This morning, as I got lit on coffee, fed my baby and watched the “Today” show, I witnessed one of those brain-bursting events that makes one want to weep for the future of our nation.
As many may know, “Today” is filmed in New York City. Crowds gather on “the plaza” and the hosts of the show interact with them occasionally. Today, Al Roker turned the mic’ to a posse of coeds from “LaGrange College:http://www.lagrange.edu/ in Georgia:
“Where’s LaGrange?” he asked, turning the mic’ to a pretty young woman leaning over the crowd control barrier.
“Umm… I don’t know. East?”
“It’s in Georgia!” her cohort chimed in.
“What are they teaching you there?” asked Al. “It might be a good idea to know where your college is located.”
4 responses so far ↓
1 eric // May 25, 2004 at 8:43 pm
It might also help if a professional broadcaster had the first clue to asking coherent questions.
What kind of question is “Where is X?” to people obviously travelling? “Where” on what scale, in relation to “what”?
All Fat Al had to do was ask “What state is La Grange in?” or “Is that close to Atlanta?” and he might have gotten an answer the co-eds (not to mention the viewers) could understand, rather than making the coeds try to figure out what his context was. Thought experiment: get Al’s daughter live on Atlanta TV and ask her “New York, huh?-where’s that?” and let’s watch her stammer.
We don’t ask much of broadcasters; they sure don’t have to be very smart. All we ask is when they talk, they be attempt coherence.
2 Scott // May 27, 2004 at 10:49 am
Umm… Ok. Whatever you say, Eric. And what does Al being fat have to do with it, asshole?
3 sherry // Oct 9, 2004 at 12:50 pm
I think someone with a clue would have answered the question “in Georgia” as the coed’s friend did. Roker was not asking a contextually obscure question; the coed was simply stupid. I don’t think LC has very high admissions standards.
4 sherry // Oct 9, 2004 at 12:50 pm
I think someone with a clue would have answered the question “in Georgia” as the coed’s friend did. Roker was not asking a contextually obscure question; the coed was simply stupid. I don’t think LC has very high admissions standards.
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