FULL AUDIO: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's N-word rant
August 12, 2010 7:02 pm ET by Jeremy Holden
On August 10, Dr. Laura Schlessinger launched into a racially charged rant, during which Schlessinger -- in her own words -- "articulated the 'n' word all the way out -- more than one time." Among other things, Schlessinger also told an African-American caller that she had a "chip on [her] shoulder." Schlessinger has since apologized for her remarks, but audio from the discussion appears to have been excised from the recording of that day's show that appears on Schlessinger's website. Media Matters has obtained full audio of Schlessinger's comments:
Transcript of her remarks appears below the fold.
On Tuesday, Schlessinger took a call from a female caller during the second hour of her show and had the following discussion:
SCHLESSINGER: Jade, welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hi, Dr. Laura.
SCHLESSINGER: Hi.
CALLER: I'm having an issue with my husband where I'm starting to grow very resentful of him. I'm black, and he's white. We've been around some of his friends and family members who start making racist comments as if I'm not there or if I'm not black. And my husband ignores those comments, and it hurts my feelings. And he acts like --
SCHLESSINGER: Well, can you give me an example of a racist comment? 'Cause sometimes people are hypersensitive. So tell me what's -- give me two good examples of racist comments.
CALLER: OK. Last night -- good example -- we had a neighbor come over, and this neighbor -- when every time he comes over, it's always a black comment. It's, "Oh, well, how do you black people like doing this?" And, "Do black people really like doing that?" And for a long time, I would ignore it. But last night, I got to the point where it --
SCHLESSINGER: I don't think that's racist.
CALLER: Well, the stereotype --
SCHLESSINGER: I don't think that's racist. No, I think that --
CALLER: [unintelligible]
SCHLESSINGER: No, no, no. I think that's -- well, listen, without giving much thought, a lot of blacks voted for Obama simply 'cause he was half-black. Didn't matter what he was gonna do in office, it was a black thing. You gotta know that. That's not a surprise. Not everything that somebody says -- we had friends over the other day; we got about 35 people here -- the guys who were gonna start playing basketball. I was going to go out and play basketball. My bodyguard and my dear friend is a black man. And I said, "White men can't jump; I want you on my team." That was racist? That was funny.
CALLER: How about the N-word? So, the N-word's been thrown around --
SCHLESSINGER: Black guys use it all the time. Turn on HBO, listen to a black comic, and all you hear is nigger, nigger, nigger.
CALLER: That isn't --
SCHLESSINGER: I don't get it. If anybody without enough melanin says it, it's a horrible thing; but when black people say it, it's affectionate. It's very confusing. Don't hang up, I want to talk to you some more. Don't go away.
I'm Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I'll be right back.
After taking a commercial break, Schlessinger resumed her discussion with the caller:
SCHLESSINGER: I'm Dr. Laura Schlessinger, talking to Jade. What did you think about during the break, by the way?
CALLER: I was a little caught back by the N-word that you spewed out, I have to be honest with you. But my point is, race relations --
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, then I guess you don't watch HBO or listen to any black comedians.
CALLER: But that doesn't make it right. I mean, race is a [unintelligible] --
SCHLESSINGER: My dear, my dear --
CALLER: -- since Obama's been in office --
SCHLESSINGER: -- the point I'm trying to make --
CALLER: -- racism has come to another level that's unacceptable.
SCHLESSINGER: Yeah. We've got a black man as president, and we have more complaining about racism than ever. I mean, I think that's hilarious.
CALLER: But I think, honestly, because there's more white people afraid of a black man taking over the nation.
SCHLESSINGER: They're afraid.
CALLER: If you want to be honest about it [unintelligible]
SCHLESSINGER: Dear, they voted him in. Only 12 percent of the population's black. Whites voted him in.
CALLER: It was the younger generation that did it. It wasn't the older white people who did it.
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, OK.
CALLER: It was the younger generation --
SCHLESSINGER: All right. All right.
CALLER: -- that did it.
SCHLESSINGER: Chip on your shoulder. I can't do much about that.
CALLER: It's not like that.
SCHLESSINGER: Yeah. I think you have too much sensitivity --
CALLER: So it's OK to say "nigger"?
SCHLESSINGER: -- and not enough sense of humor.
CALLER: It's OK to say that word?
SCHLESSINGER: It depends how it's said.
CALLER: Is it OK to say that word? Is it ever OK to say that word?
SCHLESSINGER: It's -- it depends how it's said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it's OK.
CALLER: But you're not black. They're not black. My husband is white.
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, I see. So, a word is restricted to race. Got it. Can't do much about that.
CALLER: I can't believe someone like you is on the radio spewing out the "nigger" word, and I hope everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: I didn't spew out the "nigger" word.
CALLER: You said, "Nigger, nigger, nigger."
SCHLESSINGER: Right, I said that's what you hear.
CALLER: Everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: Yes, they did.
CALLER: I hope everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: They did, and I'll say it again --
CALLER: So what makes it OK for you to say the word?
SCHLESSINGER: -- nigger, nigger, nigger is what you hear on HB --
CALLER: So what makes it --
SCHLESSINGER: Why don't you let me finish a sentence?
CALLER: OK.
SCHLESSINGER: Don't take things out of context. Don't double N -- NAACP me. Tape the --
CALLER: I know what the NAACP --
SCHLESSINGER: Leave them in context.
CALLER: I know what the N-word means and I know it came from a white person. And I know the white person made it bad.
SCHLESSINGER: All right. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Can't have this argument. You know what? If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race. If you're going to marry out of your race, people are going to say, "OK, what do blacks think? What do whites think? What do Jews think? What do Catholics think?" Of course there isn't a one-think per se. But in general there's "think."
And what I just heard from Jade is a lot of what I hear from black-think -- and it's really distressting [sic] and disturbing. And to put it in its context, she said the N-word, and I said, on HBO, listening to black comics, you hear "nigger, nigger, nigger." I didn't call anybody a nigger. Nice try, Jade. Actually, sucky try.
Need a sense of humor, sense of humor -- and answer the question. When somebody says, "What do blacks think?" say, "This is what I think. This is what I read that if you take a poll the majority of blacks think this." Answer the question and discuss the issue. It's like we can't discuss anything without saying there's -isms?
We have to be able to discuss these things. We're people -- goodness gracious me. Ah -- hypersensitivity, OK, which is being bred by black activists. I really thought that once we had a black president, the attempt to demonize whites hating blacks would stop, but it seems to have grown, and I don't get it. Yes, I do. It's all about power. I do get it. It's all about power and that's sad because what should be in power is not power or righteousness to do good -- that should be the greatest power.
Audio from the rant, which immediately preceded Schlessinger taking a call from a woman she identified as "Jennifer," appears to have been excised from the recording of that day's show that appears on Schlessinger's website:
Jade is right, it was the younger demographic of whites (like myself) who supported and voted for Obama, not the older generation. But for the time being it is still the older generation that are in charge of companies and media outlets, and so their message is still going strong.
They don't want to see Black Children & White Children acting as Sisters & Brothers.
"It Is All About Power", Power to Control not only What you think, But How you Think.
Fox News hits you over the Head with "The Scary Black Man", until you Cower & Shrink.
Speak truth to power.
Mr. News
1) A classic example of "rappers get to drop the n-bomb; why can't I"
2) Was she trying to prove to the caller that she's way more racist than the caller's racist friends???
3) Why on Earth did she shift the topic straightway from the caller's immediate problem to the president's voters' alleged demographics? And nice use of the Limbosevic "half-rican" talking point, too.
4) I knew Schlessinger was misogynist - my Mom used to listen to her show and pointed out that, when a wife and a husband disagreed, she'd always side with the husband - but I didn't know she was such a flamist racist, too.
But she immediately jumped to the woman's hypersensitivity, and defneded the use of the N-word out of context. Wow, what a crazy woman.
I have to agree with her, you people are hypersensitive and/or racist.
Yup, I gotta agree with you on that one. Good luck with that as you go through life.
I don't see how anything she is describing is happening on this site or anywhere outside the mind of a racist.
And I'm not trying to get conservatives off the air by claiming racism. I'm trying to get them to stop being racist (at least on air). And you think that's a bad thing?
Your juvenile, reciprocal name-calling says more about you than about your targets. Grow up, and try to have some empathy for people who are different than you. It is not your place to decide what offends others.
It isn't YOURS or mmfa's either!
news-- I don't see how anything she is describing is happening on this site
chameo explained the reason for that in his/her post: "Being racist is sorta like being insane--if you are, everyone can see it but you."
Good luck with that as you go through life.
How did you feel about Robert Byrd using the n-word? From all I gathered from previous posters of mmfa, he was totally accepted by them in spite of using the n-word often and in a derogative way (I'll bet while he was being fitted for the sheet he often wore). But, for some reason mmfa and its sheeple feel that no one other than Sen. Byrd can use that word, even if it's used in proper form to prevent insult to an individual or group. But, that's the way sheeple are, I guess ... do as you're told.
I would feel sorry for you, but you seem to revel in your ignorance.
Thanks for providing yet another example of liberalism at work.
If you do something dumb on your job, I would hope you are given a second chance. Better hope your boss isn't a liberal, or that second chance will only happen if you are a leader of the KKK. Well, for all I know, that IS your job.
Ms. Laura has an entire sequoia sempervirens on her shoulder.
What does PhD stand for?
Perhaps you should take the plank of sequoia sempervirens out of your eye before you worry about the speck in hers.
by zamfir273114 (April 09, 2007 9:19 pm ET)
...I want racial quotas in basketball so that there is an equal number of non-black athletes. Am I going to get any of those things? Didn't think so.
by zamfir273114 (April 09, 2007 11:33 pm ET)
People are still people. When people talk before they think, they can say stupid and derogatory things. To cite every incidence as "racism" is overreaching.
by zamfir273114 (August 05, 2008 9:14 pm ET)
Savage has a point. Every neighborhood that illegals have migrated to has gone down the tubes. My birthplace of Van Nuys, CA is like "little Mexico" now. Shootings, rapings, pillaging, drive-by's, grafiti, prostitution, drugs, (you know, all the things that go along with the Mexican-illegal population. Even the African-American neighborhoods are in awe!
by zamfir273114 (August 05, 2008 9:27 pm ET)
Then why is it that every one of these Mexican populated areas crime-ridden? Really, all P.C. aside, can you tell me why the real estate prices decrease in these areas? One more thing, why are the prisons filled with Mexicans? P.C. aside. See, nothing ever gets done because everybody is afraid to talk about these things.
by zamfir273114 (February 15, 2008 12:38 am ET)
I don't have to agree with someone in order to value free speech. Sure, Imus et. Al. say some nasty comments; however, unless you can diminish his listenership or his value, your barking up the wrong tree. If Hillary were black, you could resort to using Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. Unfortunately, they only come running when black folk are ridiculed. Hmm, that seems a little "racist" in and of itself.
by zamfir273114 (February 14, 2008 6:35 pm ET)
That is Mr. Hussein's, I mean Obama's, name. Coulter only speaks what millions of American's think. The American people have a right to know who they are voting for. Barack Hussein Obama.
I'm going to have to merge this with my lists from 2009-2010
I think about 100 million people voted, less than a third of Americans. Slightly more than half of those voted for Obama, 50-some million, if I remember correctly.
That leaves something like 250 million people who didn't vote for Obama. Some are too young, or convicted felons, or just don't vote for other reasons.
Many didn't vote for him because they're republicans, or they belong to some other party, or because they didn't like his policy ideas.
But the idiotic idea ( and I've heard it expressed hundreds of times over the past few years) that 1/6th of Americans voting for a black man for president somehow was supposed to end racism, or prove that the people who didn't vote for him can't possibly be racist, is just so mind-numbingly stupid that it's hard to even know where to start with it.
What's the idea here? That once Obama was elected, all of the racists would just give up and turn into normal people? These racists-in-denial couldn't possibly foresee racists becoming more racist, or at least more loudly racist, because of this ?
The idea that simpletons like "Dr." Laura are surprised that a black president didn't end all recriminations for her ( or anybody's) racism is mind-boggling to try to understand.
The only explanation I can come up with is that racists tend to be so clueless about the topic of racism that they convinced themselves that, and got really excited about the prospect, if Obama was elected, they would finally get to let their racism run free.
If anybody else has an explanation for this, anybody agrees with Dr Laura and everybody else who doesn't understand why the word racism hasn't been eliminated, I'm really interested in hearing somebody try to make sense of it.
It's one of these righty talking points that just makes me embarrassed for them, their complete shock that anybody can think racism still exists because 20% or so of Americans voted for a black president.
There's something missing from the logic center in the wingnut brain.
For us less intelligent pople, could you simply define what a VERY middle-of-the-road black president means?
Then, we can have a discussion.
You don't get to frame it without explaining it.
I'll wait.
1) The health-care reform he signed into law, which expands access to health care and reins in some of the worst abuses of the predatory insurance industry, but delivers more customers to the tender mercies of that industry when by his own admission a single-payer would achieve his stated goals more effectively.
2) The financial reform, which brought some oversight to the corporate buccaneers who've trashed our economy but left plenty of funny business entirely legal.
3) He first grabbed the attention of many liberals by pointing out that the Iraq war is dumb and wrong. But he hasn't quite ended it yet. Similar story with closing the Guantanamo torture chamber.
4) And did you catch his spokesman Mr. Gibbs' tirade about the "professional left" just yesterday?
I like and admire the president a great deal as a person. But as a member of I guess you'd call the amateur left I find a great deal remaining to be desired. So, have I answered your inane question satisfactorily?
If they want me to cough up more money to the DNC to help re-elect Blanche friggin' Lincoln, this isn't helping.
While the democrats will always hate us for it, without pressure from the liberal base, the only pressure democrats will feel is from their corporate donors and right-wing nutbags.
I agree that progressives SHOULD push for better policies from our congress & president. There is a balance and some with too much air time get over into the negative side of the ledger. If you criticise, spend more time on solutions and the policies you want to see.
I would like to see Gibbs, Geitner, Summers and Emmanuel replaced. I'd love to see Robert Reich have a major economic policy role; as for who would be the best press secretary, don't know?
We all know you ardent defense of Brietbart even going so far as to create a story to smear the white family that came to Ms. Sherrod defense. Why didn't you offer Ms. Sherrod and that white family the same understanding and caution you afforded Brietbart that had a history of using edited and distorted video to make a point so much so that he is now afforded a new word called "Brietbarting."
Again in this instance you rush to parse and bascially do mental gymnastics to defend this Dr. use of the n-word 11x, calling this black women hypersensitive who maybe shouldn't have married outside of her race(WTF) and accussed the caller of reverse racism(don't NAACP me).
In these instances on race you never afforded the people of color the same caution or understanding you did to Laura Bush,Cindy McCain,Sarah Palin,Andrew Brietbart,or Dr.Shlessinger.
But while I wait for your reply that I am racist and that's why, I will tell you:
1. The race issue is overplayed by the left and is routinely used to dismiss dissenting points of view. Typically, once someone is labeled racist, no one will take them seriously. It is a cheap way to negate them.
2. To irritate hopeless partisans such as yourself. I don't care what they wear or spend, I just know it will get under your skin.
Infact I thought you said you apologized for the Sherrod smear now you seem to be defending it again ,which is it? The more you talk it becomes clear to see the ugly side that Dr. Shlessinger unwittingly exposed of herself is also in you.
You suspect all you want. The friends and families and children I work with who hail from all over the globe with all types of linguistic, cultural, and economic barriers and whom I accommodate to the best of my ability in my profession would disagree. You're suspicions mean nil to me.
Could it be your predetermined attitude that you have expressed above about the left and race? What gave you the indication from this transcript and the tapes that the caller was left leaning or harbored prejudicail feelings about white people? How is reporting what Dr. Laura said(using her own words)stifling her free speech? You offer opinion and judgement instead analyzing what took place and the facts before us. It's clear what you think about the left and race but you offer no proof that it's being done in this case.
The Dr. laura's free cspeech is not being stifled and you are making the victim here to be the culprit. She called for advice and got blasted with black peolple are racist and use the n-word and that she is the one who is racist and hypersensitive when nothing this caller said indicated that. The stifiling here of discussion and speech in this instance was not done by MMFA or the caller but by Dr.Shlessinger.
In your work with poeple from all over the world I'd implore you not to rush to judgement about the left or peoples attitudes before taking in all the facts. You have not exhibited that here. Shirley Sherrod deserved better from you. This women caller deserved better from the so-called Dr.(she has since apologized for not helping the caller in other words she said the wrong things and did not live up to her oath "to do no harm")and she deserved more understanding from you extend of your rush to judge MMFA and liberals. Maybe you don't act like a blind partisan around family or at work...fine but you do need to reexamine your positions as there is no proof this women was hypersensitive or that MMFA was misrepresenting what transpired. Good day sir.
WHO is the victim here?
con-- bascially do mental gymnastics to defend this Dr. use of the n-word 11x
Of course, the context that it is used means nothing, right? Is she calling the caller one? Hmmm, I didn't read that part of it in the text provided by mmfa. I think we've gone a little too far demanding ONE race NOT use a word that is perfectly ACCEPTABLE by another race. And, that was DR. Laura's intent with the use of the word. She wasn't afraid of you PC-police people bedded down in mmfa. You are the most racist of all. You support racists, defend racists and protect racism within your own house, but whine about racism in another person's house. What's that Bible verse about taking the plank out of your own eye before you worry about the speck in mine? That verse is in great need of study by all of you who feel there has been a wrong done by DR. Laura.
Economy? Nope
Employment? Nope
War in Iraq? Sorry, only good news is because of the agreement Bush signed.
Can you think of any positives that the left can promote?
No reason for Dr. Laura to bring her racial/political obsessions into this.
The caller had a right to be treated with respect, but Dr. Laura went off as if she was quoting Louis Farrakhan
You don't what the comments are!
Why don't you let her finish explaining what the friends said?
Wouldn't that be "Don't Breitbart me"?
As opposed to praising whites hating blacks?
My point exactly. She said "you turn on the tv and there's a black comic and all you hear is..." That's not racist. So until you can point out where her use of the word or any other utterance she made in the segment is actually racist, I stand by my point - MMfA and the caller alike attempt to paint the picture that Dr. Laura is ranting about a person or people and uses the n-word to describe them - I can't seem to detect where she said anything to apologize for.
If you answer "no", then Dr. Laura reserved this treatment for black people. That's racist.
If you don't want to call it racism, think of another word. Insensitive? stupid? Racially challenged?
I believe I have said 'insensitive', rude, blunt, callous, ignorant, and inartful already. And that she's a homophobe and an a-hole. And that I would refuse her as a guest. And that I don't feel compelled to defend her, but rather the principal that discussing the word in this context should not be misconstrued as racism.
Yes, the neighbor is quite possibly stupid, but perhaps merely curious. We will never know. I've asked my Thai aunt questions like that and she loves me just the same. She surely didn't try to ignore me out of hypersensitivity.
You think the neighbor came over to ask about what black people thought about shoes or style and that prompted this caller to pick up the phone and call Dr.Shlessinger? Really? What from this conversation gave you impression that this caller was sooooooo sensitive and irrational? Maybe it fit your belief that blacks or just to sensitive on the issue of race and rush to judge. Did you ever stop and think maybe the question that the neighbor asked was one of why do n-word or blacks drink wine all day and pop out babies. Maybe her husbands family would use n-word in place of black in describing their dealing with people of color in the work place or in everyday relationships. "I got this black girl who works for me or I work with and all she does is take breaks and talk on the phone. Such and such(insert caller) why do n-word or to be kind, black people act like that?" Far different than asking your Thai Aunt how to prepare a dish or what she thought about a particular subject about Tiawanese politics or culture. Remember the callers initial complaint was that her husband would not step in and she felt that she was being ignored by the things she found offensive. Then instead of getting advice she experiences a barrage of the n-word from the Dr. and is basically called a reverse racist that is hypersensitive annd maybe she shouldn't have married a white man.
I think people know the difference between someone asking how do black people fry their chicken and why do n-word have so many babies,commit crimes and drink cheap wine, In other words I"am willing to give the caller the understanding and caution YOU and Dr. Shlessinger refused to. I think the women can see racism when she saw it and her reaction to Dr.Shlessinger was appropiate. I mean this caller obviously respected the Dr.s opinion and was a listener this was not a set-up and exposed an ugly side of the DR. now you want to parse and wiggle to say the Dr. is not being a racist. You do seem to have a problem with race and your rush to defend the indefensible time after time here maybe should cause you to take a different approach to the question as with Dr. Shlessinger it has exposed a side of you don't like to see or admit.
The neighbor's behavior was offensive and Dr. Laura was completely illogical in her rationalization.
It also shows Dr.Laura doesn't understand comedy, or at least can't understand how black comedians might use negative stereotypes to make their audience laugh at something that might otherwise be hurtful. It's what good comedians can do. Jon Stewart, for example often uses Jewish stereotypes in a self-deprecating manner and it makes people of all ethnic backgrounds laugh without being hurtful. Dennis Leary had quite a few gems about Irish people, even Jeff Foxworthy became famous making us laugh by pointing out stereotypes of rural southerners.
I don't think Dr.Laura "gets" why what she is saying here sounds condescending and hollow. Not at all.
j238-- The caller said that the neighbor used the n-word
Exactly WHEN did that happen? It isn't in the transcript provided by mmfa. Is this some more of your 'made up' crap to continue your racist rants?
con-- I mean this caller obviously respected the Dr.s opinion and was a listener this was not a set-up and exposed an ugly side of the DR. now you want to parse and wiggle to say the Dr. is not being a racist.
Being the leader of the KKK exposed an ugly side of Sen. Robert Byrd. Explain again how you parse and wiggle to say he was NOT a racist.
You are a hypocrite!
First, she seems to think there is nothing wrong with asking a Black family member what black people like to do at a family gathering. Do you not see what's wrong with this? Would you be comfortable if you were were the only white person at a family gathering and someone asked you what white people like to do?
Then, she does something conservatives often do nowadays; she pretends not to understand why it's considered o.k. for african-americans but not whites to say the n-word. I hope you understand why that is.
She finally covers all her bases with her by repeating the twin suggestions that (1) African-Americans, who have been voting democratic at 80-90% rates for 25 years, voted overwhelmingly for Obama simply because he was black and(2) that the election of a black president means the end of serious racism in America, a claim Andy Kreiss has already demolished.
Whether Doktor Schlessenger is a racist in her deepest soul is both unknowable and irrelevent. She did, however, reveal quite a bit of stupidity about the subject of race and also sounded out the n-word, a big no-no. Are we in disagreement about this?
Her point on the semantics of the word may well be that it should never be okay to use the n-word but certain groups use it freely and then hold that only they can use it (like liberals with the race card). Dave Chappelle realized this when he freaked out a while back.
Her statement regarding black voting patterns was as I have said all along both distasteful and ignorant. She may be right about voting Democrat but what makes one cast their vote is personal and should not be questioned in this manner. The part about racism being over was sarcastic from what I can tell.
She's not for the faint of heart (liberals), though admittedly this is the first I've heard of her.
At any rate, my only point is that MMfA called it an 'N-Word Rant' which to most would suggest that she was using the word towards other people rather than discussing the word itself.
Well, it was a rant, in which she used the n-word, and the fact that she used the n-word was the most noteworthy thing about this rant. I'm afraid MMFA can't convey all the information about the item in the title. You are correct that that she didn't use the n-word to target anyone, and I don't think this is nearly as bad Imus's comment, but luckily the full transcript is available so everyone can make up their own mind.
And still try to have an adult discussion tells me you're a lot more generous and patient than I am.
I guess I don't believe in simply calling someone an idiot and leaving it that. I believe in patiently explaining why someone is an idiot. I've had debates with some pretty deranged wingnuts on facebook, at church and even at family gatherings. Heck, I even had a glib back-and-forth with a Danish neo-nazi over the internets. They make this space-guy look like a space-kitten.
Maybe not, but to spew it the way she did ON AIR is highly irresponsible in this day and age. Look what Breitbart did, look at what many others do ... they edit what they want to use and then spew it all over the internet. It can really come back to bite you in the butt at some time.
Take your laptop onto the playground, do you?
though admittedly this is the first I've heard of her.
If that's the case, then you really need to get out of the basement more often. Schlessinger has been a media celebrity for ages.
Further, why, if this is the first you've heard of her, do you go out of your way to defend her motives? The term for taking a stand without sufficient thought is "knee-jerk," although in your case it seems the "knee" isn't necessary.
"Media celebrity" - exactly why I am only vaguely aware of her.
Dr. S. is a schmuck and not worthy of my defense. I merely contend that she uttered nothing that free speech does not protect no matter how rudely or insensitively she expressed it and to say otherwise is a joke - the liberal who would say so crosses their fingers she'll be fired.
Dr. S. is a schmuck and not worthy of my defense. I merely contend that she uttered nothing that free speech does not protect no matter how rudely or insensitively she expressed it and to say otherwise is a joke - the liberal who would say so crosses their fingers she'll be fired.
And again, you've set up another straw man. Who's saying that free speech doesn't protect her? What does free speech even have to do with it? Was she hauled off to jail? No, you're just trying to move the goalposts again. Free speech laws don't give her protection from being fired.
And another clue: Telling everyone that you have black friends really isn't helping your case, so you can stop now.
That's right but don't omit the fact that when everything came to light I admitted my fault on the boards here. And for that, I am no worse off than the Obama Administration on the matter.
When she later discovered that he wasn't getting the full, all-out effort of the white lawyer she'd directed him to, she realized that it was her job to help ALL poor, disadvantaged farmers, not just the black farmers, with her full efforts. And luckily for her and for the white farmer, it wasn't too late for her to give him her all, and she was able to get him the help he desperately needed in time!
But she WAS a racist. The whole tape didn't change that info - the whole tape told us how she learned she was wrong to discriminate against the white farmer, and how she no longer was racist, and so that destroyed Breitbart's argument that she was a racist currently working for the USDA.
Now, I don't know what "Space Pedestrian" wrote a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not defending him in any way, but it's wrong to say that she wasn't a racist at one point in time, because she sure was one.
Now, she DOES say that he was acting superior, but she does NOT say that that's the reason she didn't help him.
She EXPRESSLY says that the reason she didn't initially put all her full efforts into helping him was because she thought her mission was to help BLACK farmers who were poor and disadvantaged!
She later realized that it was her job to help ALL poor, disadvantaged farmers. But at first, she discriminated against the white farmer because of the color of his skin.
At first she was NOT trying to overcome those feelings - she did just enough to get by, and stay out of trouble. Later, she realized that she HAD to overcome those feelings, and she DID overcome those feelings!
If YOU need to, go back and listen to her speech. What I write is 100% indisputable. She WAS a racist, per her own admissions, because she was initially unwilling to give the white farmer her full support because of the color of his skin - she thought the needs of poor, disadvantaged black farmers were different than the needs of poor white farmers, so she approached him differently than she would have if his skin color had been different. That's a textbook example of discrimination based upon race!
Dell, quit repeating that lie! She DID NOT discriminate against the Spooners, she got them help from a White lawyer!
Mrs. Sherrod said she was reluctant to use her contacts because she thought THEY wouldn't help a white farmer.
Her contacts were the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance which only helped Black Farmers at that time.
However, my point here is identical to the one I was attempting to make about Sherrod - that the left feel they have sole proprietorship of the race card and will attempt to apply it to all people using language they disagree with when race is a factor, REGARDLESS of whether any racist language was used or intended and that is WRONG.
Dr. Laura doesn't deserve or need my defense of her.
Further, I have yet to see any of you loons prove she was being racist.
And for you, congero, you continue to be unable to state where I have ever made a racist remark on the boards.
As for Dr. Laura, it seems like you won't consider what she said at all racist unless she specifically stated that she hates hates black people. Fine, but she did make some comments that were worthy of derision, and she repeated the n-word three times with considerable enthusiasm.
As I've stated before, it really doesn't matter whether she's a racist inside.
But unfortunately, I have been called bigoted and racist repeatedly here on the boards and yet no one can find any singular instance where I have posted anything of the sort. It seems a reflexive retort to anything that is not 100% PC with this crowd. Anyone not commiserating is immediately a bigoted, racist, teabagging promoter of violence against women, or a partisan neocon wingnut. Libertarians truly have no home in a two party system. You should see how they treat me on the conservative boards!
Invent a story? I contended that they were content with the outcome of the USDA's assistance despite Sherrod's passing them off to 'one of their own' and being done with it. For you to call that making up a story is disingenuous.
Then you go on to state that the caller was blasted with the n-word. Do you mean to say Dr. Laura was calling Jade the n-word? Then you go on to explain what Dr. Laura said - still nothing about anything I have ever said that was racist.
On issues of race, as I have repeatedly explained, I am not afraid to call the race card meme when I see it. No, not only liberals and people of color are racist, but they are not exempt, as you would like to think.
You fail again. You have not quoted a single instance of me posting a racist comment or endorsing a racist attitude. You have proven, however, your own difficulty in understanding the difference between using race as a muse and actual racism.
I wish it wasn't so, and I wish everyone would just explain why they think you're wrong, while saving the venom for those who deserve it, but such is not always the case.
First off, I'm not accusing you of being a racist. Quite frankly I don't know you well enough to make that judgment. You got suckered into Breitbart's scam, he's a con man, it's what he does. There are a lot of people in this country who have been exposed to stereotypes and think of things in those terms, though deep down they really harbor no ill-will or believe that people of other ethnic backgrounds are inferior.
However, I think when make statements like: "the left feel they have sole proprietorship of the race card" you're buying into this new media narrative that the mainstream media fueled by the likes of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are pushing.
The idea that racism can ONLY take the form of someone outright and deliberately using racial epitaphs or pushing policy and discussions where they clearly state their intention is to discriminate and harm people of another race.
Racism and prejudice can take many forms. It's convenient for the media (being lead around by the collar by the likes of high-rated Fox News) to regularly frame things in such a way that stereotypes and accusations are danced around with verbal semantics. When right wing media create some of their "us against them" narratives, it's not always just those with different political affiliations they're describing as "them".
Just because you can't point to a soundbite of someone saying "By gum, I hate them black people!" doesn't mean it can't have the intention of denigrating a group of people, or claiming one's own racial background as superior.
We must always remember as a nation that the "Jim Crow" laws were sold as "seperate but equal" and a solution to institutionalized racism, and yet were gruesomely racist.
Isn't there an expression about the least harmful racists being the ones who will come right out and admit it, because at least you know where they stand? While it's important to call out people who try to make false accusations of racism, it's probably more important to gauge real racism in terms of intent and effect, rather then just whether or not they overtly use a few key words.
Instead of attacking you, or putting you down, I'd rather ask you to examine the circumstances the next time you feel you're being unfairly attacked. Is it an unfair attack, or is it a legitimate disagreement? Does the other side merit respect rather then contempt?
If you'll notice here, there are not that many conservative media figures who are constantly being called out on their hypocrisy and lies, there are even a few conservatives that I'm sure many here respect or admire if they were asked. The problem is the most vocal and highly paid are the most often caught in lies and misinformation.
This is not a sign of flawed belief on the part of liberals, nor is it weakness to concede that some idealogical opponents are not "bad" "evil" "wrong" of trying to destroy everything you believe in.
Why do I bring all this up? Because in all likelihood you probably aren't a racist. Again I can't know a person's soul, but you rush to defend this woman's rant in every imaginable way, parsing words, trying to play on sympathy as the victim, trying to downplay it's coarseness, saying it's rude or insensitive but not racist. So why do it? Why put yourself through these verbal gymnastics and claim that I and others were making personal attacks, when really we're trying to point out the obvious?
Start thinking less in terms of "us" vs "you" and more in terms of what do we agree on, and that do we disagree on, and what can we learn from each other as we discuss what is clearly the words of an angry woman who doesn't seem to understand the power of words, language, culture, and historical context.
Sir, your actions (through your writings) make it clear that you are an implicit racist. You may not intend or desire to be a racist, but you are one nonetheless.
You do not know me and cannot make such an assertion honestly.
by Space-Pedestrian (August 13, 2010 8:41 pm ET)
I can detect nuance and subtlety, and have detected that the feigned outrage over these comments is political in nature, and not based on principle -
Ok, you're just pulling our legs now, right ?
You've FAILED to explain exactly how MMFA is doing that. Turns out it's not MMFA that's painting that picture, it's actually the wingnuts favorite person:
Mr. Straw Man.
In your book, MMFA shouldn't quote Laura Schlessinger because if they do, some people might then consider what she said as being racist.
In other words, you're saying: "Don't quote her, because it makes her look bad."
What a tool you are.
So, she did not say "You are an black person with a chip on your shoulder" and yes, the inference was made.
SCHLESSINGER: Dear, they voted him in. Only 12 percent of the population's black. Whites voted him in.
CALLER: It was the younger generation that did it. It wasn't the older white people who did it.
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, OK.
CALLER: It was the younger generation --
SCHLESSINGER: All right. All right.
CALLER: -- that did it.
SCHLESSINGER: Chip on your shoulder. I can't do much about that.
CALLER: It's not like that.
SCHLESSINGER: Yeah. I think you have too much sensitivity --
CALLER: So it's OK to say the n-word?
SCHLESSINGER: -- and not enough sense of humor.
CALLER: It's OK to say that word?
SCHLESSINGER: It depends how it's said.
CALLER: Is it OK to say that word? Is it ever OK to say that word?
Please show how MMFA distorted this conversation and how is this not another one of your parsing and twisting jobs?
Anyway, no, they printed the dialogue verbatim as it appears in the clip. It's in the lead in where they note how terrible it was to tell the African American caller she had a chip on her shoulder - implying that she said that because she was black - that I take exception to, among other things outlined in other posts.
Still, Dr. Laura is pretty nasty.
Did you even AT LEAST listen to the audio? Dr. Laura DID say that the caller had a chip on her shoulder.
If you even took the time to read the transcript of the show, you would have seen as much.
I don't think there is any question as to whether or not Mel Gibson is a racist. See my above post about how the media narrative has been twisted to include only statements as blatant and overt as Gibson's to be the only definition of racism.
As far it being "incorrectly" labeled as an "n-word rant", let me just put this in your pipe for you to smoke: What if a syndicated media host went on a rant to a caller where they started dropping the f-bomb? Let's say for arguments sake that the host never called the caller the f-bomb, but used it say....eleven times in that rant? And by f-bomb, I mean the actual word which I will refrain from using here out of good taste.
I can't imagine a rant like that on the public airwaves being labeled anything BUT an f-bomb/f-word rant, can you?
I'm pretty sure that Dr Laura thinks it's a non-story too. That's what so freaking fascinating about it.
Nobody mentioned crimes, hate or otherwise. This is about Dr Laura being completely clueless, not just insensitive. If you don't understand that, this item is about you, too.
If this item was about the problem of illiteracy, it wouldn't really be helpful to have somebody who couldn't read telling everybody else that the article didn't make any sense.
Enough with your platitudes. If you can refute my contention, fire away.
What lots of folks do not understand is that ANYONE today can take offense about almost anything that is said. It's a lesson I'm always teaching my student staff to watch what they say be it an offense word (n-word, fat, cursing, etc.) because anyone can file charges with HR departments which can lend to senturing or firing. The newest term that I hear being dropped by students now days is "You're retarded," "You retarded," or simply "'tard," it seems to be a texting thing. However it can also be considered VERY offensive to ADA folks or family/friends of ADA folks.
Many people in workplaces have been centured and even fired for using racial explecetives or other offensive language, so why shouldn't she be held for such conduct that she spews on airwaves? Afterall, hers is a job just like ours, and she should be held to the same level as the rest of us working stiffs.
Really? Of course I do, but so is responsibility for how act/speak. One of my favorite songs is "Rock 'n Roll N-" by Patti Smith. Since I live and work in a residence hall in a college does that mean I drop that CD in my player and blast it loud enough for everyone to hear? Nope, I respect all my residents enough to be aware of their feelings and NOT do so. I'm just saying that Dr. L. is irresponsible, disrepectful and possibly racist as well.
Right...context. You do not play that song for your hall for the context is all wrong. I don't blast NWA when I am driving through the city I work in even though I love Chuck D.
Maybe you'd all be happier if she merely said "comics use the n-word profusely" instead of uttering the word in it's entirety. Perhaps my ears are tainted from hearing the word come out of all my students' mouths so freely (sometimes directed at me, go figure). To them, anyone not white is an n-word, except when they anger them - then they are the n-word in a bad way. In both instances they feel entitled to use the word, though I'd be fired for the same. Surely they'd rethink that attitude knowing I rode in an ambulance with a student, holding his hand, telling the EMTs what they needed to know about him, never caring or feeling anything about the fact that he was black. Or that I knelt at the coffin of a strangled friend mourning the loss of her funny stories, delicious food, and beautiful music we made together, never caring or thinking about the fact that she was black. People are people and no one should be using that word.
I just know that the word is not acceptable to be used outside of a discussion of the word itself, I will give you that.
Ok, so now we're back to parsing her intention...look, for any host to repeatedly speak a racial epitaph of a group they don't belong to is NOT GOOD. Okay? It's actually hard to make my point without bringing up more of such words, so I'll try and do this in a way that does my best not to use or repeat such epitaphs...
Suppose ANY non Jewish host used a certain derogatory word (which I won't imply or repeat, but we're all adults, we know what some of these words are) repeatedly in a call where they condescendingly refuted a Jewish caller? Would you feel the same way? How about any number of epitaphs regarding any number of ethnic groups? The point is, it showed bad taste and poor judgment to use that word repeatedly. There are perhaps two dozen or more words that we've all heard that have been used to denigrate entire groups of people. These words shouldn't be used on the public airwaves in such a context. It's actually not too different from dropping the vulgar "f-bomb", which seems to be capable of getting enormous fines levied against those who blatantly drop that word on the airwaves.
Would you defend a non-Jewish radio host who used an anti-semetic slur in the same way?
But engage with this comparison and it quickly becomes evident it is apples to oranges.
That neighbor has racist attitudes. It's not being hypersensitive. Would Dr. Laura like it if someone constantly questioned her intelligence because she's a woman? She sure had thin skin about the whole "gay" issue in relation to her ill-fated TV show.
And once again you're 180 degrees off the mark.
In other words, "a lot of blacks" are too stupid to make thoughtful decisions. (Emphasis above mine.) What an informed, fact-based assertion! As opposed to all those tea party idiots who can't spell, think Obama was born in Kenya, think not letting health insurance companies run roughshod over sick people is communism, voted for a candidate who couldn't name a Supreme Court decision other than Roe v. Wade, and are so concerned about government spending that they said zip, zilch, nada as Bush doubled the deficit twice? I'll take the black Obama voters -- preferably phony Black Panthers to make right-wing morons as angry as possible -- over them any day on an IQ test.
"well, listen, without giving much thought, a lot of blacks voted for Obama simply 'cause he was half-black"
Dr. L is using the word in a discussion about the word. It's not like she's using it to deride a person in particular. You can say she's wrong on substance about the impact of the word, but I think it's wrong to equate the usage of a word in the discussion of the word with the usage of the word in anger or hate when directed at black people.
For God's sake, STOP DIGGING!
Could be somebody who can't even bring themselves to post anything that dumb.
;o)
They usually have one thumb up thier butt and they suck on the other. And every now and then, Limbaughesque types tell them to switch and at that point, they give thumbs down around here. And then back to being foul-mouthed.
Now she and Pat Buchanan can console each other-- about how racist every black person is, you know, all those Obama voters,and how misunderstood they are.
pilotx, that is an amazing insight, I hadn't even thought about that! Hammer, meet head of nail! Seriously, this is what has been missing from that particular (very racist) conservative talking point narrative.
Also, as a white person, I guess I voted for President Obama because he is half-white using Dr Lara's logic. Far as I can tell, it's always the right wingers throwing around race, because as far as I can tell, President Obama is just a typical democrat, and at least a better alternative to the current republican party.
Wow.
What is the purpose of that show?
If you're not clear on why you're there, you're not ready to leave. Once you're clear on why you're there, you leave.
So the purpose is to realize that [Werner / Ms. Laura / L Ron Hubbard et al ] is a bigger idiot than you are, despite their know-it-all attitude and self-styled salutation such as Doctor, and never give them another dime or tune in again.
Put another way, once you have self-respect you leave, because you can do it on your own.
So whether or not her point is valid, she should be allowed to use whatever words are necessary to make that point without having to resort to cutesy codes, which in effect forces the listener or reader say the word IN THEIR HEAD, which is disrespectful to the audience.
If you have something to say, say it and take responsibility for your word choice. It's the least thing to ask of any form of communication.
Randy
C-word.
Some of you read that and thought about female genitalia, others perhaps construed that to be code for "conservative" or "corporation" or "Christian" or any one of thousands of other words that begin the letter C.
Communication fails the moment we insist on stripping words from the lexicon, even those that strike a tinny cord on the ear.
Randy
There is a time and place for these things. If I'm at a comedy club and I hear the comic using words like "redneck", "white trash" and "hillbilly" while goofing around with friends over a few drinks, that's one thing. I sure don't think there is a place for those words on a syndicated talk show that's supposed to dispense advice to people seeking help with personal problems.
Call me old fashioned I guess.
So again I ask, would you be defending the same rant if it were a non-Jewish person making anti-Semitic statements?
What about a black radio host slinging around a derogatory word about Asians? An Arab using racial epitaphs against Hispanics, I mean....just pick one group and then another and apply the same logic. Would you still defend that rant as adamantly as you've defended this one?
I wonder if he is upset that he got beat out?
I understand if too many dissenting views overwhelm you. You'd rather stay in your little echo chamber.
Way to move the goal posts.
There's no interpretation necessary. That's precisely what she was arguing. When asked for an example of her white in-laws saying something racist, the caller says that the n-word has been thrown around. Dr. Laura's response is that unnamed black comics use it, so Jade shouldn't be offended. And if she is, then she shouldn't have married a white man. What other way is there to interpret her argument?
The shouldn't marry someone out of the race is ignorant and bigoted. But the n-word discussion, from Dr. Laura's standpoint, seemed to be criticizing that so vile a word can be acceptable by some and not others represents a double standard. I don't think she was endorsing it's use in any other context, not by whites, not by anyone. A valid interpretation, but surely one you do not agree with. That's cool, though.
You're giving the benefit of the doubt where there is no doubt. The caller was very clearly giving an example of her white in-laws' racist behavior.
Yes, and do you know why there is a double standard? Because there are two standards! One for whites and one for black people. 400 years of racial oppression tends to create situations like this. White people can't say n****r without repercussions. Deal with it.
Last time I checked, Dr. Laura is white and she enthusiastically used the word 11 times in the span of a few minutes. If she's not arguing in favor of whites using the word, then picked a very odd time to start saying it. Again, you're twisting yourself into knots in order to give her the benefit of the doubt, where there is no doubt to be found.
I'll end this by pointing out that everything Dr. Laura said to the caller was racist. Everything. Before she even spat out the n-word, she was making racist generalizations and bigoted assumptions about the caller without even bothering to hear her out. You apparently see nothing racist about a white woman goading a black woman by spitting out the n-word 11 times, so I doubt you'll see the racism in her statements about "black think," or her non sequitur about why black people voted for Obama, or her advice not to marry outside her race, or her dismissal of the caller's in-laws racism as "not racist," etc.
And since you really wanted us to know that you have black friends, maybe you can ask them for some help with your issues over this. I'm done.
Har ! That's what I was thinking as I re-read this thread. If righton's looking for an apprentice, Space-Ped might have the making of a good trainee.
But I always try to read these type of threads when I have the chance, it's that combination of boring and fascinating; Boring to watch somebody dig in on something that they either don't understand, or are pretending not to, and fascinating that you can tell they think they're being clever while doing it.
Maybe it's sadistic, but there's something really entertaining about watching somebody who's about three steps behind everybody else imagining they're dazzling the people who are way ahead of them with their brilliance.
Maybe I've just dealt with enough of this type that I don't have any patience for it anymore. The avoiding all pertinent questions, the hypersensitivity about "name-calling" all seem so phony to me.
This particular breed seems inspired by Sarah Palin, if you remember her technique in the VP debates, which was essentially " I'm not gonna get bogged down with facts, or answerin' your questions, I'm just gonna talk about what I wanna talk about, and what the Amurican people wanna hear!"
I really wish somebody would do a study on this, because we see evidence of this constantly. Why are so many conservatives such literal-minded, concrete thinkers? I can't imagine going through life and not being able to wrap my mind around an analogy or a metaphor. I don't know how some of them manage to get through the day.
I am not surprised at her attempt to defend the racism coming from this callers husband, and her whining that she can't use the "N" word freely. What I am surprised about is that after her racist rant, she uses an African American song (Everyday People) to come back after a commercial break as if that is going to make everything alright.
If African Americans voted for Obama because he is Black then why didn't they vote for Jesse Jackson with the same turnout? In addition, there are plenty of whites out there who did not vote for Obama, and those are the individuals that the caller was referring to, and I am sick of hearing that racism is dead because Obama is in the White House.
Racism is not dead because Obama is ion the White house, that is tru. But not for the reasons you think. Obama is not black. Let that sink in a little. His mother, the womb he spent 9 months growing inside of, is white. He is not a black man, he is mixed race.
Decisions, decisions! Maybe I should call Dr. Lara and get her advice?
Buzz-zing! How does it feel, Laura?
They own it now.
Not fair you say? Reverse discrimination you say? Oh no! Reverse racism, you say? You know what...
CRY ME A RIVER!
Old white ignorance...
I'm reminded of the scene in The Royal Tennenbaums when Royal calls Danny Glover's character Coltrane and starts talking about "jive."
Dr. Laura is spouting off the top of her head what lurks in the chambers of her psyche. She hasn't been discriminated against, that I know of, in any way.
I think you are comparing two very unlike things.
Second, the use of the N-word is inappropriate no matter who uses it. To say otherwise (based on race) is as racist as if I were to say you could not drink from the same drinking fountain as me because you are a different color.
Third, Obama is not a black man. He mother is white which makes him just as white as he is black. I am not sure if there is an acceptable term for it but he is mixed raced. Neither white nor black he is something else entirely.
Really, though: both the left and the right need to get off this obsession with race. Anyone attempting to politically capitalize on America's eighth-grade attitude towards this issue, be it Andrew Breitbart, MMfA, Dr. Laura or Barry Soetoro (Barack Obama), is instantly discredited in my book.