I guess I should also ask how it was that Deval Patrick was elected governor by an electorate consisting mostly of "virulent" racists?

But it's extremely popular. So, if you want to believe the Fly/WJ version of things that they're "virulent" racists, don't you have to believe that most of the Boston listening market consists of "virulent" racists? Does that seem right?

Not unless a majority of the state's radio listeners regularly tune in to their show. I don't live up there anymore, but when I did I never listened to it. And all this is assuming that everyone who listens to it shares their views on race relations, which is itself a dicey proposition.

Yup. That's a good point, AG. But, then, you'd have to believe that "virulent" racism doesn't bother the other people. That would be kind of odd. The other people are not virulent racists yet Dennis and Callahan's undebatable virulent racism doesn't bother them?

You might try to argue that their show's listeners are not representative of the general public. But I'm not sure exactly how you'd make that case.

Another problem is that other posters said that they thought racism was decreasing over time. Yet, IIRC, Dennis and Callahan were no. 1 in the 19-35 or whatever the age boundaries were young market.

You have to try and simultaneously accept a lot of questionable propositions about Dennis and Callahan and their audience, or you can apply Occam's razor and say that Fly and others have dramatically overstated things.

You might try to argue that their show's listeners are not representative of the general public. But I'm not sure exactly how you'd make that case.

I don't have their ratings in front of me, but I don't think it'd be that hard a case to make. The universe of people who listen to sports-oriented talk radio shows in general is somewhat different from that of the public as a whole. For one thing, hardly any women. I bet the politics skew conservative compared with people who don't listen to sports talk. And then you separate the people who listen to Dennis & Callahan versus those who listen to whatever their competition is in Greater Boston right now and there are probably more differences.

I've been reading the comments at BSMW about various Boston personalities. What's the story behind John Dennis's voicemail to Ryan Rusillo?

I've never even heard of either of these guys and have no idea whether or not either they or large parts of their audience are racists, but (a) there are degrees of racial prejudice that don't necessarily reach the degree of "racism"; and (b) why would anybody be particularly surprised to find an audience for this sort of thing in Boston? For all their great ratings, does it ever reach even double digits?

And as others have noted, you can listen to the show for other reasons (gossip, curiosity, masochism, interviews) and just tune out stuff you might find offensive if you think about it. Sort of like what people do in church sometimes, I've heard. What sort of competition do these guys have in Boston, and what's the general tone of those other shows?

just tune out stuff you might find offensive if you think about it. Sort of like what people do in church sometimes, I've heard.

Shhh!!!

Robin, if you've been to church as little as I have, you never would have heard much to offend you. The few times I've been, I graded the experience strictly on the music and the air conditioning. And in the afterlife, I suppose I'll be having a not so good time with Puddy and Elaine.

Any religion worth its salt is going to offend one's delicate sensibilities.

Bring out the strychnine and rattlesnakes!

Rough Carrigan,
You completely missed my point about racist "code." Nobody thinks D&C;are stupid enough to start spouting KKK propaganda on the air, but, in my opinion, you have to be pretty thick not to understand the kinds of racists impulses and sentiments they are speaking to. Cracks about lazy Mexicans, poor urban blacks, any kind of social programs aimed at helping minority youth, etc. They are race baiting ########## of the first order, and you're simply failing to understand that because you want to see examples of the kind of explicit racism that has been, thankfully, shamed out of most civilized discourse.
Last year before the Boston marathon I sat in a coffee shop in Everett listening to three or four construction workers (of various ages) talk about how "those black guys train by hunting zebras and lions and that's why they always win the marathon." Don't tell me there's no audience for D&C;in Greater Boston. Or plenty of other places, for that matter.

I don't think attributing a modus operandi of using "code words" is very worthwhile. Once you get into that way of thinking, can anyone oppose any social program without being accused of being a racist hiding behind code words? Can anyone say anything disagreeing with you without the "code words" perspective being one possible reaction to opposition however innocent? It would seem that it would be a huge temptation to dismiss ANYone who had a view opposing yours. And if you don't like someone who makes a vaguely racist statement, you see all their future utterings through the code words prism and dismiss everything they say or attach nefarious underlying meanings to it.

As to the last part of what you say, I'm not sure who you're arguing against or talking to, me or a straw man.