The executives who run [CBC] aren't stupid, they see the ratings," said Cherry. "But there are people at the top who personally don't like me. I'm about the only right-wing guy on television and they don't like guys like that. I can't do anything about it, and if they don't like me ... too bad. That's the way it is."
I was thinking about this all yesterday and for the life of me I can't think of another noted Canadian media figure who is described as a "right winger" and has some kind of regular TV show.
The late Eric Malling of W5 was certainly one but I don't think anyone has taken his place. Now there are pundits and political figures that appear semi-regularly on news shows but that doesn't count in my book.
Can anybody out there think of someone that I am missing?
Adoration for Cherry has been expressed, throughout the week, by civilians, NHL players and the media, all of whom decried the CBC: "What the heck's your network thinking?" ranted an unusually decorous Tie Domi. Yet a spokesperson for the CBC priggishly announced that "So far, we've had very little e-mail or phone calls." This seems as incredible a claim as watching CBC and enjoying its programs, but if people are not hectoring this antediluvian network, they had better start.
A good place to start would be to vote for Don as greatest Canadian here.
Genuinely anti-censorship, as opposed to those who feel that legislating compromise into our guaranteed right to free speech is a good preventative measure, I would argue against the stifling of Don Cherry even if I hated him. I am offended by the mere sight of Rick Mercer; I vomit at the thought of Royal Canadian Air Farce; and I hurl imprecations routinely at The New Beachcombers. Should my disgust at the CBC be rewarded by mass cancellations? You tell me.
A thought occurs, other than Don Cherry and perhaps SCTV in the history of our government managed "Cancon" entertainment sector has Canadian Television ever produced that would be memorable?
Have we produced anything close to output of those "barbarians" to the south?
Where is our Mary Tyler Moore, our All in the Family, our Sopranos, our Larry Sanders Show, our Simpsons, our Seinfeld or Six Feet Under?
Despite our attempts to legislate culture we have succeeded only in creating mediocrity. Sure we have our stars but they are generally successful because they are popular in the US.
And when we do get something that becomes culturally significant we want to stifle and ban it. Don Cherry is one example but does anyone remember CKLW? The Windsor station that became the hitmaker for North America until the CRTC decided to quash it? Sure there was a lot of American content but the station also launched the careers of such Canadian artists as "The Guess Who".
You can't force culture, you can't force people to like or dislike something. We should stop trying and let the people decide.
