I get so weary of such stellar political authorities as Chevy Chase and Matt Damon being given significant air time to lambast and verbally annihilate Sarah Palin. (See the video clip below of Chase's recent Saturday Night Live "review" on MSNBC.) Even when I agree with certain positions held by the Left, I am chagrined by the verbal assaults they always seem to throw at the Right. (Watch any Oscar show, Letterman show, last week's MTV awards, etc.) Of course, people on the Right do their share of haranguing, but it never seems to have the vitriol of the Left. (How many Democrats refuse to put a party bumper sticker on their cars for fear of having their car trashed or keyed? How many Democrats actually fear losing their jobs or failing a class because of their political views?) I've never heard any public figure on the Right verbally wishing somebody on the Left were dead. I've heard it from public figures on the Left. I think the Left might gain a lot more traction than they do if the hate-speak were toned down. If the public discourse were more civil and less vitriolic, people on the right might be more reachable. I get tired of hearing how folks who are brave enough to publicly label themselves "conservative" (or, heaven forbid, admit they are Republican), are basically perceived by many (most?) Democrats to be uneducated, Bible-totin' bigots. Conservative women and people of color are considered, in effect, "neutered" or lobotomized into "Uncle Toms" if they choose not to share the Left's view of gender and race. (Hey, I voted for Clinton twice, so I think I can say these things.) Do politics HAVE to be so sleazy and mean across the board? Criticism--even severe criticism--is fine. Serious disagreement is fine. But unmitigated hatred and verbal gall??? To quote another stellar figure, Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"
11 comments:
Don-I have a "friend" on facebook whose blog yesterday was entitled "Drug-addled lesbian debiltards for Obama." Granted he doesn't have the audience Chevy Chase has (does Chevy Chase still have an audience?), but the mud is flying from both sides. I don't think either candidate sanctions such garbage
Yuck...that's gross, too.
You're absolutely right, Rick--especially about comments from the peanut gallery. You have idiots on both sides of the political divide saying really mean hateful things. I'm confident there are some militant skinheads and Aryans out there who are even yakking about death to certain Democrats. But in my post, I'm referring to people in high profile positions of influence--even the "has beens" like Chase--spewing the garbage. Somebody writing a hate-filled blog is in a whole different category from someone on a "news" show or entertainment event making incindiary comments based on personal opinions. For instance Ann Coulter makes me nervous with some of her stuff, but it's seldom mean. (When she is--like last year's "gay" comments about John Edwards--she got blistered in the media.)
Correction - I meant to say Ann Coulter is seldom VICIOUSLY mean. She's leans toward intellectually mean fairly often, I gotta admit.
Jan said my friend's quote "Sounds like Rush Limbaugh" Sure enough, the "celebutard" (not debilitard) is a Rush Limbaugh reference to Lindsay Lohan. I would imagine he has a rather larger following than Chevy at this point.
Wow. That video is pretty pathetic. Really.
LAME.
I like Rick's comment "does Chevy Chase still have an audience?" I mean, really, why did they even get his 2 cents? It really is sad that people can be so mean over politics. I guess that is part of us being "free" in speech, but still----why so rude?
Don-I stay out of political conversations. Mostly for the reasons you mentioned. People who do not agree are full of names and disgusting remarks. I was thinking of posting a Blog about this for the past two days but couldn't formulate the right words. I am so saddened by the fact that we have become a society of hate. Hate those that do not view the world as you do. I cannot believe some of the name calling and bashing that goes on. That is why I cannot stand politics. I have never hated someone for having a different view. In fact, some of the closest people to me have different views on many different topics. Even though I may see an issue as black and white, I will never call someone an effin' pig, slut, loser, etc. because they disagree. Life would not be so colorful if we all thought the same way. And I have NEVER changed my view on something because someone called me a name...it only makes me want to hold my position harder. Let's engage in intellectual conversation and debate. Maybe I will see the light and start thinking differently. But it certainly won't happen with hateful comments and name calling. If 3 years ago when I walked into FCC not believing Jesus was the son of God someone had shouted at me and called me names I would never be the person/believer I am today. It was through dialogue, research and a whole lot of love that I came to change my views. Name calling will never be the answer. Don't we teach our children as much?
Exhausting....I agree. I don't even try to watch the news anymore. I'd rather live in a land of my choices: House, Grey's, and Survivor.
Just a gentle correction here...
It was Pat Robertson or Jerry Faldwell or James Dobson (they are all the same to me) that was publically praying the God would strike down a liberal member of the supreme court so it would be filled with a conservative. I think this is even worse because it is all in the name of God. Gag.
I totally agree about the name calling and mean-ness. But I am as equally concerned with media that is less obviously offensive but still so spun out of control that people listen to the lies. This is on both sides. I can't watch Fox news for more than two minutes (that Tucker guy gets under my skin in two seconds) and I would agree that MSNBC has a liberal spin with Matthews and Obberman (sp).
That's why I watch CNN with my crush Anderson Cooper and listen to NPR. :)
Thanks for the correction, Diane. Praying for someone to be stricken is worse than "wishing" someone dead. That's pretty slimy for sure. You named 3 of my least admired "spokespersons" of the Conservative side of things. (I know that's anathema to many folks I know.) Seems like there were some ugly things said about Hurricane Katrina by the late Jerry Falwell. Tragic.
Not sure who the Tucker person is that you sited. Not familiar with him.
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