Column:
'Pepper' protesters should picket more pressing problems
Published Aug. 28, 2009
On Monday, Aug. 31, citizens of Columbia will take the streets in protest, a-singin' songs and a-carryin' signs. But unlike most of the few honest, impassioned protests left these days, this one isn't about health care or fair taxes or police brutality. It's about something far more divisive in the Columbia community: the cancellation of "Pepper and Friends."
For freshmen and the rest of you who are new in town, a bit of back story: "Pepper and Friends" (named for its host, Paul Pepper) is a daytime talk and variety show on KOMU-Channel 8 — think a ménage-à-trois between "Live With Regis and Kelly," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and just a bit of "A Prairie Home Companion." After 27 years on the air, KOMU executives announced the show would be canceled as a cost-cutting measure. This move has sent citizens flying into Keith Olbermann-esque rages, writing indignant letter after indignant letter to the Columbia Missourian and Columbia Daily Tribune, organizing town halls and protests and joining the Facebook group now more than 1,300 members strong.
It's rare to see the Columbia community so united in outrage and so inspired to take action against what is perceived as unjust — usually it takes something pretty severe and abhorrent to motivate Columbians to take to the streets in the name of justice (the Iraq War, Neo-Nazis, Quin Snyder). And it's refreshing to see people coming out in droves and providing innovative, feasible solutions to the problem, from compiling a list of corporate sponsors, to, in the case of Tom Harris' letter to the Tribune, suggesting the show be used for School of Journalism workshops.
The whole thing is remarkable, but at the same time, frustrating to watch. Here we have the foundations of a revolutio — a group, to echo Margaret Mead, of thoughtful, committed citizens with a plan of action. But that sort of fervor and commitment to a cause is so rare in this day and age and here it is, not in the name of health care reform or an end to school violence, but to save a TV talk show. Upon reading the flyer for Monday's demonstration, I felt like I was on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" section, taking the role of Amy Poehler and asking, "Really? Really, Columbia? We're dealing with under-funded schools, a health care crisis, rampant crime and everyone's freaking out about the cancellation of a TV show? Really?"
I apologize if this makes me sound dismissive. It is sad to see anyone get edged out of a job, especially someone who has brought as much joy and delightful escapist programming as Paul Pepper.
And this isn't to say Columbians haven't banded together and made progress on divisive issues which actually have long-term impacts on the community. The response to the Columbia Police Department's highly controversial use of Tasers, a pattern initially met with a flurry of outraged letters to the editor and cranky user comments, is a great example. The Taser issue led to the bigger question of how CPD grievances were being addressed and out of the debate emerged a Citizens’ Police Review Board, providing a means for the community to "watch the watchmen" and potentially address greater problems, like determining if and when Tasers are appropriate.
I am impressed by this community's willingness to come together and seek innovative solutions, when it does so. If we could take the post-"Pepper" momentum, that passion and motivation and willingness to look for alternatives, and apply it to other, decidedly more pressing problems — and this includes issues like law enforcement conduct and education funding, which affect all of us on campus as well — we could get a whole lot more done.