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If you have questions about how the Daily News makes editorial decisions, this blog has the answers. Editorial page editor Matt Zencey and writers Frank Gerjevic and Rosemary Shinohara will discuss what they're working on, answer questions and ask your perspective on issues facing Alaska.

Contributors

Matt Zencey

Matt Zencey joined the Daily News as an editorial writer in 1985 and was named editorial page editor in May 2007. He has won several. "Best editorial writing" awards from the Alaska Press Club and was a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University. He lives on the west side of Anchorage, where he enjoys the best weather in town and easy access to the Coastal Trail. E-mail Matt at mzencey@adn.com

Frank Gerjevic

Frank Gerjevic has worked at the Daily News since 1978, where he's been sports editor, copy editor, reporter and columnist. He's been an editorial writer since 1998. He began his newspaper career with the Anchorage Times in 1975. E-mail Frank at fgerjevic@adn.com

Rosemary Shinohara

Rosemary Shinohara is an editorial writer who has lived most of her life in Alaska. She has spent most of her career as a reporter or editor at the Daily News. She covered construction of the Alaska oil pipeline, the Legislature, schools and urban affairs. She has also been an editor for NPR's All Things Considered, and has written for the Associated Press. E-mail Rosemary at rshinohara.com

Elevated discourse

Posted by editorial_views

Posted: April 28, 2008 - 10:44 am

From Mary Hattie:

The April 19 letters page was dedicated entirely to commentary about an offensive comment made by a morning radio show host on KBFX 100.5-FM. The comment was racist toward Alaska Native women. One listener made calls and sent e-mails and notified our community about what was said. News coverage followed, and then responses to the news.

When I began lining up the letters in the print queue I was feeling a little anxious. Obviously every letter was addressing the issue of racism in some fashion, and that can get ugly. The comments feature at the end of the online article was turned off after five hours and about 145 comments were posted. The comments were getting out of hand.

Thankfully, aside from the usual clunky writing and lack of appropriately capitalized words, the letters weren't bad. My editor later read the page and said it was "elevated" commentary. That earns our letter writers a "Job well done."

Check out those letters here

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1 April 28, 2008 - 12:33pm | TheSdog

The sad reality

Words are just words. The reaction to the words of two fools on the radio was over the top.

It was no more or less significant than the "b*tch" comment made on KWHL a while ago. The ADN finally chastised the governor for laughing at that but no one ever called for any resignations or terminations. Bob Lester was joking about it the other morning on air as if it was no big deal.

It would be nice to see the Native community actually do something that would send a real message. They should have demanded Mary Marks resign after her DWI because that reflected poorly on a very sensitive issue in their community. Instead they held a giant celebration at the end of her School Board term as if nothing had happened.

There is a double standard in this country especially in the media. You can only say harsh things about white males. If you do not believe it, just watch the presidential election. Say anything negative and risk immediately being labelled "sexist" or "racist." Hilary's crying routine in NH was a great example of using old stereotypes to her advantage and yet still complaining about them at will when it suits her.

Rev Wright has been the subject of major apologist claims. He was "taken out of context." It is kind of hard to take the things he said and put them in any acceptable context. "God d*mn America" seems fairly straightforward. Still, the apologists have already called the use of Rev Wright a racist ploy including most recently in North Carolina.

Do not hold your breath waiting for any real change. The Native community will continue to point fingers over "free beer," and shock jocks. They will continue to demand solutions. They will even use culture as an excuse if they do not like the solution offered. Everything will be on their terms no matter how hypocritical and the screams will be loud to assure it.

The need to blame everybody else and become dependent is one part of modern US culture the Native community has integrated into their culture successfully. It would seem that would be the one thing that has been given that has hurt the most.

This incident could have been a real oppotunity to examine the problems that need to be solved. The same thing could be said of the Mary Marks incident.

Good job?

No, a good job would have resulted in something meaningful instead more useless words. The letter writers have not a clue but evidently neither do the editors of the ADN or most Alaskans from what I can tell.

Minority communities need to start listening to the Bill Cosbys of the world. There are Native equivilants to Mr. Cosby out there because I have met them. The problem is they are too busy their jobs to organize silly protests and write meaningless letters to the paper. There are more important things than Woody and Wilcox in their worlds.

April 29, 2008 - 11:35am | akgen

usual sdog vomit

sdog, you need to seriously consider practicing some of that Cosby logic. Doing such might make you look like you have a clue, hopefully while living in Alaska.

Any DUI outcry or lack there of, has nothing to do with the outcry or lack there of, about any disgusting comment on the radio airwaves.

The real problem is your type is a dime a dozen up here in Alaska. Typically believing that the only solution is: "This incident could have been a real oppotunity to examine the problems that need to be solved." End of solution...

Your thoughts and words result in abusive cluelessness of Alaska. Resulting in nothing meaningful and more useless words.

There are more important things than speaking to the likes of Woody and Wilcox followers. I know I have met them Alaskans that follow a more creditable path.

April 29, 2008 - 4:07pm | TheSdog

AKG

The lack of response by Native leaders to an alcohol related issue speaks volumes about how weak and uninterested that leadership is in real change. They made a big deal over "free beer" but do not adress real issues? Pathetic.

Like I said above, there is nothing worse than offering solutions and running into walls. It happens everyday. The walls are there because as long as the problem exists there remains the opportunity to cry about the Woody and Wilcoxs of the world.

It is always easier to blame somebody else than to just try and fix the problem.

April 29, 2008 - 5:22pm | akgen

Sdog vomit, Chapter two.

Sommerville is a racist. He made a remark that speaks to a clueless crowd and he is probably proud he got it out over a mic. ... why do you blame lack of response of Native leaders? Ah, it did come from Sommerville's lips.

Ya know what speaks volumes? Your pathetic attempt to blame somebody else rather than the person responsible for spreading the ilk. You are part of the outcry.

You, my man, are not offering solutions and are banging your head against a iceberg. Your only hope for real change is global warming. Maybe the iceberg will melt.

Let me get visual and hope you read it before it gets edited.

The only solution is to cut off the penis of the person pissing in the women. Hook up a catheter for life, put a lock on the collection bag and give the key to a security guard.

Ah, but the solution above did not happen. Wayyyy to radical. Instead, a FCC complaint was filed, several advertisers dropped thier ads and Ms. Davis wrote a letter to the editor with info on where to file a complaint.

So with that said, one would think a solution is before us. Problem fixed with the resources available.

As for the outcry, it appears the crowd of racist Alaskans are out in full force. Just look at some of the comments/responses to the stories. Woody and Wilcox have effectively become feed for Alaska's racist population. Do you think they are going to be as proud as Sommerville?

April 29, 2008 - 9:01pm | TheSdog

One thing you

learn in medicine is sometimes people are their own worst enemy.

The Alaska Natve population has become its own worst enemy.

They can't do that to our pledges, only we can do that to our pledges.

I have been at meetings and been told "that will not work because the culture will not allow it." So the culture will allow alcoholism and tolerate abuse inside its own ranks.

You want to stop the racism then make it so there is absolutely no truth to the stereotypes. You do that by cleaning your house first instead of making excuses for why it is a mess.

By the way, Fagan's column on this is about the best thing he has written since ADN took him on board.

April 30, 2008 - 8:25am | akgen

sdog vomit Chapter Three

Dude, your icky stereotype of Alaska Natives is not my job to make vanish. Your culture will not allow it, hence it will not work. It would appear your culture of producing stereotypes, is your own worst enemy. Have you no pride. Self respect? When will your types clean your own house? Gaud, sdog, it is getting messy.

One might think your western lifestyle is so filled with making stereotypes and tryin to prove those stereotypes true, that your own originial culture has disappeared. Stuffed so far behind the brick wall of producing stereotypes, that you no longer know who in your culture is creating abuse within your own ranks.

Why? Why try to destroy the brick wall of stereotypes, you so proudly build? And you admit racism is behind the stereotypes, while telling me to make sure there is no truth to the stereotypes.

Sdog, the only thing I can do is tell you not to drown in the lake of vomit you are proudly contributing to.

If you want to start cleaning the house of vomit, that house which resides behind the brick wall you so proudly are building, start with Fagan. Let him drown.

All those stereotypes do come from the likes of you and Fagan. No one can help your stereotypical racism but yourself.

April 30, 2008 - 10:32am | TheSdog

AKG

You cannot worry about W&W or Fagan or me. You need to fix the problems regardless of who else is out there.

Step one is to address the racism towards outsiders in the Native community. Hate has a habit of multiplying. If people hate, they tend to be hated.

It takes a certain amount of self-control to keep trying to help when people are always accusing you of being a racist. Eleazor Wheelock is turning over in his grave.

April 30, 2008 - 11:39am | akgen

Sdog's Sad Reality, Chapter Four

Sdog will now describe how he is going to fix the likes of Fagan and/or Sommerville:

April 30, 2008 - 12:23pm | TheSdog

Still do not get it, do you?

Fagan and Sommerville are not the problem with the Native community.

Once you figure that out you might actually be able to fix some things.

April 30, 2008 - 1:10pm | akgen

sdog,

what you don't get is that Fagan and Sommerville is a problem for the entire Alaskan population.

(pssst, it ain't with just the Natives...)

So go ahead and solve the stereotype they, Fagan and Sommerville, embody.
This is your opportunity to actually do something.

April 30, 2008 - 1:52pm | TheSdog

Here is where you

would accuse me of racism if I went further.

April 30, 2008 - 3:01pm | akgen

It is a sad reality for you...

to learn that you are a racist.

Now that you have that figured out, you might actually be able to fix some of that internal turmol. The likes of Fagan, Sommerville and yourself have become your own worst enemy.

The lack of response by western culture leaders to their racist related issues speaks volumes about how weak and uninterested that leadership is for any real change. Pathetic.

There is nothing worse than offering solutions and running into walls. It happens everyday. The walls are there because as long as the problem exists there remains the opportunity to jump on that Fagan/Sommerville/Woody and Wilcox bandwagon.

It is always easier to blame somebody else than to just try and fix the problem.

April 30, 2008 - 4:32pm | TheSdog

AKG

You still do not get it. I am not a racist but you are.

The problems Native Alaskans have are not anybody's fault but their own at this point. The racism that Native Alaskans have towards other races dwarves anything that goes the other way at this point.

Western culture has gone overboard to try and fix wrongs real and perceived. It is a classic case of looking at history backwards. The standards of 1700 or 1800 or 1900 or even 1950 are different than 2000.

No culture is without its downsides and that includes Native Alaskans. The attitude that somehow your culture is superior speaks to your racism. It is especially true when Alaska Natives want to reap the benefits of technology of Western culture while still playing the pity card.

You either take it or leave it. You do not get to bash it, take what you want and claim your culture is without fault.

April 30, 2008 - 6:31pm | rfn

The qualifying word is missing

and that does give a racist slant.

What might be a good "qualifying word"?

How about: Some. Many. just a couple of possibilities.

Spend a little time in any village and you'll discover that people are pretty much people regardless of cultural heritage or skin color. There will be some outright racists who will launch attacks on whites. There will be some who will welcome an "outsider". There will be some who (and this grates on an awful lot of "do-gooders") really don't give a damn. At least until the visitor sneers at them or acts rudely.

This attempt at painting Native Alaskans as universally racist is as stupid as painting all whites racist.

Yes, there are villages where I'd be uncomfortable. Just as there are parts of Seattle (the real one) where I'd be uncomfortable. It feels as though you may have had some personal negative experience. Of course if one brings that sort of attitude to any "new" place (village or city) it's only fair to expect that it be reciprocated.

Too many "medical professionals" find themselves in the bush somewhat against their will and radiate an attitude that turns off everyone they come near; white and native alike. Especially including "medical professionals" who have lived and worked in rural communities much of their lives. They may have special skills but they sure have a way of making sure their advice is scorned....doing nobody any good.

April 30, 2008 - 7:16pm | TheSdog

rfn

Use whatever qualifier you want.

The problem is most stereotypes are rooted in truth. You can never apply anything across the board but the PC need to root out every little thing is ridiculous.

If you say "White people can't dance," or "White men can't jump," nobody cares. I do not care mainly because on the whole they are stereotypes rooted in truth. It gets a little sketchier when Alaska Natives start trying to insinuate that all whites are racists and make no mistake, they often do that.

No one is saying all Alaska Natives are racist. If you read closely, what I said was that Native racism towards whites is more prevelant than vise versa. Is it true? That is simply my perception.

I had an attending once when I was a medical student who was a classic Boston liberal physician(there's a stereotype for you). He went ballistic if anybody mentioned the race of the patient in a history. He considered it racist.

Well, he is a fool. The race of a patient plays a significant role in disease processes. Sexual orientation plays a role. Where the patient comes from plays a role. Socioeconomic status plays a role. Habits play a role.

One of my favorite examples of PC gone amok is the HIV/homosexual issue. We spent the 80s and 90s with the gay lobby saying lack of funding of research for HIV was discrimatory against them while a second later they would claim it was not a homosexual disase.

They are right, it is not a homosexual disease. It can killanybody. However, the behavior and lifestyles of gay men did lead to greater dissemination and sexual preference remains to this day a legitimate medical history point. The fundng argument was nonsense for a long time after the complaints came because the feds actually spent more money per patient on HIV than most other diseases over the past couple of decades.

We live in a world where Rev. Jeremiah Wright can spread racist hatred with some but minimal condemnation. By comparison, white racists are beaten down immediately. Trent Lott, easily took as much heat for his comment a few years back as Wright has taken.

Everybody has biases. Many biases are rooted in experience. It is the individual's responsibility to not let that bias cloud opinions when they meet another individual. The thing is the older i get, the more I realize that stereotypes are the sum of experiences you have with people.

It can be a fight to not become jaded. It is also not realistic or appropriate to deny the patterns that you see. That is how you identify problems and can make a difference.

April 30, 2008 - 7:50pm | rfn

How does one put into words

the sound of one hand clapping?

April 30, 2008 - 11:19pm | TheSdog

Not often

that you are left speechless.

By the way, the tree falling does make noise even if you are not there to hear it.

May 1, 2008 - 3:30am | rfn

And you know this

because _________________________________

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