The Associated Press reported today that CBS Radio suspended two local hosts after they twice broadcasted a racially charged prank call that targeted employees at a Chinese restaurant.

The hosts of the daily morning show, WFNY-FM’s “The Dog House With JV and Elvis,” have been suspended “until further notice” without pay, CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo said Tuesday. One of the hosts, Jeff Vandergrift, apologized twice on Monday’s show, she said.

Local chapters of the Organization of Chinese Americans, an advocacy group, released a statement Sunday protesting the segment. In the segment, broadcast on April 5 and again last week, a caller to a Chinese restaurant intersperses an order for takeout with lewd language and racial slurs.

The caller tells one female employee he wants to come to the restaurant to see her naked and refers to a part of her body as “hot, Asian, spicy.”

The caller attempts to order “shrimp flied lice” and refers to a male employee as “Chinese man” before claiming himself to be a student of kung fu.

At one point he refers to a part of the employee’s body as a “tiny egg roll.”

The show’s hosts, Vandergrift and Dan Lay, have been campaigning online and on the air in support of Imus since his firing for making sexist and racist comments about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

My Thoughts:

What we are witnessing is not a sudden change to more vitriolic content on free radio air waves throughout our country. Instead, what we are witnessing is simply its effect in the form of backlash from those who refuse to be bullied. Shows that thrive on over the top comedy tend to spiral out of control as each joke has to be more memorable than the last.

I’ve listened to Imus supporters and those that would otherwise ignore the potential dangers of such language in the media. Their response is that the jokes are harmless and generally accepted by the masses.

Yet, what they fail to acknowledge is that no one has the right to judge the harshness of ethnic, gender and or sexual based “Tom foolery” other than those that find themselves the brunt of these jokes. In other words, a joke is only as mean as they make the victim feel.

You cannot tell me that a joke about an American African or a Puerto Rican is not harmless just because it doesn’t harm YOU. To imply otherwise is self-centered and insensitive to the feelings of others. After all, this is what the entire discussion is really about – having consideration for others.

People throw around the term Politically Correct as though it’s some disease created by those voters left of center. The truth is that Political Correctness is nothing more than common decency and respect disguised in the cloak of politically acceptable jargon.

Critics lash out and claim that Americans are too sensitive these days. They say this as if they would prefer the glory days of the Jim Crow south or the highly concentrated urban ghettos (that are even more concentrated in the 21st century by the way).

Some radio listeners support broadcasts that rarely touch upon anything of value (other than to their advertisers) and yet somehow it is the fault of the targets of these senseless broadcasts?

Now to be fair, I have not listened to “The Dog House with JV and Elvis” so I cannot comment about that specific show. I will tell you however, that in my experience, shows that use pranks, like the one they pulled, rarely provide anything other than early to mid - morning entertainment for caffeine deprived commuters.

As a person of color, I have developed rather thick skin as a result of many cultural based verbal battles. I recognize that not all jokes are mouthed with malice. So you may ask: when do you draw the line? When does humor go too far?

My immediate response would have to do with knowing your audience. I think a conversation amongst friends is allowed to have a different tone than that of free radio. Friends tend to have a better understanding of the true intent of each others’ words and often feel comfortable enough to speak up when offended.

Unfortunately, some radio show hosts abuse their platform and allow their speech to betray what should be thought of as a friendship with their potential listeners. Without respecting that boundary, hosts will find the answer to the question ‘when do you draw the line’ too late. The only way people like this will really understand is for those insulted to speak up for themselves.

The women and the American African community were outraged with Imus and now the American Chinese are voicing outrage with this recently reported incident.

I support the opinions and feelings of the Organization of Chinese Americans. The punishment for those two disc jockeys seems justified.