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Geoffrey C. Upton's column "Seeing Kiss 108 in Black and White" (Dec. 2) is riddled with muddled contradictions and false comparisons. While Upton rightly asserts that "the fact that America has black icons...does not mean that racism has vanished from our lives," he disregards this affirmation by calling for a multi-racial democracy based on promoting "black" culture in "white" media, for example by featuring Brandy and Monica on Kiss 108--as if playing "The Boy is Mine" ad nauseum could serve as a catalyst for bridging America's racial divisions...
...While Upton concedes that "the lack of an integrated radio station is more a reflection of Boston's segregation than a cause of it," he nonetheless insists that radio stations should be pressured into playing black music; after all, he notes that "someone has to take the lead if we are to combat our racial polarization." Yet calling upon the media to determine, rather than reflect, societal trends is a dangerous proposition. Cross-over media exposure can assist, but not replace, human contact as a means of destroying prejudice and fear...
...Geoffrey C. Upton's column, "Seeing Kiss 108 in Black and White" (Dec.2), there is more to "black music" than what is played on 94.5. And you can catch it on any number of Boston stations, notably Harvard's own WHRB 95.3 FM. Although not a "major" station in terms of listenership, WHRB's signal booms over the whole Boston area, and carries a highly "integrated" schedule that includes jazz in the mornings, classical in the afternoons and evenings, rock at night and R&B/rap on weekend nights. This "integration" is not achieved by some crude calculus of race...
INTO THE PIT--Noah D. Oppenheim; OUTTA HERE--Geoffrey C. Upton, CENTER SQUARE--William P. Bohlen
Geoffrey C. Upton '99 is a social studies concentrator in Leverett House. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays...