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OrnotBitwise
07-28-2006, 09:37 AM
. . . so I'm sharing. Lucky you! :cof1:

Until instructed otherwise by the Power That Be Damocles, I, personally, intend to use this secondary forum for general nonsense on culture (war) and such. Like this one here.

This is today's Mark Morford column. As usual, it's just an excerpt: click the link at the end to read the rest. Today we explore the world of rampant stupidity, boys and girls. The question is, is it rampant PC stupidity or cowardly defensive stupidity? You decide.


Dumb People Make Children Cry
PBS fires young, female kiddie-show host over old, naughty video. Smart people groan

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Friday, July 28, 2006

What sort of people are we? What sort of warped and reckless and utterly silly value system do we suck on in this culture? Why are we so wildly, preternaturally terrified of all things sexual while at the same time drawn to it all like fat teenagers to French fries?

It is a fine moment to ask. Is it the lingering cancer of puritanism that makes us so bewildered? The rash-inducing wail of the evangelical right? How can they be slapped upside the head and put into a small cold room without windows for 10 thousand years or until they relax and take off their pants and learn to laugh again?

Here is one example. Here is an insidious nonstory about sex and puritanism and silly stupid people that happened recently in our silly stupid morally damaged culture, and you need to know because it infects us all and we need to develop some sort of vaccine, some sort of protective body armor as soon as humanly possible.

Apparently, the PBS Sprout Network just fired one of its on-air talents, name of Melanie Martinez, the host of a nightly, three-hour show called "The Good Night Show," which, according to the AP story, "airs soothing stories and cartoons designed to get an audience of 2-to-5-year-olds ready for bed. Each night, Martinez guides a puppet character into dreamland."

Right. So "The Good Night Show" ain't exactly "The West Wing." It's not exactly "Deadwood" on HBO. It's a cute piece of harmless fluff on PBS that airs in about 20 million homes. Martinez, it is reported, has a toddler of her own, which we can take to mean she knows something about what kids like. I'm guessing she smiles a lot. Is maternal. Sits on giant, brightly colored furniture and chats with birds. Or whatever.

Now, not owning a toddler of my own and therefore usually watching "The Daily Show" or browsing blogs or surfing for porn during kiddie bedtime hour, I have no idea what the hell this show is. But it sounds just insanely sweet and safe, in the way only a show that's designed to be televised Ambien for the pre-complete-sentence set could possibly be.

But then, a shocker. Turns our lovely Melanie Martinez is not what she appeared to be. Turns out Melanie Martinez had, prior to her gig smiling a lot and keeping your kids company for three solid hours while you join me in surfing for porn on the Internet, turns out she had a tiny sliver of an adult life before she took the gig at PBS. And what's worse, it's on video. On the Internet.

Oh. My. God.

Yes indeed, before joining PBS (a full seven years before, mind you), Martinez apparently appeared in two harmless, 30-second satire videos called "Technical Virgin" in which she spoofs PSAs by joking about -- say it with me now -- sex and virginity. Gasp. And PBS found out about it. Because Martinez told them.

And of course, PBS, spineless as a jellyfish licked by Pat Robertson, immediately fired her. They claimed the dialogue in Martinez's humor videos somehow meant she wasn't a good role model for their fluffy kiddie show. A show, remember, that's designed for 3-year-olds. For creatures who can barely go to the bathroom by themselves, much less understand the meaning of an adult satiric video they will never ever see.
http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

toby
07-28-2006, 09:47 AM
I don't know about the woman but that article is funny, a stupid hate filled liberal rant that makes no sense or connection to the facts.

Immanuel
07-28-2006, 09:49 AM
Oh my gosh! Maybe we should burn her at the stake too.

{/sarcasm off}

Give me a break and give her her job back.

Immie

OrnotBitwise
07-28-2006, 09:52 AM
I don't know about the woman but that article is funny, a stupid hate filled liberal rant that makes no sense or connection to the facts.
Oh, Irony Police . . . .

OrnotBitwise
07-28-2006, 09:54 AM
Oh my gosh! Maybe we should burn her at the stake too.

{/sarcasm off}

Give me a break and give her her job back.

Immie
Agreed. You've got to wonder, though, what kind of brain damaged moron made the decision to fire her in the first place. I mean, really: what was he -- she? -- thinking?

That's what intrigues me about it, in a morbid sort of way.

IHateGovernment
07-28-2006, 09:55 AM
On a related note take a read at this article.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/27/nursing.cover.ap/index.html

People are stupid. Oh Noes Boobies!!!!

Damocles
07-28-2006, 09:58 AM
What are the chances that a three year old will run into the videos, make the connection, then suddenly devolve into a sexual beast because somebody made fun of virginity?

Gotta figure they are pretty remote.

IHateGovernment
07-28-2006, 10:01 AM
I will again note that this is part of the problem with public media. It is forced to live up to unreasonable sanitary standards because some groups demand it because part of their tax dollars fund such programs. If PBS relied solely on donations it would be more shielded from this concern.

Immanuel
07-28-2006, 10:10 AM
I mean, really: what was he -- she? -- thinking?



Maybe I can have her job?

Immie

toby
07-28-2006, 10:13 AM
There is more here than meets the eye. I can't see why she would be fired by PBS. I admit someone who makes a video telling teenagers to save your vagina have anal sex, is maybe not the best person to host a childrens show..........LOL

OrnotBitwise
07-28-2006, 12:15 PM
On a related note take a read at this article.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/27/nursing.cover.ap/index.html

People are stupid. Oh Noes Boobies!!!!
I note that if one quarter of the magazine's readers found the cover inappropriate, this implies that three quarters did not. This gives me some hope.

We all have our little prejudicial intolerances. This is one of mine. I think that anyone who finds that picture offensive is a dumbshit who probably shouldn't be allowed to raise children unsupervised.

:mad:

toby
07-28-2006, 12:25 PM
Pee Wee Herman, another great child enterment actor who lost his job for silly little sex deviations.

DigitalDave
07-28-2006, 01:57 PM
LOL, Pee Wee was frakin awesome when I was a kid. I laughed my ass off but never realized what he was saying. I've seen a few episodes since, and still laugh my ass off, but this time its because of all the 'hidden messages' I never caught as a kid. Its great! I'm not raping kids....