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The Irony Of It All
Brad Hollerbach

You Should Only Use 100%
American-Made Mass Media

Posted Wednesday, February 4, 2009, at 2:56 PM

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  • Definition of BIGOT according to Merriam-Webster:

    "a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices ; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance."

    You write, "...I wouldn't be surprised if her real name is something-or-other Bin Laden." in refference to a local television person's identity. Even in comedic writing there is bigotry. And assuming by saying her name might be Bin Laden is a bad thing - then you sir can be considered a bigot.

    If your comment about her name is not supposed to be hurtful - then it is just poor writing and not funny at all.

    You also must have something against KFVS. You have written about them twice this week. Did they *** in your wheaties when you were younger?

    Just my opinion.. thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by NotTheMissourian on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 9:38 AM
  • Brad,

    IMHO, your blogs are making a turn for the worse.

    "Everyone should buy and use American-made products and services whenever possible. Period."

    Why is everyone hung up on this? It is my ****ing money and I'll spend it as I please. You mind your own ****ing business and I'll mind mine.

    Go back to GISing yourself.

    -- Posted by isobar on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 10:03 AM
  • Brad, I agree 100%! We should seek out American made goods when it's possible. When you buy American, it helps American jobs.

    -- Posted by grizz1 on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 10:55 AM
  • I guess my “acting” must be improving if I convinced you so. Feel free to consider me a bigot. It’s far from the truth, but then again that’s your opinion. Perhaps, the next time you’re at Merriam-Webster.com you should also look up “irony” and “saracasm.” You might also try looking at sarcasmsociety.com.

    I don’t expect to make everyone laugh all the time. It’s impossible. I don’t try. Something that is humorous to one person may not be humorous to another. For instance, I don’t particularly like the comedy of “Larry the Cable Guy,” but if other people want to pay to see him in concert that is their prerogative.

    As far as KFVS, I don’t have any ax to grind against them. I used them in this blog twice this week for a couple reasons.

    First of all, KFVS is the TV station I watch for local weather and because I watch them for local weather, I have observed that junior reporters are often sent out in the field during weather conditions that no one in their right mind should be out in. But that’s their job and the dictates of TV news are that they must show a reporter out in the field no matter how nasty the weather.

    I used “Mary Ann Maloney” in this particular blog because she has both a lyrical name and has been a public figure in the area for many years. I considered using the “Bob and Tom” radio show as a reference, but felt that most people would not be familiar with it since Q-99 quit airing that syndicated show a couple years ago.

    As far as “something-or-other Bin Laden,” I used it because it is a current reference that people are familiar with. Would that be amusing to someone from the Middle East? Possibly not. But if I had written “something-or-other Bush” they may have found it hilarious. It’s all a matter of perspective.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 11:03 AM
  • Isobar, Isobar, Isobar…

    I really don’t care what you do with you money. Spend it as you please. I played the dogmatic bigot for this blog because it was the most effective way that I felt of presenting this completely asinine concept that broadcast frequencies are manufactured overseas.

    It’s called a “setup.”

    As far as buying and using American-made products and services, I’m not sure that it is even possible for the average consumer to “really” know where something they bought originated from.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 11:18 AM
  • By the way, Bob and Tom are in fact their real names. Tom Griswald and Bob Kevoian.

    -- Posted by SEMissouri70 on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 11:27 AM
  • Yes, I know that Bob and Tom are their real names. If I had used them in this blog, I was going to approach it from the angle that they must have been "foreigners" since there names weren't "Ian" or "Ethan" or one of the other trendy children's names that are so common these days.

    Remember the name "Steve?" My kindergarten class had 25 kids in it and three were named Steve.

    I really miss the fact that the Bob and Tom Show is no longer broadcast locally, although WGN does air them at 11 pm. It's kind of weird watching a bunch of radio station personalities sitting around a giant circular desk hamming it up with comedians. I guess it is very inexpensive programming for WGN and I personally appreciate it.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 11:41 AM
  • Brad... You mean `U.S. made,' not `American made.' Uruguay, El Salvador, Guyana are all in `America.'

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 1:07 PM
  • Brad... Just had a funny thought. You should call your blog `The Ironing of It All,' if you get my drift. :)

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 1:10 PM
  • Brad... I just mention the `American-made' issue because a lot of companies engage in that. I sold pocket billiard tables for 10 years. All our tables were made in the United States. At the time, however, Brunswick had their tables made in either China or Brazil. And legitimately and legally, a Brunswick dealer could claim to customers that their tables made in Brazil were `American-made,' without pointing out they were made in South America.

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 1:31 PM
  • Personally, I wouldn't even buy ink from Texas. It was its own country for about a decade. And a lot of the people there -- with the exception of Austin -- act as if they don't realize there is a world beyond the Texas border.

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 1:40 PM
  • EJ, I meant to use "American made" knowing that geographically it has a far larger connotation than US citizens often consider. I imagine it irritates some of the citizens of the other countries which make up the American continent when they hear a stereotypical US citizen call him or herself "American." It's a true statement, but it's not the whole picture. I put that in since it made me smile.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 1:53 PM
  • Personally, I think the term `American' should be disgarded when it comes to referring to U.S. citizens. It's not specific enough. Maybe we should call ourselves "Columbians" or "Statesmen." When one goes north to Canada, Canadians will sometimes ask, "Are you from `the states?'" But, then, people say I always look for the negative, that I'm a pessimist. Yet I argue otherwise. I see myself as an optimist. Every morning, when I wake up, I think to myself: `EJ, today is the day you could meet your future ex-wife!' ;) Really, though, if that bill reads `American,' it's flawed from the start.

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 2:20 PM
  • Man, Brad, the Missourian has a lot of blogs. Personally, I think there's too many cooks in the kitchen. I'm tasting way too much salt in the soup. Just had a thought... Maybe I could write a blog. My photo could have me with a bag over my head, like the Elephant Man. I could call it, "I AM NOT A REPUBLICAN!"

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Thu, Feb 5, 2009, at 3:10 PM
  • Well, it should come down to who makes the BEST product, regardless of where it's made, so long as the playfield is kept level. But that would run against the desired `protectionism' of conservatives. And we couldn't have that.

    -- Posted by EJ Rotert on Fri, Feb 6, 2009, at 2:05 AM