In the latest issue of Pilot's "Challenge" magazine that is available free in all Pilots columnist Claire B Lang interviews NASCAR racer Juan Pablo Montoya . In the interview she quotes the trash term for the rectum 3 times , once quoting herself using it . I informed the editor I will no longer read a magazine using this language . I know some drivers like to share magazines with their family but this shouldn't be one of them .
Female columnist sets poor example for female professionals
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dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
If you don't have the latest copy handy, you can read the article here:
Welcome to Challenge Magazine
Welcome to Challenge Magazine
I wasn't sure if the link would be allowed because of the language . They can find the article by clicking Claire B Lang on the sidebar . I belong to a forum that constantly deletes links to YouTube because of language in the comments section .
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dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
One of the thoughts that comes to my mind with this is that it isn't only an insult to professional women of all walks of life but perhaps more important is that it's an insult to the trucking community as a whole.
The women and the men in the trucking profession often find themselves defending their very decentness (if that's a word) against fellow drivers that do everything under the sun to make all of us look bad. It seems to me that the attitude of the columnist is that it's ok to quote this language in a magazine that's widely read in the trucking world.
Perhaps the editor needs to take her aside and explain a few things to her about not insulting those she's writing for. After all, she probably would have chosen different words had she been writing for the main stream media.
All in all I think an apology to the trucking community, both men and women is in order.
The women and the men in the trucking profession often find themselves defending their very decentness (if that's a word) against fellow drivers that do everything under the sun to make all of us look bad. It seems to me that the attitude of the columnist is that it's ok to quote this language in a magazine that's widely read in the trucking world.
Perhaps the editor needs to take her aside and explain a few things to her about not insulting those she's writing for. After all, she probably would have chosen different words had she been writing for the main stream media.
All in all I think an apology to the trucking community, both men and women is in order.
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Oops, me wasn't thinking about that!
You may be o.k. . It isn't a direct link and there is fair warning . I hope you'll e-mail the editor with your protest . I hoped I wasn't being a prude . When I was growing up I never heard a woman using that language . I didn't hear that type of language used by a woman until after I was married . (Don't ask me who it was directed to )
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
IMHO, the problem isn't that you're being a prude. The problem is more that too many people these days don't practice common morality and decency and the bar just keeps getting lower and lower. Where does it end?
How does the article set a poor example for female professionals? Would it be OK if the author was a man?
Would you prefer that when she quoted Montoya that she have changed his words, instead of actually quoting him? I think it would set an extremely poor example for female professionals for a journalist to insert her own perceptions of political correctness in lieu of accurately reporting what was said.
A man wouldn't do that, especially in the context of an article written for truck drivers, published in a magazine for truck drivers, about a testosterone-driven, on the edge sport, that speaks to truck drivers on the same level that football speaks to them.
Oh, the irony in that we have here an article that is all about not being a puppet and not being told to what to say. Too funny. And, if there is one thing that truck drivers hold near and dear to their hearts, it's the freedom of not being told what to say.
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] “I’m not a rectum. I’m a tough guy but I’m not a rectum,” Montoya says. [/FONT]
Naaaa. That don't sound tooooo gay.
"Mommie, what's a rectum?"
Would you prefer that when she quoted Montoya that she have changed his words, instead of actually quoting him? I think it would set an extremely poor example for female professionals for a journalist to insert her own perceptions of political correctness in lieu of accurately reporting what was said.
A man wouldn't do that, especially in the context of an article written for truck drivers, published in a magazine for truck drivers, about a testosterone-driven, on the edge sport, that speaks to truck drivers on the same level that football speaks to them.
Oh, the irony in that we have here an article that is all about not being a puppet and not being told to what to say. Too funny. And, if there is one thing that truck drivers hold near and dear to their hearts, it's the freedom of not being told what to say.
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] “I’m not a rectum. I’m a tough guy but I’m not a rectum,” Montoya says. [/FONT]
Naaaa. That don't sound tooooo gay.
"Mommie, what's a rectum?"
The issue is the type magazine she quoted him in . It's a free magazine distributed in Travel Centers that are patronized by many families traveling on vacation . There is a place for that type language . I don't know how long her interview was but if she couldn't come up with more interesting content than that for a one page article she isn't much of a reporter . (Note She also used the language herself like some third grader in a school yard thinking someone will be impressed by it ) She also has little respect for the image NASCAR is trying to project . Drivers have been fined and lost championship points for using milder language .
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Turtle,
You hit the nail on the head.
Sorry to say this but reality is a *****.
We work in an environment that has always been on the lower end of society - the blue collar worker. The magazine is focused on the trucking industry, nothing else.
So what I read was written towards an audience that does not care about that mild use of language and that most of us have gotten used to listening to worst on TV with kid shows.
If you are going to write to someone to complain about real issues, write to Disney or other entertainment companies who don’t have any standards.
You hit the nail on the head.
Sorry to say this but reality is a *****.
We work in an environment that has always been on the lower end of society - the blue collar worker. The magazine is focused on the trucking industry, nothing else.
So what I read was written towards an audience that does not care about that mild use of language and that most of us have gotten used to listening to worst on TV with kid shows.
If you are going to write to someone to complain about real issues, write to Disney or other entertainment companies who don’t have any standards.
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Part of you sig line;
In order for you to change something you don’t like, to change something for the betterment of your country or to change just for the need of change, you must be involved, engaged and vocal.
Greg , I put this in the Women's View topic for a reason . Women in trucking have a different attitude towards things and I wanted their opinion . I don't think the women members here consider themselves the lower end of society . But you make a good point . In my e-mail to the editor I told them I didn't know what low life mentality their target audience was but I wasn't part of it . Their previous issue devoted the cover and several pages to an ex-junkie wrestler . I don't have a "pro" wrestling fan mentality either . The magazine is openly available in TRAVEL CENTERS . If they want to attract families traveling they should be distributing material suitable for families .
I'll give ya that, but it's still a truck stop, and the magazine is targeted at truck drivers and the truck driving industry. That's why it's called "Challenge Magazine - Challenging the Industry" and it's why there's a big rig on the cover.
Yeah, and a truck stop is one of them.
Well, that's true. It's a pretty weak article. It has the feel of a, dare I say it, a giddy school girl in the presence of someone she finds cute and adooooorable, but at the same time, hawk, hawk, spit, spit, grab my crotch, of wanting to fit in with the guys. Spitooey <plunk>
She writes for her audience. She keeps it clean on her blog and her radio show, since a lot of kids go there, but she grew up around NASCAR. She one of the boys, actually. One of the few "gals" that the boys will talk to as if she's one of them. Over the years she's been editor of several NASCAR publications and track-specific newsletters, most notably "The Speedway Club" at Lowe's Motor Speedway (largest circulation of any track newsletter). She has her "Dialed In" radio show based out of her home in Mooresville, NC that airs on XM for 3 hours every night. On the weekends she broadcasts from a track.
NASCAR pays her for her radio show as well as her being on NASCAR's payroll for the NASCAR publications. She does own her own media and PR firm, with NASCAR being her biggest client, but don't kid yourself into thinking that she's not fully aware of what NASCAR wants, NASCAR gets. She knows when to say what, and when not to say what.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
I see what you are getting at.
What this has to do with gender is puzzling, some of the women truckers I met don’t seem to care about the vocabulary they use and I learn a few words from them.
Sorry about my comment about society, I didn’t explain it well enough but if you look around when you sit in the truck stop; I don’t see Martha Stewarts and George Clooneys walking around, I see working people and that is what I meant. There is nothing deeming or a put down to those who work for a living but facts are facts, the working class is on the bottom of the society pole. I am proud to be part of that group, I saw the Hampton way of life and didn’t like it at all – it is too false.
What this has to do with gender is puzzling, some of the women truckers I met don’t seem to care about the vocabulary they use and I learn a few words from them.
Sorry about my comment about society, I didn’t explain it well enough but if you look around when you sit in the truck stop; I don’t see Martha Stewarts and George Clooneys walking around, I see working people and that is what I meant. There is nothing deeming or a put down to those who work for a living but facts are facts, the working class is on the bottom of the society pole. I am proud to be part of that group, I saw the Hampton way of life and didn’t like it at all – it is too false.
The name of the corporation is Pilot Travel Centers LLC , not Pilot Truckstops and their website claims they serve "professional drivers , business travelers , and families on vacation " (They also serve as a rest stop for Greyhound but they didn't mention that .)
Big rigs on the cover ? The main figures I see on the cover are sports professionals which would attract more than truck drivers to the magazine . And again "geared to the audience " I guess truck drivers are considered to have an I.Q. lower than the speed limit This is interesting and I'd like to see where it goes but I have to head for Toronto . It may be a day or two before I can check back in . Just want to say a thing about NASCAR's choirboy image . Who are they trying to kid ? It was ridiculous when they fined Dale Jr. for what he said but I think it was really funny when "nice guy" Kyle Petty said the "F" word on live tv . Strange , no penalty there . .
Big rigs on the cover ? The main figures I see on the cover are sports professionals which would attract more than truck drivers to the magazine . And again "geared to the audience " I guess truck drivers are considered to have an I.Q. lower than the speed limit This is interesting and I'd like to see where it goes but I have to head for Toronto . It may be a day or two before I can check back in . Just want to say a thing about NASCAR's choirboy image . Who are they trying to kid ? It was ridiculous when they fined Dale Jr. for what he said but I think it was really funny when "nice guy" Kyle Petty said the "F" word on live tv . Strange , no penalty there . .
Greg , I didn't see your post before I posted . We all (pretty much) respect each other's opinions here . I certainly respect yours and Turtle's . The whole point of a forum is to share different points of view . If we all agreed on anything what would be the point of posting ? It would be pretty boring , wouldn't it ?
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Crazy,
you don't have to worry about it, I am just pointing out things I see - I take your comments as legitimate concerns, not some half baked issue that is rather a non-start for a conversation.
Nascar, like Golf and other sports is really all about the money, so if there is some attempt to keep things clean, well thats a good thing. In some sports, primarily in Baseball, I don't see any self policing as I do in Nascar. But like I said, we face bigger issues with kids being exposed to cr*p on TV, some disney things offend me to no end so I throw it in there to keep things alive and make people think.
I know where you are coming from.
jaminjim
Veteran Expediter
Political correctness run amok. I read the article and it was rather lame, but lets face it, it is geared for truck drivers who I think are not generally offended by such mild language.
Would you rather it become a magazine for families? Would you like there to be a section of children's games and connect the dot stuff? Then there could also be a section for dollies and how one might decorate the night-stand with them along with some wonderful flower arrangement.
To me it is something that I read and toss long before I get to the house. Sorry but the next thing you know they will want to put clothes on Playboy centerfolds.
Would you rather it become a magazine for families? Would you like there to be a section of children's games and connect the dot stuff? Then there could also be a section for dollies and how one might decorate the night-stand with them along with some wonderful flower arrangement.
To me it is something that I read and toss long before I get to the house. Sorry but the next thing you know they will want to put clothes on Playboy centerfolds.
Yeah, it's Pilot Travel Centers, and they service both professional and quite UNprofessional drivers, business travelers and pleasure travelers, and families on and off vacation. But it's still a truck stop, and people who go there know what to expect. It would be different if the magazine was on a rack next to the NASCAR toys in Wal Mart, but it's not. It's in a truck stop. Or, call it a travel center, of you like. Doesn't matter what you call it, nor what you wish it to be, what matters is what it is, and what it is, is, is a truck stop.
Like Greg, I don't dismiss your opinions, either. I, too, take your comments as legitimate concerns, not some half baked rant without any thought behind it. I enjoy the debate and the intercourse (can we use that word here, in the correct context?). I do think the issue here shouldn't be the harsh language (some have called it mild, but it's really harsh language, just mildly harsh hehe), but the fact that the article was poorly written about a boring subject. It was essentially a transcript of some good ol' boys cutting' up and having fun in the car hauler. Riveting stuff.
Women and men are different, even though many people won't admit it, but they are. Men understand that you can't shield kids from the real world, nor would we want to, because if we did that would leave the kids unprepared for the real world. Women, on the other hand, still have a need to shield the kids from all things bad. Those women need to keep their kids out of a Pilot truck stop. What they should be doing, though, is bring their kids to the Pilot and forcing them to watch how Pilot cleans a shower, that way their kids will know exactly how NOT to clean a shower.
Now, as for the dollies section in "The Challenge", now yer talking. Stardoll - Paper Doll Heaven
Like Greg, I don't dismiss your opinions, either. I, too, take your comments as legitimate concerns, not some half baked rant without any thought behind it. I enjoy the debate and the intercourse (can we use that word here, in the correct context?). I do think the issue here shouldn't be the harsh language (some have called it mild, but it's really harsh language, just mildly harsh hehe), but the fact that the article was poorly written about a boring subject. It was essentially a transcript of some good ol' boys cutting' up and having fun in the car hauler. Riveting stuff.
Women and men are different, even though many people won't admit it, but they are. Men understand that you can't shield kids from the real world, nor would we want to, because if we did that would leave the kids unprepared for the real world. Women, on the other hand, still have a need to shield the kids from all things bad. Those women need to keep their kids out of a Pilot truck stop. What they should be doing, though, is bring their kids to the Pilot and forcing them to watch how Pilot cleans a shower, that way their kids will know exactly how NOT to clean a shower.
Now, as for the dollies section in "The Challenge", now yer talking. Stardoll - Paper Doll Heaven
Some really good discourse here. I mostly agree with Greg & Turtle Except that I'm a woman who didn't try to shield my children from even the ugliness of life, (age appropriate, of course), but explained that they cannot be responsible for the words/ideas/actions of anyone but themselves, and must decide right from wrong for themselves. They've both done a pretty good job of it, so far.
Pilot is a Travel Center at the front door, a Truck Stop at the rear . The Challenge magazine is stocked near the rear door, with the other "Trucker" rags, no? Of course we'd like to 'clean up' the image of truckers, but they are never gonna be the choirboys of the blue collar world - it just isn't in them.
Maybe Challenge should use EO's filters - we can't even refer to the ****pit, or the grass, without getting bleeped, and it makes me laugh, every time.
Pilot is a Travel Center at the front door, a Truck Stop at the rear . The Challenge magazine is stocked near the rear door, with the other "Trucker" rags, no? Of course we'd like to 'clean up' the image of truckers, but they are never gonna be the choirboys of the blue collar world - it just isn't in them.
Maybe Challenge should use EO's filters - we can't even refer to the ****pit, or the grass, without getting bleeped, and it makes me laugh, every time.