Marketing...
Home of John Cougar Mellencamp.
Little Pink Houses.
The club the Cherry Bomb.
Red and White Hoosiers
Blue and White Colts
All American.
The Heartland.
Contractual Home of Peyton Manning
The Classic American MidWest FAMILY VALUES
Real Americans
I thought such until yesterday.
Colts logo for this year: MAKE IT PERSONAL
Our New Orleans Saints logo for this year: EARN IT: attitude matters character counts
The Colts fans made it personal alright.
Dilly went with me to purchase socks at TJ MAX where a clerk refused to wait on Saints fans and someone else said she would check us out.
That's was even before we pulled out the signage!
I was hailed by such treasures of Midwestern American charm as :
"I hope the levees break again and kill you."
"What are you doing here? We don't want you here."
"New Orleans SHOULD have another hurricane."
and the charm as we were leaving the stadium:
"Let us take a picture flipping you off."
Our New Orleans Saints, the Black and Gold Nation, is but one of many lights in the darkness of classless ignorance.
Spocko direct us to even more cutting of the nose to spite the face.
Lee Rodgers, radio host for KSFO, the official radio station for the Oakland Raiders, said this about New Orleans Saints' fans, displaced by Katrina flooding:(This was last Wed and Thursday on the two year anniversary)
Rodgers:"Maybe those people down there ought to stop their sniveling and whining and watch an example of self reliance right there in their own community."(20 sec audio link) (120 sec link for context)
According to Rodgers, "the people have been freeloading for two years are whining because the gravy train is slowing down." (audio link)
Rodgers calls New Orleans "a sewer"
His co-host Melanie Morgan says that money going into New Orleans is going down "a rathole." (audio link)
On the anniversary of 1,577 dead in Louisiana and tens of thousands displaced, Rodgers said,"These transplanted New Orleanians, [in whining voice]
'Oh it's my home I gotta go back' No you don't. People have moved all over the world throughout human history. You can do it too. Get off your butt and go to work." (Audio link, 49 seconds)( Longer audio link, 1:50 seconds)"I don’t wanna hear anymore of this crap from people in Louisiana saying “Gimmee, Gimmee, Gimmee. Shut the hell up. Solve your own problems. It’s been two years, grow up."
LINK to Spocko's audio clips
Remember, CHARACTER COUNTS. ATTITUDE MATTERS.
In Our Community, we are trying to accomplish unimaginable goals. The depth of the thoughts we have, contemplations both light-bearing and dark, have been far beyond the experiences of these folk who lack such a horror of an experience in their lives.
We have seen all that we knew, ALL of the places you grew up in, places with the most cherished memories, people you love unexplainably changed, lives turned on completely unplanned courses in a moment.
Oakland experienced a small earthquake during the World Series where 40 lives were lost. Out of respect for the victims the A's did not toast victory with champagne, publicly that is.
Lost precious, treasured lives, lost a freeway, some WestCoasters were inconvenienced, a sporting event had difficulties.
Anyone associated with sports takes a moment to pause respectfully for that loss, I do and I really only follow Cleveland and the Zephyrs.
How could someone living in Southern Louisiana or even the U.S. at large not be touched by the loss of life, loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of culture, and loss of community here?
Seven degrees of separation, right?
It is Our responsibility to make it real to these ignorant children. These folk who are just one major earthquake, one Chernobyl, one series of tornadoes, one series of wild fires, one terrorist event away from living the "enlightened" lives we lead.
Ideals are now REAL to us.
What we have had since the middle of 2005 is a Platonic IDEAL of the community in which we used to live.
We ARE trying to bring it back.
What these folks are NOT in the habit of doing is HOLDING GOVERNMENT accountable.
That is the FIRST IDEAL all Louisianians agreed on in the beginning Sept. 2005.
Maybe we should spend money not on sheetrock, plaster, nails, paint, mold remediation but on MARKETING with these MEDIA hounds.
Please contact this fellow: leerodgers@abc-sf.com
My letter to Lee Rodgers:
Sir,
I welcome you to visit New Orleans and/or the Gulf Coast. You have made hurtful comments about people you may not have intended to hurt. I appreciate that you live on the Ring of Fire. I trust if the "Big One" comes to your entire community you might need the assistance of others and your federal government. The terrible mud slides and wild fires that also ravage your scenic state require assistance far beyond that of insurance companies and charitable organizations alone. Yes, we had the "Big One" here. We are doing the best we can to get our community into a sense of community again.
You have mocked those who ask for help. How humbling is it to have to ask for help? Could you be humbled to ask someone to tell you how to program your new phone, handheld device, even a VCR? Do you actually know what help these folk are asking for? What about for help to get water fountains for a high school? No, 25 high schools? What about desks? Computers for the kids?
Your comments hurt. I hope you did not really intend to do harm. However, I am comforted by the realization that you live with a similar danger every day. I hope it never befalls you or your community. I ask for you to retrack your hurtful comments and/or do your show from the gulf coast. Meet folks who had to fish bodies out of trees, attics, streets, and off of rooftops. Meet folks who lost jobs and are trying to rebuild their homes and lives anyway they can. See the extent of the devastation still. Make informed commentary having seen Our community and reflecting on the possibility of the same widespread devastation in yours
If this is not a option for you, let me know so I can include you personally in my novena prayers.
Kevin Wiseman
posted by dillyberto at 9:10 PM
7 Comments:
Eloquent and to the point. Thanks, brother. The rest of the country - not just Indiana and some doofus in San Francisco - don't understand. I am working on a post explaining what the others think and see and contrasting with reality.
That's hideous--I will be writing. I don't understand that cruelty. This girl in MD is cheering for the Saints and for New Orleans.
Precious few people actually understand that anything that happens to ONE of us happens to ALL of us, whether it happens here in our own town, state, or country, or around the world.
If we only started acting like we get that, we could alleviate most of the world's suffering...
FYI, what I wrote--I'll post if I get anything back.
Dear Mr. Rodgers,
I read some of your comments about Saints fans and about New Orleans and I was heartbroken. I love the Bay Area and the people, but I cannot believe the cruelty expressed in those statements. Just as I hope and pray for the safety of the Bay Area and its beautiful culture, I am shocked and horrified by the continued mistreatment of New Orleans in the media and by the federal government.
Since September 2005, I have been fundraising for New Orleans' various charities through Monday night red beans and rice dinners with my friends. We can't always send as much as we wish we could, but the need is desperate. I may not be a native (I live in Maryland) but I join in invite you to visit and meet the people and see what they've gone through. I've never been thanked for coming to visit anywhere before and the kindness I was shown made me want to weep. You can't believe it.
Were Oakland and the Bay Area in similar danger with little or no aid, I would do the same for you because I believe in the beauty and strength of the Bay Area's culture, too. I know I'm not the only one to encourage this, but please open your heart and mind to what New Orleans has gone through and is continuing to go through and think about retracting the comments you have made.Please think about what New Orleans contributes to the country and to the world and how brave her people have been.
People haven't forgotten New Orleans and they still care. Please don't join the ones who have forgotten and please think again on the vicious things you said. You may be surprised.
Thank you for your time and thank you for listening.
All best
*mysignature*
You are a scholar and a gentleman. They are not.
We have the higher ground...we must keep it.
Wow, we've come across some pretty ignorant and hateful people when we've gone to games but none as hostile as the check out person who refused to help you.
And as for the radio people I don't know what to say except that they need to open their eyes and hearts some. I hope what you and Jessica have written actually gets read by them and absorbed.
Hi Folks. Spocko here. Thanks for posting about this and writing this. If you do send emails PLEASE copy me at spockosemail @ gmail.com
Rodgers rarely reads his email. His co-host deletes letters in bulk. She is also married to the general manager of the station so there isn't anyone above them that we can appeal to, but I'll make sure that your emails get to people who DO read emails and are in a position to do something about it.
Rodgers works for the flagship station of the Raiders. Do you think that the management of the Raiders are okay with his cruel bashing of the people of New Orleans and the Saints Fans? How do you think the Saints management feel? How about the local Saints radio stations? I don't think they would be too happy to hear about this, but unless they know that you heard about it and are pissed they will think that it is just fine that he can both represent the Raiders and make horrific comments.
Also this week I'd like you to send these audio clips to your local sports talk radio people and then call 'em ask if they heard 'em and see what their opinion is. They might go into the "He's got his free speech' rap but you can point out that this is SPONSORED speech. His hateful comments are paid for by the Oakland Raiders. If he wants to spout off standing on a street corner, fine, but when he does it on the official station of the NFL Raiders, well that isn't something they need to pay for.
He should apologize both in writing and on the radio.
Rodgers is representing the Raiders to the world.
Call those sports talk stations. I can't do it, but you can. You have the moral high ground on this.
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