The Man That is Dale Hanson
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FTVLIve readers have known for years that we are a fan of WFAA's Dale Hanson, it now seems that everyone else is becoming one as well.
FTVLive has been posting Hansen's videos for years and at 69 years old, he has old what a whole slew 20 somethings in this industry would dream about.
He has become an unlikely viral video star.
When the NY Times showed up last week at his house, about 30 miles south of Dallas, he was finishing an interview with a radio station in New Zealand.
“I guess they liked what I had to say,” Hansen said. “Not bad for a guy who was fired from nine of his 11 jobs in television.”
The Times writes that Hansen’s latest commentary — in which he presented his Texas audience with a heartfelt defense of black Americans’ protests and an indictment of “white privilege” — was just the latest in a recurring segment, called “Hansen: Unplugged,” that has run on WFAA for years. He says he writes the segments in about 10 minutes and delivers them in about three, but only, he said, when he feels strongly that he has something to say. For Hansen, that’s about eight to 10 times a year.
His talks are topical. Nearly all are personal. In previous ones, he has revealed racism in his hometown, his daughter’s long-ago rape as a college student, and even his own experience as a 10-year-old victim of sexual abuse.
“If I was 33 years old and looked like Tom Cruise and lived in Los Angeles, do you think anyone would listen to me?” he said. “I can’t really explain why people listen to me. But I do know some people are thinking, Who is this fat, old, white sports guy and why is he telling me what to do? I don’t fit the stereotype.”
In other ways, though, he’s a typical Texan. He lives with his wife, Chris, on a 39-acre ranch that also is home to three Longhorns, six dogs, two horses, two mini horses and one mini donkey named Edward R. Burro. He has a home office stuffed with awards honoring his journalism and photos documenting his career.
It makes sense, then, when Hansen tells you he once wrote an English paper titled, “Let’s face the facts: Negroes are just plain troublemakers.” But he says it is those same life experiences that explain his political and cultural evolution.
“I’m attracted to diversity because I had none in my life,” he said. “I like people who challenge me, who aren’t the same as me.”
That may be why Hansen, a Texas institution, has resonated nationally. Agree with Hansen or not, it’s good for all of us that he is allowed to have his say. Sure, Hansen is aware that some viewers tune in just to get angry with him. But he says his goal is not merely to stake out contrarian turf, or to poke at those who might disagree with him.
Read the full story from the NY Times
