Mar 31

Written by:
3/31/2011 6:45 AM 

KDWB is a local radio station in Minnesota. Their morning show is listened by many Hmong. The morning show has a parody song on certain subjects. At times they are funny, but there are times they aren't. This week, KDWB played a short parody on the Hmong. Below is the clip on YouTube.



You would think that they would have run it through some type of approval first before saying it over the radio. Somehow their excuse is that they have many Hmong listeners who understands that they are joking on the radio and its ok for them to keep slamming it. I've heard many of their parody on the Hmong and some time wonder do we, Hmong, accept this and let them continue to do it? I think we're the group that KDWB Morning Show pick on the most when it comes to parody songs. It's like the little kid that gets picked on by the school bully whenever the bully wants to.

The one thing that is disturbing here is that Clear Channel who owns KDWB, is not saying much about it except for a weak apology. When comments like this crossed the line and a community is upset about it, the owners of the show should take appropriate action. By not doing so, encourages their staff to continue the behavior. In the case of the bully analogy, the parent has approved the action of their child and allows them to continue to harass the weak.

This reminds me of Tom Barnard on KQ92 Morning Show in 1998 when he made fun of the Hmong girl who killed her new born son. It was insensitive and Tom Barnard never really apologized or any other action was given to him by the radio station.

My question here is, is the Hmong community so weak that we have no say in public discrimination and humiliation? Do we continue to stand by and watch others poke fun at us as a group regardless of here in the US or around the world. For us to be respected and accepted, we need to stand up and take action as one. In cases like KDWB, we should boycott the radio station. My kids listens to the radio station all the time and is sad to hear things like that on the radio. We teach our children not to make fun of any group, yet you have KDWB that is heard by millions that it's ok to do it publicly and no action will be taken.