For many working-class Pittsburghers, Al Julius was a powerful voice for those who didn't hold large sums of money or influential positions of authority.
Loved by the blue-collars. Feared by the white-collars. The former was his world.
"Julius' World" was the name of his five-minute commentary five days a week on KDKA-TV's six o'clock news edition.
He wore suits and ties when he was on KQV radio in the 1960s. But by 1973, the brash, Brooklyn native had made the move to television, and in doing so, ironically took on a less camera-friendly image, marked by his full graying beard and abandoning suits for sportcoats, usually with sweaters and never a necktie.
And makeup? I can see him telling the director "you know what you can do with that."
Why? Because the people he was trying to reach likely didn't own a suit, much less wear one often. He was the de facto voice in the media for those who had none.
He was bare and blunt, unashamed of his words and actions, and had no patience for those who tap-danced around what they really wanted to say. In Julius' World, it's OK to get mad!
"Out out out!" One of his catchphrases during interviews. He wanted that raw emotion, that anger, that feeling of discontentment that few externalize in polite society.
He had no time for it. Less so for what he described as the 'fluff and puff' that people wanted to hear and see on TV, rather than what they needed to hear.
He wanted people to know the opinions those had of local government. The wasteful spending, the indifference towards those losing their jobs after the steel industry collapsed. The blind eye towards Pittsburgh's fabled red-light district along Liberty Avenue. The poor and hungry in our own backyard trying to find something in their lives to be thankful for...which culminated in something that still lives on, more than two decades after his departure and over a decade this month after his death.
He introduced "Julius' Turkeys" with all the subtlety of a busted chainsaw in the on-air promo that launched the annual Thanksgiving fundraiser.
He had the characteristic angry look in his eye...almost as if he were daring you to have a Happy Thanksgiving esconced in your suburban home's Barcalounger after stuffing yourself with turkey and stuffing, without giving a second thought to those less fortunate.
"THEIR tables will be bare...NOTHING!"
He wanted you to feel guilty about it. He wanted you to want to do something about it, and the last thing he wanted was having to tell you it was your duty to your fellow man to do it.
But if not for the imperfect world in which we live, Al's world may not have existed.
Al was rudely shoved aside during a massive layoff at KDKA-TV in 1991. While he said he would have accepted a pay cut, he was less willing to change the style that made him just as much a part of Pittsburgh as chipped ham and Iron City beer.
He proved it in 1995 when he given a chance to deliver a farewell address, which he began with his trademark irreverence.
"Where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"
Unfortunately, the likes of Al have fallen into anachronistic anonymity, where journalistic backbone has given way to 'safe' news reporting pandering to advertisers and political cronyism.
I've often heard it said it's better to safe than sorry.
Is it?
I'm sure Al would be the first to say "don't even think of going there."
NEXT WEEK: Workout to Work Out
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
KZ's Country
Hey, it doesn't affect me. Yet why do I still care?
Local AM radio stations have been leaving the dial en masse since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that mandated that radio stations listed as 'silent' had so many days to power back up or see their licenses expire.
Many of said stations were small-town operations that were licensed to operate only between sunrise and sunset. Over time, they lost their relevance and were supplanted by FM stations or other media altogether.
On May 16, 2013, it was the end of the line for a forty-two-and-a-half-year-old AM daytime station licensed to the city of Washington, Pennsylvania.
WKZV originally took to the air on October 1, 1970 as WKEG. The one thousand watt AM daytimer came on the air at a rather odd time, when FM radio was starting to gain momentum (though automakers weren't entirely sure at that time). Nonetheless, this little station pressed on and was a pretty impressive little powerhouse through the late 1980s, when its owner of 16 years decided to retire and sell to another owner.
Said owner ran said station into the ground faster than a pile driver at a Boston loading dock. It went off the air indefinitely until another owner was found. That owner eventually cut his losses after a year, unable to overcome the stigma created by previous mismanagement, and also went off the air until a new owner could be found.
In the business, we call a radio station that's gone off the air indefinitely as one that has 'gone dark'. The term applies to the broadcast tower, usually lighted, as 'dark' because there's no more money to pay the electric bill.
And that owner found making a tough go of the station. But this time, the station did not go dark. Other investors were found to take it over. After some tweaking, the station began to finally recover and prosper over time.
Then as the owners got older, they got tired. Tired of the hard work involved in keeping a station like this on the air and staying competitive as technology around them evolved.
Local radio stations require a lot of hands-on care by an operator willing to 'wear a lot of hats' as part of keeping such operations profitable.
Many radio stations have found themselves relying more on promotions-based revenue as a means to make money. Advertisers today are no longer buying straight commercial ads in the traditional sense, but rather, the 'value-added', or 'buy-this-and-you'll get-that' mentality.
When you get to a certain age, and you're facing health issues, many of which are business-related, you're less willing to do this. And if you're less willing to do this, you're even less willing to embrace new technology...spending money to make it back down the road.
Unfortunately, this will cost you in the long run. And it did them.
The original Collins transmitter, purchased in 1968 after the permit to build the station was first issued, had limped along for years, breaking down more frequently as parts to maintain it were not purchased in advance and had to be 'rush-ordered' at the last minute, and very costly.
This proved to be the last straw for the sole remaining owner, the other two having passed on, one day, when it was learned that two tubes were going to need replaced.
This meant an investment of about $8,000. Just five years ago, you could buy a brand-new solid-state transmitter for that amount.
The transmitter site was sold to recoup years of losses. The doors were shuttered and the sole two employees left at the station were released.
No deep corporate pockets. No unlimited line of credit. Just a mom and pop operation determined to press on.
Many speculate on what could have been done to save WKZV. It no longer matters. But to this radio veteran, it's an example of the American spirit.
To try even at the risk of failure.
To try and fail is far more admirable than to not try at all.
NEXT WEEK: His World Was Our World
Local AM radio stations have been leaving the dial en masse since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that mandated that radio stations listed as 'silent' had so many days to power back up or see their licenses expire.
Many of said stations were small-town operations that were licensed to operate only between sunrise and sunset. Over time, they lost their relevance and were supplanted by FM stations or other media altogether.
On May 16, 2013, it was the end of the line for a forty-two-and-a-half-year-old AM daytime station licensed to the city of Washington, Pennsylvania.
WKZV originally took to the air on October 1, 1970 as WKEG. The one thousand watt AM daytimer came on the air at a rather odd time, when FM radio was starting to gain momentum (though automakers weren't entirely sure at that time). Nonetheless, this little station pressed on and was a pretty impressive little powerhouse through the late 1980s, when its owner of 16 years decided to retire and sell to another owner.
Said owner ran said station into the ground faster than a pile driver at a Boston loading dock. It went off the air indefinitely until another owner was found. That owner eventually cut his losses after a year, unable to overcome the stigma created by previous mismanagement, and also went off the air until a new owner could be found.
In the business, we call a radio station that's gone off the air indefinitely as one that has 'gone dark'. The term applies to the broadcast tower, usually lighted, as 'dark' because there's no more money to pay the electric bill.
And that owner found making a tough go of the station. But this time, the station did not go dark. Other investors were found to take it over. After some tweaking, the station began to finally recover and prosper over time.
Then as the owners got older, they got tired. Tired of the hard work involved in keeping a station like this on the air and staying competitive as technology around them evolved.
Local radio stations require a lot of hands-on care by an operator willing to 'wear a lot of hats' as part of keeping such operations profitable.
Many radio stations have found themselves relying more on promotions-based revenue as a means to make money. Advertisers today are no longer buying straight commercial ads in the traditional sense, but rather, the 'value-added', or 'buy-this-and-you'll get-that' mentality.
When you get to a certain age, and you're facing health issues, many of which are business-related, you're less willing to do this. And if you're less willing to do this, you're even less willing to embrace new technology...spending money to make it back down the road.
Unfortunately, this will cost you in the long run. And it did them.
The original Collins transmitter, purchased in 1968 after the permit to build the station was first issued, had limped along for years, breaking down more frequently as parts to maintain it were not purchased in advance and had to be 'rush-ordered' at the last minute, and very costly.
This proved to be the last straw for the sole remaining owner, the other two having passed on, one day, when it was learned that two tubes were going to need replaced.
This meant an investment of about $8,000. Just five years ago, you could buy a brand-new solid-state transmitter for that amount.
The transmitter site was sold to recoup years of losses. The doors were shuttered and the sole two employees left at the station were released.
No deep corporate pockets. No unlimited line of credit. Just a mom and pop operation determined to press on.
Many speculate on what could have been done to save WKZV. It no longer matters. But to this radio veteran, it's an example of the American spirit.
To try even at the risk of failure.
To try and fail is far more admirable than to not try at all.
NEXT WEEK: His World Was Our World
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Stop the Pidgeon
In honor of Father's Day, this week's column is dedicated to a man who was both a father and a father figure to many others. Thanks for indulging me.
I meant to pay tribute to this man on the fifth anniversary of his passing last month. But I was still on the fence as to whether I wanted to come back and start writing on a weekly basis again.
To begin with, let's trace back.
Who remembers "Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines" cartoon that ran from 1969 to 1970 on CBS and then an even longer life in syndication on independent TV years after it was canceled?
For those who do, you remember Paul Winchell (who voiced the former titular character) singing "Stop the pigeon, stop the pigeon..." referring to Dastardly's nemesis, Yankee Doodle pigeon, who managed to evade every bumbling attempt by Dastardly and his three cohorts, Muttley, Klunk and Dilly, to 'stop the pigeon' from carrying messages to the enemy during a fictitious World War I era setting.
They came close, but never succeeded to 'stop the pigeon'.
History lesson over. Class dismissed.
This lesson was the groundbreaker in young Kelly Pidgeon's career. As an early 20-something getting his start in the business as the morning news voice on the former WNRJ 104.7 in Pittsburgh, his morning show counterparts took great pleasure in playing the theme song under Kelly as he delivered his news.
Kelly had the last laugh, however. He's currently at KDKA and has his own production company.
But this isn't the story about Kelly or his career. Rather, it's about the man who played half the role of bringing him and his siblings into this world.
John A. "Jack" Pidgeon.
Growing up in the slums of Boston, Massachusetts, Jack Pidgeon was the son of a single mother who eked out a meager living for herself and her son by working as a cleaning woman. Using his athleticism to win a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, Jack entered the military and then college. The private sector, teaching, and an assistant headmastership at another school soon followed.
Then came Kiski.
Not the public school district in northern Westmoreland and southern Armstrong County. The home of the Cavaliers (and my alma mater) would not be formed until the end of the decade.
The Kiski School, or Kiskiminetas Springs School, or K-Prep, whatever you want to call it, had been around since the late 1800's. It was one of the oldest boarding schools in the country, and today is the oldest all-boys non-military boarding school in the U.S.
You may recall early movie portrayals of prep schools and Ivy League colleges as having students and faculty who wear overcoats in class.
That wasn't because of class distinction. It was out of necessity because of drafty windows that allowed the harsh New England winters to creep through warped and cracked windows.
Kiski was no exception when Jack Pidgeon arrived in 1957 as its new headmaster. Few are left insofar as those who would remember those days. When I arrived on campus to take my SAT exam in May 1987, I myself would not have known it. Nor did I know the gruff man in a golf shirt and walking shorts proctoring the exam was the reason behind the school's success.
Because Jack Pidgeon would not have it that way.
Yes, he was behind it. But it was not about him. It was about the school. And 'his' boys. He made sure everyone remembered that.
Stop the Pidgeon? Hell no.
Jack Pidgeon used the same determination as he did to rise above his humble upbringings years ago. He was determined to make Kiski succeed. And he did.
Famous alums include Congressman John Murtha, Jack Hanna, and Rafael De Medina, just to name a few. Those not-so-famous still went on to success in their own right.
And they never forgot Jack and the life lessons he taught them.
Not only did he build a school, but he built men.
Successful men.
If Jack wanted to be remembered for anything, it would be for that.
NEXT WEEK: Out in the Country
I meant to pay tribute to this man on the fifth anniversary of his passing last month. But I was still on the fence as to whether I wanted to come back and start writing on a weekly basis again.
To begin with, let's trace back.
Who remembers "Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines" cartoon that ran from 1969 to 1970 on CBS and then an even longer life in syndication on independent TV years after it was canceled?
For those who do, you remember Paul Winchell (who voiced the former titular character) singing "Stop the pigeon, stop the pigeon..." referring to Dastardly's nemesis, Yankee Doodle pigeon, who managed to evade every bumbling attempt by Dastardly and his three cohorts, Muttley, Klunk and Dilly, to 'stop the pigeon' from carrying messages to the enemy during a fictitious World War I era setting.
They came close, but never succeeded to 'stop the pigeon'.
History lesson over. Class dismissed.
This lesson was the groundbreaker in young Kelly Pidgeon's career. As an early 20-something getting his start in the business as the morning news voice on the former WNRJ 104.7 in Pittsburgh, his morning show counterparts took great pleasure in playing the theme song under Kelly as he delivered his news.
Kelly had the last laugh, however. He's currently at KDKA and has his own production company.
But this isn't the story about Kelly or his career. Rather, it's about the man who played half the role of bringing him and his siblings into this world.
John A. "Jack" Pidgeon.
Growing up in the slums of Boston, Massachusetts, Jack Pidgeon was the son of a single mother who eked out a meager living for herself and her son by working as a cleaning woman. Using his athleticism to win a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, Jack entered the military and then college. The private sector, teaching, and an assistant headmastership at another school soon followed.
Then came Kiski.
Not the public school district in northern Westmoreland and southern Armstrong County. The home of the Cavaliers (and my alma mater) would not be formed until the end of the decade.
The Kiski School, or Kiskiminetas Springs School, or K-Prep, whatever you want to call it, had been around since the late 1800's. It was one of the oldest boarding schools in the country, and today is the oldest all-boys non-military boarding school in the U.S.
You may recall early movie portrayals of prep schools and Ivy League colleges as having students and faculty who wear overcoats in class.
That wasn't because of class distinction. It was out of necessity because of drafty windows that allowed the harsh New England winters to creep through warped and cracked windows.
Kiski was no exception when Jack Pidgeon arrived in 1957 as its new headmaster. Few are left insofar as those who would remember those days. When I arrived on campus to take my SAT exam in May 1987, I myself would not have known it. Nor did I know the gruff man in a golf shirt and walking shorts proctoring the exam was the reason behind the school's success.
Because Jack Pidgeon would not have it that way.
Yes, he was behind it. But it was not about him. It was about the school. And 'his' boys. He made sure everyone remembered that.
Stop the Pidgeon? Hell no.
Jack Pidgeon used the same determination as he did to rise above his humble upbringings years ago. He was determined to make Kiski succeed. And he did.
Famous alums include Congressman John Murtha, Jack Hanna, and Rafael De Medina, just to name a few. Those not-so-famous still went on to success in their own right.
And they never forgot Jack and the life lessons he taught them.
Not only did he build a school, but he built men.
Successful men.
If Jack wanted to be remembered for anything, it would be for that.
NEXT WEEK: Out in the Country
Sunday, June 9, 2013
I'm baaaaaaack....
...by popular demand, so to speak.
I had chosen to take a break some time ago to focus on other endeavors. However, the call of some of you who take the time to read what I have to say each week proved to be loud enough to the point where I could ignore it no more.
And I thank you all for it. You're the reason I've chosen to press on.
I don't know why what I have to say matters to some people. I don't hold public office, nor am I man of wealth, prestige, or large economic means. I'm just a guy with opinions. And we all know what is said of opinions.
I've written about family life, finances, the broadcasting industry that I've been a part of for more than two and a half decades (though no longer at the mic), politics, the economy, and even theology. You can read this drivel just about anywhere online by people of far greater stature than mine.
Though I believe in freedom of speech, I also believe that that same freedom carries with it some degree of responsibility. It should always be tempered with the accountability of the person or persons saying it. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and that's what keeps our courtrooms full and our judges busy.
That said, I will do my best to promote that example of responsibility that so-called 'free speech' seems to lack these days. The kind that doesn't pander to fear-mongers, radicals, or even the establishment.
Journalism can be a powerful tool if used in a responsible manner. I have long felt this way, and sadly, it's falling by the wayside, even at the network level.
Pressure by management to 'get it first' rather than 'get it right' often breeds distrust through error. Dan Rather learned this the hard way. However, he's not the only guilty party.
Someone once pointed out to me that so-called 'world' news on America's networks is more 'national' than anything else. You get about 20 minutes of all-internal national news, maybe five minutes of world news, if you're lucky, with the remaining five minutes left to sell for commercial ad time.
I didn't discover the truth in this until one day when I watched a BBC newscast. For me, it was a real eye-opener.
We pay little attention to anything outside our borders and even less to what's happening in our borders at the top levels of government. It's personally distressing to me when younger people choose to get their 'news' from sources like "The Daily Show" or "Weekend Update".
Some say "I don't watch the news because it's too depressing." Hey, reality is a buzzkill. I'm not going to dispute that.
We have a broken Social Security system that's constantly in danger of running out of money. We work for companies more interested in cash now than compassion for its retirees. We've elected government leaders who have ideas but no clues as to how to effectively move forward and actually get things done. We complain about the country's state of affairs yet we choose not to vote and don't support the men and women who fight for our right to do just that.
So I say this...time to wake up, America.
NEXT WEEK: Did You Know Jack?
I had chosen to take a break some time ago to focus on other endeavors. However, the call of some of you who take the time to read what I have to say each week proved to be loud enough to the point where I could ignore it no more.
And I thank you all for it. You're the reason I've chosen to press on.
I don't know why what I have to say matters to some people. I don't hold public office, nor am I man of wealth, prestige, or large economic means. I'm just a guy with opinions. And we all know what is said of opinions.
I've written about family life, finances, the broadcasting industry that I've been a part of for more than two and a half decades (though no longer at the mic), politics, the economy, and even theology. You can read this drivel just about anywhere online by people of far greater stature than mine.
Though I believe in freedom of speech, I also believe that that same freedom carries with it some degree of responsibility. It should always be tempered with the accountability of the person or persons saying it. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and that's what keeps our courtrooms full and our judges busy.
That said, I will do my best to promote that example of responsibility that so-called 'free speech' seems to lack these days. The kind that doesn't pander to fear-mongers, radicals, or even the establishment.
Journalism can be a powerful tool if used in a responsible manner. I have long felt this way, and sadly, it's falling by the wayside, even at the network level.
Pressure by management to 'get it first' rather than 'get it right' often breeds distrust through error. Dan Rather learned this the hard way. However, he's not the only guilty party.
Someone once pointed out to me that so-called 'world' news on America's networks is more 'national' than anything else. You get about 20 minutes of all-internal national news, maybe five minutes of world news, if you're lucky, with the remaining five minutes left to sell for commercial ad time.
I didn't discover the truth in this until one day when I watched a BBC newscast. For me, it was a real eye-opener.
We pay little attention to anything outside our borders and even less to what's happening in our borders at the top levels of government. It's personally distressing to me when younger people choose to get their 'news' from sources like "The Daily Show" or "Weekend Update".
Some say "I don't watch the news because it's too depressing." Hey, reality is a buzzkill. I'm not going to dispute that.
We have a broken Social Security system that's constantly in danger of running out of money. We work for companies more interested in cash now than compassion for its retirees. We've elected government leaders who have ideas but no clues as to how to effectively move forward and actually get things done. We complain about the country's state of affairs yet we choose not to vote and don't support the men and women who fight for our right to do just that.
So I say this...time to wake up, America.
NEXT WEEK: Did You Know Jack?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
The Secret Of Moving On
I borrow the title of David Pack's album, where he performs jazz-themed covers of hits with his former soft rock band of the 70s, "Ambrosia".
Check it out for yourself. If you like Smooth Jazz, that is.
Change is rampant in our society. As I've grown older, the more difficult I find it to accept change.
Yet it happens. There's nothing I can do to stop it.
Some I welcome with open arms. Others, I prefer to leave it if given the option to take it or leave it.
Notwithstanding, I have made a change of my own.
Today is the last Ken's Korner you will be reading.
I will not be moving my column to another social media site, nor to a newspaper syndicate or other medium.
My sister column, Old School Dad, will also be ending likewise.
For close to seven years now, I've aired my viewpoints weekly on both MySpace and Facebook.
Some of you have emailed me to tell me how much you enjoy reading about what I have to say. Some of you have also emailed me to inform me that you don't like what I have to say and challenge my views.
And I welcome both praise and pontification. As a journalist, it takes courage to speak up, even when my take might not be the popular view.
I'm not afraid to generate controversy. I like to push people's buttons and find out what makes them tick.
Al Julius, a well-known KDKA-TV commentator during the 70s and 80s, did just that. While I'll never receive the accolades that Al received in his lifetime, I'm proud of what I've committed to what I've put to cyber-paper for the better part of a decade now.
And the time has come for me to move on.
It's time to do something else.
I believe I've said everything that needs to be said in my weekly warblings, as I've come to call them.
I don't say anything I don't believe in. And I do my best to get all of my facts straight before I put them 'out there'.
Some will tell you that I'm stubborn as a Texas jackass stuck in the LaBrea tar pits on a chilly day. Some of them might also tell you that I'll give you the shirt off my back or the last few bills in my wallet if you needed them. I'm many things to many people. This is one of my favorite quotes:
"I've been in the public eye for more than fifty years as Merv Griffin, not as somebody else's creation. I've never pretended to be someone I wasn't. If there was anything really important that people didn't know about me by now, then I would have to be world's greatest actor. Forget Brando, forget Hoffman, forget DeNiro...I would have to be the best."
Well put, sir.
I've reinvented myself over the years. From my career to my personal life. As part of the reinvention process, you tend to rearrange your priorities over the years. I've seen myself transcend from hardcore career man to family man who sees the highlight of his day when he leaves the office...as he sits down to dinner with his family who willingly waits for him to come home.
I will be devoting more of my time to improving and developing my journalistic tasks, but you won't hear the last of me, I promise.
In my spare time, I'm also working on a novel. Hopefully it'll be published in my lifetime.
And if not, that's OK.
I'm sure it won't be the first thing I haven't finished. I've got a laundry list of those items.
To those of you who have supported my efforts all these years, I offer my most heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation. The fact that you took time out of your Sunday to read this speaks volumes.
Radio and TV broadcasting has always been a low-level form of show business. In show business, we don't say good-bye.
It's more like "see ya".
And we'll leave it at that.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
School's in Session
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the following are strictly that of the author.
Last week, I footnoted my column by promising you a free history lesson this week.
Every once in a while, I will see a vehicle with a Confederate Battle Flag sticker (the one you see atop the General Lee in "The Dukes of Hazzard") on their vehicle, with the caption beneath it stating "If this offends you, you need a history lesson."
That's highly open to argument, since we all have different lessons to teach behind it, I'm sure.
In recent years, I've grown closer to our neighbors south of the Mason-Dixon line. The main reason is because I get more and more tired of cold weather each passing year, but also because I've learned about a culture much more unique and diverse than my own.
As we celebrate the upcoming observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we can never lose sight of the Confederate Flag and just what it means.
By the majority, it still remains a dark reminder of a country so divided by racial philosophy that it split in two halves.
There I digress. Here's my history lesson.
An editorial cartoon in 1864 depicted U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Confederacy President Jefferson Davis each pulling at an end of a map of the United States. Standing between them with a handful of each man's collar was General George B. McClellan, the Democratic Presidential candidate that year running against Lincoln, yelling at both men "The Union must be preserved at all hazards!"
As they're tugging on the map, Lincoln is saying "No peace without emancipation!"
Davis says "No peace without separation!"
Nonetheless, McClellan lost the election. The Confederacy lost the war. Slavery was finally abolished.
Lincoln was assassinated by a Southern sympathizer.
But the war was far from over. Though the blood was no longer shed on the battlefields, all the fighting was relegated to the Rebel states, now determined more than ever to keep the newly-freed Negroes to a status beneath that of the now-angry poor Whites, steadfastly refusing to accept a people once sold as common possessions as equals.
And I'm sure the general consensus of the newly-freed slaves at first was joyous, but may have dwindled to one of indifference after awhile.
Because slaves were considered property, and not the people they rightfully were, laws were quickly enacted in many former Confederate states prohibiting Negroes to own land to try and eke out a living to support themselves.
In Southern folklore, you may have read at one point or another about a white family with a domestic help that kept house and did other such chores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It wasn't because the family was wealthy. The sudden abundance of low cost labor made domestic help affordable for many southern families. It also gave former slaves their freedom while also protecting the security (but hopefully with the absence of the cruelty this time) they had while still a slave.
It would take years to craft laws that recognized African-Americans in their rightful place in American society as human beings with the same rights as Whites.
Unfortunately, among those laws were those that created the practice of segregation that would dominate the deep South for almost a century.
Many political figures in the early 1800s, who supported the slavery movement, tried to justify its necessity in America. Most infamous was John C. Calhoun, who served as U.S. Vice President under John Quincy Adams, calling it "a positive good":
" in every civilized society one portion of the community must live on the labor of another; learning, science, and the arts are built upon leisure; the African slave, kindly treated by his master and mistress and looked after in his old age, is better off than the free laborers of Europe; and under the slave system conflicts between capital and labor are avoided. The advantages of slavery in this respect, will become more and more manifest, if left undisturbed by interference from without, as the country advances in wealth and numbers."
All I can say to Mr. Calhoun is this:
"REALLY???"
While I agree with Mr. Calhoun that one portion of the community must live on the labor of another, especially in a free enterprise system, it does not, at any time, justify involuntary unpaid servitude to a single human being by another.
I always found ironic the fact that most who saw African-Americans beneath them and treated them to extremes as such, still went to church on Sunday and could recite much of the Bible verbatim.
The job is still not done. I believe that for the most part, Dr. King's dream was fulfilled. The biggest proof of that is in the White House, and now into his second term.
Nonetheless, hate crimes continue in this country that target African-Americans, homosexuals, Hispanics, the homeless, and countless others. Will it ever end in our lifetimes? Probably not.
What we can look forward to is the fact that we as a society have advanced by leaps and bounds since 1865. I can see distinct differences in just the past 25 years.
We can't eliminate hate in our culture, but we can reduce the numbers of those who do hate.
The lesson is this:
The Confederate Battle Flag is a symbol of a country divided, but managed to overcome the darkness of the past and successfully chart a course for its future. It should not be regarded as a symbol of hate or dread, but one of change. A culture that would make peace with its past and evolved over time, becoming more recognized for its food, music, architecture, faith base, and even fine arts.
At least that's the way this Southern Yankee sees it.
Class dismissed.
NEXT WEEK: Moving On
Last week, I footnoted my column by promising you a free history lesson this week.
Every once in a while, I will see a vehicle with a Confederate Battle Flag sticker (the one you see atop the General Lee in "The Dukes of Hazzard") on their vehicle, with the caption beneath it stating "If this offends you, you need a history lesson."
That's highly open to argument, since we all have different lessons to teach behind it, I'm sure.
In recent years, I've grown closer to our neighbors south of the Mason-Dixon line. The main reason is because I get more and more tired of cold weather each passing year, but also because I've learned about a culture much more unique and diverse than my own.
As we celebrate the upcoming observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we can never lose sight of the Confederate Flag and just what it means.
By the majority, it still remains a dark reminder of a country so divided by racial philosophy that it split in two halves.
There I digress. Here's my history lesson.
An editorial cartoon in 1864 depicted U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Confederacy President Jefferson Davis each pulling at an end of a map of the United States. Standing between them with a handful of each man's collar was General George B. McClellan, the Democratic Presidential candidate that year running against Lincoln, yelling at both men "The Union must be preserved at all hazards!"
As they're tugging on the map, Lincoln is saying "No peace without emancipation!"
Davis says "No peace without separation!"
Nonetheless, McClellan lost the election. The Confederacy lost the war. Slavery was finally abolished.
Lincoln was assassinated by a Southern sympathizer.
But the war was far from over. Though the blood was no longer shed on the battlefields, all the fighting was relegated to the Rebel states, now determined more than ever to keep the newly-freed Negroes to a status beneath that of the now-angry poor Whites, steadfastly refusing to accept a people once sold as common possessions as equals.
And I'm sure the general consensus of the newly-freed slaves at first was joyous, but may have dwindled to one of indifference after awhile.
Because slaves were considered property, and not the people they rightfully were, laws were quickly enacted in many former Confederate states prohibiting Negroes to own land to try and eke out a living to support themselves.
In Southern folklore, you may have read at one point or another about a white family with a domestic help that kept house and did other such chores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It wasn't because the family was wealthy. The sudden abundance of low cost labor made domestic help affordable for many southern families. It also gave former slaves their freedom while also protecting the security (but hopefully with the absence of the cruelty this time) they had while still a slave.
It would take years to craft laws that recognized African-Americans in their rightful place in American society as human beings with the same rights as Whites.
Unfortunately, among those laws were those that created the practice of segregation that would dominate the deep South for almost a century.
Many political figures in the early 1800s, who supported the slavery movement, tried to justify its necessity in America. Most infamous was John C. Calhoun, who served as U.S. Vice President under John Quincy Adams, calling it "a positive good":
" in every civilized society one portion of the community must live on the labor of another; learning, science, and the arts are built upon leisure; the African slave, kindly treated by his master and mistress and looked after in his old age, is better off than the free laborers of Europe; and under the slave system conflicts between capital and labor are avoided. The advantages of slavery in this respect, will become more and more manifest, if left undisturbed by interference from without, as the country advances in wealth and numbers."
All I can say to Mr. Calhoun is this:
"REALLY???"
While I agree with Mr. Calhoun that one portion of the community must live on the labor of another, especially in a free enterprise system, it does not, at any time, justify involuntary unpaid servitude to a single human being by another.
I always found ironic the fact that most who saw African-Americans beneath them and treated them to extremes as such, still went to church on Sunday and could recite much of the Bible verbatim.
The job is still not done. I believe that for the most part, Dr. King's dream was fulfilled. The biggest proof of that is in the White House, and now into his second term.
Nonetheless, hate crimes continue in this country that target African-Americans, homosexuals, Hispanics, the homeless, and countless others. Will it ever end in our lifetimes? Probably not.
What we can look forward to is the fact that we as a society have advanced by leaps and bounds since 1865. I can see distinct differences in just the past 25 years.
We can't eliminate hate in our culture, but we can reduce the numbers of those who do hate.
The lesson is this:
The Confederate Battle Flag is a symbol of a country divided, but managed to overcome the darkness of the past and successfully chart a course for its future. It should not be regarded as a symbol of hate or dread, but one of change. A culture that would make peace with its past and evolved over time, becoming more recognized for its food, music, architecture, faith base, and even fine arts.
At least that's the way this Southern Yankee sees it.
Class dismissed.
NEXT WEEK: Moving On
Monday, January 7, 2013
Turning Away From Facebook
I have to admire my wife.
She is by far, one of the most strong-willed people I know.
Of the two of us, I was the first to jump on the social media bandwagon. First it was MySpace.com, and then I migrated to Facebook, after finding that MySpace turned out to be a little too juvenile for my tastes.
I do enjoy Facebook. In my line of work, constantly being in the public eye, it not only gives listeners insight into the 'face behind the voice', it also allows me to stay in touch with my radio colleagues and know how they're doing.
Because you never know that one day, you might find yourself 'on the beach'.
That means 'blown out'. Or fired. Or otherwise involuntarily outplaced.
I'm used to being in the public eye. I have been for the past 25 years, give or take a couple. As such, I have to be mindful of my conduct. What I say or do is always under scrutiny, and in these days of readily available digital media and the internet, one outlandish act on my part could be broadcast over the internet that could potential ruin a career.
Thus, I know what's safe to put on Facebook, and what isn't.
About the most controversial thing you'll ever read on my site is what you're reading now.
I don't post 'adult' pictures or sayings on my page, nor do I use obscene language in my Facebook posts nor in this column.
I have however, taken stands on certain matters that have not been popular, and that has cost me a few so-called 'friends'. And when doing so, I often precede it with a disclaimer that limits my views to myself and doesn't cast an unfavorable light on those I work for or others close to me.
Unfortunately, not all of my 'friends' on Facebook feel this way.
They rant and rave about anything and everyone, using four-letter words that would make a sailor blush with shame. Or they choose to 'share' some banal or obscene photo with you by posting it to your wall.
Yeah, that would upset me too.
While Margie isn't in the public eye, she does work for the federal government, and she's very mindful of what she puts out there.
But even she has had enough of it.
I noticed it this past week when I noticed that my relationship status went from 'married to Marjorie Ola Hoculock' to just 'married'.
Did she 'defriend' me, I wondered.
So I asked. That's when she communicated her feelings to me.
I can't say I blame her one bit.
And those who do want to get in touch with her badly enough, know how to go about doing so.
Maybe some day, I too will be that strong.
I can quit anytime.
But 'can' and 'will' are two different animals.
NEXT WEEK: A Free History Lesson
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