In Broadcasting & Cable magazine's latest issue, columnist Ben Grossman joked that he'd just returned from a fishing trip in Sitka, Alaska, and is almost a redneck. But his contempt for rednecks came through loud in clear. The column was titled: "Steal This Idea, The Redneck Channel." (It's not online.)
Grossman suggested the redneck Fox fans he met demonstrated "This demo largely has no interest in fair and balanced." As if brie-and-Chablis PBS liberals don't want their news delicately slanted all to one side? The Minnesota-based columnist really mocked this "type of people" and their strange habits:
Believe me, when you are sitting at a lodge full of people full of a certain type of people – ones that come from all over the country, by the way – you can see some trends. For instance, doctors who treat lip and gum cancer are going to be driving nice cars for a while, because chewing tobacco is still the breakfast of choice for many.
But I also watched the TV viewing habits of these folks, and bundled together, it confirmed for me one beautiful concept: The Redneck Channel.
A large text box unveiling “This Saturday on the Redneck Channel” included snarky liberal listings like this:
9-11 a.m. HUNTING PROGRAMMING: Two hours of men (and the occasional woman) in camouflage going into the woods and shooting large animals with a rifle or bow and arrow, then hugging each other a little more tightly than you’d expect...
11 a.m-1 p.m. FISHING PROGRAMMING: Two hours of shows about men sitting on boats catching big fish, then hugging a little more tightly that you’d expect....
4 p.m. THE BEST OF THE O’REILLY FACTOR: This demo largely has no interest in fair and balanced, and they love the Fox News star.
Grossman clearly doesn't watch enough O'Reilly to know he's likely to put on more liberals each week on his one-hour show than the MSNBC lineup will put on conservatives in all of prime time. And the proposed evening lineup is even dumber:
9-11 p.m. NIGHTLY MOVIE: In which a minimum of 25 people must die, and there can be no stupid B-story focusing on a love angle of any kind.
11 p.m. THE TV ASSAULT HOUR BROUGHT TO YOU BY SONY: A highlight show featuring clips from Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and MSNBC prime-time shows. Intended to get true rednecks pissed off enough that they smash their TV, and when they go to replace it, all the Sony ads persuade them to buy one of their new sets.
Rednecks are apparently, to this amateur anthropologist, a set of rage-filled Incredible Hulks with a large credit line at Best Buy. We could create an Elitist Snob Channel for intolerant people who hate rednecks -- but PBS already exists.
