Our critic, who usually listens to and records the morning show, only caught about an hour and a half of the show and missed the airing of the "sensitivity training video", but, fortunately, Matt and Crank boldly posted the clip on the Matt and Crank FaceBook page as a You Tube video. Based on their past record of posting You Tube videos of only clips they have aired earlier and on the responses received both on their FaceBook page and our FaceBook page, we're fairly certain that they aired the clip on their morning show. Even if they did not, the clip can be found on the Matt and Crank FaceBook page and a Matt and Crank fan conveniently posted the clip to our FaceBook page boasting it as proof that Matt and Crank aren't "reformed". Since we perceive the Matt and Crank FaceBook page as an official extension of the Matt and Crank Show as linked through the official WZBH website - and we're fairly certain the clip was aired on the show before being posted as a You Tube video - we feel the clip warrants our review. (The clip also appears on the official WZBH website under the individual jocks' blog. We have also discovered that WZBH has its own official FaceBook page and the clip appears there as if it is endorsed by WZBH as appropriate programming.)
The clip has Matt doing a poor voice impression of George C. Scott as General Patton given to a fictitious corporal. The You Tube clip includes the famous scene from the movie where Scott, as Patton, stands before a huge flag while giving a speech. The gist of Matt's dubbed speech plays on the stereotypes of gays as being flamboyant fairies tip-toeing through the tulips. The speech opens with the declaration that fighting terrorists and defending our country is no longer a priority because we (the military) have to be more sensitive and cater to gays and lesbians. Rifles would no longer be armed with bullets. Instead, rifles would be armed with petunia seeds and the military's new mission is to plant petunias the world over as we make new friends. And, of course, the uniform is changed to colorful tanktops and matching orange pants.
To drive home his anti-gay message, Matt posted the video with a short explanation that the video is made up, but the fact that the military is starting sensitivity training "is tragically not made up." We are not sure why Matt and Crank feel that WZBH is an appropriate venue to push their anti-gay agenda on a consistent basis, but this parody, even if it were meant to be in fun, is an insult to the estimated 6,600 gay and lesbian soldiers currently serving as well as to every military soldier, both active and veteran. Tragically, we know it wasn't meant to be in fun.
The three veterans associated with The Critics Page, each of whom have served an honorable four years, take particular ojection to this clip. None of us five associated with The Critics Page can claim to be from the generation that successfully put an end to the draft. The oldest among us was only a kid when the draft was ended. The three veterans associated with The Critics Page, however, completely embrace the idea of an all-volunteer force and would much rather share the battlefield with their compatriots who are there because they want to be there rather than because the government told them they had to be there. The color of their skin, sex, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation makes no difference. They are there to get a job done and will get the job done.
The three veterans also take great pride in their service and the military history that has made America a strong country with unprecedented freedoms for its citizens. Despite the doomsday predictions of the time, the military integrated its forces before the civilian world ended segregation and then integrated women into its ranks with equal pay for equal ranks - something not all of the civilian world can claim even today. There is no doubt in their minds that the young people who have taken over their positions today will easily integrate openly gay and lesbian soldiers into the ranks, be proud to serve side-by-side with them, and, just as in the past, the integration will cause no degradation in our fighting forces. The exhaustive Pentagon survey of active troops supports this statement. Over 70% of active duty troops saw little or no problems with serving with openly gay and lesbain personnel. To use a past military icon of sorts to imply that our active duty members today lack the professionalism, integrity, and strength to embrace the change and remain a strong fighting force shows nothing but a complete lack of respect for our fighting forces.
The three veterans associated with The Critics Page respects every young person's decision not to serve their country despite believing every young person has an obligation to serve, but they do draw a clear line when one who has chosen not to serve turns around and ridicules fellow active duty, veterans and the military in general. Matt and Crank have decided to shirk their civic responsibilities and chose not to serve, but have the audacity to scream "free speech rights" as they use stale stereotypes to ridicule soldiers who have taken the responsibility to defend Matt and Crank's right to sit behind a microphone to belittle and marginalize what they do.
Several thousands of our soldiers have come home in body bags. Several tens of thousands have come home with broken bodies and missing limbs. Some of these soldiers were probably gay. We'll never know because that was in the era of "don't ask, don't tell." The military is finally stepping up to the plate - even if they had to be given a shove, first - to afford gay and lesbian soldiers the due respect they have earned and proven in the battlefield. Gays and lesbians have served and died for many decades before Matt and Crank were born and for many decades before any of us associated with The Critics Page were born. Recognition and respect for their service is long over due.
We, at The Critics Page, and particularly our three veterans, challenge Matt and Crank to put their convictions where their mouths are. You both claim to be patriotic, real men so we'll gladly provide you with contact information and directions to your nearest recruiting office for you to prove it. After serving, if you then want to parody the over two million active duty and active reserve soldiers and the estimated 6,600 gay soldiers who are currently serving for you, maybe we'd be a bit more receptive towards your lame attempt at humor. At least you'll have the military experience to back up your parody claims. In the mean time, try to learn a little respect and show it for the men and women, regardless of their sexual orientation, who are serving so that you can safely sit behind your microphones spewing all the nonsense you want to spew in the name of free speech you so greatly cherish, but our other, more responsible young people, both straight and gay, are actually fighting for.
Below is the You Tube clip as posted by Matt and Crank on the official WZBH FaceBook page and other sites affiliated with WZBH. We will replace this clip with our own audio recording made from the video should Matt and Crank decide to delete the video from the You Tube site.
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