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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.

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<v Speaker 2>KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the unhearked radio app.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI

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<v Speaker 2>News and we've got the next couple of hours together.

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<v Speaker 2>Happy Mother's Day, the all of you moms out there.

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<v Speaker 2>Looks like we might be saying goodbye to a Hollywood landmark,

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<v Speaker 2>the RBS sign on Sunset Boulevard. This is something that

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<v Speaker 2>if you've listened to my news coverage, you've maybe caught

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<v Speaker 2>some reports on this because it's one of those old

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<v Speaker 2>school Arby's Roast Beef sandwich signs, you know, like the

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<v Speaker 2>old hats. You don't see those a lot anymore. But

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<v Speaker 2>this thing on Sunset has apparently been very important to

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of people for a long time. And the

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<v Speaker 2>thing is is that the actual Rby's restaurant is gone,

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<v Speaker 2>but the sign it's still there. And this sign is

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<v Speaker 2>apparently so important that I reported last summer that it's

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<v Speaker 2>possible that this thing could be declared a city cultural landmark.

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<v Speaker 2>That that's serious. The LA Cultural Heritage Commission voted last

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<v Speaker 2>July to have the City Planning Department prepare a report

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<v Speaker 2>on this side to see if it's worthy of consideration

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<v Speaker 2>for placement on the you know, the city Landmark Register.

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<v Speaker 2>And the chairperson of the LA Cultural Heritage Commission last

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<v Speaker 2>July said quote, I think it's an iconic example of

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<v Speaker 2>roadside signage architecture, probably as important in terms of icon

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<v Speaker 2>of roadside designation as the Golden Arches are of McDonald's.

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<v Speaker 2>There's just one thing. The Arby's no longer operates, but

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<v Speaker 2>the space is still viable. You're talking Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

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<v Speaker 2>Something could go there and that Arby's closed after fifty

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<v Speaker 2>five years. I guess people ate a lot of roast

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<v Speaker 2>beef there and have some attachment to this sign, but

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<v Speaker 2>they're gonna have to learn how to eat chicken because

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<v Speaker 2>Raising Canes has announced plans to become the new tenant

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<v Speaker 2>of this location, and that means the Arby's sign is

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<v Speaker 2>probably gonna have to go. According to KTLA, Raising Canes

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<v Speaker 2>has said this location is a strategic fit for the

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<v Speaker 2>company as it grows here in Los Angeles, and they're

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<v Speaker 2>gonna renovate the building and they're going to keep the

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<v Speaker 2>drive through there and they're going to respect the iconic

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<v Speaker 2>character of Sunset Boulevard, but KTLA reports that don't worry

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<v Speaker 2>about that cowboy hat sign. You will be able to

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<v Speaker 2>see it, possibly at another nearby arby's location. No details

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<v Speaker 2>on what that means, but that sign is in the

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<v Speaker 2>process of being reviewed as a cultural landmark, and now

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to have to find a new home. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>I did a stupid thing while driving one day this

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<v Speaker 2>week on my way into Burbank from downtown. This is

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<v Speaker 2>a drive I do every day, but you know that

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<v Speaker 2>thing that happens when you're cruising down the freeway and

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<v Speaker 2>suddenly your exit is coming and you sort of snap

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<v Speaker 2>back to reality and you wonder, where have I been

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<v Speaker 2>for the last fifteen minutes? How did I get here?

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<v Speaker 2>It's weird, right, and we all do it. I know

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<v Speaker 2>we all do it. I think it's normal. Our minds

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<v Speaker 2>kind of wander off and somehow we drive perfectly fine. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>this wasn't exactly that, but my mind went somewhere else

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<v Speaker 2>and I wasn't even two blocks from my apartment. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>at a stoplight, waiting for traffic to ease so I

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<v Speaker 2>could turn left, and there's a car facing me looking

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<v Speaker 2>to make a left turn. The other way, and that

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<v Speaker 2>driver is just gesturing at me wildly, and I'm thinking,

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<v Speaker 2>what is your problem? I can see you want to

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<v Speaker 2>turn left. What are you pointing at me? Calm down?

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<v Speaker 2>So the traffic coming towards me sort of eased and

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<v Speaker 2>I went ahead and I made my left turn on

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<v Speaker 2>a one way street the wrong way. So now I

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<v Speaker 2>understand what those gestures were. She was warning me. And

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<v Speaker 2>now there are more cars coming at me. They're freaking out.

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<v Speaker 2>I have to turn around in the middle of the street,

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<v Speaker 2>and I end up driving several blocks away in the

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<v Speaker 2>right direction, but not the right way to work. And

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<v Speaker 2>that's just because I'm embarrassed. At this point, I had

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<v Speaker 2>to get myself together. I'm so humility. Two blocks from

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<v Speaker 2>my apartment. I drive this route every day. I just

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<v Speaker 2>I guess I got ahead of myself and I tried

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<v Speaker 2>to make this turn too soon. But all I could

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<v Speaker 2>think about as I was trying to collect myself was

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<v Speaker 2>what horrible things are those drivers saying about me right now?

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<v Speaker 2>Because you know, something happens when we're driving and somebody

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<v Speaker 2>is stupid, the vile, heinous one. This cash I'm Briginia

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<v Speaker 2>de Gastino in the case you're driving. We would never

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<v Speaker 2>say these things to someone in passing at the mall

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<v Speaker 2>or the grocery. If somebody cuts in front of you

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<v Speaker 2>at the grocery, you might gently say, hey, the line

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<v Speaker 2>is actually back here, and that person would probably say, oh,

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<v Speaker 2>it's my bad, and then they would go to the back.

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<v Speaker 2>But if they cut in front of you on the freeway,

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<v Speaker 2>you want them dead and you tell them. I don't know,

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's weird, but there is some science apparently

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<v Speaker 2>to back up why swearing makes us feel good in

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<v Speaker 2>certain situations, why it's the only type of language that

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<v Speaker 2>can bring us relief in that moment. So I called

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<v Speaker 2>up an expert on language and profanity because I'm curious.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you want to know more about why we

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<v Speaker 2>cuss and why we feel the way we do about it,

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<v Speaker 2>stick around because he is with us next. Now, specifically,

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<v Speaker 2>I called him up in the context of the attempt

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<v Speaker 2>to ban swear words at la City Hall. I should

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<v Speaker 2>be clearer. There's a lot of swearing at city Hall

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<v Speaker 2>during city council meetings, and the council just has to

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<v Speaker 2>endure it. But they are looking to ban a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of very derogatory words, including the N word and the

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<v Speaker 2>C word, and there was some developments on that this week,

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<v Speaker 2>and so I reached out to him to talk about that.

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<v Speaker 2>And I know, if you like a dirty word or two,

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<v Speaker 2>you might be curious about why, Like, what's so special

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<v Speaker 2>about those awful, awful words?

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<v Speaker 3>Right?

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<v Speaker 2>Why can we say them in some places not in others?

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<v Speaker 2>Why is it that only that word will do in

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<v Speaker 2>the moment? That's coming up next? And then the spirit

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<v Speaker 2>of Mother's Day? Did your mom let you cuss as

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<v Speaker 2>a child or as a teenager? Mine didn't. My parents

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<v Speaker 2>have foul, filthy mouths, by the way, but my brother

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<v Speaker 2>and I we would not have dared. We would not

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<v Speaker 2>have been allowed. I had friends, though, whose parents did

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<v Speaker 2>let them cuss, and I was always so jealous of that.

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<v Speaker 2>And I mean the big cusswords, not a little cussword,

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<v Speaker 2>the big ones, the mother of all cuss words. I

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<v Speaker 2>felt like something that was blocked off from me, so

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<v Speaker 2>you know, I wanted it even more. So That's probably

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<v Speaker 2>why I enjoy swearing a lot.

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<v Speaker 3>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>It's kind of a shame we can't do it on radio,

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<v Speaker 2>feel like it sometimes, but I can do it in

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<v Speaker 2>front of my mom. Now I'm a grown man, and

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<v Speaker 2>I just want to shout out my mother, Pammunks Jones

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<v Speaker 2>back in Kentucky. Even though she didn't let me cuss

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<v Speaker 2>as a kid, she certainly taught me how to do

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<v Speaker 2>it as a grown up. So Happy Mother's Day, Mom,

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<v Speaker 2>Looking forward to your visit in a couple of weeks.

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<v Speaker 2>We got a big couple of hours ahead. Zoo elephants

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<v Speaker 2>create an awkward, tense exchange at La City Hall that's

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<v Speaker 2>coming up this hour, and then in our next hour,

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<v Speaker 2>the local man who has had enough of those teen

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<v Speaker 2>bicycle gangs terrorizing shops and people. He's got a new

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<v Speaker 2>website looking to bring some justice. It's Michael Monk's reports

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<v Speaker 2>on Michael Monks from KFI News.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.

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<v Speaker 2>AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This

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<v Speaker 2>is Michael Monk's reports on Michael Monks from KFI News

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<v Speaker 2>with you for the next couple of hours. The La

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<v Speaker 2>City Council has punted on its plan to ban the

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<v Speaker 2>N word and the C word from city council meetings.

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<v Speaker 2>The only reason they're considering it in the first place

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<v Speaker 2>is because people use them all the time at these meetings.

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<v Speaker 2>It seems like the council wants to start with these words,

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<v Speaker 2>despite the litany of profanity spewed at every meeting on

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<v Speaker 2>Spring Street. They were supposed to vote on this ban

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<v Speaker 2>last week, but decided to stall after talking with the

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<v Speaker 2>city attorney. They're worried about free speech lawsuits. But in

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<v Speaker 2>the meantime, let's talk about cussing.

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<v Speaker 1>Why do we do it? Why does it feel good?

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<v Speaker 2>Sometimes? Professor Michael Adams at Indiana University is an expert

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<v Speaker 2>on language and words, and he's the author of the

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<v Speaker 2>book in Praise of Profanity. He joins us now Professor

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<v Speaker 2>Michael Adams thinks, so much for taking time with us.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a pleasure to be here with you.

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<v Speaker 2>Indeed, you know, there are times where only certain words

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<v Speaker 2>will do. And I'm curious, you know, instead of all,

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<v Speaker 2>dang it, why does something like MFF or this seem

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<v Speaker 2>to work so much better for us?

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<v Speaker 3>There's all kinds of reasons for that, and we don't know,

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<v Speaker 3>we don't know exactly what that cognitive mechanism is. But

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<v Speaker 3>there was this great experiment done at the University of

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<v Speaker 3>Bristol and England a decade ago, maybe a little bit

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<v Speaker 3>more where they put people's hands into these buckets of

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<v Speaker 3>ice water, and they had to have a fist in there,

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<v Speaker 3>and they had to keep it in as long as

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<v Speaker 3>they possibly could. And what they discovered was that the

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<v Speaker 3>people who swore while they were doing that task were

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<v Speaker 3>able to keep their their fists in the free in

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<v Speaker 3>cold water longer. So that gives you a sense that

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<v Speaker 3>something in the brain recognizes profanity as a release of tension.

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<v Speaker 3>And so that's just one of the many advantages of it,

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<v Speaker 3>I guess, is to get you through those tough times.

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<v Speaker 3>It's certainly true that ordinary language sometimes fails, and when

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<v Speaker 3>it fails, you've got profanity to back you up. And

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<v Speaker 3>it's really really good at expressing, say, utter frustration, But

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<v Speaker 3>it's also good at expressing anger, which is I think,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, what are the places you want to go.

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<v Speaker 2>That that's exactly right. And since you note that there

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<v Speaker 2>is apparently some physiological connection to this vocabulary, why is

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<v Speaker 2>it that we tend to frown on some words if

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<v Speaker 2>there is some sort of physical benefit to using it.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, some of it is just rooted in history

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<v Speaker 3>and we can't get past it. I mean, sixteenth century

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<v Speaker 3>Protestantism rises. People are very big into public decorum and

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<v Speaker 3>nobody wants to talk about sex or farting or things

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<v Speaker 3>that you know you find often in medieval literature. But

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<v Speaker 3>they're clamping down in some instances, at least in England,

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<v Speaker 3>which is the place I know the best, on what

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<v Speaker 3>they considered bad language. Bad language for its content, not

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<v Speaker 3>necessarily for its expressiveness. And you know, the theaters in

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<v Speaker 3>London were filled with this language and we're shut down

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<v Speaker 3>in sixteen hundred for a number of reasons, but one

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<v Speaker 3>of them was that they were just they were just

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<v Speaker 3>not the moral guide that the aldermen of London wanted

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<v Speaker 3>for the people of London because of the language they

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<v Speaker 3>were using. So this isn't a new problem. We've had

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<v Speaker 3>a profanity on the stage, so to speak, for a

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<v Speaker 3>long time, and people have been trying to erase it.

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<v Speaker 3>But things have changed, I think after the Second World War.

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<v Speaker 3>Just to use that as a watershed, it's a little bit,

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<v Speaker 3>it's a little bit imprecise, but we get to a

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<v Speaker 3>point where we start to use profanity more like slang

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<v Speaker 3>than we do like old fashioned profanity, and so the

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<v Speaker 3>taboo around it loosens and you can tell that with

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<v Speaker 3>words like the F word, right, because people can use

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<v Speaker 3>that in all kinds of situations, because they can express

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<v Speaker 3>themselves in other ways, and so it's extremely useful and

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<v Speaker 3>it's not about sex at all when they're using it.

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<v Speaker 3>So the thing that was originally taboo about it, that's

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<v Speaker 3>just disappeared. And it's still something that's frowned upon in

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<v Speaker 3>some settings, but you'll notice it's not frowned upon now

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<v Speaker 3>the way it was, say a couple hundred years ago

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<v Speaker 3>in public discourse.

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<v Speaker 2>You're an expert on language. Is there a more versatile

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<v Speaker 2>word than the F word? I mean, you can use

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<v Speaker 2>it in all kinds of different context. No.

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<v Speaker 3>No, I'll give a little shout out here to Jesse

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<v Speaker 3>Sheidlower's wonderful book The F Word, which will show you

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<v Speaker 3>not just how the F word itself is used, but

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<v Speaker 3>all the words that we've developed from the F word,

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<v Speaker 3>like f wad and you mentioned the MF word a

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<v Speaker 3>little while ago, and all kinds of we have, all

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<v Speaker 3>kinds of opportunity needs to use it. And when we

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<v Speaker 3>when we don't see exactly the right F word for

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<v Speaker 3>us to use it in a particular case, we will

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<v Speaker 3>sometimes come up with a new one. Yeah, it's pretty

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<v Speaker 3>amazing that you can do so much with just one word.

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<v Speaker 3>But that's one of the advantages of this vocabulary. It's

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<v Speaker 3>very narrow, but it's very expressive, and so people can

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<v Speaker 3>use it expressively, you know, again, sometimes in anger, sometimes

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<v Speaker 3>in frustration. I mean, my favorite example is that, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>if you walk out of the grocery store with your

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<v Speaker 3>your groceries and paper bags and it's raining and you

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<v Speaker 3>get to the curb and the bottom falls out of

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<v Speaker 3>the bags and all the groceries fall to the ground

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<v Speaker 3>and a car drives by and splashes water all over you.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, sugar is not going to work in that instance, Right,

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<v Speaker 3>You're going to need something that goes beyond everyday language

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<v Speaker 3>to vent your frustration in that case. And I think

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<v Speaker 3>that most of us when profanity is used in that way,

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<v Speaker 3>but we don't object to it strenuously. But some of

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<v Speaker 3>the things that have been happening in the La City

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<v Speaker 3>Council meeting sounds much more dire than just those frustrated

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<v Speaker 3>moments of using the word.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, they certainly do. And thank you for helping me

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<v Speaker 2>with that transition. I appreciated because obviously the vulgarities that

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<v Speaker 2>are spewed at La City Hall at every single regular

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<v Speaker 2>council meeting, at committee meetings. It's like nothing I've ever

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<v Speaker 2>seen before in all my years of covering local governments.

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<v Speaker 2>And the city councils of course put forth this motion

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<v Speaker 2>where they're thinking about trying to ban certain words. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>this is not the F word, they can't get rid

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<v Speaker 2>of that yet, these our more profane words that are insulting,

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<v Speaker 2>an offense of the N word and the C word,

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<v Speaker 2>and they haven't moved forward on that because they are

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<v Speaker 2>concerned about being sued that this may be a First

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<v Speaker 2>Amendment issue. But I was hoping the reason I wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to talk to you was why do you think folks

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<v Speaker 2>use those words as a tool to antagonize politicians rather

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<v Speaker 2>than relying on just the facts of a case.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, they may be doing that. Although the N word,

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<v Speaker 3>for instance, is just it's just an awful word, and

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<v Speaker 3>it's meant to be hurtful. There's there's rarely an instance

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<v Speaker 3>in which somebody is using it where it's not a

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<v Speaker 3>slur against someone. And I would make a distinction myself

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<v Speaker 3>between slurs and what we usually consider profanity because slurs

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<v Speaker 3>are they're necessarily weaponized. I mean, that's what they're for

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<v Speaker 3>is to put people down, dismiss them, put them in

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<v Speaker 3>a corner. And that's not the way. We use a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of profanity, at least not all the time. But

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<v Speaker 3>the sea word is an interesting case because the sea

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<v Speaker 3>word is much more accepted in other parts of the

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<v Speaker 3>anglophone world. I mean, if you were in Ireland or Australia,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm not sure they would understand why there.

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<v Speaker 1>Was how they use it all the time.

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<v Speaker 3>The word at all. They use it all the time,

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<v Speaker 3>but they use it they use it in a slang

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<v Speaker 3>year way where it doesn't have to be used as

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<v Speaker 3>a weapon against a woman or be a diminishing term.

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<v Speaker 3>As a matter of fact, you've got some evidence this

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<v Speaker 3>is I think not determined yet. It's not you know,

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<v Speaker 3>sort of come to full full fruition. But it may

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<v Speaker 3>be that women are beginning to use the sea word

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<v Speaker 3>among themselves the way maybe they were using the B

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<v Speaker 3>word a couple of decades ago, in order to build solidarity,

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<v Speaker 3>in order to reclaim it for women and their use.

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<v Speaker 3>And so I would not as a man, walk into

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<v Speaker 3>a room filled with women and use the sea word

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<v Speaker 3>with abandon as though somehow it were all right to

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<v Speaker 3>do so now, because I don't think that that's the case.

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<v Speaker 3>But it's actually a little socially more complicated than at

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<v Speaker 3>first it seems. But it does sound like what's going

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<v Speaker 3>on in those city council meetings is that they're being

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<v Speaker 3>used to characterize people really negatively, and so the sea

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<v Speaker 3>words being used more as a slur than it's being

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<v Speaker 3>used as a slang word.

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<v Speaker 2>But what about those First Amendment concerns. We'll talk about

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<v Speaker 2>that in the context of l Hall.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand I AM.

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<v Speaker 2>Six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This is

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<v Speaker 2>Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News with

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<v Speaker 2>you for the next ninety minutes. We're joined by language

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<v Speaker 2>expert and Indiana University professor Michael Adams. The battle over

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<v Speaker 2>bad words at La City Hall. City council seems ready

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<v Speaker 2>to move on a ban of certain derogatory words, not

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<v Speaker 2>yet on general profanity. What's at stake here?

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<v Speaker 3>The First Amendment issue, though, is worth talking about. Now.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm not a lawyer and can't speak as one, but

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<v Speaker 3>there was a very important case a few years ago

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<v Speaker 3>Mattal v. Tam that was decided by the Supreme Court.

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<v Speaker 3>A group called the Slants. They're a musical group. I

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<v Speaker 3>should have specified that a musical group called the Slants

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<v Speaker 3>wanted to trademark that name for their band, and they

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<v Speaker 3>were told by the Trademark Trial and a Field Boys

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<v Speaker 3>that they couldn't do so because the law says, or said,

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<v Speaker 3>that you can't use disparaging terms as trademark terms. You

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<v Speaker 3>can use them, but you can't trademark them and claim

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<v Speaker 3>that they're your property, so to speak, in commerce. And

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<v Speaker 3>what the Supreme Court decided was that the Trademark Trial

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<v Speaker 3>and Appeal Board was wrong, that the Slants, while a slur,

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<v Speaker 3>was expressive of an identity that the band was trying

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<v Speaker 3>to get across, and as expressive speech, it was protected

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<v Speaker 3>by the First Amendment. So the Supreme Court overruled the

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<v Speaker 3>Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and that opened the door

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<v Speaker 3>then for slurs to be used as trademark terms. I

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<v Speaker 3>haven't seen a whole lot of them being used that way,

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<v Speaker 3>but I can imagine the city council thinking, well, if

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<v Speaker 3>it's okay to use a slur as a trademark, How

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<v Speaker 3>can I keep it out of our meeting? Right? And

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<v Speaker 3>it would have to be because the court supported some

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<v Speaker 3>notion of civil decorum within that space. And I don't

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<v Speaker 3>know how. I don't know how council rooms work, but

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<v Speaker 3>I could speak to that in my class am I think,

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<v Speaker 3>and I think the university and courts with support that

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<v Speaker 3>I can set the I can set the tone for

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<v Speaker 3>speech in my classroom, you know, just as an isolated space.

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<v Speaker 3>And maybe maybe meetings can do that too. I don't know.

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<v Speaker 3>But as I said, I'm not a lawyer.

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<v Speaker 2>Well you nailed it. You nailed it because to be

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<v Speaker 2>worried about it, yeah, and for sure. I mean they've

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<v Speaker 2>been sued before over attempts to stop this. But the

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<v Speaker 2>line of questioning that you just raised there about what

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<v Speaker 2>type of tone can you set in certain environments? That

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<v Speaker 2>seems to be the avenue that they're pursuing.

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<v Speaker 3>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>This issue was to come to a vote last week.

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<v Speaker 2>They decided to put it off after going into a

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<v Speaker 2>closed executive session. So they might have gotten some advice

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<v Speaker 2>from their attorneys that this is not ripe yet, but

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<v Speaker 2>that's still lingering in the meantime. You know, City Hall

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<v Speaker 2>municipal space is no matter where you are, La or Bloomington, Indiana.

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<v Speaker 2>You've got sort of an idea that this is a

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<v Speaker 2>place where, of course legislation takes place, legislating takes place,

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<v Speaker 2>and proclamations of all that, but also where kids and

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<v Speaker 2>your neighbors can go not just to watch how government works,

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<v Speaker 2>but maybe to be honored. And that happens even in

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<v Speaker 2>big cities like La. You might see the random high

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<v Speaker 2>school that won the softball championship come down all and

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<v Speaker 2>be honored. But before they are they are subjected to

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<v Speaker 2>this type of language. And as we know at the

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<v Speaker 2>beginning of our conversation, it's kind of frowned upon. But

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<v Speaker 2>you're an author also, you wrote a book in praise

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<v Speaker 2>of profanity. There is a place for it, right, I

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<v Speaker 2>mean this, this is a type of language that is worthwhile.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, no, I think it absolutely is. It's not it's

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<v Speaker 3>not accidental that the first instances of the F word

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<v Speaker 3>we have appear in poems in the fifteenth century. It's

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<v Speaker 3>esthetic speech in some in some contexts, and and it's

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<v Speaker 3>in the poetry of everyday life if you want to

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<v Speaker 3>look at it that way too, because it's a way

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<v Speaker 3>that we can emphasize things. It's a way that we

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<v Speaker 3>can amplify things. It's a way that we can deflect

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<v Speaker 3>things that so many uses. As we were talking about

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<v Speaker 3>it before, it's good for building bonds with people, because

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<v Speaker 3>you know, doing something that's a little bit wrong with

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<v Speaker 3>your friends binds you to your friends much in the

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<v Speaker 3>same way that young girls tend not to shoplift on

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<v Speaker 3>their own, they tend to shoplift in groups, and they

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<v Speaker 3>do it because then after that they have to keep

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<v Speaker 3>their mouths shut about it because they broke the law

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<v Speaker 3>and you're bound forever. Right in locker room speech is

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<v Speaker 3>kind of the same dynamic. So I mean that's a

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<v Speaker 3>good thing about profanity. We need ways of proving to

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<v Speaker 3>one another that we're, you know, so to speak, the

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<v Speaker 3>right kind of person, the sort of person that you

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<v Speaker 3>can have a secret with or have some level of

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<v Speaker 3>intimacy with. And that doesn't mean that you're swearing all

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<v Speaker 3>the time. That it can be a litmus test I

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<v Speaker 3>think sometimes for belonging to a group. Have you ever

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<v Speaker 3>seen that episode of The Wire in the first season.

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<v Speaker 3>I think it's episode five where the two main detectives

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<v Speaker 3>go to an old, old crime scene and they're walking

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<v Speaker 3>around noticing all these things that they can't quite believe.

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<v Speaker 3>And it lasts for about ten minutes, I think, and

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<v Speaker 3>all they user versions of the F word. There's no

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<v Speaker 3>other dialogue in there at all because they are astounded

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<v Speaker 3>and confused. And then one time the guy hits a

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00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:19.160
<v Speaker 3>singer with a hammer or something. I forget exactly what

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00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.000
<v Speaker 3>the what the injury was, you know, So then you

403
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<v Speaker 3>got that particular type of F word use you need,

404
00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:28.680
<v Speaker 3>you need the F words sometimes because again ordinary words

405
00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.759
<v Speaker 3>will fail. So there are definitely good things about it.

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<v Speaker 3>But I will say to underscore an important distinction. There's

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<v Speaker 3>a difference between swearing with people, as in, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>consolidating or identity in a group or building group bonds

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<v Speaker 3>or that sort of thing, and swearing at somebody, in

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<v Speaker 3>which case it's got a different use and it's it's

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<v Speaker 3>weaponized and you don't have to do that with profanity.

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<v Speaker 3>You can do that with lots of words, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>weaponized speech and work against somebody else's interests. If you

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<v Speaker 3>come from South, you know what it means to have

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<v Speaker 3>somebody say bless his heart or or bless her heart.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, there's no there's no worse put down even

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<v Speaker 3>though there's no swear word there.

418
00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:11.440
<v Speaker 2>Hey, I'm from Kentucky. I know that one.

419
00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:14.480
<v Speaker 3>Well, yeah, but I mean so there's no So it's

420
00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:17.640
<v Speaker 3>not just profanity that that we weaponize, but it certainly

421
00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:22.039
<v Speaker 3>is identified quickly as a weapon when it's used that way.

422
00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:24.400
<v Speaker 3>And you know, I don't think that there's any you know,

423
00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:26.640
<v Speaker 3>we're not out here to harm one another, surely with

424
00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:29.599
<v Speaker 3>our language or anything else. I mean, that's not that's

425
00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:32.400
<v Speaker 3>not the American way. And uh, and I think that

426
00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.759
<v Speaker 3>there's reasons for people maybe to pull pull back from

427
00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:39.640
<v Speaker 3>attacking people with language or you know, maybe in any

428
00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:43.720
<v Speaker 3>other way too. But again, that's not inherently a problem

429
00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:46.240
<v Speaker 3>of profanity. That's got to do with the way people

430
00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:48.960
<v Speaker 3>use profanity. Back to the issue of the of the

431
00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:53.200
<v Speaker 3>of the La City Council. You know, maybe they can

432
00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.160
<v Speaker 3>protect their space because I know that judges can support

433
00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:59.519
<v Speaker 3>their space in the courtroom. They can say in my

434
00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:03.279
<v Speaker 3>court room, you will not use that sort of language, right, So,

435
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:06.359
<v Speaker 3>you know, maybe there's a way for the city council

436
00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.759
<v Speaker 3>to regulate speech in that official setting where they wouldn't

437
00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:12.519
<v Speaker 3>be able to do it otherwise. I don't know. It's

438
00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:14.079
<v Speaker 3>all in the future, it'll be in the news.

439
00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:16.079
<v Speaker 2>Well, be careful. I don't want them to call you

440
00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:18.559
<v Speaker 2>as an expert witness, because if there's anything that takes

441
00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:20.759
<v Speaker 2>a long time, it's a Los Angeles City Council meeting,

442
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:21.759
<v Speaker 2>and you don't want to be caught.

443
00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:26.319
<v Speaker 3>Up in that. Well, I'm grateful for your concern. I

444
00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:30.359
<v Speaker 3>probably won't call me. We'll see and I'll endure what

445
00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:33.519
<v Speaker 3>I have to endure, you know. But the thing is too,

446
00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:36.160
<v Speaker 3>I mean, I don't see that happening very often in

447
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.359
<v Speaker 3>real time. I would, i admit, be kind of interested

448
00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:43.440
<v Speaker 3>in seeing how people were behaving and who knows you

449
00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.440
<v Speaker 3>live and you learn maybe I would revise some of

450
00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:49.400
<v Speaker 3>my ideas about how we're using profanity effectively or not

451
00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:51.279
<v Speaker 3>in the twenty first century.

452
00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:55.359
<v Speaker 2>Professor Michael Adams, Indiana University. So grateful you took the

453
00:24:55.440 --> 00:25:00.680
<v Speaker 2>effing time to talk to KFI about bad words. Appreciate it.

454
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:01.599
<v Speaker 2>Hope we can talk again.

455
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:04.039
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, well, I'd be very happy to do that. It

456
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:04.880
<v Speaker 3>was a pleasure today.

457
00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:08.200
<v Speaker 2>Up next, LA is dealing with a tight budget. They're

458
00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:10.960
<v Speaker 2>fighting over a lot of spending choices at city Hall.

459
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:15.759
<v Speaker 2>But imagine my surprise when the most tension erupted during

460
00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:20.440
<v Speaker 2>questions about elephants at the La Zoo. That's next on

461
00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:24.119
<v Speaker 2>Michael Monks Reports Here on KFI AM six forty.

462
00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.200
<v Speaker 1>You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.

463
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:32.079
<v Speaker 2>KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

464
00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:35.279
<v Speaker 2>This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.

465
00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:38.799
<v Speaker 2>Coming up in our next hour. Roving gangs of teenagers

466
00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:43.720
<v Speaker 2>on bicycles terrorizing parts of Los Angeles, seemingly without consequences.

467
00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:48.160
<v Speaker 2>They ransack convenience stores, beat up people, and in one instance,

468
00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:50.960
<v Speaker 2>steal liquor from a Ralph's store in South LA and

469
00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:53.960
<v Speaker 2>then attack a gay couple outside. One of those guys

470
00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:56.640
<v Speaker 2>is with us because he's had it. He started a

471
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.200
<v Speaker 2>website and he wants to find these little punks and

472
00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:04.319
<v Speaker 2>hold them account. That's coming up. But first, another depressing

473
00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:06.359
<v Speaker 2>week at La City Hall when it comes to the

474
00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:08.680
<v Speaker 2>money and where it's all gone and where it's not

475
00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:13.119
<v Speaker 2>going to go. The city has a billion dollar budget shortfall.

476
00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:17.400
<v Speaker 2>Mayor Bass has proposed around sixteen hundred layoffs, but there's

477
00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:20.480
<v Speaker 2>been some hope even from the mayor that it won't happen.

478
00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:23.599
<v Speaker 2>Maybe the state will bail us out, maybe President Trump

479
00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:27.799
<v Speaker 2>comes to the rescue. Well, Councilwoman Katie Arslavsky, chair of

480
00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:32.440
<v Speaker 2>the Budget Committee, poured ice cold water on those dreams.

481
00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:32.920
<v Speaker 2>This week.

482
00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:37.799
<v Speaker 4>We've reviewed the budget, We've heard from departments, from city employees,

483
00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:41.119
<v Speaker 4>from the public. For many of you in the audience,

484
00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:44.799
<v Speaker 4>the reality is there is not a way to restore

485
00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:48.519
<v Speaker 4>every position proposed for layoff. There just isn't. This will

486
00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:51.839
<v Speaker 4>not be a no layoff budget. When this budget was

487
00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:55.079
<v Speaker 4>first proposed, there was hope that layoffs could be avoided

488
00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:58.480
<v Speaker 4>with help from Sacramento, and while we continue to wait

489
00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:02.480
<v Speaker 4>for an update as of today May eighth, that support

490
00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:06.279
<v Speaker 4>has not materialized. The outlook for federal assistances, as we

491
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:10.519
<v Speaker 4>can all imagine, similarly leak. It's hard to acknowledge this,

492
00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:13.359
<v Speaker 4>but it's the truth. What's also true, though, is that

493
00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:16.720
<v Speaker 4>we will put together a balanced budget, one that restores

494
00:27:16.839 --> 00:27:20.799
<v Speaker 4>key services to the extent possible and minimizes our structural

495
00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:24.200
<v Speaker 4>deficit heading into next year, which will almost certainly be

496
00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:25.400
<v Speaker 4>a tough one as well.

497
00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:29.119
<v Speaker 2>There will be layoffs, but maybe not as many. More

498
00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:32.559
<v Speaker 2>than four hundred of those layoffs are targeting the LAPD,

499
00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:36.279
<v Speaker 2>not officers, but civilian workers. Chief Jim McDonald told the

500
00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:40.200
<v Speaker 2>Budget Committee that's bad. These folks do important work and

501
00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:43.359
<v Speaker 2>the pursuit of justice, evidence and DNA analysis, those sorts

502
00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:46.359
<v Speaker 2>of things. The Budget Committee thinks it can save more

503
00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:49.039
<v Speaker 2>than one hundred of those jobs. It would require the

504
00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:53.519
<v Speaker 2>police department to slow down its hiring. It's been wanting

505
00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.960
<v Speaker 2>ten thousand officers for years. It's been stuck in the

506
00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:01.279
<v Speaker 2>eighty five eighty seven hundred range. Probably won't be hard

507
00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:04.599
<v Speaker 2>to slow down hiring. Chief McDonald has been pretty open

508
00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:07.359
<v Speaker 2>about how hard it's been to get people. The committee

509
00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:09.279
<v Speaker 2>might also be able to save some jobs in other

510
00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:13.640
<v Speaker 2>departments by slashing the Mayor's Inside Safe Homeless program. It

511
00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:17.200
<v Speaker 2>suggested cutting funding for it by ten million dollars and

512
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.240
<v Speaker 2>also scrapping a new firefighter unit that would have responded

513
00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:23.680
<v Speaker 2>to homeless issues. But it's going to be a bleak

514
00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:27.559
<v Speaker 2>day when that budget is finalized. The Budget Committee also

515
00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:30.599
<v Speaker 2>had a weird exchange when the La Zoo showed up

516
00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:33.799
<v Speaker 2>to talk about its financial situation. There are two old

517
00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:36.880
<v Speaker 2>elephants at the zoo, Billy and Tina, and they're supposed

518
00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:40.000
<v Speaker 2>to be shipped off to Tulsa to spend their final years.

519
00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:43.839
<v Speaker 2>Councilman Bob Blumenfield doesn't like that idea. He wants the

520
00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:46.920
<v Speaker 2>council to have some time to review the eighty thousand

521
00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.240
<v Speaker 2>dollars cost. Maybe it could be done more cheaply at

522
00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:53.240
<v Speaker 2>another elephant sanctuary, maybe one in Tennessee or northern California,

523
00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:56.880
<v Speaker 2>but Zoo Director Denise Verrett wouldn't commit to giving counsel

524
00:28:56.920 --> 00:28:59.359
<v Speaker 2>that opportunity. Here's that awkward exchange.

525
00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:01.279
<v Speaker 5>And that ultimately that would be vetted and would be

526
00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:04.400
<v Speaker 5>a public process that we could go through. Not dictating

527
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:08.240
<v Speaker 5>the outcome of that, but I am a as the

528
00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:12.759
<v Speaker 5>motion and this council dictating that we before those elephants

529
00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:17.039
<v Speaker 5>are moved anywhere, that that come to the Council for

530
00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:17.759
<v Speaker 5>the oversight.

531
00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:21.680
<v Speaker 1>So can you promise.

532
00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:24.960
<v Speaker 5>Me here that those elephants will not be moved until

533
00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:29.119
<v Speaker 5>the council has that chance to review that report and

534
00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:29.759
<v Speaker 5>vote on it.

535
00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:33.599
<v Speaker 6>What I can promise you is that I am always

536
00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:36.519
<v Speaker 6>going to make decisions that are for the best interest

537
00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:39.440
<v Speaker 6>of the animals at the zoo, including the elephants.

538
00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:42.559
<v Speaker 5>Okay, that's not good enough, appreciate it.

539
00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:46.839
<v Speaker 2>But that exact exchange repeated itself when Bloomenfield tried to

540
00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:49.799
<v Speaker 2>rephrase the question to make it more budget oriented, since

541
00:29:49.799 --> 00:29:52.880
<v Speaker 2>this was the budget committee. The Zoo is freezing its

542
00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:56.279
<v Speaker 2>elephant exhibit indefinitely, but when Billy and Tina take off

543
00:29:56.279 --> 00:30:00.200
<v Speaker 2>for Oklahoma, we'll have to wait and see. Either way,

544
00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:03.000
<v Speaker 2>they'll get to enjoy the Olympics in twenty twenty eight.

545
00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:05.799
<v Speaker 2>Softball and canoeing. They're not in LA. They're in Oklahoma.

546
00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:08.400
<v Speaker 2>When the rest of the Olympics come to LA in

547
00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.599
<v Speaker 2>twenty eight, some hotel and airport workers may be making

548
00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.640
<v Speaker 2>a lot more money, and that might be bad news

549
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.039
<v Speaker 2>for hotels in the airport. A different committee, the Economic

550
00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:20.880
<v Speaker 2>and Jobs Committee, approved an ordinance that would see minimum

551
00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:23.359
<v Speaker 2>wages for these workers go all the way to thirty

552
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.240
<v Speaker 2>dollars an hour by twenty twenty eight. They call it

553
00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:28.759
<v Speaker 2>an Olympic wage. They're going to be busy during this time.

554
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:31.400
<v Speaker 2>They want to be paid for it. Hotel owners and

555
00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:34.359
<v Speaker 2>the folks who operate businesses at LAX have said this

556
00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:38.759
<v Speaker 2>will kill us. The ordinance passed the committee anyway, with

557
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:41.799
<v Speaker 2>the backing of unions and activists. If the full Council

558
00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:45.400
<v Speaker 2>approves the ordinance, wages would start going up immediately and

559
00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:48.960
<v Speaker 2>then incrementally over the next few years. And right now

560
00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:54.000
<v Speaker 2>tourism is not good. LA World Airport CEO John Ackerman,

561
00:30:54.039 --> 00:30:57.200
<v Speaker 2>that's who oversees LAX. Basically, he spoke to the Budget Committee.

562
00:30:57.240 --> 00:31:01.000
<v Speaker 6>Tourism numbers also paint a concerning picture right now. California

563
00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:04.720
<v Speaker 6>tourism fell in February and March, particularly from Canada and Mexico,

564
00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:08.559
<v Speaker 6>with Canadian air tourism tourism down over fifteen percent and

565
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:13.440
<v Speaker 6>Mexican tourism down twenty four percent. Even worse, flight bookings

566
00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:15.960
<v Speaker 6>from Canada to the US fell by over seventy percent

567
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:19.160
<v Speaker 6>in early twenty twenty five, prompting airlines to cut more

568
00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:22.519
<v Speaker 6>than three hundred thousand seats from LAX through October.

569
00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:26.119
<v Speaker 2>So tourism is bad right now for a variety of reasons,

570
00:31:26.200 --> 00:31:28.400
<v Speaker 2>and Ackerman told the committee it doesn't look like it's

571
00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:29.160
<v Speaker 2>going to get better.

572
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:32.599
<v Speaker 6>The LA Tourism and Convention visitor The Convention Bureau is

573
00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:35.920
<v Speaker 6>anticipating you over your reductions and total international visitors to

574
00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:40.400
<v Speaker 6>LA by between twenty five and thirty percent. Well, these

575
00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:43.240
<v Speaker 6>projections are sobering. Is when times are toughest that we

576
00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:45.200
<v Speaker 6>must work together to see how we can help one

577
00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:47.680
<v Speaker 6>another and find opportunities in our challenges.

578
00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:50.599
<v Speaker 2>But the most difficult situation, he says, is for the

579
00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:53.359
<v Speaker 2>businesses at the airport. He spelled it out for the committee.

580
00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:56.039
<v Speaker 2>What's at stake at the minimum wage shoots up to

581
00:31:56.119 --> 00:31:56.880
<v Speaker 2>thirty dollars.

582
00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:00.279
<v Speaker 6>One hundred percent of the business partners who expressed an

583
00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:04.000
<v Speaker 6>opinion on the effect of that ordinance to me have

584
00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:06.240
<v Speaker 6>said it will hurt their business and they will do

585
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.440
<v Speaker 6>less business in Los Angeles over the long term if

586
00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:13.039
<v Speaker 6>that passes because of the additional pressure will put on

587
00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:15.480
<v Speaker 6>their cost. That is what our partners are telling me.

588
00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:20.200
<v Speaker 6>We are very concerned because we already have partners that

589
00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:24.039
<v Speaker 6>are in difficulty. You know, this Council approved a relief

590
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:28.720
<v Speaker 6>package last year for some of our concessionaires. They basically

591
00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:31.880
<v Speaker 6>kept them afloat, and that was even before this ordinance,

592
00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:34.880
<v Speaker 6>and we will be bringing a similar package for additional

593
00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:38.880
<v Speaker 6>concessionaires in the not too distant future this summer because

594
00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:39.759
<v Speaker 6>of pressure they.

595
00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:42.559
<v Speaker 2>Are already under. When that ordinance goes to the full Council,

596
00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:44.640
<v Speaker 2>we'll have it covered for you right here on KFI

597
00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:47.960
<v Speaker 2>News and coming up in the next hour. Violent and

598
00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:53.039
<v Speaker 2>disruptive criminals, teenagers on bicycles wreaking havoc all over the city.

599
00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:56.480
<v Speaker 2>A victim who has had enough joins us to talk

600
00:32:56.519 --> 00:32:59.559
<v Speaker 2>about what he's doing to stop them, and tariffs on

601
00:32:59.720 --> 00:33:03.880
<v Speaker 2>more movies. President Trump has suggested it. Actor John Voight

602
00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:07.240
<v Speaker 2>has encouraged it. What the local film industry has to

603
00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:10.079
<v Speaker 2>say about that idea and whether it will help or

604
00:33:10.359 --> 00:33:14.319
<v Speaker 2>hurt it when Michael Monks reports continues here on KFI

605
00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:15.279
<v Speaker 2>AM six

606
00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:18.559
<v Speaker 1>Forty, KFI AM six forty on demand