'Bell's Bigots' Speak

After earlier in the week declaring that he was going to wear the label "bigot" proudly, last Thursday Zeb Bell announced on his "Zeb at the Ranch" talk show on KBAR radio that he was contemplating starting a "Bell's Bigots" group.

From The Political Game:

Bell, who in less than six months has railed against Proposition 8, gays, liberals, Hispanics, Nebraska's safe haven laws, Japanese-Americans, Barack Obama, Jews and others who do not celebrate Christmas, Muslims, African-Americans, and a number of other minorities, used to say he does not take the charge of bigotry and racism lightly. However, Bell seems to be wearing the label of 'bigot' as a badge of honor lately and his listeners apparently take no offense in being volunteered for his little club.

Bell and his listeners live in a world where "bigot" is no longer an insult but an honor.  How does this happen in Idaho?  It doesn't happen overnight; it happens over a period of time where insults and bigoted remarks are allowed to go unchallenged and unquestioned.  It happens when comments like these are heard and repeated countless times daily.

[Editor's note:  The audio and editing quality is admittedly poor but accurately represents comments expressed by Zeb and his listeners over the July to December, 2008 period.  Some of the shorter comments have been duplicated to aid in listening and deciphering, and not all include the complete context in which the comment was uttered.  The transcript is accurate but not exact.]

• "That's why they call it San Fran-sicko."

• "Cinco de Mayo, er, like I like to say stinko de mayo."

• "You know what I would like to see in the Democratic platform?  A trap door, with a noose at the top."

• "With minority status going to the white Caucasians in this country there will be a 'good, now honky, go to the back of the bus.'"

• "Every one of the gays should go out find their own little island, create their own little government, do what they wanna do and leave us the heck alone."

• "Uh, that harelip Jackson in there, the reverend."

• "White American men, well, people—forgive me—are what built this country."

• "I firmly believe that they ought to round these guys up in a cattle truck, take any money they've got, pay for their ticket, confiscate the rest of their money and get 'em out of here."

• "Yeah, Rosie O'fat girl."

• "Ah, less than three percent of our population, our population, telling us that we have to accept sick, perverted lifestyles, gays and lesbians? No, I'm not going to accept it."

• "Coming over from the, from the dark continent if you will, Africa."

• "Every day would be a day without gay."

• "Uh, some camel jockey tellin' our army that they can't have fuel."

• "I am known as homophobic and you know, I take that badge and I wear it very, um, very proudly."

• "How retarded they are."

• "In fascist Germany, uh, gays and lesbians were shunned completely.  In communist Russia, or the Soviet Union, nobody tolerated 'em.  See these people if they get what they really want, which would be communism, they will end up not having any rights at all."

• "Look still at New Orleans, what, three years after Katrina?  They are still with their hands out, gimme, gimme, gimme."

• "Uh, those freaks (fruits) in California that voted 'em in."

• "You know of all the black people in America this is what we get."

• "Oh, there's a picture of Nancy Pelosi, bleheherherherhw."

• "Employers need to show their power too and not be weak-kneed with these people that are living a sick and perverted lifestyle, and I say fire 'em.

• "With these stupid Mexican flags."

• "Then you had better not call in sick, 'cause you are sick if you're gay, in the mind, I think."

• "All these camel jockeys just absolutely tearing their hair out at the oasis and trying to figure out what they're gonna do next."

• "I hate the lifestyle, um, and no I don't wanna hurt 'em, I just don't wanna be around 'em."

• "Uh, the most prejudiced people are blacks and if that weren't true Obama wouldn't even be running."

• "If they wanna actually kill themselves through that lifestyle and they wanna live immorally in that lifestyle."

• "Land of fruits and nuts.

• "And to be called a racist or a bigot, it's a very... it's kind of dehumanizing."

As if the things Bell and his listeners say aren't offensive enough, they are now saying them proudly and daring others to challenge them.  Every member of society suffers when bigoted comments and intolerance become, not only common, but mainstream and with the intimidation and suppression of human decency and tolerance.  Idahoans can't afford to let "Bell's Bigots" go unchallenged.

Update:  Corrected the date of the "Bell's Bigots" announcement.

Comments

[Joan E. Harman]

The above comments reminds me of a letter submitted for publication in the Spokesman-Review. Where the author, a reverend no less, thought that gays were heterophobes for being gay. Well, with the publication of such a letter, then the Reverend Kegel can surely be challenged.

[Citizen Julie]

Keep on shining a light, sisters. You are doing a great public service by bringing all this to wider attention.

[Callisto]

I'm in awe of the amount of work you have done to document the statements of Zeb and his listeners. This is a valuable archive and there is no question that these words have the power to incite very ugly actions, especially when people falsely believe they have a network of support. Sadly, what many of Zeb's listeners don't realize is that when and/or if any of them carry through on his exhortation to act "offensively," Zeb will completely deny any responsibility for their actions.

But what I struggle to understand is why Zeb Bell and his apparent role models (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly (sp?)) are so tremendously appealing to so many people. Hate-mongers appeal to very deep, and usually unspoken and unacknowledged fears and anxieties. Can anyone provide any explanation of what Zeb's listeners are really afraid of? Usually, it's the fear of change. What kinds of changes are Zeb's listeners experiencing?