Kyle Sandilands, you’re not just a prat, you’re an abusive douchebag.
I have a feeling Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O are going to be getting accolades on the “sensitive” way in which they handled this segment.
Kyle and Jackie run a radio show on 2Day FM. They include a segment called “Lie Detector”. They accepted participation from a mother who wanted to quiz her obviously-reluctant daughter on she had wagged school, taken drugs, or had sex.
WA Today: Girl’s rape revelation sinks radio stunt
[transcript below the cut]
Any praise will be undeserved. They deserve to have brickbats coming out of their ears. They deserve to be sacked. They deserve to never work again in a job with contact with people.
Because what decent human would ever, EVER think that it’s appropriate to quiz a fourteen year old girl on whether she’s “had sex with older boys” on air? What parent, what radio producer would think that it’s ok to quiz a girl on whether she’s been raped? Because that’s what “having sex with” older boys would ALWAYS be. Rape. Child rape. They decided to quiz a girl about rape on public radio.
And then they acted surprised and shocked when they got a “yes”.
And if they hadn’t quizzing her about “older boys”, if they had been quizzing her about sex with people her own age – they’d still be sexually exploiting a minor on air, asking her about her sex life for entertainment. Last time I looked? That was a crime.
And then, then? AFTER her rape revelation, Kyle continued to try to question her about whether that’s the only sexual experience she’s had.
He eventually takes Jackie’s cue to shut the fuck up.
But offering counselling doesn’t fix this. This should never have been done in the first place.
Transcript
[intro music]
Jackie O: Here’s a little quick recap before we do the Lie Detector.
Mum: Um, last Thursday night she went to bed at nine o’clock. I gave her a kiss goodnight, and 2:30 in the morning I got a knock on the door from two undercover police bringing her home.
Jackie: What’s your worst fear? Is it the sex, is it the lying, is it possibly doing drugs, smoking… what do you think?
Mum: Um… drugs and sex. And older boys.
Jackie: Yeah.
Mum: Yeah, and older boys.
Jackie: Do you think – has she actually told you she’s had sex before, or do you think she’s a virgin?
Mum: I think she – might have had sex before.
Jackie: Right, but she hasn’t said anything?
Mum: No.
Kyle: Have you asked about the drugs? And things like that?
Mum: Yes, I know for a fact that she’s been smoking marijuana.
Kyle: Right, so she’s admitted that, has she?
Jackie: So you want to know if she’s doing anything harder than marijuana then?
Mum: Yes, yes.
Jackie: Alright, we have her hooked up to the Lie Detector! She’s not happy! I just saw her listening to that [bleep]
Daughter: I’m scared. It’s not fair.
Jackie: It wouldn’t be fair on any kid, I tell you. No – they’re sympathising…
Kyle: Is that true, Charles? Is that true?
Charles: That is true.
?Kyle: She is scared, everyone, yeah.
Jackie: Yeah. Mum, you have a series of questions that you’re going to ask your daughter, and [name bleeped], you reply either Yes or No, and then it will be picked up on the Lie Detector whether [with a laugh in her voice] you are telling the truth or you are lying. Ok Mum, what do you want to start with?
Mum: OK, about school. [name bleeped] recently started a new school, and I want to know: Have you wagged at your new school?
Daughter: I have not wagged at my new school.
Jackie: So the answer would be no?
Daughter: No, I haven’t.
Charles: Now, that’s a fail.
Daughter: I haven’t wagged! Are you kidding me?
Charles: I’m just calling it…
Daughter: I haven’t bloody wagged!
Jackie [laughing]: Poor Charles is going to cop it this morning!
Kyle: You’re not within arms reach there are you Charles?
Jackie: Yeah he is!
Daughter: He is.
Jackie: So the Lie Detector’s saying you have…
Daughter: I haven’t wagged!
Jackie: What’s happening here, Charles?
Charles: Well maybe she’s skipped a class or something like that.
Jackie: Have you done that, skipped a class?
Daughter: No! I haven’t!
Mum: Have you left there early?
Daughter: No. I haven’t.
Kyle: Could it come up a fail – like, have you had a sick day or something, where you bunged on a bit of a sickie, and you thought …
Daughter: Oh, yeah, plenty of them.
Kyle: Could that be it? Yep.
Jackie: Well, that’s it apparently. Yep. Ok, what’s your next question, Mum?
Mum: OK. Have you had sex?
Daughter: [quieter] I’ve already told you the story of this. And don’t look at me and smile, because it’s not funny. [louder, announcing with bravado] OH, OK. I got raped when I was twelve years old.
[silence]
Kyle: Right. And is that the, is that the only experience you’ve had?
[huffing sound - is this the daughter fake-laughing in disbelief?]
Mum: I only found out about that, um, a couple of months ago. Yes, I knew about that.
Daughter: And yet you still asked me the question.
Mum: The question was, have you had sex other than that.
Jackie: [name bleeped] I’m really sorry, we didn’t actually know that that was the case, and I think that we might actually abort this segment. I had no idea that you’ve been through that, so I’m really sorry. And we’ll just let you off the hook, I think. I think it’s best not to continue. Are you alright? It’s ok, you just take a breather, it’s fine.
We always have counselling services here. [Name bleeped] Have you had any counselling over this issue?
Mum: No, she’ hasn’t.
Jackie: OK, well we have all the right people in place if you need any help or support in regards to that. Which it sounds like you might. I’m really sorry; I had no idea that this had happened to you. I don’t think we would have gone ahead with that had we known.
OK honey, we’ll just let you go for a while.
I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that that was…
Kyle: OK, Mum, sorry. Look we needed to, we, that’s something we probably should have known before we started this.
?Mum: Yeah, definitely.
Kyle: So let’s do that, let’s get you – if you guys haven’t had any counselling, or any, anyone to talk to about that, we’re happy to pick up the bill for that. We’ve got ‘em here. Do you want that, Mum?
Mum: [quietly] Yes, I think that would be good. That would be good.
Kyle: OK, well that might um, that might, going through that might answer some of the questions that you guys are having difficulty communicating with.
Mum: OK. Yup.
Kyle: OK, [name bleeped] Thanks for coming in, darl. Sorry about that. OK, we’re out, everyone. Jackie’s got some news coming up.
[outro music]
Note: comments that attempt to lay all blame on the mother and exonerate the radio station may be either deleted, disemvowelled, or vigorously argued with, depending on my mood at the time.
Similar Posts:
- Kyle and Jackie O Show Suspended! by Lauredhel
- Media Watch does K&J by tigtog
- Quickhit: victim-blaming a 12 year old by tigtog
- It’s not sex it’s rape: strategic remorse edition by Lauredhel
- “This never happened in my day; I blame the internet” by Lauredhel
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Beppie: “Why do I feel as though he’s going to spin this as a “but you should feel sorry for poor traumatised MEEEEE!” thing? :/”
Because, typically, that’s the response of sexist bullies the world over and Sandilands’ modus operandi. Glad the show is indefinitely suspended, hope it never comes back and I hope that AMCA (toothless tiger that is it) finds that the show breached the codes of practice and sends a message that child exploitation will not be tolerated.
Idol has sacked him. No ifs, no buts, just gonskis. And while the radio stuff needs to be reviewed in terms of approvals of stunts and segments by producers, this can only add pressure to the station to do so. And the man is just AWFUL.
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