Race and Reason

History

Race and Reason debuted on September 28, 1984, on public-access channel 24 of Cox Cable in San Diego, California. It began with six filmed episodes co-hosted by David Wiley; the first episode included interviews with several Odinists, and subsequent episodes featured a Holocaust denier, a Ku Klux Klan leader, a Muslim fundamentalist, and a white supremacist religious leader. The show was initially to be named Race, but was renamed after Carleton Putnam's book Race and Reason: A Yankee's View, which criticizes racial integration.

The program faced immediate controversy; local companies such as Carlsbad Cablevision refused to air it when permitted. Because of public-access rules, cancellation proved difficult as it did not violate obscenity regulations. Morris Casuto of the Anti-Defamation League met with Cox Cable seeking a loophole to cancel the show, while also predicting it would fail. Metzger accused cable companies of hypocrisy over free speech while airing the Playboy Channel.

The show aired on channel 25 in San Francisco in 1984 and 1985, prompting protests, and in Chicago on channel 19, where fifty protestors picketed. In September 1986, it aired in Pocatello, Idaho, leading to a call-in channel after the telecast.

Production and distribution

Episodes of Race and Reason ran half an hour. At debut there were 6 episodes; by 1985, 18; by 1986, 35; by 1988, 63; and by 1996, over 100. New episodes were typically filmed twice a month, though sometimes not at all. Metzger continued working as a repairman during the show's run.

His son John Metzger assisted in production, with David Wiley as producer. Financial support came from Alexander Foxe, and volunteer labor kept costs low. Metzger recorded master tapes and distributed them nationally to supporters, who then took them to local cable companies for public-access telecast. Some cable companies refused to list the show in guides or issued disclaimers.

Metzger encouraged followers to submit letters pretending to be anti-racists to generate publicity. The program aired on Channel 38 in Southern California and in areas including Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Tennessee. By 1988 it aired in ten states and 55 cities, among them San Francisco, Memphis, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dublin (California), Raleigh, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Richmond, Portland, Escondido, Chatsworth, Austin, Norman, Pocatello, Spokane, and Corvallis.

In North Carolina, William White Williams and Harold Covington sponsored it; in Norwood, Ohio, the SS Action Group; in Dublin, Clinton Sipes; in Pocatello, Stan Sorenson. Metzger coordinated distribution through his WAR newspaper, asking readers to help. Tapes were sold for markets where the program did not air. In Florida and Atlanta, a locally produced version hosted by Herbert Poinsett produced 40 to 50 episodes by 1989.

Content

Race and Reason was a talk show primarily hosted by Metzger, who typically wore a suit and tie. Elinor Langer described it as frequently amateurish, at times to the point of parody, though it became more professional over time. A few episodes had other hosts, such as Roy Frankhouser. Judith Michaelson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that racial slurs were commonplace, suggestions to stop Asians and other minorities at the border were routine, and allegations that Jews run the country were frequent.

Michael Novick found the content tamer than the WAR newspaper, arguing it was designed to legitimize Metzger without open advocacy of race war. Mark S. Hamm said Metzger elevated traditional hate into electronic public performance. Metzger denied the show was racist, though he said he personally was, and claimed anyone controversial could appear. Robert D. Purvis stated the basic focus was white separatism.

High-profile guests included Richard Girnt Butler, J. B. Stoner, Ben Klassen, and in the 1990s, James Mason in a three-part interview. Several Holocaust deniers were also interviewed. In a 1987 telecast, WAR member David Mazzella said on the show: 'We can start gassing all the niggers and get rid of them because there’s no need to keep paying taxes on their worthless lives.'

Response and influence

Race and Reason was frequently controversial and sparked debates over free speech on television. Elinor Langer wrote that it created outrage wherever it became known, and Michael Novick said it was met with protests everywhere it aired. Michael Cox noted its visibility was enhanced by local debates about exposing viewers to bigoted viewpoints, though its actual influence and viewership were difficult to gauge. The program was central to Metzger's media strategy, helping him position himself as a national white supremacist leader.

It influenced white supremacists and far-right survivalists, and raised Metzger's profile, leading to appearances on mainstream talk shows like Geraldo and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Jeffrey Kaplan called it the crown jewel in WAR's media arsenal, allowing well-known racist figures and lesser-known skinheads to speak to an audience of true believers, antiracist watchdogs, and channel-surfing insomniacs. Unlike most regional far-right media, Metzger catapulted himself into American living rooms.

Langer described the program as an extraordinary political creation, noting that Metzger's lifelong involvement with television made his use of public access for the racist movement a feat of imagination. James Coates wrote in 1987 that Metzger became a mastermind in exploiting new technologies for political organizing. Mark S. Hamm's study of its influence on skinhead terrorists found little interest; many found it boring or too serious, and its effect on transmitting antisemitic beliefs was insignificant.