Tuesday 8 April 2008

Zuma is the least of our worries

I, like most liberal, rational South Africans, am more than a little worried about ol' JZ and his flip-flopping pronouncements, obvious problems with maths, and somewhat disturbing lack of education.

But to me, these things pale in comparison to what I heard on the radio last night.

Episode 1:
Station: SAfm, about 7pm.
Show host: Unknown.
Show type: Talk. Although this guy's idea of a talk show seems to be little more than, "hey why not give is a call and provide the material for this show I haven't planned."

Caller: Bob - thick Scottish accent. Calls in all the time - mostly just to rant and be a racist dick. But this time I was on Bob's side (he wasn't ranting or being racist).

Bob: "Hi, Bob here. I called you last Friday with a specific issue - I'm wondering why you haven't followed up?"
Unkown: "Help me out here - can't remember the issue?"
Bob: "About Gwede Mantashe lying in public about a meeting with Barney Pityana. As I explained last Friday, I think it's important to establish whether or not Mantashe did in fact lie."
Unkown: "Oh ja I remember. I didn't follow up because I don't think it's important. What's your issue with this anyway?"
Bob: "You would agree the ANC is important?"
Unknown: "Yes"
Bob: "Then you would agree that it's important to know whether or not the ANC Secretary General lies in public about a prominent South African who, in this case, is not an ANC member, and
is being attacked for criticising the new ANC leadership."
Unkown: "I guess. But no... Aah. Bob I don't get it. Are you an ANC member? Why is this so important"
Repeated about 5 times, each time Bob patiently explaining his view. And each time Bob asking why no-one has followed up.
Unkown (quite agitated now - has done lots of sighing and huffing, and shouted down Bob a few times): "Ja but Bob the SABC, we, SABC radio, the organisation, we just don't do that sort of thing. You know, we don't go off and investigate stuff."
Bob: "Are you serious? Isn't that exactly what journalism is all about? Does the SABC really not conduct its own investigations into important issues in order to provide the nation with real news?"
Unkown: "Ummm, ok ja, ok ja the SABC does do that. But not for this. It isn't important enough!"
Bob: "But earlier you agreed with me that it is important. How can trying to find out if the Secretary General of the ANC is a truthful person in public be considered unimportant?"
Unknown (now very agitated and getting whiny): "Bob it's like you asking me if I went to get bread, and I said yes when in fact I didn't go. Who cares?"
Bob (who has remained calm throughout, confident that there is no way he can lose this one): "But you are not the Secretary General of the ANC, and you haven't lied in public, on record. That's an inappropriate comparison."
Unknown: "Ok Bob I'm cutting you off now, you're just wasting airtime...."

Er, no Unknown, you're wasting the airtime. Can you believe this shit?

Episode 2
Station: Radio 2000, about 9.30pm
Show host: Some doos
Show type: Usual Radio 2000 shmaltz. Music and inane commentary.

Song playing: the totally rocking Queen/Bowie classic "Under Pressure". I'm singing along like a Hong Kong karaoke regular on crack. Song ends, I'm vibing.

Then, THEN, Doos comes on and says, I swear I kid you not these were his exact words: "The older I get the more I prefer this version, as opposed to the version Vanilla Ice did."

WHAT THE FUCK?!! Vanilla Ice covered Under Pressure?! Are you SERIOUS?

The point of my rant: How do people like this get these jobs, and what schools did they go to? If this is the best SA radio can do, does it really matter that our likely next president can't really say anything intelligent on policy?

Ok I can get on with my day now.

5 comments:

Greg said...

Those anecdotes are both sad and disturbing. Not nearly as sad and disturbing as the fact that you listen to Radio 2000 at 9:30 at night however.

Phil, be honest now, have you started playing competitive bridge? Book club?

Kez said...

I have had a little germinating idea to run a pirate station for years now, what so ya reckon? You guys in? Between the lawyers, the economists, the music commentary and great tunes I reckon we would rock :)

Greg said...

I reckon its a great idea, and if i were on the same continent, i would be there with bells on for suuuuure!

Dr Phil said...

tis a good idea but there's no space left on the spectrum, at least not in jozi. donno what it takes to run a pirate satellite show, but methinks it are mos expensive.

internet?

Greg said...

Come on man, if you ran it from Vishoek, you'd be fine, you cant get any signal from any radio station there at all :p. Besides that weird christian one i guess. You could always podcast, but thats lame.