Meighan Byron- Talk to me entry
No at heart I don’t think Petey was a racist. He was playing a part like most radio personalities do. Pandering to his huge base of listeners and telling them what they wanted to hear. But because of the time period in which he lived and worked, he played the part of a leader in a turbulent time. It was the same then as it is today. People listen and watch things that evoke an emotion from within. Hearing someone like Petey saying controversial things attracted people to him and made people admire him, much like Dewey did. Dewey admired him because Petey had the guts to say unpopular things. But he also had the power to heal. As he did in the days following Dr. King’s assassination. He did his best to calm and unite the residents of Washington D.C. after the national tragedy. A true radio personality now would be a breath of fresh air in politically correct times.