children. We must teach them that these messages are not what we want for our society and definitely what we do not want for our future.

-- Sean Prince

Eagle River

Don't tolerate such behavior

I was deeply moved by the truth and dignity of Julie Kitka's statement regarding this recent example of racism and sexism directed toward Alaska Native women. The statistics of violence toward Alaska women, particularly Native women, speak for themselves, and mirror to us the shadow of the great frontier.

I have lived in Alaska for 30 years; have known many Alaska Native women, some of whom are my deepest abiding friendships. I have witnessed the dehumanizing racist encounters my friends endure in restaurants, stores, etc.; witnessed the grace, poise and greatness of spirit these women exhibit in the face of this ignorance and hatred. I have felt with them and for them the terror of being physically vulnerable in Anchorage. They are targets for the worst sort of crime. Why? Because we as a community tolerate this. We tolerate jokes, side comments, violence. We cultivate stereotypes, over genuine human respect and interaction. Maybe we even feel better about ourselves because at least we are not "those people." This kind of thing makes all of us so small, and even ugly.

There is an old word, integrity, another called respect. We could actually make a decision to offer both to ourselves and each other. We could actually show our children what these words truly mean.

-- Barbara Flaherty

Anchorage

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