Bill O'Reilly discusses whether to "lynch" Obama on his radio show (3 Viewers)

[JimEverett]

Not being sarcastic, but what was the obscure reference?


Basically what some golf reporter, shock jock, radio talk show person says doesn't affect me directly so I don't let it bother me. I have more pressing things to worry about in my life. Is that right or wrong or how you would do it? No, but to each their own. I choose not to get worked up over words that aren't directly directed at me an my family specifically.

That's just it - if you were black there is a decent chance that you would hear "we don;t need to lynch Michelle, unless . . . ." as something like a threat to you or your family. I guess that is what happens when lynching has been used as a tool for terror for generations.
I imagine Bill O'REilly would get pretty upset if someone on radio or television talked about "not bombing American cities, unless . . . " or "not piloting a plane into the Sears Tower, unless . . ." and rightfully so.

 

[HouDat]

That's just it though, Shawn. I don't believe anyone "suggested" lynching anyone here. The word "lynch" (or a form of it) was indeed used, but not in the way some are asserting/implying.

I think this has a lot more to do with people's visceral opposition to O'Reilly than with anything else.

Was it an ill-advised word to use alongside a reference to a black woman? Probably so. I wouldn't have used it.

But did anyone "suggest" lynching said black woman? No.

In fact, the word "lynch" (or a form of it) was uttered by O'Reilly in the midst of a thought where he was showing sympathy for Ms. Obama, specifically for the intense scrutiny she's receiving for her "proud of America" comment.

If you want to hammer on someone, hammer the caller. She's the one who apparently showed such animosity toward Ms. Obama.

 

[JimEverett]

I think this has a lot more to do with people's visceral opposition to O'Reilly than with anything else.

No doubt about it - in large part because he has a history of making these type of comments.

 

[Shawn]

Not being sarcastic, but what was the obscure reference?


Basically what some golf reporter, shock jock, radio talk show person says doesn't affect me directly so I don't let it bother me. I have more pressing things to worry about in my life. Is that right or wrong or how you would do it? No, but to each their own. I choose not to get worked up over words that aren't directly directed at me an my family specifically.

Not talking about you, but someone will pull out something akin to, "I'm a born again Christian and someone called me a Bible thumper," or, "I'm Greek and someone called me Macedonian trash, which is the lowest insult in my book," etc. Those are either spurious, or simply not known as universally, so we can't expect to be held to the same standard.

The others are so widely known, that you simply can't just claim they were a careless slip of the lip--unless you're just an idiot.

I've called my straight friends "fags' before. I don't call my gay friends "fags" even though they know I use the word in other contexts. It's just common sense, because it has a different meaning when directed at them than when it's directed at a straight guy.

 

[DavidM]

Sorry, I don't by any of this B.S. about it being overblown.

I haven't had a lobotomy.

I know not to suggest lynching a black man.

I know not to suggest throwing a Jew in an oven.

I know not to threaten to scalp a native American.

I know not to ask if a woman is on the rag.

What's so damn complicated about that? And don't pull obscure references out that people mightt not know. It's not the same.

Agreed. Some people dismiss it as the result of an overly-PC society but I think too often that hinges on whether something is personally offensive. It isn't surprising that the term "lynch" doesn't resonate the same across racial lines.

A lot of people on this board were offended by some of the signs and things said by Bears' fans in the NFC champ game regarding Katrina and New Orleans. Hurtful and offensive to those who experienced it, love the area, or think that kind of human suffering isn't appropriate fodder, etc. -- but get farther away from the gulf coast and you'd start finding more and more people who *might* recognize it was in poor taste, but didn't feel strongly about it either way. And certainly a lot more people who don't care, or dismiss it as typical fan behavior, all in good fun. "Those Saints fans shouldn't be so sensitive!"

I thought it was a mistake when Tilghman said it and I think the same in this case.

 

[TPS]

>>Was it an ill-advised word to use alongside a reference to a black woman? Probably so. I wouldn't have used it.

But you are in no way suggesting that Bill O'Reilly doesn't have a command of what he does and says and isn't as calculating as Hillary or Bill Clinton, right?

>>In fact, the word "lynch" (or a form of it) was uttered by O'Reilly in the midst of a thought where he was showing sympathy for Ms. Obama, specifically for the intense scrutiny she's receiving for her "proud of America" comment.

He has, however, unrelated to this text, maintained that he will stay on top of this story and push hard for an answer from Mrs. Obama. So while specifically he hasn't advocated lynching Mrs. Obama, in the larger scheme of things I'm pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing. And FWIW, O'Reilly isn't a racist at all. He has given more to black, inner-city charities probably than Sharpton and all the other demagogues combined. It doesn't excuse the incredibly poor venacular however (IMHO of course).

TPS

 

[ra]

Read the full transcript at the Media Matters website and decide for yourself.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200802200001?f=h_top

http://mediamatters.org/about_us/

Additionally, Media Matters works daily to notify activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public about instances of misinformation,

Activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public have been known for quite some time to have both left and right political leanings.
I don't think I can take any information from this website seriously.

READ MORE
http://www.giveemthepickle.com/images/home/bob_farrell.jpg

 

[HouDat]

No doubt about it - in large part because he has a history of making these type of comments.

I'm sure it's well-documented.

So let's see some examples, already.

 

[Shawn]

That's just it though, Shawn. I don't believe anyone "suggested" lynching anyone here. The word "lynch" (or a form of it) was indeed used, but not in the way some are asserting/implying.

I think this has a lot more to do with people's visceral opposition to O'Reilly than with anything else.

Was it an ill-advised word to use alongside a reference to a black woman? Probably so. I wouldn't have used it.

But did anyone "suggest" lynching said black woman? No.

In fact, the word "lynch" (or a form of it) was uttered by O'Reilly in the midst of a thought where he was showing sympathy for Ms. Obama, specifically for the intense scrutiny she's receiving for her "proud of America" comment.

If you want to hammer on someone, hammer the caller. She's the one who apparently showed such animosity toward Ms. Obama.

I'm not specifically addressing the O'Reilly issue, but again, as was pointed out, he's not an idiot, and someone working in his field knows good and well that it's a hot botton word. I don't think he did it accidentally either.

I do think in this case, there's not much fire beneath the smoke. I'm just directed at the general dismissals of language as being inappropriate in some cases, in a way that isn't hard to recognize.

 

[Pasty]

I'm not sure why this is such a hot button issue.

Hmm...lemme do a Google Image Search for lynching.

I swear, these people are so sensitive.

 

[RABDOG]

bill o'rielly is a jack***. he is not saying this stuff(not just this latest thing ,but a clear pattern of this type of thing) by mistake...he and a lot of people like him use "buzz" words because they can't just come right out and say the racist things on their mind...he has been doing this for a long time" i don't want rap music in my house"..." the blacks will be fine" and so on and so on...it really doesn't surprise me at all when he does this...it's all about respect and o'reilly doesn't have respect for any one that's not irish or white or conservative or any other label he identifies with to help himself sleep at night.

 

[JimEverett]

I'm sure it's well-documented.

So let's see some examples, already.

Here is one example:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1147

There are others, just search around in Google.

 

[HouDat]

But you are in no way suggesting that Bill O'Reilly doesn't have a command of what he does and says and isn't as calculating as Hillary or Bill Clinton, right?

Quite the contrary. I think he chooses his words very carefully. Love him, hate him, or be indifferent towards him, one cannot accuse him of being dumb.

He has, however, unrelated to this text, maintained that he will stay on top of this story and push hard for an answer from Mrs. Obama. So while specifically he hasn't advocated lynching Mrs. Obama, in the larger scheme of things I'm pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing. And FWIW, O'Reilly isn't a racist at all. He has given more to black, inner-city charities probably than Sharpton and all the other demagogues combined. It doesn't excuse the incredibly poor venacular however (IMHO of course).

Interestingly enough, Sharpton (IIRC) himself said O'Reilly's comments about the NYC restaurant run by blacks were not racist.

And I would agree -- probably a poor word choice, and again, one I wouldn't have used. But it's a bit of a stretch to say he "suggested" doing anything to anyone.

I'm not specifically addressing the O'Reilly issue, but again, as was pointed out, he's not an idiot, and someone working in his field knows good and well that it's a hot botton word. I don't think he did it accidentally either.

I do think in this case, there's not much fire beneath the smoke. I'm just directed at the general dismissals of language as being inappropriate in some cases, in a way that isn't hard to recognize.

Fair enough. And I'm with you -- I do think that, just as some are too quick to cry racism/bigotry/etc., yet others are too quick to dismiss those charges without giving them proper consideration.

 

[HouDat]

Here is one example:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1147

F.A.I.R. enough. :dunno:

 

[JimEverett]

F.A.I.R. enough. :dunno:

Again - you can look all those incidents up.
Dude has a history of making racist remarks.