Well Then, I Apologize Too

Sen. Obama explains that we are all to blame for Don Imus, rap music, Grand Theft Auto, and a general coarsening of the culture.

"I think that all of us have become a little complicit in this kind of relaxed attitude toward some pretty offensive things," Obama said. "And I hope this prompts some self-reflection on the part of all of us."

Good point!  I will henceforth desist in referring to women as bitches and never again will I refer to Condoleeza Rice, or anyone else, as a 'nappy headed ho'.

I do hope that Tipper Gore apologizes and accepts her share of responsibility as well.  We have all become complicit!

Well.  Since we are all responsible, none of us are.  If, I say *IF* Sen. Obama wants to lead on this issue, he could start by pointing a finger at some real targets.  Some hard targets; waiting five days and then denouncing Imus does not merit a Profile in Courage.

Just to help him get started, I wonder whether his new friend David Geffen has any clout in the record industry; I further wonder whether Sen. Obama wants to exhort him to help clean up Hollywood.

As if.

MORE:  To Be Fair, the Senator is probably courting the Ineffectual Hand-Wringing Lib, not me, so this may be a useful tack politically.

Comments

[Other Tom]

The conclusion of Mark Stey's wonderful column about this saga:

"Only in America: a team of champions who think they're victims, an old white fool who talks like a gangsta rapper and multi-millionaires grown rich on race-baiting who promote themselves as guardians of civility. Good thing there are no real problems to worry about."

[hit and run]

The Cascading Downward Cycle of Cynicism Continues.

[Les Nessman]

The 2006 Time Man of the Year is to blame for all of this?

How the mighty have fallen.

[SunnyDay]

As long as there is a market, someone will produce the crap. The coarsening of the culture has been promoted as freedom. What did they expect?

Those of us who object are railed against as suppressing freedom of speech - huh? The pendulum will swing the other way - at least, let's hope it does.

I can't even keep FNC on when my nieces and nephews are here to visit - everything has sexual imagery, perverse overtones, borderline language and even a few bleeps. The City of Virginia Beach has been tied in knots over the fact that they advertise themselves as a family vacation spot, but people walk down the street wearing obscenities on their tee shirts, using language that makes a longshoreman blush.

I can't control what they put out there, but I can keep it from coming into my house, and I can stay away from the places where it is accepted as normal behavior.

[clarice]

Thanks, TM. Reminds me of all that blather about changing the culture at colleges when everyone was blaming the Duke Lacrosse team. Everyone's responsible so no one is. Cool! I'll cast my eyes downward in shame and carry on. (Right Obama?)

In the meantime, nary a word about people like the Duke cabdriver who w/o a syndicated show did the right thing and suffered for it.Or this girl's parents who w/o a thought to themselves adopted this child and gave her a life full of hope and meaning.

[hit and run]

We Are All Don Imus. I am Don Imus.

Say it. Own it. Let the healing begin.

[MikeS]

Obama explains that we are all to blame...

I agree with Obama. I'd call it a malaise.

[Lew Clark]

I apologize too! Although I don't use rude, disgusting language, I have stood back while others hid behind the First Amendment to do so.
But no longer! I'm heading to my workshop to build some IED's and a suicide bomb vest. I'm going to take those people out!

Any suggestions on who first? Especially when I do the suicide bomb thing, because you only get one shot with those things.

[clarice]

Both Newsweek and the Baltimore Sun indicate this was an organized attack by Media Matters which lends some credence to the claims by Maid Marion that this was done to aid Hillary!, a frequent target of the I Man. In any event since he will surely go on to a bigger paying deal somewhere, if I am responsible for his conduct, I want my cut of the take.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18110453/site/newsweek/

[Jane]

Hey I thought I brought up the Hillary angle. That maid Marion, always handing me my hat!

Oh and I've changed my mind about the Britt, Fred thing Clarice. I am thinking untoward. Indeed!

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Well, I don't apologize for this.

We're talking about a team of adults, adults goddammit, old enough to serve in the military, to make a contract, to marry. Players in a nationally rated team in a sport rather notable for trash talking on the court, and also notable for the degree to ewhich emotional control translates to successful performance.

And now they're collapsing with an absolutely Victorian case of the vapors, saying their lives' accomplishments have been just ruined, because someone called them names. Once.

Wll, I say they should (a) grow up, and (b) learn to recognize when they're being used, cynically and professionally, by scam artists who will turn this into more monetary contributions for their "ministries" and "coalitions."

[hit and run]

Charlie:
they're being used, cynically and professionally, by scam artists who will turn this into more monetary contributions for their "ministries" and "coalitions."

Sharpton and Jackson:
Profiles in Courage Cozenage

[clarice]

Sorry, Jane. You know I'm old and senie-ish and I only remembered MM.

I am by the way working with my crack team of financial and corporate advisors-- PUK and Ballard --to provide those of you baddies with an opportunity to buy coarseness indulgences. Call someone a nasty name and we will sell you one--a contribution to real heroes and non-trash talkers.

[hit and run]

Obama:
And I hope this prompts some self-reflection on the part of all of us.

Barack Obama: The Audacity of Trope

[clarice]

You're on a roll this morning h & r--anticipating the return of Mrs H & R I take it.

[Tom Maguire]

The 2006 Time Man of the Year is to blame for all of this?

Good point - I need to shoulder the burdens of my position.

[hit and run]

Tom:
To Be Fair, the Senator is probably courting the Ineffectual Hand-Wringing Lib, not me

At the risk of offending the only important person on this blog, is "Inneffectual Handwringing" similar to the "The Email Is In The Mail (And Other Classic Lies)" thread?

Sans the word "Lib", of course.

[Tom Maguire]

Both Newsweek and the Baltimore Sun indicate this was an organized attack by Media Matters

The WSJ had an excellent piece detailing the ebb and flow.

Evidently Media Matters has an associate with a TiVo who monitors Imus - they caught his outrage (at 6:43 AM, roughly), posted a video clip, and bombarded reporters (most of whom yawned.)

But eventually it took off.

George Soros at work and play.

And now they're collapsing with an absolutely Victorian case of the vapors, saying their lives' accomplishments have been just ruined, because someone called them names. Once.

i tried that argument ta a dinner party last night, but...
the pushback was that it wasn't the comment that was so rtroubling, it was that the media was only asking about timus and not their march to the title game - the switch in focus from "What's it like to ne a near-champion" to "How does it feel to be called a nappy headed ho"? was troubling.

The pus-pushback would be, well, was it Don Imus' fault for saying it, or the medias fault for replaying it every five minutes or three days?

If the real offense is that everyone was distracted, how does one allocate blame?

That said, the loser of the women's NCAA hoops tournament doesn't normally use up much of their fifteen minutes, although who knows - Corzine probably would have invited him to the Capitol, for example.

Fire Imus because he is distracting the rest of them!

And the other push-pushback would be, if it was the loss of focus thta bothered them, why meet weiyt hImus and why is his apology so necessary? Why not meet with SportsCenter, or CNN, or Media Matters, who could just as well have blast-faxed video clips of the Rutgers semi-final win (to equal indifference).

Oh, I'm Mr. AnswerBack now! Too bad I was on the H&R program last night.

[gmax]

the Ineffectual Hand-Wringing Lib,

Is there another kind of Lib? Seriously.

[hit and run]

Clarice:
You're on a roll this morning h & r--anticipating the return of Mrs H & R I take it.

Thank you. Yes, her return is greatly anticipated.

You shoulda seen the roll I was on last night. Unfortunately, the thunderstorms knocked out my cable modem. It was a solo performance without an audience.

In fact, right now I am pilerfering wireless from some neighbor. Pretty weak connection, I'm getting knocked off every 10-15 minutes.

Oh well.

If this keeps up, I may be forced to start cleaning up the house before mrs hit and run gets home.

[Cecil Turner]

Both Newsweek and the Baltimore Sun indicate this was an organized attack . . .

Mebbe so, but they got some obvious help from Imus himself. As to the idea that we're all contributing factors . . . well, I feel a Confiteor coming on: Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. All this guilt is easier if we share. (But secretly, I blame George Washington.)

. . . they're being used, cynically and professionally, by scam artists . . .

Yes. If we're talking about getting people off the airwaves, shouldn't people like Al Sharpton come first? Talk about a ridiculous double-standard: Imus makes a few athletes feel bad . . . Sharpton incites murder. 'Splain to me the disparate treatment? (And the latter's moral high ground?)

. . . because you only get one shot with those things.

Heh. Yep, that's what you call a self-limiting exercise.

[hit and run]

Tom:
Too bad I was on the H&R program last night.

Yes, beer at the afternoon birthday party and bourbon at night is not a program for amateurs.

You were referring to my drinking program, no?

[clarice]

When is Media Matters going to target Ted Rall--or does one have to be on Hillary's list to get that treatment?
Appropos Steve Gilbert and I are stirring the pot on phony 501(c)(3)'s including CREW.Join the fun.
Your tax money at work

[clarice]

Off topic--President Fred :
'The National Journal asked its group of political insiders which potential candidates, if any, will emerge as a strong contender for president. The Democrats gave the following responses: Fred Thompson: 46% * Al Gore: 24% Newt Gingrich: 12% Michael Bloomberg: 11% Chuck Hagel: 8% None of the above: 29% On the Republican side: Fred Thompson: 43% Al Gore: 21% Newt Gingrich: 15% Michael Bloomberg: 11% Chuck Hagel: 4% None of the above: 35% *Insiders were allowed to vote for more than one person, so percentages add up to more than 100. "

http://politicalinsider.com/2007/04/thompson_considered_strongest.html

[Brutus]

That newsweek piece is unreal. Media Matters may have started the "viral" spread of the story, but does anyone really think that the backlash against Imus would have been so sustained or successful without Sharpton and Jesse Jackson doing their thing? Those sponsors didn't pull out until it became clear to them that they would be subjected to sustained attacks from Sharpton and Jackson, calls for boycotts of their products, etc. That's why the sponsors pulled out, and once that happened, Imus was done. How the Newsweek piece could ignore this dynamic is beyond belief.

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

Whilst I have yet to consult with my colleague, Mr Uk, I believe that the sale of indulgences rather than offsets may prove problematic. While sales of Greenfleece™©®(pat pend) carbon offset contracts are outpacing even our most optimistic projections (apparently the birthrate of potential customers has exceeded the 'one born every minute' rule of thumb for some time), a quick review reveals that there is already a rather vicious legal battle enjoined by Sharpton and Jackson over the Blackfleece trademark. While there are believable rumors circulating that Obama has filed an amicus brief in the matter, it is apparently sealed. Whitefleece was still available and appropriate steps have been taken to secure it.

Returning to the main issue - an indulgence is a grant of absolution regarding past behavior while an offset contract covers present and future behavior. Even at that, a coarseness offset would appear to have a very limited market appeal at the moment.

Marketing has suggested that the immediate profit potential for a product that specifically targets politicians would be enormous. Development of the Polfleece Stupidity Offset contract proceeds apace.

[clarice]

Ballard, Now I see why I pay you big bucks for your work. Great job!

Back to TM :
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/04/obama_blather_on_imus.html

[topsecretk9]

Sweetness link

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina the Veterans For Peace [VFP] collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in Katrina Relief.

According to their own lawyers and internal emails less than a thousand dollars of the collected money was spent on Katrina victims.

This appears to be the norm (Ciny's Peace huse, th Bev lady and voting are a few)

[hit and run]

Tops, I may have unfairly singled (doubled?) out Sharpton and Jackson with the Profiles in Cozenage quip.

But it wasn't just me.

I think that all of us have become a little complicit in this kind of relaxed attitude....etc

[topsecretk9]

Good news is I have a new wireless router which allows me to go anywhere again - not so good for typing -- in bed with one hand

[hit and run]

Any chance you guys will be offering alcohol/hangover offsets?

[clarice]

TS Steve would appreciate help in collecting stuff about these groups..You might want to send him the links you dug up last night between Media Matters and CREW.

[topsecretk9]

OK.

[hit and run]

topsecretk9:
not so good for typing -- in bed with one hand

Um.....I....well......

[VIMH: you gonna let it go without the punchline?]
Yes

[VIMH: A New Era of Personal Responsibility?]
No. I think the punchline delivers itself more effectively without being said outright.

[clarice]

Well, I wasn't going there......

[topsecretk9]

H&R
--[VIMH: A New Era of Personal Responsibility?]
No. I think the punchline delivers itself more effectively without being said outright.--

Boy, did I just set that up or what? What a ding bat I am - quite while I'm ahead...I crud. STOP.

[topsecretk9]

QUIT. I mean. and "Oh crud" not "I crud"

and that was with 2 hands!

[hit and run]

With Obama out of the picture as my personal lord and cyncism savior, I am exploring new options.

I'm thinking about exorcynicism, but not sure.

If it involves my head spinning all the way around, I'm out.

[sylvia]

Good. It's about time you did.

[clarice]

ell the right to babysit the rug rats --best way to fight back cynicism

[sylvia]

"i tried that argument ta a dinner party last night,"

Another one? Who knew that the life of a blogger was so conducive to having such a full dance card? Maybe it's all the scintilating comments from the posters that help.

[Specter]

sylvia,

Are you still mad at us? Don't be. As I have said several times, other than the Duke issue, I appreciate your take on things. I think you add a lot to all of the discussions.

[JM Hanes]

I've reflected, and I blame the Democrats. They've really screwed up the weather too.

[postroad]

my oh my. let's dump on a Democrat and ignore the issue. Let's find fault with someone not of our perspective. Obama did it all!
Look: Imus spat venom at a bunch of young college girls. At other times he did it to Jews, American Indians, gays, feminists, and oh yes: the disabled. But he always addressed specific people not, like rappers or comics, a generalized target.

Reality check: It is 50th anniverary for Jackie Robinosn, who nearly did ot get to play as a black in baseball (1947) b ecause the players said they might go on strike. In 1950 the American military "alloswed" blacks to integrate in the army! In WWII, to fight Hitler's racism, segregated outfits! and earlier? KKK, slavery etc.
So things are changing and maybe those who hold on to what was permissible will now find it is not perm issible. Would a law prof call a 2nd year black student a nappy haired ho?

Back off from Obama and ask where were you while this crap going on. Or are you just ok and perfect anbd a defender of those not as fortunate as you?

[clarice]

Thanks, but I'm too busy on my doctoral thesis comparing Ted Rall and Imus.

[Rick Ballard]

When Imus starts his new show perhaps he will spend a little quality time on the trial of Harold Ford's uncle. He seemed a bit miffed at Harold for his lack of backbone.

I noticed that the Linda Sanchez joined her sister in leaving the Latino caucus (a variation on "you can't fire me, I quit"). The Jefferson (Cold Cash) probe is coming to a head (oral argument on the office warrant on May 15). Is all the current garbage simply innoculation against prosecution of a number of Dem crooks?

[clarice]

Please, if the press doesn't get the cheat sheet from Media Matters how can they report on this stuff?

[Specter]

Huh? defender of those not as unfortunate as me? What are you talking about?

BTW - in answer to your question - Ward Churchill probably would. So there....

[Specter]

oops....I meant "as fortunate"

[hit and run]

JM Hanes:
I've reflected, and I blame the Democrats. They've really screwed up the weather too.

I hope there are no tornados where you are!