by Kalpana Mistry
Staff Writer

While Britons argue over the freedom of right to offend religious sensibilities in theatre and on TV, growing outrage over a racist remark made on radio in the United States highlights how the country differs in approach to freedom of speech. Tellingly also, the issue was first highlighted on blogs (online diaries) by American-Indians and later spread to the mainstream media after a sustained policy of complaints.

A blog by Turbanhead first pointed out that during the morning show of a local Philadelphia radio station the DJs made a racist call, live on air, to a call centre operator in India. They also made the mistake of putting up a recording of the show on their website (which was subsequently taken off once the protests started).

During the phone call made to India, which was connected to a woman operator, the DJ initially ranted about outsourcing and later on went to call her a "bitch" and a "dirty rat-eater". He also threatened to "come out there and choke the eff out" of her.

The "call to action" by the author to get complaining was quickly taken up by several others like Livejournal, Sepiamutiny, Moorishgirl and around 10 other sites. Pretty soon the complaints flooded in to the radio station, parent company Clear Channel and even the regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

However America's obsession with preserving freedom of speech has meant that the radio industry is littered with 'shock-jocks' that use obscene content to boost their ratings. The most famous of them all, Howard Stern, even had a movie made on his life.

That didn't stop the newly created activists registering their anger with companies. One even proposed the idea of economic pressure, asking readers to "come up with a list of companies that advertise on Power 99's Star and Buc Wild show". He adds: "If you want to force an apology out of this pair, then your best tactic is to compile a list of advertisers. That's our major point of leverage. Everything else is simply ... academic."

After a lot of angry phone calls and emails, the radio station admitted it had made a mistake, but seemed to be more apologetic that the recorded clip had been put online rather than that racial abuse had taken place.

That hasn't stopped angry brown folk there, brought together by online campaigns, to stop pestering the companies involved, until eventually the media began to take notice. First the local media, then some in India, and finally last week the Wall Street Journal spoke out.

"For those in the U.S. sadly accustomed to daily bombardments of such crudeness--not only on the airwaves but in the streets and most every venue of public life--what stands out in this incident is something else, though. It is the witlessness of the caller," it said. It also agreed that "the best idea involves contacting advertisers" for the show.

In America shock-jocks are a way of life and it is unlikely that many of them, even conservative right-wing operators such as Rush Limbaugh, would oppose any further government restrictions on their output. The FCC can only look out for obscene language or vulgarity, not actual content that might in itself be seen as racist or against any religious minorities.

Nevertheless, Indians in America want blood to be spilt. Many are calling for nothing less than for the DJs to be fired, or be taken off air from other cities that the show gets syndicated to (thereby putting additional financial pressure). An online petition has also been launched.

However they a have limited course of action other than keep building the media pressure until the radio station is forced to take further action. So while here in the UK people are quick to demand censorship, American Indians have had to find other ways to register their disapproval.

Besides, a bit of activism never hurt anybody. As Turbanhead eloquently puts it, "these type of things can unite us brown folk- albeit for a short period."

You can listen to the clip from here.

---

TRANSCRIPT OF THE OFFENSIVE PIECE

NARRATOR INTRO: Wakeup with Star and Buc Wild in the mornings of Power 99 FM.

STAR: I'm going to play this call from earlier before we get out of here. This is the, uh, call that I made to -- I thought it was a company here locally. Not that I was surprised.

(laughter)

STAR: I saw this infomercial about, uh, what are these things called again? Oh, the, uh...

FEMALE VOICE: Bead? Oh shoot.

STAR: Anyway, let -- let's just play the call. I was surprised when I got somebody on the line in East India. These little beads that I saw. Little white kids, uh, a little machine that puts them in their hair.

FEMALE VOICE: Mm'hm.

STAR: Play it.

(tape begins)

STEENA: This is Steena. How may I help you?

STAR: Hi, Stain-a, you say?

STEENA: Yes.

STAR: (in fake Indian accent) Yeah, I called and I just got hung up on. I'm calling from America about the quick beads for my daughter's, uh, hair. Quick beads.

STEENA: Okay. May I have your ZIP code please?

STAR: 10274.

STEENA: 10274?

STAR: Yes. Get it right. Now are you in India? Because I just spoke to someone in India who hung up on me.

STEENA: Thank you. I am from India, ma'am.

STAR: Okay. So my call is being outsourced to India.

STEENA: That's right.

STAR: In... in regards to my six year old, white American daughter who wants to get the quick beads like Serena and Venus Williams.

STEENA: Now. I'll definitely place an order for that. See...

STAR: What's that?

STEENA: ...in the ad, she called to place a quick bead of counier. To ensure proper handling...

STAR: Ma'am, I don't know what the hell you're saying. Hang on a second. Let me try and get something straight here. The quick beads, like Venus and Serena Williams, that to advertise to -- to the white kids on television. This call has been outsourced to India?

STEENA: That's right.

STAR: Well, ma'am, what the eff would you know about an American white girl's -- uh, uh -- hair? And quick beads.

STEENA: Just to inform you, ma'am, we're a national chain services company. And we're just taking calls on the opposite...

STAR: Listen, bitch! Don't get slick with the mouth! Don't you get slick with me, bitch!

STEENA: Now if you continue to speak this language, I will disconnect the call.

STAR: Listen to me, you dirty rat eater. I'll come out there and choke the eff out of you.

(laughter)

STAR: You're a filthy rat eater. I'm calling about my American six year old white girl. How dare you outsource my call? Get off the line, bitch!

(laughter; end of tape)

STAR: Pull it up.

(laughter)

STAR: Heard they listen well out there.