This is going to be a big, fat, personal, opinionated rant! Read at your own peril. But please don't bitch at me about my opinion. I'm writing my opinion. I don't need your approval, and I don't want your disapproval.
I am disgusted by the actions of AusStereo and the DJ's.
But my disgust didn't just start this week. It's been building for a while.
Remember the young footballer who died in Las Vegas? I think his name was John McCartney. TripleM here in Adelaide publicised his name before his family was even advised of his tragic death. That was just careless, selfish publicity-seeking behaviour.
And now, all this ridiculous behaviour regarding Princess Kate's pregnancy. Seriously, when are our radio station 'personalities' going to grow up! What was to be gained by managing to speak to hospital staff about Kate's situation? Make themselves feel good? Provide a few laughs? I don't actually really see how it was funny anyway.
For quite a while now I've been steering clear of radio station breakfast shows that subscribe to prank-calls-equals-great-ratings. They are ridiculous and I always feel very uncomfortable listening to them. Most of them seem to just go way beyond what is actually funny, and when the prankee gets upset, agitated or really worried, they don't stop they just keep going. It becomes something that is actually cruel. It's tormenting. We mostly recognise that tormenting animals is not ok. So why is it ok to do it to people, especially publicly?!
Now that the news channels are talking about the radio station having pre-recorded the prank call to England, and management having approved it for airing it just seems even more macabre. I understand that at that point in time they could not have anticipated one of those nurses taking her own life. It does seem a very extreme reaction to the call. But this is the problem. We usually have no idea of what goes on in other people's lives. And to play with their feelings, jobs and self-esteem for the sake of entertainment and ratings is just sick.
AusStereo really are the ones who need to take responsibility for this mess. The DJ's are doing their job yes, but what a stupid idea they had in the first place. As a pair of human beings it really is time they grew up a little and stopped playing school-yard games. Become a contributing member of society. Maybe even give something back to all the people who listen to your crap every day.
AusStereo deserves the bogan-laden ignoramuses of their demographic. But I seriously hope that anyone with more than 2 brain cells will no longer listen to the crap they sprout.
It is my opinion that it is because of pin-headed ignorant dicks like the management at AusStereo that we need to have censorship in Australia. Some people just don't have the ability to censor without external help. Even worse when an organisation/corporation isn't able to censor appropriately.
What a disgrace. This whole thing makes me embarrassed to be an Australian.
(and by the way, I don't think the hate campaign against the DJ's is appropriate at all. It is just as petty, childish and hurtful as what they did in the first place.)
