I'm an American, and I'm not an idiot.

[RoyalScam]

I guess that needs some explanation. 

     We're not all stupid, fat, lazy, gun wielding nut jobs.  I work very hard, most weeks up to 60 hours and that's pretty much all I've got.  I live in Florida, am 30 pounds overweight, and  own several handguns.  I'd like to defend that last sentence.  The 30 pounds is from me stopping my exercise routine and also quitting smoking in January of this year.  As a gun owner, I feel the hard candy and snacks kept people alive while I was suffering the ills of nicotine withdrawal.  I know that most of the comments about Americans, especially from the motley crew here, is all in good fun, but lately I'm becoming more concerned about the "dumbing down" of our country.  We have been, for several years, celebrating stupidity.  I started to become aware of it when late night talk shows would interview "the man on the street" and everyone would have a laugh when he couldn't answer who our President was or the location of our nations capital.  I stopped watching shortly thereafter.  Instead of finding that funny, it just saddened me.  Add some years and "reality" TV sets in.  Again, we celebrate the stupid, damaged, and the unrepentant.  I've had many an argument with co-workers after they'd recount what happened on  the latest episode of  Honey BooBoo or Big Brother.  But this takes the cake;



How this could get past a roomful of Journalists, fact checkers, and editors is beyond me.  If you follow along, you'll find out that they did, in fact, check the names of the pilots with the NTSB, so it's not, according to them, entirely their own fault.  That's another thing I'm getting tired of.  If you screw up, own it!  Make amends, but for pete's sake, stand up and admit it.  I would have proposed extending the scope of our Second Amendment rights and doing away with the useless 1/3rd of our population, but as a geek, I'm reminded that the late Douglas Adams wrote that it already happened, and the remaining two thirds were killed by a virulent disease acquired from an unsanitary public telephone.


tl:dr For those with a short attention span, "I ain't dumb, get off mah lawn er I'll shoot ya!"

Regards,
Scam

[rpgposer]

I was born in 1964.  TV has been bad for as long as I can remember.  I own a gun, and have
"socialist" tendencies.  While the US has made strides in equality for all of it's citizens, we still have a long ways to go, and the KTVU debacle shines a nice big spotlight on what I see at work every day.
I hope that someone understands that "intern" (not sure I believe that) made a career-ending move.

[shponglefan]

But this takes the cake;

Wow, that's classic. 

[ark_ader]

That reminds me of the BBC getting some official "street trader" to comment on a piece when the guy was a hobbyist street trader, who told everyone that the markets were going to crash, which caused panic.

But I think those pilot names was excellent.   

[DickTurpin]

I keep thinking of this  chap.

Surely that didn't go out on US tv?

[Dervacumen]

What KNTV should do is air a picture of the "intern" that did it and explain that he is no longer working at the station.  How hard is that?  The intern is rightfully given responsibility for his/her actions, becomes a known racist and has to find a new career.  KNTV gets off the hook and looks like a responsible news organization.  How hard is that?  Thinking of being sued?  For what?  There's nothing illegal about showing the culprit on the news.  I'm all for public humiliation of idiots.

[SlammedNiss]

What KNTV should do is air a picture of the "intern" that did it and explain that he is no longer working at the station.  How hard is that?  The intern is rightfully given responsibility for his/her actions, becomes a known racist and has to find a new career.  KNTV gets off the hook and looks like a responsible news organization.  How hard is that?  Thinking of being sued?  For what?  There's nothing illegal about showing the culprit on the news.  I'm all for public humiliation of idiots.

According to this report however, the intern worked at the NTSB, and not the station, unless I'm reading this wrong.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/12/ktvu-reports-fake-racist-names-of-asiana-airlines-214-pilots/

Regardless, it's still bad reporting. Any intelligent reporter should have known these names were indeed fake. I showed my wife the video and she immediately realized what was wrong when the names were on the screen before the reporter even read them off. 

[Howard_Casto]

As an avid gun control advocate I love how you start out with "we aren't all fat gun wielding nut jobs" and then go on to say that you own several guns and you are overweight. 

You aren't helping our case there bud.  ;-)

I'm not saying that this is a bad thing or that you are wrong in owning guns or anything but don't say we aren't something and then go on to describe yourself. 

[hypernova]

Then he's just a fat, gun-wielding sane person.

Nothing to see here.

[RoyalScam]

These two;

You aren't helping our case there bud.  ;-)

Then he's just a fat, gun-wielding sane person.

Yeah, but I figure being completely up front about who I am before spouting off about others is the only way to go.

Scam

[DaOld Man]

Royalscam: I feel for you brother. Add "republican" to that list and you could be describing me.
I worry about how things are going in the USA too, but then I quit watching main stream media and work on my hobby, which is why you and I are on this site. There's not a whole lot we can do about it, except vote, and I wonder if that really does any good.

Howard: I am an avid gun control person too. I have a 12 gauge shotgun, a .45 semi auto, and a .380 semi auto, and I dont want nobody controlling them but me. LOL

[DickTurpin]

What KNTV should do is air a picture of the "intern" that did it and explain that he is no longer working at the station.  How hard is that?  The intern is rightfully given responsibility for his/her actions, becomes a known racist and has to find a new career.  KNTV gets off the hook and looks like a responsible news organization.  How hard is that?  Thinking of being sued?  For what?  There's nothing illegal about showing the culprit on the news.  I'm all for public humiliation of idiots.

Yes. Why not do a journalistic story on what happened and that the guy got sacked and that he no longer works for the station. Then apologise for the fact that say hundreds of people didn't catch it before broadcast.
But ---fudgesicle--- guys, surely any one of us that was looking at that on an auto-cue would twig. Christ

As an avid gun control advocate 

+5 

[SlammedNiss]

What KNTV should do is air a picture of the "intern" that did it and explain that he is no longer working at the station.  How hard is that?  The intern is rightfully given responsibility for his/her actions, becomes a known racist and has to find a new career.  KNTV gets off the hook and looks like a responsible news organization.  How hard is that?  Thinking of being sued?  For what?  There's nothing illegal about showing the culprit on the news.  I'm all for public humiliation of idiots.

Yes. Why not do a journalistic story on what happened and that the guy got sacked and that he no longer works for the station. Then apologise for the fact that say hundreds of people didn't catch it before broadcast.
But ---fudgesicle--- guys, surely any one of us that was looking at that on an auto-cue would twig. Christ

Again, the intern did not work for the station. The intern in question worked for the NTSB. Should it have been caught before it ever made it to air? Absolutely. But can you really fire somebody at the station for their incompetence or stupidity? I guess you can, but then you'd lose more than half of the crew.

[404]

I'm a Floridian

I am considered  multi-ethnic minority but i consider myself a human being

No, i don't think it holds me back in life

I'm not overweight

I don't smoke or drink

No. I don't care to be white or of some other ethnicity. Nothing wrong with that at all. Just saying

I don't have a gun.

I am a proponent of violence when necessary

I don't care if advocating for violence is politically incorrect.

Honey Booboo and other redneck inspired shows are making major money. Those that still watch those shows are the real idiots

Journalism no longer exists. Jiggalos and prostitutes fill our airwaves.

Political parties are nothing more than a cancer to society; the largest, most prestigious criminal organizations in the world.

I've seen racism. I deal with it or deal with them and move on.

[danny_galaga]

I guess that needs some explanation. 

     We're not all stupid, fat, lazy, gun wielding nut jobs.  I work very hard, most weeks up to 60 hours and that's pretty much all I've got.

You know that Joe Wesbecker was a workaholic too, right 

[SlammedNiss]

And in even more stupidity, Asiana airlines is now suing the station over the incorrect names, stating it has hurt the airline's image. Um, I think the actual crash did way more damage to your image than the station reading a few bogus names that THEY got from the NTSB.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/free/20130715asiana-sue-san-francisco-tv-station-over-names.html

[Maximus]

[danny_galaga]

And in even more stupidity, Asiana airlines is now suing the station over the incorrect names, stating it has hurt the airline's image. Um, I think the actual crash did way more damage to your image than the station reading a few bogus names that THEY got from the NTSB.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/free/20130715asiana-sue-san-francisco-tv-station-over-names.html

Wrong reason, but they still deserve to be sued if they are going to be that stupid...

[SlammedNiss]

Wrong reason, but they still deserve to be sued if they are going to be that stupid...

Then why not the sue the entity (the NTSB) that actually provided that false information instead/as well?

[Dervacumen]

Wrong reason, but they still deserve to be sued if they are going to be that stupid...

Then why not the sue the entity (the NTSB) that actually provided that false information instead/as well?

Because idiots aren't limited to a particular nationality, apparently.

[SlammedNiss]

Wrong reason, but they still deserve to be sued if they are going to be that stupid...

Then why not the sue the entity (the NTSB) that actually provided that false information instead/as well?

Because idiots aren't limited to a particular nationality, apparently.

touche

[kahlid74]

Journalism no longer exists. Jiggalos and prostitutes fill our airwaves.

Pretty much this.  The news you read and see is quite often skewed or completely inaccurate.

[Maximus]

The news you read and see is quite often skewed or completely inaccurate.

News outlets completely dependent on profit from advertising and answering to shareholders, why would they possibly broadcast anything other than the simple complicated nuanced truth?

More on this topic after a message from our sponsor 'Terrorists want to kill your babies Hemorrhoid Cream'

[SlammedNiss]

And they realized how ridiculous their lawsuit was...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/asiana-airlines-ktvu-sue-racist-gaffe_n_3609344.html

[ChadTower]

ESPN says Tim Tebow was on board wearing Lebron James' headband while on the phone with Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre.

Is that correct?

[danny_galaga]

And they realized how ridiculous their lawsuit was...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/asiana-airlines-ktvu-sue-racist-gaffe_n_3609344.html

The really silly thing is that the names were mock Chinese names, not Korean...

[rpgposer]

There is a certain segment of the US population that doesn't know or care about that difference.  They revel in their ignorance.
BTW - I understand the "intern" was at the NTSB.

[Cakemeister]

    I am 30 pounds overweight.  The 30 pounds is from me stopping my exercise routine and also quitting smoking in January of this year.

Congratulations on quitting smoking!

[RoyalScam]

Thanks! I've always been the type to just make up my mind and do something, but quitting cigarettes has been rough.  I didn't expect it would affect me so much.  It's to the point that I actually dream about it, and wake up feeling guilty, like I've cheated somehow.  The weight will be coming off soon, as I'm starting to get motivated once again.

Regards,
Scam

[lcmgadgets]

First, yes, congrats on quitting smoking . By some miracle I never got into that myself (if I ever start I know I'll get hooked), but I watched my parents, siblings, relatives & friends trying to quit, & gave up giving anyone who does smoke a hard time. Most addictive substance known to man.

When u get down to the fine details, we have the same problems up here in Canada. Sure, we supposedly have more gun control, but I know friends & family who own(ed) several guns & crossbows each--never seemed to slow them down. Don't see anything wrong with owning a gun either, its the person (people) wielding them that I think matters. We also celebrate stupidity, & I think those of us doing the celebrating r the true dummies. I remember an April fools prank played by a local radio station that I thought demonstrated that dumb people r everywhere--the station wanted Canadians who had American friends (in the US) to call in & give the station their friend's phone #'s. The station would then call the American, & ask them this: 'As u know, our prime minister is presently conferring with your president over the issue of making Canada the 51st state. What do u think?' They got some hangups, some who caught on to the joke, & some suckers who bought it (what surprised me most was that no one seemed to remember that it was April 1st). Then a woman called in who wanted the station to call her CANADIAN friend who was vacationing for 2 weeks in the US. The announcer was sure this would b a bust, but the caller convinced him to make the call anyway. He did, & the moron Canadian couple he reached bought the joke hook line sinker pole fisherman & boat. Even claimed they recalled hearing about it on the news. It was actually embarrassing to listen to...& pretty funny, too.

...& now I'll celebrate stupidity--that prank was in very poor taste, & the names r racially offensive, but the fact that they made it onto the air--funny.

Note that I'll fess up & point out that I just edited that last sentence--I haven't been following the news regarding the crash. I initially found the names funny (however childish), & posted such, but as I started reading about the crash itself, I found myself becoming more & more disgusted with my reaction. I apologize for my insensitivity.

...I wonder how long it would have taken me to catch on, if I hadn't been prewarned...