O'Reilly claimed Media Matters "distorted" his "discussion on race," but never aired the discussion on his TV show
During the September 26 edition of his Fox News show, The O'Reilly Factor, responding to criticism of his controversial September 19 remarks on his radio show about his visit to Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem, Bill O'Reilly asserted that "the far-left smear website Media Matters distorted a very positive discussion on race and accused me of racism." During three segments discussing the controversy, however, O'Reilly aired no audio from the September 19 edition of his radio show. In its original item documenting O'Reilly's comments, Media Matters for America provided the transcript and audio of his remarks.
O'Reilly said during the September 26 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, "Now, all fair-minded people know that Media Matters, CNN, and the other media in bed with the far left have lied about what actually happened on The Radio Factor. Just listen to the unedited broadcast available on billoreilly.com and you'll see." Later, during a discussion of the controversy, Al Sharpton said, "I've not heard the tape," and O'Reilly responded, "Right. You need to hear that tape, by the way." O'Reilly later discussed the controversy with Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce -- who described Media Matters as the "media Gestapo" -- and with comedian Dennis Miller, who said he had not heard the remarks himself.
As Media Matters documented, during the September 25 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly asserted that "every day, the far-left smear website Media Matters takes that commentary out of context and feeds the defamation out to the public."
From the September 26 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. Media Matters and the corrupt press on the run, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."
As reported, the far-left smear website Media Matters distorted a very positive discussion on race and accused me of racism. Today, there was outrage.
JOE WATKINS (Republican strategist) [video clip from September 26 broadcast of NBC's Today]: This is a case where Bill O'Reilly actually was saying something good and positive and uplifting to his radio audience. And instead now, he gets dragged through the mud as if he's a racist. Very unfair on the part of Media Matters.
O'REILLY: Now, all fair-minded people know that Media Matters, CNN, and the other media in bed with the far left have lied about what actually happened on The Radio Factor. Just listen to the unedited broadcast available on billoreilly.com and you'll see.
But the corrupt press doesn't care about that. CNN picked up the Media Matters defamation because they are getting hammered in the ratings. Besides CNN, the worst offender in this case is the New York Daily News, which strung together quotes that were said five minutes apart on different topics. Can you believe it?
And for the record, the following outlets ran unfair and dishonest pieces on this ridiculous situation: The CBS Early Show, which actually described Media Matters as a watchdog group, how dishonest is that? The Chicago Sun Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, ABCnews.com, and the Louisville [Courier-]Journal also completely distorted the story.
Now the following outlets were fair: the Today show, Newsday, and Stephen Smith of ESPN.
The major point here is this: Media Matters fabricated the story. And major American news outlets picked up the fabrication, trying to diminish me and the Fox News Channel.
My words on the radio were an attack on racism. That's quite clear. Again, the entire unedited conversation is posted on billoreilly.com.
As usual, the folks know what's really going on here. AOL.com has a poll on the subject. And right now, 60 percent say my comments were inoffensive.
The tragedy here is that there is no longer an honest press in America. The CNN people didn't listen to The Radio Factor. They tried to get cheap ratings and it backfired.
The New York Daily News couldn't care less about what was really said. They want to damage me because News Corp., which owns Fox News, also owns the New York Post, which has passed them in circulation and on and on.
Now over the past 12 months, Media Matters has personally attacked me 109 times. And I am not alone. Every non-liberal politician and commentator in this country has been smeared by these people. Yet, there's no scrutiny of Media Matters in the mainstream media. They're watchdogs. Figure it out.
With the exposure of MoveOn over the Petraeus incident, and now the blatant dishonesty of Media Matters, and their water carriers, Americans should be very skeptical of the news media. No longer can it be trusted. And that's the Memo.
Now for the top story tonight, another race controversy. This one in Jena, Louisiana, where six black students are charged with beating a white student. The situation's complicated by the fact that months earlier at the high school, hangman's nooses were hung on a tree.
Joining us now from Baton Rouge is Reverend Al Sharpton, who is deeply involved in the case.
OK, Reverend, now before we -- we'll talk about you and I because you caused all this, because I bought you dinner at Sylvia's. Now I have to deal with all of this nonsense.
But in a much more important vein, the Jena controversy, because students' lives hang in the balance here.
[...]
O'REILLY: Now Reverend, come on, I take you to dinner. I pick up the tab. And everybody has a great time. And I'm getting slimed by the far left. Come on.
SHARPTON: Well, I've not heard the tape.
O'REILLY: Please.
SHARPTON: I've not heard the tape.
O'REILLY: Right. You need to hear that tape, by the way, because --
SHARPTON: What I've read --
O'REILLY: Well, come on, what you've read. Come on.
SHARPTON: Let me say this. What I've read was disturbing and surprising. But I must admit that I have also said to you, when you've jumped on me that that was a distortion of my words. So I'm going to hear the tape to hear what you said.
O'REILLY: OK.
SHARPTON: I can only say this.
O'REILLY: You know me. You know me.
SHARPTON: You and I have gone to dinner before in Harlem. And I've never heard you say anything offensive.
O'REILLY: Of course I didn't.
SHARPTON: And people talking to Juan Williams, I would have assumed that he would have jumped on it. So I'm going to listen to the tape. And I'm going to give judgment. The stuff of being surprised that blacks didn't act up, you can understand why people are offended by that. I'd be offended, but --
O'REILLY: If that is what was said, but it wasn't.
SHARPTON: Let me be -- then let me be as given the time to hear the tape and be as fair to you as you've been to me, so I can hear the whole thing in context.
O'REILLY: All right. That's fair enough.
SHARPTON: And then, I will give you --
O'REILLY: And you know who's coming on here?
SHARPTON: But I will say that you and I go to Harlem at least once a year and have dinner and --
O'REILLY: And who picks up the tab?
SHARPTON: [inaudible] said --
O'REILLY: And who picks up the tab?
SHARPTON: Well, you should pick up the tab. You make a lot more money.
O'REILLY: Now you know who's coming on here tomorrow night? Jesse Jackson.
SHARPTON: You told me Jesse Jackson called you.
O'REILLY: Jesse Jackson coming on right here. And he's got an interesting point of view.
SHARPTON: Two good things come out of it. Two good things come out of it. You and Reverend Jackson finally talked --
O'REILLY: Right.
SHARPTON: -- because you beat me up about him. And I've defended him.
O'REILLY: Right.
SHARPTON: And I hope Sylvia's gets a lot of new customers.
O'REILLY: Sylvia's --
SHARPTON: A hundred twenty-six --
O'REILLY: -- is the best.
SHARPTON: Everybody should go to Sylvia's.
O'REILLY: That's right.
SHARPTON: But she told you that her story how she went from a waitress to an entrepreneur.
O'REILLY: She's the best.
SHARPTON: After I hear the tape, me and you will do it on the "No-Spin Zone" here.
O'REILLY: All right, Reverend, I want you to go after these far-left scoundrels, Reverend. I want you to go after them.
SHARPTON: I want you to help us get Mychal Bell free. And we'll work on fair.
O'REILLY: Listen, we'll stay on the story.
SHARPTON: If you're right, I'm there.
O'REILLY: We'll let everybody know.
SHARPTON: All right.
O'REILLY: Next on the rundown, conservative pundits, as we said, getting smeared all over the place. How should they react?
And later, Dennis Miller on Media Matters and [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. Can't wait. Right back.
[...]
O'REILLY: "Impact" segment, tonight. The far-left Internet sites are in the business to smear any and all commentators who do not toe the liberal line. In the past year, Media Matters has personally attacked me 109 times. Glenn Beck has been smeared 92 times. Rush Limbaugh, 87 times. And Sean Hannity, 75 times. Not one liberal radio commentator has been smeared by Media Matters.
Joining us now from Los Angeles, radio talk-show star Tammy Bruce, who's also been attacked by that smear factory.
OK. Commentators are attacked by this. We know this. We ignore it most of the time until CNN or another, what they call, mainstream media outlet picks it up. But some people are saying, "Look, O'Reilly, you should just ignore this. You shouldn't do anything about it." I'm attacking it, obviously. How do you see it?
BRUCE: Well, it is actually very serious. And the real story is -- and I think those of us who are in the public eye have got to call attention to the real story, which is the fact that a Gestapo has emerged in America. If you'll notice, the attacks on you mirror the attacks on General Petraeus. And you have a media Gestapo in Media Matters, and then you have the political Gestapo in MoveOn.org. And the intention is the same. The intention is to smear an individual without any basis in reality, without any fairness, in an attempt to make that person demonized so that they will not be listened to.
It is a very serious dynamic. Now, the issues involved are almost irrelevant because the truth of the matter is, no matter what is said, no matter what is done, the Gestapo will find a way to move in some kind of element of demonization, especially as we move into this election year. And it is -- when it comes to the military, when it comes to government, or especially with you, in this case, an individual who is independent from either party line and who is likely to be listened to more seriously than other people.
O'REILLY: OK. Now, how do you handle it then when a CBS morning news -- totally irresponsible, the correspondent didn't listen to the tape. The anchor who did the interview links it up to an Imus. You know, this Media Matters is --
BRUCE: Sure.
O'REILLY: -- the same people that got Imus. Now, they know that's dishonest. CNN from the jump knew it was dishonest because I told them.
BRUCE: Sure.
O'REILLY: And they didn't care. CNN, we know because they're getting hammered in the ratings 6 to 1 by us. So we know why they do it. But how do you handle a CBS morning news?
BRUCE: Well, you -- this is actually a gift. And I know it probably doesn't feel that way --
O'REILLY: No, it does. I agree with you.
BRUCE: -- to those of use who have been targets.
O'REILLY: It is a gift, absolutely.
BRUCE: It's a gift because what it does is it swings the curtain back. I -- when I was in the left, it's known as the network. Literally, a network of outlets that then follow the lead of who it is that's leading the charge, whether it be The New York Times or, in this instance, Media Matters or MoveOn.org. And what Americans need to realize, and I think what commentators have a duty to do, is remind people what the real story is, which is this is an opportunity to see how that network operates, how it exists, especially as Americans have to listen to establishment media for news about an election and for decisions they make. So it's a real opportunity to show who is part of the network, who is playing that role, who is a water carrier and who isn't. And I think that you, as a lightning rod, is a perfect example for most people about the agenda is of the Gestapo and how it can be stopped.
O'REILLY: Sure, and the reason it's a gift is because we have the tape. And anybody --
BRUCE: Yes.
O'REILLY: -- can go to BillOReilly.com and hear the whole thing. And there's no two sides to the story. There's no debate.
BRUCE: Well, it's context.
O'REILLY: Right.
BRUCE: No, it's context, and the other issue is always --
O'REILLY: But isn't it depressing --
BRUCE: Uh-huh.
O'REILLY: -- isn't it depressing in a republic as strong as America that we have now the most corrupt media in the history of our country. That's a little depressing to me, Tammy.
BRUCE: Well, it is, but it also then shines the light on the media that we can trust like Fox, frankly.
[...]
O'REILLY: All right. Now, Media Matters -- you're basically going to be on their target list coming. They've slimed me 109 times in a year. Every other commentator on the radio who's not a liberal gets slimed. And now CNN is in bed with these people. How do you see it?
MILLER: Well, first off, Bill, I have to say, you're my friend and I always wonder about issues like this. Why do you care? I mean --
O'REILLY: Corruption in the press. Corruption in the press.
MILLER: Yes, but you realize, Bill, that you've won.
O'REILLY: Yes, I know.
MILLER: The only way they define themselves is through the backdraft. You give them oxygen.
But quite frankly, CNN hasn't mattered to me since -- I've got to go back to Davos in '05 when Eason Jordan said that he knew of 12 journalists who were killed and, indeed, targeted by our troops.
O'REILLY: Let me make a case on why it matters. If you have -- if you have -- look, look, here's why it matters. If you have a corrupt media, which you have in the United States, in a presidential election, the folks are not going to get the truth. There's gonna be all of this allying between the far-left smear sites, MoveOn, Media Matters, the Kos, George Soros, pulling their strings like this. And there are millions of Americans, Dennis, who are uniformed, who don't know, don't watch The Factor, don't listen to you, they don't know what's going on. They hear this stuff. Therefore, votes can be swayed by defamation. So, the only -- the only weapon against defamation, 'cause you cannot sue if you are famous, you know that -- Larry Craig and Ahmadinejad can't sue you -- is exposure. You expose them. You say they're corrupt, and then you let the chips fall where they may. That's why I go after them.
MILLER: Well, right after I tell you that I do believe that Larry Craig knows all about the exposure thing, I have to say this, that -- listen -- [laughter] I'm sorry, but --
O'REILLY: You're going to hell. Enjoy life now. You're going to hell. All right, go ahead.
MILLER: As far as Media Matters goes, Bill, I just -- it doesn't really matter.
O'REILLY: But it gets through. It gets through.
MILLER: You've kind of won.
O'REILLY: No, they bought these people. It's corruption in the press. It's just like if it was corruption in the political arena. The press, more powerful than politicians. When there's corruption, it's got to be exposed. All right, now, if I am going to commit murder, Miller, I am coming out to your neighborhood. Phil Spector, hung jury, joins O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake. And what is going on with California juries?
MILLER: First up, before we move on, can I just ask you one thing about the previous subject, and then I'll move on?
O'REILLY: Yeah, sure, sure.
MILLER: Are you comfortable with what you said? Or is Juan Williams comfortable?
O'REILLY: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I said nothing wrong. Everything was benign. It was put in a context of "racism is bad, and here's why people are racists. They're afraid." If you listen to that tape, there's not one thing wrong with that tape. Juan Williams, everybody else --
MILLER: Well, I just wanted to tell you I haven't heard it. But if you're comfy, and Williams is comfy, and Sylvia's is comfy, leave a big tip next time and go back and watch Conan the Barbarian. The best thing in life is to meet your enemies on the field of battle, crush them beneath your feet and hear the lamentations of their women.
O'REILLY: I think we're doing that. I don't know about the women, but we're meeting the enemies and crushing them. Umm, OK. Phil Spector.
I was wondering why O'Reilly is so special that you need to listen to an hour of him to understand what he's saying.
Is he a philosopher king delivering sermons to his audience?
Here's what I think.
Al Sharpton was on the show last night and said he was disturbed by the excerpts he's heard but since he hadn't heard the whole show he'd reserve judgement and come back another time to discuss it.
That's what O'Reilly is counting on: people not listening to the whole thing and believing that they need to to understand what "I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant [in Harlem] and any other restaurant in New York City ... even though [Sylvia's is] run by blacks," means.
Seems simple to me. If you want to make a decision for yourself and not let the extremists on the left and right think for you, you will have to do a little work. I did and can see how this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. You will only see something in the WHOLE statement if you want to. i.e. Media Matters
I'm black and I watched O'Reilly yesterday. After hearing the entire conversation, I don't find anything that he said offensive or racist. I've been married 15 years, have four kids, and have had the same job for the last 13 years. I have a bachelores in physics and a masters in education and I'm a veteran of the war in Iraq. I don't listen to rap, don't wear my pants down to my knees, and don't wear my hat on sideways. And I completely agree with Bill Cosby about family in the black community. I have no respect for boys who make children and then leave them or girls who choose to have children with these boys at 15 years of age. Point being, O'Reilly didn't say anything offensive. Period.
Hello Mr. bgolas8537
After hearing your entire conversation you forgot one thing.
The strongest argument would have been to declare yourself a Democrat. I was waiting and wondering about that when all of a sudden I said to myself:
He's got to be a REPUBLICAN'T !
But that's not important! And it doesn't matter what O'Reilly said. He could of told a Fairy Tale. Point Being ... O'Reilly doesn't give a damn about the problems of Black America or he would of been down in Jena helping to make some changes for Justice to Black People! Or arguing that on his Right Wing Propaganda Show.
Did you forgot to admit your a Conservative.
Instead Billo attacks Sharpton, Jackson, Black America and everyone else in general. Sure blacks have problems, but O'Reilly won't help them, he's Republican. Now Cosby wants to help but hasn't made much progress.
Republicans and their Presidential Candidates have just turned thier backs on you and your Black America. They can't fit you into their plans.
And that's not important to you!?
O'Reilly is president of the 4-H Club. He is a ... Hateful - Hostle - Hurtful - and Harmful man. Period.
If you didn't know that fact, may God Please Help You.
You're wrong on many level's. O'Reilly cares about America in general and that includes black America. He has black friends as I have white friends. All that is neither here nor there. O'Reilly didn't say anything offensive.
Truth be told. Family values are what will save blacks in the inner city. I have no respect for boys who make babies and then leave them and who treat women like crap in general. I have no respect for girls who allow those boys to get them pregnant and then rely on the government for money.
I'm a conservative because I work for a living and because I've made something of myself and a good life for myself without the governments help. I was lucky to have good parents who stayed together and who raised me. I paid for college with an ROTC scholarship that I won through my own hard work. I studied hard and now I have a good job. That was all my doing. This is America. If you don't make something of yourself or at least don't try to then that's your fault. I don't need the governments help and I don't want it. I'm an American. I'll make my own way and make my own decisions. Lable me as you will but the problem's not mine. Its yours.
" Lable me as you will but the problem's not mine. Its yours. " - - A Comment by - -bgolas8537
Thank You Mr. Bgolas ... Those problems you listed are not mine. I'm not black, but unlike you, I care about people in need of equal justice in America. Yet you on high, refuse to reach down to those you left behind in need. Instead you just disrespect them.
Secondly ... I did not Lable you! I merely stated I was waiting and wondering and detecting that you didn't reveal that very telling fact that you're so very proud of.
-You're a Conservative Republican-
To be honest, and as proud as you are, you should have said that up front. After reading your comment I must say I'm very proud of you myself, but here is what I hear you saying in just a few words.
Mr. bgolas8537 : - I have white friends... I have no respect for black girls... I have no respect for black boys... I work for a living... I've made something.... I was lucky.... I paid for college... I have a good job... I don't need Govt.... So these black problems are not mine, their yours! - - end - -
To me that says ... ( I've got mine, to hell with everyone else. I don't care about blacks who were not so lucky! )
Opra has made it too. Use her as a model. She has done wonders for people in need.
Sorry It's Label - Not lable
What makes you think that I don't care about the poor and underprivileged? I give to charities on a regular basis. You're being a typical liberal and assuming that anyone who does not publicly cut their heart open for people and show it bleeding is somewhat less than you. I'm a teacher and I help kids all the time. That does not mean being easy on them. It means being a responsible adult role model. Two years ago I helped one of my black students when he was about to quit school. His father (as usual) was not in the picture and his mother (as usual) threw her hands up at him. We sat down with the Navy recruiter and looked at his options. He was exited about it because he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He saw a way out. He stayed in school, graduated and became a Navy CB. You should have seen him his senior year. He cut his hair, stopped dressing like a punk and stopped walking like a gansta. He became a man. You owe me an apology.
By the way, I'm also a registered Democrat. It was a Democrat who said. "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." That is America. You make your own way here. Solon is down there thinking he/she is making a point by say "you got up in the morning and drank your safe water ... blah, blah, liberal crap." I don't get why people don't understand that the job of the government is to protect you and keep you safe so that you can live your life here in peace. But it is your life that you have to make or not make and it is not the government's job to do that. The government does not owe you a living they owe you a safe and maintained place to live. And I am so tired of white liberals undermining my efforts to help blacks by coddeling them with welfare. People like Ted Kennedy who says he cares but yet does not want any black people living around him. How my poor blacks live out on cape cod? But its OK if they're penned in the inner city.
Also, Welfare begets welfare. I used to teach prisoners. Most of them are third or fourth (because they father children at 15-16 years of age - children that they don't take care of) generation welfare. Their unknown fathers were on welfare, their unknown grandfathers were on welfare etc. Do I need to go on here? We need family values not handouts.
Point being, is that it is white liberals who are racist. They want to keep the blacks in the inner city by tossing just enough money at them to keep them there and not really truly helping them like the "proles" in 1984. You are racist. And sam, don't be petty with spelling. 1) you're supporting O'Reilly when he says that when liberals start to lose an argument they call names and become petty and 2) look at your first post, there are at least three major grammatical errors. I'm a teacher. I pay attention to these things.
Sure. You get up in the morning drink the safe drinking water the government made sure corporations didnt pollute to toxic levels, drive on gov provided streets, safe because of gov provided fire and police, eat safe foods KEPT safe by government regulations, went to a job you can do because of a government provided education, employed by a company that makes money with the help of a government created world class communications system and transportation system but you dont NEED any help from the government. There are NONE so blind as those who WILL NOT SEE.
Offensive is one thing. but this is blind ignorance. According to Bill YOU would be a shock to his system. He and "white folks" don't know YOU exist. Just Viacom owned BET exploited...rap. And he's going let "white america" know that "it's okay" and that YOU'RE different. Sounds like he needs to stop watching BET and go hang out with some REAL white folks. Organic, brave, versatile, smart, focused, curious "white folks". And I'll tell you a secret....they're everywhere!!
Yeah, Wrong. It looks like you didn't see the program. That is exactly the opposite of what he thinks. Start watching him and reading his books and you'll realize that.
And got forbid a black man become educated and have thoughts different from the white liberals. You people are so hypocritical.
What O'Reilly said was stupid, but now it seems we are going overkill here on this topic. I think the story is dead, couldnt our resources be used better to discusss topics like how the MSM is lying about Senator Clinton vs MMFA vs. Bill O'Reilly?
But we still need Cornyn to sponsor another amendment condemning this type of talk!
But seriously, O'Reilly is clearly stupid as a brick. He could apologize because there is clearly an outcry from the AA community denouncing him. He could air all the tapes and discuss why the areas that sound racist aren't. But he won't do that, he's committed to denial to prove to the world that he isn't a racist.
He will not apologize, just like the Sean Hornbeck incident. O'Reilly has become too powerful and with the FOX machine behind him this will blow over. I even think there is a case where MMFA is going to come out the loser in the main stream American view when the FOX propaganda machine is done with this.
Just the opposite JLyons ...
O'Reilly puts the wind in Media Matters Sails. And we all know what a Desparate BlowHard he truly is. MMFA is sailing high right now. So is MoveOn. So is Hillary.
I was so happy when Georgie W Bush proclaimed Hillary the nominee and that she would lose the election. Last November he made a similar prediction and proceeded to lose both the Senate and the House. He talks with God and god tells him Hillary will lose.
I've tried for 2 years to get CNN to expose Fox News and O'Reilly. They finally did it, but I doubt because of me.
In his first segment yesterday O'Reilly began with an untruthful, disgraceful and shameful attack on Media Matters as a media watchdog group that has never exposed a Democratic Liberal Commentator.
But said they have smeared most Republicans. (Go Figure)
O'Reilly then lined up all the news outlets that reported his comments truthfully and leveled attacks on them. He listed and praised the outlets that ignored his racial comments. Mat at the Today Show.
He singled out CNN, who he says have ratings 1-to-6 lower than Fox News. He claimed CNN reported this story on him to get cheap ratings and attention. He said it has backfired.
All his guests conveniently didn't know what O'Reilly's racial comments were and dumfoundedly accepted his take on the whole event. Most just came to help with very damaged control efforts.
Al Sharpton said he hasn't heard the tape or the complete context but had issues (Disturbed) with what he has read so far. Sharpton did not make any effort to question O'Reilly. Very puzzling and unexplainable? The lazy Sharpton should have been prepared for this.
Sharpton said he would listen to the entire tape later and then address it with Bill. Bill then ordered him to go after groups like Media Matters, MoveOn and CNN. Bill will of course continue Enabling Sharpton by having him on the Factor and Dinner every year.
Dennis (The Menace) Miller, the not so funny comedian, was on the show to help Bill with the attack on Media Matters. Dennis advised Bill to ignore the whole Media Matters thing. He said he hasn't heard the comments but supported Bill anyway.
Tammy Bruce, a Fox Damage Control Girl, was there to attack Media Matters and MoveON. She called them very dangerous. Bruce called Media Matters a Media Gestapo Group and MoveOn a Political Gestapo Group.
Now Today if Jackson confronts O'Reilly the microphone will probably be silenced. It'd be fun if Jessie Jackson brings a taser and O'Reilly says, "Don't Tazz Me Bro!" and "Don't Expose Me Bro!" Don't tell anyone i'm a disgusting racist.
-Sam I Am-
Why do people really think this man is so powerful? There are over 300 million people in this country and he gets support from about 2 million. His *wink* *wink* boycotts don't work. He disingeniously takes credit for events which he covers. I dare say the majority of people in this country don't even know who the hell Bill O'Reilly is.
Why should he do that? If you read the WHOLE portion of the show that is in question it is clear that this is an issue brought by those that don’t like O’Reilly. If you read the transcripts it is clear what the discussion is about. Is it a racist comment because he is white, O’Reilly or both?
It has been explained a hundred times why it was a racist statement. I dont see why ANYONE with two brain cells to rub together should have needed it explained even once.
Sure, lets limit the first amendment. What would the ACLU say about that?
He's pulling the classic racist line... 'I'm not a racist, some of my best friends are black' line... he's really dug himself deep. How is Media Matters left-leaning when it just reports word for word what he/she says... seems more like a record-keeper than anything else!
I also thought it was interesting how many times he repeated that he had paid for Sharpton's dinner, as if that was some sort of defense. I guess it's a variation on, "I have black friends." "I paid for dinner in a black restaurant, so I'm not racist."
Yeah that's very telling, you know BO can't pass up a chance to brag on himself. What i found really interesting was what Rev. Sharpton said:
SHARPTON: But I will say that you and I go to Harlem at least once a year and have dinner and --
So if they've been to Harlem for dinner more than once, why couldn't BO get over the fact that a black establishment, with black patrons isn't different from any other restaurant? If BO had admitted that those weren't the best choice of words, this would have all blown over by now.
Your comment show you have not read the transcript. The conversation that this comment was taken from had to do with black youths identifying with gangster rappers and that the image that these rappers portray of Black America is not factual. His comment illustrated that while at an establishment with black proprietors and primarily black patrons, he did not see the derogatory image being played out in real life.
In a time when we need to elevate our discussions regarding racial issues, it is refreshing to see O’Reilly doing that and disappointing to see the discussion being brought down.
And don't forget...he was surprised! Which is what the hub bub is about. He's not simply reporting an observation. He's testifying to his expectation being countered.
How is the statement that Blacks are beginning to think for themselves and astonishment that they can eat with knives and forks a meaningful discussion about race? You know what I'd like to discuss. I want to know why the racial disparities in arrests and sentencing exist. I want to discuss why Whites move out of neighborhoods when we move in inlarge numbers. I want to know why statistics show that when whites and Blacks have comparable credit ratings that Blacks are charged higher interest rates for financial serives. Why didn't Mr. Orielly tackle those big issues like that effect us more profoundly. In case you don't know it I think for myself and I've been using knives and forks all my life so lets talk about the big real things that present a problem for the Black community
If some of his best friends are black, how come this was the first time he went to Sylvia's, a black run restaurant ?
" During three segments discussing the controversy, however, O'Reilly aired no audio from the September 19 edition of his radio show." [MMFA]
"Just listen to the unedited broadcast available on billoreilly.com and you'll see." [Bill O'Reilly]
Sure he could have aired it on his TV program, but instead of taking up time he directed folks to his website to listen to it. So what's the beef?
I think Billy showed a great deal of ignorance about African Americans, but MMFA is just getting petty here with this particular complaint.
This is just overkill now.
This is just overkill now.
It was overkill yesterday also with the 10 stories about it
I personally want to see MMFA continue following this story. It's exactly what MMFA is there to do. MMFA clearly has enough bandwidth to cover this story and the others popping up today.
If you guys think it's overkill, don't read these articles.
Bill’s always complaining (lying) about his words being taken out of context. I think the following will give some historic context to Bill’s idea of what passes for serious discussions on race: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1147
If O'Reilly had any courage he would publicly invite MMFA on his program to hash this out and put all cards on the table. He is giving MMFA plently of publicity by demonizing them constantly, why not debate it with them - all of it; their intentions, tactics, goals, get it out there for the public to really determine who is smearing who.
He actually posted his entire radio program on his website, to his credit. The line about "there was not one person saying 'M-fer i want more iced tea'" was definitely taken out of context by mmfa. If you listen to the entire program, you won't think twice about it because you get a sense of the broader context - which is that he is using the iced tea comment to simply show people that the gangsta rap culture isn't prevalent at all in the culture, as the media would have you believe it is. Juan Williams said, "it's the sewer come to the surface and people take it as the sewer is the whole surface." O'Reilly responds, "That's right! There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming M-Fer..."
He wasn't SHOCKED that no one was screaming this, he was just pointing out how civil it was there and how sad it is that people get the wrong idea of the culture from rappers.
I listened to the whole hour, and I have to say that I was still pretty disgusted by his line about shouting for a mother f-ing iced tea. Yes, he was certainly presenting Sylvia's restaurant and the concert he attended as examples of how the lyrics of Ludacris and Twista are not representative of African-Americans in general...
But that's the point: who in their right mind would think that a particular musical subgenre can serve as an accurate reflection of any demographic group's language and behavior in public spaces and businesses?
To put it another way: why is O'Reilly so worried that people are getting the wrong impression about African-Americans from gangsta rap, when he has just as much reason to be worried about people getting the wrong idea about British people from Coldplay and Radiohead?
Why? Because that would be really, really stupid: "I was at a restaurant in London and I couldn't get over how nobody was using a falsetto voice or speaking in strange metaphors. Nobody was saying, 'Bring me another iced tea to stop the unborn chicken voices in my head!'"
This is Brilliant!!!!
Thanks for the laugh!
To put it another way: why is O'Reilly so worried that people are getting the wrong impression about African-Americans from gangsta rap, when he has just as much reason to be worried about people getting the wrong idea about British people from Coldplay and Radiohead?
Best comment and post of the day! You hit in directly on the nail, Vysotsky. Thanks for that. That's all what hip hop is a subculture and subgenre. However, the only reason it's prominent in the first place because it's HUGELY successful among whites, mostly from the suburbs. I think that's the problem O'Reilly is having: not that its "effecting" black youth -- and he's looking out for "the folks" -- but more so white youth, who, based on studies are the majority of the consumers of hip hop. I was raised up in a time where grunge and heavy metal were the big sellers in music, but I didn't think that this type of genre of music represented all whites in America. Based on my experience I know that whites are a very diverse group of people who aren't homogenous. Sadly, O'Reilly thinks that whites are so dumb that they consider hip hop culture the only culture of blacks, so he has to point it out to them because as he said “white America doesn’t know!” O’Reilly is here to teach both black and whites about ourselves. Aren’t we lucky! ;)
I think you really put your finger on it. I really get the sense that O'Reilly's cultural crusade against Ludacris has less to do with African-Americans than with saving white people who are polluted by rap. Can I prove that conclusively? No. But it does seem suspicious that O'Reilly isn't worried about increasing numbers of African-Americans listening to country music and that genre's fixation with poverty, violence and infidelity. (Who's looking out for brown people, Bill?)
When I read your post, I realized that this is what really gets under my skin about his comments regarding his expectations of dinner at Sylvia's. It's not just that he said that he had to "get over" seeing African-Americans behaving politely; it's that he holds whites in his audience in such low regard as to think that they would actually need to be told that African-Americans are normal people too. From O'Reilly's perspective, whites are apparently such a slow-witted people that they are being suckered by gangsta rap and (in the year 2007!) need to be reminded by a conservative talk radio show host that African-Americans can walk and talk and dress in a civilized way.
Mush Ado About Everything- O'reilly IS a racist and a liar.
"My words on the radio were an attack on racism. That's quite clear. Again, the entire unedited conversation is posted on billoreilly.com. " BO
I listened to some of his radio show on the 26th. It made my ears bleed. He was insulting, yelling, screeching really at any caller who expressed dismay at his statements.
MMFA DID not take the "statements" out of context. He's clearly a racist, who stuck his big 'ol foot in his bigger ol mouth.
He actually was trying to "spin" his "oh look the black folk are civil" (paraphrasing remark)s to say he was MARKETING Sylvia's restaurant.
What century is this? I cannot believe that BO thinks that due to a color of a person skin they have to be branded "OK" by him. Huh?
How is that NOT racist.
To the posters here who say it's a non-story. I say "why are you reading the article and posting here.
It certainly is a story.It certainly po9ints to the ugly undercurrent of bigotry accepted by the main stream media.
And... it's so predictable that BO and those of his ilk make ugly ridiculous attacks and smear Media Matters, CNN, et al for simply reporting on his exact words.
To NOT point out the lunancy in all this is to accept this behavior as the norm.
Not in my world.
If you listened to or read the transcript then you would see that the WHOLE discussion was not racist. We are at a point now with O’Reilly that if you has any high level discussion on race issues his comments will automatically be labeled racist. It is clear that you do not like the man so why should your negative thoughts or comments hold any more weight than his fans?
O'Reilly's discussion was far from being a "high level discussion on race issues."
A high level discussion might start with the history of race as a category and its relationship to European colonialism. A high level discussion might have involved some mention of how race is not a biological category and how there is often greater genetic diversity within so-called racial groups than between them. A high level discussion would then include a discussion of how race is nonetheless a powerful social category, just like other social categories such as nationality.
And that would be merely a starting place.
O'Reilly's discussion was about stereotypes. He didn't scratch the surface of race.
That is the silliest comment ever. Emulating Coldplay will not ruin your l;ife, emulating the gangsta rap culture will.
You're confusing the appearance of a musical genre in mass media with the behavior of real people. Being a gangster is dangerous. But looking up to rappers, rapping, listening to hip hop and rap...? Not so much. Just ask the white kids who buy rap albums.
You should be aware, by the way, that this is the same argument used for the last half century against rock and roll: rock stars pretty take drugs, drink heavily, and engage in risky sex with groupies. I mean, if you emulated the rocker lifestyle, you'll end up like Jim Morrison and Elvis and... uh... John Lennon? Um... you'll end up like Jeff Buckley? Nevermind...
Just of the top of my head maybe for the same reason there is more discussion about racism involving blacks than English people: because there is more racism towards blacks than English people... But I wouldn't use the word "worrying". That's reading too much into his words.
The only reason I used that silly example about British rock was to point out that O'Reilly's fixation on the supposed bad influence of rap implies a racist double standard: we don't expect other people to behave in the ways they behave when performing musical genres, so why would anyone expect rappers to be indicative of the broader African American community? O'Reilly seems to think that this is a plausible expectation, since he says that he couldn't get over how people at Sylvia's behaved in distinction with Ludacris and Twista.
In short, he seems to expect the people in his audience to base racist expectations of interactions with African Americans on rap music... which is pretty darned offensive (to African Americans and non-African Americas). I was just trying to point out that if he had tried to make the same argument about a nationality rather than a racial category or ethnicity, it would have rightly seemed flat-out ridiculous.
It's not overkill unless you want O'Reilly and Fox to be the last word on the topic.
Jesse Jackson is a guest on The Factor tonight. Unless he, like Sharpton, says he hasn't listened to the full hour guess what they'll be talking about.
I don't blame MMFA at all for taking advantage of the attention that has come their way. And, it is worth noting that they have been reporting on a variety of issues as well as the latest O'Reilly blow-up. But isn't it funny which stories stick?
Here, MMFA puts up a variety of stories every day, that often show severe breaches of journalistic integrity. Journalists look to this site to see what to report and what to make a scandal out of and bring from the blogosphere to the television. O'Reilly's comments were ignorant at best and racist at worst, but don't you love the fact that CNN, NBC, etc., aren't lifting the following stories from MMFA:
--Mitt Romney's terrorism advisor is tied to Blackwater, which KILLED CIVILIANS!! --Rush Limbaugh said soldiers who don't support the war are "phony soldiers." --O'Reilly says the left is only interested in Darfur to appease their black constituents. --The GOP is behind funding to a California initiative to give Republicans an unfair advantage in the electoral college system. --Unfairness in coverage of Dan Rather's claims about his lawsuit against CBS. --Discussion of "black devils/white devils" regarding the Jena 6. --Discussion of a "racial hype game" regarding the Jena 6.
And, yet, the one story that "news" shows decide to make a big issue about is Bill O'Reilly's petty racism?
That's a very good point.
It's important to realize it's not the right wing media who is most damaging to progressive politicians and causes.
It's the traditional media deciding what to cover and how to cover it.
--Rush Limbaugh said soldiers who don't support the war are "phony soldiers."
Let's wait and see on that one. It was a disgusting comment and it's likely to draw all sorts of attention.
It's high time that someone call out Keith Olbermann on his racist comments about Roscoe Parrish of the Buffalo Bills. Going over highlights during NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast, Olbermann said the following about Parrish (a black receiver):
"With the Denver drive having stalled, Roscoe Parrish on the punt return. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles at its finest. "
Now, it is blatantly racist to compare Parrish's feats on the football field to the racist stereotype of black people's supposed love of fried chicken and waffles or in some way tie Parrish to the popular soul food restaurant that serves such fare. Olbermann should apologize quickly. That comment was way out of line.
What?????
Hi J
It is true, Newsbusters has covered it , but the msm has not. It reminded me of Howard Cosells "monkey"comment in 1983
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2007/09/27/olbermanns-chicken-waffles-crack-passive-aggressive-racism
Honestly, i don't know how Olbermann can get away with this. I usually like Keith, but I remember watching this and thinking, "why was 'Chicken and Waffles' his nickname for PArrish"? It was just blatantly stereotyping african-americans to me. I thought it was pretty bad form. I mean, I know the guy's first name is Roscoe, but why not call him "Roscoe P. Coltrane Parrish" then? Why was fried chicken and waffles the first thing that came to Keith's mind? Seems like at the very least, a passive form of racism.
Friedburgerboy posted that it was resturant , in that case to me its not racist.
I am not a food product, Sue ;). Just giving you a hard time, no offense taken :).
Maybe sue wants to eat you. =0
OK, I'll go to my room now...
Bad Bad doggy ;-)
Waffles?
Waffles are black-related?
Never heard that one before in my life.
You sure he's not Belgian?
Olbermann gets away with it because he bashes O'Reilly and MMA bashes OReilly. The give passes to each other.
Portnoy,
Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles is a restaurant. I am thinking that's what Keith was referring to:
http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/
Would that be insulting still?
In my opinion mind, no. Thanks for the clairification.
You are very welcome, Sue. I hope Portnoy looks up the website before he draws any conclusions.
I know it's a restaurant. I've eaten there a few times myself (and it's freakin' fantastic). But, I just think that associating a black player with a black owned (and mostly black patronized) restaurant is very racially insensitive. It reinforces black stereotypes that I do find really insulting. I mean, "Roscoe's chicken and waffles at its finest"? C'mon, that's just horrible. He shouldn't get a pass for that kind of insensitivity.
There is no insensitiity, the comparison is not valid and silly.
Sorry i do not have my glasses today correct spelling
"insensitivity"
You don't think it's insensitive to associate a black football player with a black owned fried chicken joint just because his first name is Roscoe? Don't you find it curious that a fried chicken restaurant was the only thing that Olbermann could think of to nickname a black player after?
Portnoy, word association, give us your first three responses to;
Roscoe
Can I play Beach? Can I? Can I?
The only thing I think of when I hear Roscoe is:
Tanner. Roscoe Tanner. US tennis player in the 1970's.
Nothing else comes to mind.
As far as Olbermann's reference to a Black restaurant goes....
Well IF O'Reilly or Limbaugh had made the association/remark I'm sure some here would have heard something racist in it.
Just like if O'Reilly had donned an Olbermann mask and given a heil Hitler salute there would have been an outcry.
But whatever...
Roscoe P Coltrane? Dukes of Hazzard anyone?
Roscoe Tanner rings a bell, Jeter . I was just a kid in the 70s, and not a tennis guy.
The only name I knew from The Dukes was Boss Hogg & Daisy.
My first reaction was the Chicken & waffles place, but that's because I've eaten there, and used to have a t-shirt. I'm guessing Olberman's eaten there too.
Great place to eat. I've only been to LA one time, but a friend from school (who hails from Simi Valley outside of LA) suggested I eat at Roscoe's before I leave town. Great food.
You do remember the context of the Olbermann/Nazi thing, right Jeter? Not saying that to be nasty, but O'Reilly blamed Americans for Nazi atrocities.
I agree that KO should not have done it though, but if ever it was appropriate (and I don't think it ever is), that was close.
As far as Olbermann's reference to a Black restaurant goes....
Well IF O'Reilly or Limbaugh had made the association/remark I'm sure some here would have heard something racist in it
Jeter, Bill and Rush have a history of making racially insensitive remarks, Keith does not.
Roscoe Lee Browne. A great character actor with an amazing voice diction and eloquence.
>>But, I just think that associating a black player with a black owned (and mostly black patronized) restaurant is very racially insensitive.
You apparently need to look up what racism is in the dictionary. When you make a play on words with somebody's name, that ain't it. You did notice that the player was named Roscoe, and so was the restaurant?
Yes, the O'Reilly apologists just reek of desperation.
It's not Racist. The players name is Roscoe, it makes sense. But if Olberman were a conservative then I might have a different interpretation, seeing as the way conservatives think about stuff...
I was just in Roscoe's the other day and I couldn't believe...
...ummm nevermind.
If MMFA tried to sell that as racist I would be inscenced. Not suprised to see it used by an O'Rielly appologist though.
Interesting point Bruce. But you have to remember that liberals are deservedly given a far wider latitude, the bend-over-backwards benefit of the doubt, especially in the media, when they make racially questionable remarks because they are just not inherently racist because of the social policies they advocate.
On the other hand, when conservatives make the same remarks, they must be questioned and scrutinized with far more racially insensitive suspicion because of their inherent lack of compassion.
All sarcasm aside, Tommy (well done by the way), what do you think of KO's comment?
Fried,
It looks as though Olbermann's was a play on words, a joke, no devious intent in my opinion.
O'Reilly's was patronizingly pandering and illustrated his low expectations where blacks are concerned, thereby his surprise at what he witnessed.
Tommy,
Thanks for the input, I thought the exact same thing. I think the history of the two men plays into the interpretation of the two men more than their apparent politics.
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1147
Great Link Lynn, thank you. How soon we forget.
Thanks for sharing that, Lynn. I forgot all about that incident until I read that article again.
Either that or what Olbermann said had nothing to do with race but was a play on words.
How do you figure I'm an O'Reilly apologist? And, also, I said above that i'm not sure if Olbermann's comments were racist, but they were at the least racially insensitive. There was no reason to bring up Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. And i HIGHLY DOUBT that Olbermann would have used the same nickname if Roscoe Parrish was white.
Portnoy
I do not think the comments are a big deal from Olbermann, but I will give you advice. People on this site are VERY sensitive to any sense of being critical of Mr Olbermann. Its bascially looked down. If you even suggest any form of criticalness toward him you will be smeared as being pro O'Reilly. It is unfair but true.
Yeah, that's it.
Everybody on this site is a hypocrite.
Yes, we're all hypocrites. It has nothing to do with conservatives trying to distract people from the topic at hand with nonsensical charges of "look, he did it too!"
Maybe it's not so much that we're sensitive about Olbermann as it is that Conservatives got nuthin'.
J,
In this case, I think you would agree (as you posted above), that accusations of racism are not the same and "silly," right?
It is silly, but I was commenting on the bigger picture. Everyone on this site is not an hypocrite, but most are very sensitve to any criticism regarding Olbermann. True or False?
J,
I would say its true that many are sensitive to Olbermann criticism, but I just did not know how that shaped the debate on this particular example.
I was called an "O'Reilly apologist" by both Funnymanpants and Solon. Now, I can understand it coming from Funnymanpants, because he has zero reading comprehension. But, I never said one single word in defense of O'Reilly, nor would I ever defend him. I just don't see how being mildly critical of Keith Olbermann makes me an O'Reilly apologist.
Portnoy please continue to speak your mind, do not let anyone intimidate you or bully you. I have witnessed those tactics. Your view on Olbermann does not make you an O'Reilly apologist. Just because you have a different view than others on one subject does not mean you are a mean right winger.
Portony I will get some slack for this but I brought this up when it was an issue and wow did I get attacked
http://www.adl.org/media_watch/tv/20060728-MSNBC.htm
Will do and thank you for pointing that out. It is frustrating to bring up a different point of view and immediately be pounced on and called an "O'Reilly apologist". I mean, I freakin' hate O'Reilly. I guess it's just a tactic that some people use instead of trying to debate things rationally.
J brings up a good point Portnoy, Please do not stop speaking your mind as long as you are civil. I do not think there was anything offensive in the Olbermann comments but then again that really is not the issue here, allthough you make a good point of trying to compare between the media attention toward Olbermann vs. Oreilly, OReilly is a larger figure, better ratings and more nationally known. Now Olbermann did say this on NBC Football but I do not think there is a relationshp.
Oh yes, the ever reliable ADL:
The ADL, was exposed in media reports across America for heading an international network of spies which – through clandestine operations – amassed files on over 1,000 civic, service, religious and political organizations and over 10,000 private individuals, including many Jewish leaders and members of Congress.
link
And the ADL that tried to deny the Armenian holocoust until it was pressured:
link
And the ADL that condemns human rights groups because they point out human rights violations of Israel?
link
You mean that ADL? It is too bad the ADL is given respect it does not deserve, since it merely a front for promoting Israel expanionist policies.
Oh please. Once again the favorite trash talking point of the apologist: X has no reading skills! It isn't even an original insult.
And you expect me to take you seriously when you continue to think that Olberman's pun was racially insensitive?
No you didnt say anything about O'Rielly just used Olbermann in a look over there moment in an O'Rielly thread. I may have been a bit quick to jump on the wagon you are usually reasonable but it looked like that old tactic to me.
I don't give a fig about what anyone thinks about Olbermann.
All I ask is that it be based on some kind of reality.
>>"With the Denver drive having stalled, Roscoe Parrish on the punt return. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles at its finest. "
Wow. You O'reilly apologists are really desperate, aren't you? Apparently, Roscoes is a restaurant. But even if it weren't, how the f** do you construe this as racist? Even the site you linked to admitted the comment was "cryptic."
I didn't link to a site
Typical conservative distraction tactics away from the racist pervert Oreillys REAL transgressions...
Okay, Sueld linked to the site. My apologies. But still don't see how the heck you can construe a completely innocent pun as racially insensitive.
There is a slight catch, here. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is a real and relatively well-known restaurant in L.A., and it's pretty common for sportscasters to try on new nicknames for the players they cover. Yes, there's a prevalent stereotype about African-Americans and chicken (...though I didn't know that waffles were included in that stereotype...) but it seems to me as though Olbermann was probably just making a play on the relatively distinctive name "Roscoe."
But hey, maybe it was a really dumb and offensive thing for Olbermann to say. I could understand if someone argued that it was racist. I'd say that there was room for debate, but I could understand the argument.
On the other hand, I can't understand a comparison between, on the one hand, Olbermann's reference about an athlete named Roscoe and a restaurant called Roscoe's, and on the other, O'Reilly's stupid, insensitive, and offensive remarks about not being able to get over civil behavior in Sylvia's... which he made in an explicit discussion of contemporary race relations in America.
I didn't make a comparison. I just pointed out that Olbermann made the statement and I thought it was "bad form". I shouldn't have said it was "racist", but I do believe that it was reacially insensitive. And, for crying out loud, I know that Roscoe's is a restaurant having actually eaten there many times myself. By the way, I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who ventures out to L.A. You shouldn't miss it.
You still don't know what racism is, or, more likely, are pretending not to know. Making a pun on a player's name is not racist.
Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles at its finest.
A black owned restaurant in Los Angeles that serves fried chicken and waffles.
http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/
for additional information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_and_waffles
Like most bullies, Bill O'Reilly can dish it out but he can't take it. I disagree with the above comments that this story has been overplayed. Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and the other members of the Neocon propaganda machine need to be repeatedly shown for the hateful bigots and bullies they really are. The only difference between today's media thugs and Joseph Goebbels is that Goebbels worked directly for Nazi party. O'Reilly and friends work for major corporations whose interests are best served by the Republican Party so it is out of self interest that they toady up to them. It's in the best interest of the country to break the extreme right's strangle hold on the American news media and if exposing the bigotry of pundits such as Bill O'Reilly is what it takes than I am all for it.
"Like most bullies, Bill O'Reilly can dish it out but he can't take it."
Exactly...right on the money. But what is most apparent is that Billo ain't as bright as he pretends and he has no credibility as an authority on anything except bullsh*t.
I still can't get over the fact that Billo, a 58 year old self-proclaimed authority on culture, had apparently never eaten at a black restaurant before...and was surprised to learn that all black people don't behave like hip-hop gangstas.
Intelligent, informed people don't have to be told that black people are just like white people...except that Billo's audience had to be educated by Billo to that fact. What kind of moronic audience is he playing to? Billo's high rating demonstrate nothing more than how many stupid people there are in this country...who are obviously Billo/FOX devotees.
Wow, O really?
Wow, O really?
Do they ever get tired of hearing themselves talk?
Poor little O'Reilley --- always the victim.
I heard his comments. They were racist. And that is exactly what he is. This racist pervert new exactly what he was doing by saying it. Meaning he was sucking up to a major part of the Republican Party and conservatives in general who have a veiled hatred for anyone of color --- especially African Americans.
And WTF is up with this Bruce character? Man talk about a whore for Fox News and the "conservative movement"! I also love how they refer to MMFA as Nazis then complain about that Soros allegedely funded MMFA --- which is not true. Soros is a Holocaust survivor and now Republicans hate them also... My God those people are running out of people to hate and demonize. Sad really.
When the heat's on, Billy shows his true colors...
He only has on people who parrot his talking points.
A True Coward, with a capital C.
I listened to the whole hour and the comments still feel very offensive to me. If the reverse was correct, why would Mr.OReilly feel the need to defend himself by saying he was qouted out of context anyway??
By the way, did anyone notice in the screenshot the graphic by O'Reilly's head? To paraphrase: "MMFA Smearing Conservatives." Does this mean Bill is finally admitting he is not an independent?
I thought the same thing last night.
Is it me or does the racist pervert O'Reilley look a bit "long in the tooth" --- man that guy is showing his age.
It's Old Man River. I thought he was much older than he is. He's only 60.
He is very tall also, I never realized how tall he was.
"I never realized how tall he was."
Doris, Billo only became tall after he began taking a daily dose of Viagra. Off the medication he's only 5'3". ;>)
Doris,
I knew he was a big guy. When Jeremy Glick recounted his experience with Bill O'rielly he said Bill's a very big guy so he was actually a little afraid of him because his hostile demeanor combined with his size can be pretty scary. But I think I could take him Doris even though at 6'4 he's a whole foot taller than me. :)
Lynn,
I just didn't realize you could pile crap that high!
It's Old Man River. I thought he was much older than he is. He's only 60.
Not even. Just turned 58 on September 10th Born 1949.
Damn. So him and Matthews are close to the same age, huh? I wonder why Matthews look younger than Bill.
Yeah,
He's starting to look like Fred Thompson.
miller. one more reason to ignore blo'reilly.
Sharpton took a powder...
Of course he knew he was going to be asked about OReilly's comments about Sylvia's. He knew the cheap and easy way to avoid having to challenge his "friend" was to say he hadn't heard the transcript yet.
He's sucking up like an Uncle Thomas to the Fox Noise channel. Very sad to see him sell out like this.
Debunked, Al Sharpton is testing the winds of public opinion before deciding which way to go. Pardon the pun, but as Sharpton has gotten older he's become "sharper" at picking his battles. In this case I think he's waiting to gauge whether there is a great deal of public outrage over Billo. If there isn't, Sharpton will sit this one out.
When has Sharpton not sold out though?
To be fair, every now and then Sharpton adds something insightful to an issue. However, Sharpton has always been, first and foremost, about promoting Sharpton...that will never change.
Also, being surprised that black people know how to run a business is a lot different than pointing out that they are known for eating fried chicken. If he was an Italian guy named Gerald Latagna and hey called him Jerry Lasagna would anyone care?
"And Todd Burger King of the Bears makes the block!"
Uh-oh, he's a fat, white guy. Let's get the ADL on this one too.
Remember those Irish boxers, the Bornboef vs. Babbage match way back when? Those micks went about 30 rounds, and I couldn't think of any funny names for them.
Hey. I am assumming that the comments were not racist. I haven't lsited to the discussion on race. I tired to but it seemes as if you had to pay to (this is when you visit his website).... Anyway just becuase what he said is not racist, (I am saying that becuase I beleive him when he says that the reamrks won't appear racist when grapsed along with the rest of the race conversation), does not take away from all the racists acts (linguistic and otherwise) in history. People are deceiving themselves when they want to believe it is racist. This OReiily guy has more subsatnce to him than the other very afmous right wing guys (although MS is not as bas as SH or RL, SH is the worst really...)... And, last(ly), you don't have to put these: " " around Oreiily's use of the word "distorted". Those are something called square quotes. Maybe I can see putting it around the words "discussion of race". At least those words are not immediately precceeded by the word "claimed"... Try using the words "so- called", when appropritae and applicable, it is cooler and more intelligent than the use of scare quotes.
Well this whole controversy got my attention. It moved me into watching the last few segments of the O'Reilly Factor. You know what? He hit one nail on the head. One of the main reasons there is so little honest dialogue in America about race is fear, and given what has happened to O'Reilly AND Juan Willams, a genuine fear felt by white Americans that ANYTHING they may say will be twisted into a racist remark. Why bother to talk about race when someone somewhere is going to take something out of context and label it racist. Bill O'Reilly is at least not afraid to talk about race. I listened to the entire hour on O'Reilly's radio show and heard nothing racist. On the other hand, I saw on CNN how Juan Williams was denigrated for just talking about race issues with O'Reilly.
Something stinketh on Media Matters.
Bill O'Reilly seems to think the world would be so much more "professional" if everyone acted just like a rigid, pompous, money-grubbing, narrow-minded, puritanical, ultra conservative person just like him. That scares me a lot more than rap or someone yelling something in a restaurant, anyway -- whatever their color, age, gender, height, weight etc.
I'M more interested in what this says about sharpton
"The man doth protest too much, methinks."
I listened to the broadcast, and heard no comments to warrant this outcry for O'Reilly's head. What I heard was 2 men discussing our society's stereotypes of 2 races. Whites and their impression that all blacks dress down and talk vulgar. Blacks can and do own and operate buisnesses. I heard them discuss how hurtful some TV programs are as to the perception of how blacks dress, talk and act, and that there are shows that show unsavory behavior of whites.
They made points that what we view for entertainment is not what every white or black person/family actually is. Point also made was that the cloths , lyrics and oppinions were not what the black communities or the white communities,family/life, is. Point also made was that things have changed, O'reilly talked of his growing up and how his grandmother viewed the races. Another point made was why with all the great things we have in our day, business men and women, sport heros, and ect.. why do we glamorize those who depict the ugly side such as Snoop Dog and ect..Life is not what they depict, O'Reilly pointed out that he had dinner and a great time, that there was no difference from any other establishment. Not a racist comment, more like an endorcement.
If truth be told, we the races, should be alarmed by this broadcast. Whites, for the fear of people of color, for not excepting people as people, for judging people based on what they have seen or heard as The Way They really are. Blacks for allowing entertainers to continue to express themselves and their culture in the manner they are.
Very Good Points and Thoughtful Post ...
A thousand Republican points of light?
However it doesn't matter what O'Reilly said. He could of told a Fairy Tale. Point Being ... O'Reilly doesn't honestly care about the problems of Black America or he would of been down there in Jena La. to help make some changes for Justice to Black People! Or at least arguing that on his Right Wing Propaganda Show.
Are you a Conservative?
Instead O'Reilly confronts and attacks Sharpton, Jackson, Black America and everyone else in general. Sure blacks have problems, but O'Reilly won't help them, he's Republican.
Now Cosby, Jackson, Sharpton and others want to help, and there's much progress to be made both in the family and in defeating racism.
Republicans and their Presidential Candidates have just turned thier backs on Black America. They can't fit Blacks into their plans. Blacks should be very important to Republicans.
And that's not important to you!?
O'Reilly is president of the 4-H Club. He's a - Hateful - Hostle - Hurtful - Harmful man. If you didn't know that fact, may God Please Help You out of your sheltered reality.
He would have been wiser to say - - I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I't wasn't my intention to do that, but if I did, then I hereby appologize to them. That would have changed the course of his history. But Nooo!
He's not man enough to do that is he !!!
-Sam I Am -
Pretty thoughtful dialogue, you two. Very refreshing. My two cents on personalities (due to my age and experience probably): I like what Bill Cosby has been trying to accomplish, i.e. shake up a few people about the importance of good parenting. I hope a few folks are listening to him and giving it some thought.
I'm not sure there is anything to apologize for. When having a conversation with a black man on how America can do away with racism, you are trying to dialogue about the problems of society, and then hopefully others will listen to this thoughtful dialogue and glean something of value. Maybe a white and a black listening to their conversation can come to better understand the problems, the possible solutions, the value of heritage, and the stereotypes we place on each other. For that, what does O'Reilly have to apologize for?
IF he had done that nothing. IF you consider what he said THOUGHTFUL I suggest some remedial education
You people need a hobby...Lol
What a hoot!
The no-spin-zone-spin, if I have it right is;
"Hi I'm Bill Oreilly and I want to point out that all blacks aren't thugs who sell profane rap records, shoot each other, and deal dope like you all are thinking. See I know YOU think like that, so I will bring you to the light and make you see. I'll bring you to the truth, so the next time you see a black family move into your neighborhood, you won't automatically think, "dang there goes the neighborhood and the hubcaps on my car too". No I don't want you to automatically think that. I want you to know there are some, a few, maybe more, who are are just like us conservative Christian whites. Thats the no-spin zone. Thank you very much. :-)"
Is that about right Bill, do I have it right? Is that what you were implying with your Sylvias comments?
The far-left has really hurt itself and the Democratic party big time, over the past few weeks... First the General "Betrayus" ad, smearing a decorated, honorable General and then the attempted character-assasination of Bill O'Reilly...
Please keep it up guys and gals of the far-left!!! You're practically HANDING the Oval Office to the Republicans, even with all THEIR scandals in recent new and even with all of the failures in Iraq!
Talk about repeatedly putting your foot in your mouth! *LOL* :P you simply have to love the free-speech hating, fascist far-left loons! Think about it - Media Matters has criticized (or smeared if you will) dozens of conservative journalists and analysts, but how many LIBERAL and far-left folks has Media Matters crticized or smeared????
It's all too obvious for the intelligent to decifer! :)
YOU being brainwashed doesnt make US wrong nor you being TOLD we are wrong. No disgrace here moron. By they way Brainiac I assume you mean decipher
I think if you believe that O'Reilly is trying to do away with racism in this country, and you believe he actually wants to help, then you wouldn't have found his remarks to be racist. If you immediately call him a right wing hate machine and consider him as such, then you will undoubtedly find him guilty of being a racist and nothing will convince you otherwise. If you believe he is a racist, I ask you what your definition of racism is, and then determine whether Bill fits into that category. To me, he is a man who cares and wants to help, but for so many that is incredibly hard to believe.
I disagree. I dont think O'Rielly is dumb enough to believe he can do away with racism. Perhaps he was trying to help. That doesnt mean he didnt make inane comments that were patronizing and insulting. Had he just come clean about that, and it really is obvious, I wouldnt be saying he was racist. DEFENDING this kind of racist, patronizing rhetoric as being HELPFUL and reasonable IS racist.
O’Rielly’s Safari/ Adventures of a Culture Warrior
By Justiciaforus
As we ventured towards the nether region, the recesses of the deep dark jungle of Harlem, 328 Lenox Ave. between 126th and 127th street, we came upon a tribal hut and I knew at once, something was cooking here. While my trusted guide Al, a native to the territory, seemed right at home, I remained reserved and on guard as we approached the natives within. What horrific fate awaited us, I thought to myself, would I be the final ingredient in the recipe for Bwana Stew! To my great surprise the members of the tribe greeted us with friendly smiles and welcomed me with the respect and honor befitting an Ambassador, a King, or Tarzan. In a commanding voice, I greeted them in their native tongue; Fity-cent, Snoop dawg, Twista, Nas, Beyonce! I exclaimed with authority. To my amazement their was no need for a linguistic interpreter here, as they spoke fluent English.
As I gazed upon the unfamiliar faces I noted, strangely, there were no B-words, no N-words, and no H-words, as is characteristic among the natives in this region. How unusual, I thought; all of these people and not one single M-fer in the crowd. We were invited to partake of the native cuisine, a custom I am told, is a sign of brotherhood and an expression of peace. As I mentally prepared my gastric canal to receive the usual fare of dung beetle, termite and crushed grasshopper, we were handed a written menu. How secularly progressive, I mused. As I perused the menu, hoping not to offend native sensibilities, I hesitantly pointed to an exotic delicacy; a mysterious concoction handed down from generation to generation. I’ll have the meatloaf I said.
Caution as you are about to enter the no spin zone! I’ve traveled the world and beyond, and never have I witnessed such civility so far from civilization (328 Lenox Ave. between 126th and 127th street, Harlem New York). The End
Bill O’Rielly might have been surprised by the normalcy and civility displayed by the patrons of Sylvia’s Restaurant but one should not be surprised by his reaction upon discovering that African Americans are people too. Blacks are continuously vilified on Fox News programming. A common format shared among the Fox “News” crowd is to only feature blacks on their programming when they can be held up to be ridiculed and made to look like criminals or buffoons.
Rap artist are solely responsible for the degradation of society if you believe the pundits on Fox. Black representatives like Al Sharpton are brought on under the guise of gaining insight into the racial divide, but topics are quickly turned to the discussion of the firing of Don Imus. O.J. Simpson’s arrest is covered ad nausium, yet very little coverage of the rally in Jena Louisiana. It is becoming increasingly evident that Right Wing Conservatives, do not factor the African American vote in, as a part of the political equation. We are repeatedly ignored and continuously insulted as issues that are of importance to blacks, are mocked by the commentators of Fox programming.It’s no surprise at all that Bill O’Rielly has experienced a cultural disconnect when it comes to understanding the black community; He is the victim, like most of his viewers, of too much Fox “News”.
Perhaps he should declare war on himself.
Vampires like Bill O'Reilly can't stand the light of day Media Matters shines on them.
Thank god for MMFA. Otherwise, we would not have free access to Bill's racist comments (You have to pay to listen to the archives on his site).
His commnets were clearly racist, and the fact that he thinks MMFA is a "smear" site is just ridiculous. MMFA just takes your own words and makes a transcript of them, Bill. It's all completely in context on this site. Bill, on the other hand, distorts, spins, mis-quotes and lies about damm near everything. (That's when he's not just plain making stuff up.)
Fox News needs to fire his racist ass. Out of a cannon , becasue it's an entertainment channel, not a news channel, and Bill O'Reiley being fired out of a cannon is something I'm sure everyone would want to watch.
I am willing to bet most that said they heard the O'Reilly radio interview haven't and those still on this didn't hear LIBERAL and African American Juan Williams who was a participant on the radio show DEFEND Bill O'Reilly. What gets me is that the left LOVES to talk about the Republican propaganda machine yet can't seem to recognize that sites like this funded by George Soros are spoon feeding you propaganda and you are eating it up without question. When has been the last time any of you lefties ever questioned the veracity of anything you read on here? You all seem to take whatever is posted here as absolute fact without question. That is dangerous because that means you are easily manipulated and people like Soros know that. You all just blindly follow whatever you are told, without question like good little lemmings.
You crack me up!
Just like "Desparate Housewives" does.
Your desparation is evident. That's OK. I understand how you must feel. Lets take inventory here.
You lost the Senate. You lost the House. In 2008 you will lose the White House. We are taking our country back. That's when you'll finally start wondering what you did wrong.
O'Reilly is helping your downfall, but he's just a small unimportant thing in the grand demise of Republicanism. Real Conservatives will throw off the NeoCon Wing in power today and start fresh without them.
Are you serious about calling Dems little lemmings?
Apparantly THIS is what the propaganda parrots have been told to think THIS WEEK that the left is being mindless zombies and we just parrot what we are told to. The projection is hilarious. It has NEVER been a trait of the left to follow blindly. THAT is for you rightwingnuts. Your Soros fixation is just stupid so out of a sense of mercy I will ignore it
Do you guys have anything to say about John Edwards' racial rant today? About how "pretty soon, we're not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They're all going to be in prison--or dead, one of the two."
Any comments? I mean, since you're so concerned about racism....
Didn't think so.
To answer your questions, I am a God fearing American. And I care about my fellow Americans. But this was not about me or my political stance. This was about a broadcast and whether it was racist or not. And living in American WE all have a right to our opinion, and I respect everyones.
If we are going to condemn someone for their remarks or for their opinions, then WE all are condemned. And it does not matter the color of your skin. I am not sure what O'Reilly's thoughts are on The Jenna 6, but then that is another topic, fair, NO, but that involves law down there, or in my opinion, lack of law, fairness and sense.
We have a long way to go in order to stop racism , it is everywhere, in music, comedy, movies, everyday life, sad thing is that it is not labeled racist until a white person says it. Let's set aside color of skin, and treat everyone with respect and think before we talk. Talk after you consider if what you are going to say will hurt someone. Chances are a lot less conversation will be going on.
Also sad is the fact that there was two people in that conversation, but only one pulled attention. Why???
Problem is that the media makes mountains out of mole hills. I view media as an educational tool not as the decision of opinion or feelings. We need to come together as One Nation and stop letting a few Divide us. Yes I said few, musicians, actors, comics , media and so on , poison our minds with disrespect for one another. Reality is racism comes from both sides, but is only labeled racism when it is made by whites. We should treat each other with respect and as we want to be treated. Love thy neighbor.
O'Reilly and his opinions are not always right nor does he speak for everyone. My opinion of the broadcast cast was that I did not hear racism. Now the remark about someone ordering the iced tea, well sorry folks, I have heard this in a restaurant, and they were of color. Did it change my opinion, NO. Bad parenting, maybe. Society, YES. And I have heard worst, from whites. Did it change my opinion, NO. Bad parenting, maybe. Society, YES.
I do not intend to upset or anger anyone. Lately all we hear is negative, and I try hard to see the good.
As a black American , I agree with Orielly! The white liberal press is pimping the black elites while pushing unwanted stereotypes like 50 cents ,ludicrous and twister as the representation of black Americans!! The white far left media would never give Media attention to that which was demonstrated by black Americans at the Anita Backer concert! You guys don't want that. You would rather promote idiots like P-diddy ,MTV -pimp my ride and dumb A#$$$ rappers and "stuck on stupid " black professors ) who make excuses for them! Bill was right ! Orielly was right! This black American refuses to fall for your spin!!
I don't see how politics fits into this?? Please explain how ones political stance and racism goes hand in hand? This discussion was about opinions of whether or not comments were racist. Bottom line is we all live here, we need to pull together and stop this madness of division.
I take it you are a democrat, nothing wrong with that. I'm a God fearing American and my stance is for the people. Right is right and wrong is wrong. We don't have to like everything, but we should respect everyone, even those whose thoughts and opinions we don't agree with.
Back to O'Reilly, there was two in that conversation, so why just Bill's comments? See we are back to two sets of rules. Only whites can say racial comments and get called on them. We need to all be careful when we speak and consider who we may offend. Compliments may get construed as a slam.
I go back to how we allow the expression of freedom of speech through the arts, then when someone says something possibly wrong, or could be construed racial, why because they are white. Now that is racist.
The dialog here is getting off coarse. Ones opinions or their political party should not be bashed. Maybe what he said could be viewed as racism, out of context, but if you listen to the whole broadcast, with an open mind, you find that they were discussing the closed mind of many, who are afraid, of whites and blacks. And that it is wrong. O'Reilly And Jesse Jackson also discussed this, adding that if we really want to get past the races then we have to be able to talk openly, without fear, such as this. Our common ground should be that we all get along, that we all have the same rights and that we are treated fairly
Jesse Jackson brought up many good points about injustices to people, but all cultures and races endure injustices, so we need to get past them and make some changes so that we can heal and stop them from continuing. Jenna 6, that is a disgrace to law enforcement, and our legal system.
What I have observed though is that all types of people have come together, to step up and voice their opinions, their concerns and their story's. This is a good thing. I have noticed that all cultures are represented.