I thought the Kansas City mayor’s race was the biggest story in town these days, but fellow blogger Tony Botello (Tony’s Kansas City) has pushed the powerhouse politicians to the curb.
First, Tony was the subject of a big, cover story in the March 3-9 issue of The Pitch. Then, yesterday, he was on KCUR’s Central Standard show with host Jabulani Leffall.
Congratulations to Tony, whom I call the Blogger Baron of Kansas City. Every blogger should have his or her 15 minutes of fame. Who knows? Maybe even JimmyC will get a nod from the mainstream someday. (Yes, I said mainstream: Even The Pitch has now moved into the mainstream, by default, because it publishes stories that the old mainstream media, like The Star, can’t do properly…See Tony Botello story, for example.)
However, Tony’s day in the sun wasn’t greeted with a warm embrace in all quarters. There’s this business of Tony’s “girls,” the busty babes that Tony sprinkles his blogs with.
Some people, I’m sure, enjoy the view. Others think it dampens his credibility. Some think it’s just plain sexist. Such a one is my friend, first name Stacy, who, upon hearing on KCUR that Tony might be involved in moderating a council-mayoral debate tomorrow, screeched loud and long.
Here are excerpts from two comments that Stacy posted yesterday, as well as Tony’s replies, one of which I posted yesterday. The other he sent this morning.
Stacy:
Okay – this has nothing to do with the post but I’m a little hot right now. What is this about Tony of Tony’s Kansas City hosting a debate for the candidates this weekend? WHY would this man be given this opportunity? Why would the candidates not demand a non-sexist host the debate? Seriously ticked right now…The type of photos on Tony’s blog supports objectification..You would think the candidates would try to get away from this type of person instead of giving him legitimacy by agreeing to this debate.
I responded that Mike Burke’s public calendar said that a TV news reporter would be the moderator but that I would try to find out if Tony would be playing any official role. I also wrote that while I believed a lot of women shared her feelings about the cheesecake photos on Tony’s blog, that he had established himself — through hard work and inspiration — as the top blogger in the area and could credibly argue that he would be a competent moderator of a mayoral forum.
I then e-mailed Tony to find out about his role in the upcoming forum. He replied quickly, saying…
Christina Medina is the Mayoral Moderator . . . KC Hispanic News publisher Joe Arce might help her.
I’ll be asking Council some questions just to get started . . .
But what I’m trying to do is get as many people there so there will be a crowd of people to ask their own questions.
Christina seemed very open to doing like an Oprah-type thing . . . Which is something a bit different than what we’ve seen.
But as far as the Mayoral Candidates go, I won’t be asking any questions.
My role . . . Promoting, trying to organize doing as much publicity as possible and I’ll be one of three panelists for the Council session.
Hope that helps.
However, I wonder . . . What question could I possibly ask that would screw things up?
Peace,
Tony
That prompted Stacy to respond directly (in the comments section) to Tony.
It’s not what questions you may or may not ask – you may ask wonderful, insightful questions. It’s what your web site represents that makes we wonder why any candidate would want your promotion. I know that I am not alone in my reaction to the type of photos you post on your web site. It is very difficult to continue reading what you have to say, or to hear what you may be asking, when the thoughts that are screaming in my head are, “This is the type of behavior that hurts women. This is the type of behavior that lets men (and women) think that objectification of women is okay.
…I can’t stop the thought process that occurs after I hear someone who supports the objectification of women open his/her mouth. It’s the Howard Stern effect. I just stop caring what the person has to say and I can’t hear what the responders have to say. And I do try, but it’s just lost. I am not the only woman I know who feels this way. So, the question boils down to: Will the candidates be seen in the same light as your blog if you are one of the promoters?
Not knowing if Tony had followed the entire give-and-take, I sent him the excerpts from Stacy’s comments and offered him the opportunity to respond to the substance of her charges, that is, that he is sexist and treats women as objects in his blog.
Early this morning (he doesn’t sleep much, you know), he sent me an e-mail, apologizing for not responding “in detail,” but what he did write gives me a new frame of reference for “in detail.”
First, he said that he was a dues-paying member of La Raza political club, which is a co-sponsor of tomorrow’s forum (9:30 a.m. to noon, Guadalupe Center, 1015 Avenida Cesar Chavez). The other sponsors are Dos Mundos And KC Hispanic News, newspapers for which Tony has worked in the past.
Then, he turned to the issue that so upsets Stacy.
Why are they allowing me to participate? Again, because I’ve had a business relationship with the organizers. Even through the jokes, alleged misogyny and typos, in all of my writing and work, I strongly advocate for Latinos. The forum is open to everybody, but some questions will be geared toward our community that is one of the fastest growing in Kansas City.
However, I think the root of her question is: Why hasn’t this alleged sexism or misogyny caused people to steer away from me? I don’t know for a fact, but I’ll guess that it’s just plain old expediency, pragmatism and people with a better sense of humor than the old bag who is asking these questions.
JimmyC interrupts this soliloquy to state unequivocally: Stacy is not an old bag. Now, back to Tony…
Simply in terms of photographic content: The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is lot racier than my pictorial referencing on most days . . . But the editors aren’t branded with the “misogynist” label. Also, some of the nation’s best journalists have written for Playboy, amid straight-up beaver shots. Racy content in Rolling Stone hasn’t overshadowed groundbreaking reporting. And today some of the best alternative journalism comes from magazines like Vice that feature nudity and far more divisive (and funny content) than my daily ramblings. Really, the images I use from time to time are akin to Victoria’s Secret advertising, and that’s a multi-billion-dollar company propped up by a public that seems to consume their “content” at a rate where any objections are negligible.
But beyond that . . . I will acknowledge that I’ve written some very nasty things about women . . . in the context of a jokey blog with funny photos, typos, big red type and an overall spirit of cheeky news-ish (attempts) at humor.
Of course there are facts on TKC and even some breaking news . . . But I’ve never hidden my objective: More than anything else I consider my blog an exercise in entertainment.
When Andy Kauffman wrestled women, it was part of his act, and the charges of misogyny still didn’t stop a great many people from noting the genius of his performance art. Obviously, I’m not at the level of an Andy Kauffman, but that’s my gold standard and the best analogy I can offer for my rhetorical battles with the opposite sex.
Ask the politicos about why they “dare to associate” with me, but I think in the end it’s because I do have a rather deft touch when it comes to what to take seriously and when to simply do straight (dare I claim?) “reporting” rather than my bloggy shtick.
So, because I’m not getting in the ring and throwing around women, because the photos that I love are tame and boring by most late-night, cable-television standards and because I’m only one person among many working on a collaborative effort to inform the KC voting public . . . I don’t see a problem with my involvement and basically regard these complaints as overwrought and coming from a lady too wrapped up in her own political correctness, delicate sensibilities and with far too much spare time.
The lady is welcome to protest my involvement, but the fact is that city council and mayoral candidates already made their decision knowing full well my content offerings and weighing that against the more important concerns of KC voters in the urban core and the Latino community.
This lady is entering into a debate that has already been settled. If she’d like to go on a date, maybe we could trade numbers and I could ask her permission before I decided to pursue any other form of civic involvement.
In a world where porn is a multi-billion-dollar industry and working its way into mainstream culture every day, reality television has introduced drug abuse, intervention and therapy as prime-time entertainment, and Ben Affleck is trying to save the Congo despite his horrendous acting work in Gigli and Daredevil . . . the humor blogging and writing that I do has not precluded me from doing just a bit of local organizing in the context of a town where very few people vote.
Peace,
Tony
There you have it — the prosecution and the defense?
What do you think?
Oh he’s so right. I should just shut my mouth and stop thinking that what he’s doing is hurtful. Because I’m an old bag with outdated views on what is okay and what isn’t okay. BWWWAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAA!
Guess what, Tony. I think Playboy, Playgirl, Penthouse, Victoria’s Secret, Andy Kaufman, Rolling Stone, and all other types of media that objectify women and men are hurtful, too. I don’t think those things are okay. I think that when we use sexuality to promote or advertise we are cheapening ourselves. Lest you think I’m sexist in my views, please note that commercials that make men look stupid, incompetent, irresponsible, or like horn dogs really anger me, too.
I think that it is up to all of us to protect one another, to say what is hurtful and what is helpful. Showing pictures of men or women as sexual objects creates a disconnect. The disconnect allows us/enables us to stop viewing one another as fully human and worth more than the size of breasts or penis.
So, instead of posting the pictures on your blog, why can’t you post just the writing? It is obvious from your replies that your writing can stand on its own. Where is the humor in T&A? Why is that funny? Would it be funny if you posted pictures of your own female relatives? When they are 18 and vulnerable? They would be of age to choose for themselves. Does that make it okay? Do you not feel the responsibility to help create a place where both humor and respect for one another can exist? Or has it just become so “okay” to objectify one another that we can’t even see it happening? And why should we go along with that? Is it okay with you that the porn industry is becoming main-stream?
But, like you, Tony, I am focusing on my hometown. That’s where I hear about and see the crime being committed. That’s where I know voter turn out is poor. That’s where I am worried about a school district that is still in sad shape. That’s where I enjoy the restaurants, the parks, the art, the music, the festivals, and the shops. I love this town despite the problems and I want to help it and the people who call it home.
I commend you on your work in getting people to vote. I think that’s an amazing thing. Voter turn out at the primary was pathetic. But a person who openly finds the objectification of women as humorous and main-stream promoting a forum is questionable. Because of this (and I know I cannot be the only one who will make this connection) I see both candidates as being okay with the mistreatment and objectification of women. If going after the votes in any way they can is the most important thing to both candidates, then so be it. Not making a stand for both the importance of voting and the importance to stop objectifying one another speaks volumes about how the candidates can handle multiple issues at the same time.
Perhaps they can make up for this by allowing more money for our police force when hate crimes towards women (and men) are committed.
And Tony, a date sounds lovely. Let me grab a turtle neck.
Cheers,
Stacy
People who think that others should not be allowed to express themselves in the marketplace of ides should themselves be removed from it. Personally, I find it hilarious for a feminist to denounce objectification when their contradictory ideology has created more objectification and exploitation of women than anything outside the porn industry.
This is the same nonsense that said that Frances Semler shouldn’t be allowed on the park board. The Star launched one of its infamous hate campaigns to remove her while at the same time it ignored the fact that one of its favorites, Charles “Groper” Carlsen, was being appointed to an arts council in Johnson County.
The Star’s hypocritical editorial board uttered not a peep about either Groper’s appointment, or the continued presence of his name on a major building at JCCC after he resigned in disgrace after multiple allegations of sexual harassment, followed by a board cover-up, followed by a even more disgraceful waste of financial resources spent on one of Groper’s PR cronies.
Once again, the complaints are simply ideological fascism, this time from a pack of prudes.
I’m not saying he shouldn’t be a part of the debate. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have a voice. What I am saying is that this is a strange message that is being stated by the candidates. And if I could get that message other people may/will, too. I am not into politics the way some are. I am a person who lives in Kansas City, MO who is concerned with what has normally been considered a women’s issue.
I am not a feminist. I do not like that title. I think it is one more thing that separates men and women and creates boundaries between the sexes. It creates a huge Us vs. Them mindset when I would hope someday we can get to a “We” mindset. Who I am is a person who thinks we should protect one another from being objectified and in turn victimized and we should expect the same from our leaders.
I am unfamiliar with the other people you mention in your comment. Perhaps I will be more aware of candidates in the future since all of this has happened. And please do not call me names.
I will certainly not call you any names. My point is the inconsistency with which some of these concerns are applied and the authoritarian conduct that is associated with it on occasion. That may not be true with you.
I was also thinking of the recent finding exposed during the Kline witch hunt over in Topeka that 166 children (and that number has recently been expanded to over 200) who were the victims of rape and yet neither George Tiller, nor Planned Parenthood reported these crimes to the proper authorities.
I keep wondering how many children have to be raped before Carol Beiers and many in the media become more concerned about them than they are in protecting the abortion industry from prosecution. Certainly, if there is such a great concern over the “victimization” of women who voluntarily pose for pictures, shouldn’t that concern also extend to the victims of rape and incest? You’d think so, but I guess not.
So I find it not somewhat, but completely, hypocritical when I see many of the same folks all up in arms over poor Tony while they ignore the misconduct of the child abusing racists at Planned Parenthood.
Why can’t I be concerned with all of it? Why does my wanting to draw attention to this one thing negate my concern over other issues? Can’t I be involved in more than one thing at a time?
Just because I find offense with the photos posted on Tony’s Kansas City blog does not mean that I don’t hurt for and want to help the little, 11-year old girl in that small Texas town who was gang raped by at least 20 men from her community. Just because I find offense with the photos on the blog does not mean I am not trying to help the homeless in our city. Just because I want the ideas of how we view one another to change does not mean I don’t want to find a way to help the people in Japan who are reeling from today’s earthquake.
Why do we have to choose one thing over another?
Some folks used to rant about the objectification of women in the 50s….. boy I’d trade that any day for what goes on now… and, mostly, women do it to themselves. Liberation has made them slaves in a whole new way.
Fitz; I have a question unrelated to this blog. Could you give me a call? I notice you are not in the phone book. Remember when Jim Hale required all his reporters to be in the phone book?
Mike White
Wow; that didn’t take long.
A site from an actual journalist citing facts and expressing well-thought -out opinions on issue of the day.
And in no time, just another blog about other blogs and bloggers and how important and influential they all are, with opinions, personalities, and egos flying around all through the piece and down into the comments.
Next!
While I have had occasion to sit in on a KSHB bloggers v. news panel tkc also attended, as well as a KCPT sponsored public forum (wherein tkc was a panelist), I’ve not yet listened to the referenced podcast. Neither have I visited tkc’s site in a few years. So what follows is context-free, as it were.
I long ago concluded that tkc was immature and not worth my time. He was preoccupied with two things: his idea of racism and the Funkhousers, so much so he had little use for facts or basic grammar/spelling. The smattering of other topics on the site –aside from link aggregation, the actual preponderance of posts- were lightweight if not downright juvenile, and then only if he wasn’t outright shilling for a pol or acting as a cat’s paw for another.
The cheesecake posted on the site was sadly derivative, as though a socially challenged child was attempting to emulate a 50s Playboy “style.” And that was at its best.
Plus, and there’s no getting around it, the guy’s attitude was shit.
But shit sells.
Not in the literal make-money-from-this-local-blog sense, but certainly from the eyes-on-page sense. Especially if it’s free. One has to look no farther than TMZ, Muckraker and that ilk for confirmation. And tkc’s posts, with their lack of reflection, undisguised hatred and superficiality, was a plus for a certain market.
After all, we live in an age where the replacement for Twitter, Flutter, will limit users to 25 characters. Because 140 characters is just too damn long…
So it’s no surprise tkc got hits.
What was surprising, and the reason we’re even bothering to dissect the hack, was the Funkhousers’ political naivety: their raw, outsized reactions to tkc’s posts elevated the site’s importance out of proportion to its relative worth.
Judging by your post that unbalance continues today. However I doubt that lasts much longer.
Both James and Burke are well aware that Funkhouser cut his own throat and will endeavor from Day 1 to: a) run tighter ship, 2) not react at all to the site’s future trolling, and 3) play tkc like the sycophant he obviously is.
@Bill, actually, there’s not one bad comment in this thread. Yours comes the closest, so see if you can pick it up a little. All the rest are polite, articulate and well thought out. Same goes for Fitz’ columns. Haven’t seen a bad one.
Stacy, very good post. You don’t have to, and probably shouldn’t. I think that was my point, but you be the judge.
OK, then…I’ve been gone most of the day — down at Municipal Auditorium watching the semifinals of the women’s Big 12 tournament. (Yes, I admit it, I like to watch women run around in long shorts.) But I see you guys got this issue all sorted out.
And, bill, I agree with John — what the hell are you talking about?
I had only one comment that I pulled the plug on, from a guy who wanted Stacy to fix his dinner and had some other choice comments. But this being a family blog, the ref blew the whistle…Sorry, “Stud,” maybe next time!
Jim
I agree with Stacy, and I’m glad she spoke out. There’s no way any man can understand this issue in the way a woman can. Sorry. I don’t care how in touch with your feminine side you are.
However, with the dearth of real journalism going on in Kansas City, what Tony does is valuable, if only for real journalists to follow up on the tips people feed him. His misogynistic photos hurt his credibility in my opinion, though.
Kate
http://momonthedge.com
Kate — Wow! I was really sorry to read (momontheedge.com) about your infection, flu and hospital stay last week. What a rotten experience. You certainly turned it into a nice story, though…Readers and commenters, I strongly recommend it…I’m sure glad you’re better, Kate.
Jim
Hey, thanks, Jim. It was a rough week. And now I find myself using antibacterial wipes on everything and using hand sanitizer all the time, which is ruining my manicure. Better that than another stay at St. Luke’s, though!