I have to tell you-I felt sorry for the Energizer battery people-The bunny was just randomly at the top of the Susan G. Koman page the day the controversy hit, and the sponsor took a lot of heat, We tend to blame the sponsors for the errors or omissions of the hosts/programs they support, which isn't really fair.
This is a very good example of the danger of showing a 37 second clip from a monologue that took 10 minutes to deliver. Using those 37 seconds "proves" that Limbaugh is a sleeze, when in fact there is considerable fault to spread around.
Michael J. Fox certainly is sincere in his support for stem cell research and certainly has a personal interest in seeing that all available means are applied to developing a cure for his disease. Rush Limbaugh is opposed to the use of stem cells obtained from deliberately aborted fetuses and has a right to that opinion.
So Rush was wrong in his visual parody, but keep in mind that his is a radio show and relatively few pay to see the video version. That does not excuse him, it was clearly an error that he made during the 15 hours he has been on the air each week for 24 years.
I am a "cancer survivor." I have had two cancers successfully treated, one 8 and one 12 years ago. Does that make me a competent spokesperson for cancer treatment, one especially that might be controversial and unproved?
Apparently being a cancer survivor makes many actors and actresses "experts," and justifies their exploitation. It is used to convince the public to support experimental treatment that perhaps may help to develop a cure in the future. However, in the meantime it is certain that it will line the pockets of the promoters.
Michael J. Fox's condition was exploited in an effort to raise money. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been already been raised by organizations that profit from the research and several in Michagan have been found to have used taxpayer funds for lobbying. There is much to be said on both sides of this argument. Certainly more than can be said in 37 seconds.
I thought the comments Rush made about Michael J. Fox were shocking, Fred. I've known people with Parkinson's disease, and they do not shake for attention. (I did not put the title on the following video.)
I would be delighted to see a comment or two that Rush has made that led you to this conclusion, but I don't have to look far to find behavior that justifies exclusion of Al Sharpton from the airways and certainly that makes him different from Rush, at least until the honorable Ms. Allred get's through with him.
Al Sharpton played a role in the Tawana Brawley rape case. He supported what was later found to be a hoax in court. Sharpton was ordered by the court to pay restitution for a defamation suit against people whose reputation he hurt. He has frequently refused even to apologize for his behavior.
You certainly are entitled to these opinions Scott -- if you have formed them in response to Rush's words. However, if you have formed them through things you have read in the NY Times, Washington Post or 95% of the other newspapers or through things you have heard on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC that were taken selectively or out of context to prove a point, then I think you should present the evidence to support them.
Again, I am not defending the use of words that Rush uttered in speaking of Ms. Fluke, they were wrong and he has admitted that.
I am pleased that you heard the comments directly. I wonder if you have heard other comments of his and found them also offensive. I would certainly like to know if this is an isolated concern or a general one.
In no way am I defending the language used by Rush on his program any more than I would defend the use of foul and demeaning language by a "comedian." However, while Ms. Fluke is a young woman, you might want to consider her as more than that. She clearly has many of the characteristics of a public figure as you can see here.
It is apparent that she was used by Congress in their press conference staged as an official hearing as a diversion from the more critical issues that face the country. Her choice was based on her previous activities rather than her youth and gender. And, if so, perhaps the differences between her and Ms. Palin are not as clear as you suggest, and certainly do not justify the language Bill Maher used in describing her.
As Kistern Powers reacted on Greta Van Susteren's show "what, exactly, [is] the joke ...in referring to a woman as a derogatory phrase for female genitalia."
Powers then ran through a list of all the exceptions the media and those in politics have been making for misogynists: "They're making all of these distinctions that you can be misogynist if you're a comedian, you can be misogynist if you're attacking a public person — this is another argument they're making. And, meanwhile, this is the same group of people who claim that they're fighting a 'war on women.'"
Rush is to the right what someone like Al Sharpton is to the left. Both are focused on shock value over reasoned dialogue. Incendiary rhetoric is not exclusive to any party -- but it's damaging no matter where it originates.
I have listened to Rush before. There are certain members of the family that have him locked on the radio station. Here's the question: Is he furthering a civil, intellectual dialogue on the future of America, or is he trying to fire up a bunch of angry white men and raise his ratings?
I would argue it is the latter. His languange is incendiary -- on purpose. He knows that controversy sells, and that's how he got a big radio show.
Is Rush good for America? I don't think so. I think mostly he engenders hate and anger.
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