Dr. Laura Goes Off the Air
I haven’t listened to Dr. Laura and didn’t hear her commentary where she used the “N” word, but her excuse sounds pretty lame.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced tonight she is ending her radio show, a week after she broadcast a five-minute-long rant in which she used the N-word 11 times.
The radio doctor used racial epithet eleven times in five minutes.Schlessinger said on “Larry King Live” tonight that she has decided “not to do radio anymore” so she can say the things she wants to say.
“The reason is, I want to regain my First Amendment rights,” she said. “I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I’m sort of done with that.”
Regain her First Amendment rights? I don’t recall the government stepping in and gagging her. She said exactly what she wanted. It’s the marketplace that reacted negatively. I hate it when people yell “First Amendment!! First Amendment!!” when they get called on saying something stupid and having to face the consequences.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 17, 2010 at 2218 hrs
Something tells me this is the equivalent of “jump or be pushed.” Too many of these radio hosts (on both sides) get pissy when they say inflammatory things and advertisers/executives flinch. It’s like they forget that what they do is a business, and part of business is keeping your clients happy.
If she wants to speak freely without worrying about pressure from her corporate masters, she should get a blog.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 17, 2010 at 2220 hrs
The N word rant aside, she was a poor example of a conservative radio host. Good riddance.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 17, 2010 at 2252 hrs
Not a big DL fan but she did pose an interesting question: can a certain group/race own a word?
Can I and my other technologically adept friends call each other “nerds” (another derogatory N-word) and insist that others never utter it?Posted by Charlie Hillman on August 17, 2010 at 2327 hrs
@Charlie: I think this falls into that somewhat nebulous and hard to define area that I could only attempt to define as “I can make fun of my sister and it’s okay, but if you make fun of her I’ll have to kick your ass.” When it comes to group identity - whether that group is biological or based on something broader like gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. - people often deploy double standards that from an objective standpoint make very little sense.
In your example, I suspect the term “nerd” would likely not taken as derogatory if a nerd and his fellow nerd-friends direct it at each other casually, but would probably be taken as derogatory when a non-group member directs the term at a group member or the group as a whole. I suspect many black people feel the same way about the other n-word in question.
A sociologist could probably give a better explanation of this model of group identity than I could ever hope to give myself. Suffice it to say that, whether it’s rational or not, words are often taken differently depending on who says them and what the perceived intent behind them is.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 17, 2010 at 2349 hrs
Leonard Pitts made a slightly different point this morning in his column. DL’s example was of black comedians using the offensive word routinely. Pitts says that relying on comedians as arbiters of what is aceeptable in conversation is, at best, a dodgy proposition.
Black radio hosts could not get away with uttering the filth that Doug Stanhope uses in his act and excuse themselves by saying that white comedians use those words.
Doctor Laura would never have allowed herself to be called a bitch (as is common in so many comedian’s bits) but wishes to stake out some higher ground for herself to give herself leave to use that particular epithet simply because she watched Def Comedy Jam one time. Sorry. It doesn’t work like that
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2010 at 0950 hrs
She’s a sanctimonious, self-righteous, man-hating cunt - and always has been. The airwaves will be a better place without her.
DLTDHYOTWO “Dr.” Laura!Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2010 at 1352 hrs
I pretty much forgot that she existed, but didn’t she have a bunch of advertisers jump ship years ago over some other ignorant bigot comments she made? Everything is a massive, shadowy liberal political correctness conspiracy designed to make her look stupid and feel bad. Boo-hoo. That whole perpetual victim thing is the most irritating part of right wing talk radio.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2010 at 1534 hrs
She’s a tool. But what’s better… a major Wisconsin Employer sending me this in an email regarding job postings.
Based on the career profile you provided us, you might be interested in the following job(s). Please review the job description(s) and if you would like to continue the process, click on the job link below.
10-0142—BLACK MBA 2010
XXXYYYZZZl is attending the 2010 NBMBAA in Los Angeles, CA
and will be participating in the career fair on September 23rd and 24rd and would welcome you to consider a career at NM.WOW, good thing they’re posting for a specific race for their “Masters of Business Administration”.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2010 at 1858 hrs
In your example, I suspect the term “nerd” would likely not taken as derogatory if a nerd and his fellow nerd-friends direct it at each other casually, but would probably be taken as derogatory when a non-group member directs the term at a group member or the group as a whole. I suspect many black people feel the same way about the other n-word in question.
Not the same comparison. I don’t know anything about Dr. Laura other than I recall a guy I worked with listened to her years ago. Can’t even remember if I agreed with her or not on most things…
But I heard the replay of her segment where she used the word “nigger” 11 times. (I refuse to use “N word” because I’m not going to feed into the continual elevation of the word to superword status. Its JUST a word, like any other, how its directed at someone may matter but the word doesn’t)
Your comparison (RS) isn’t how she even used the word.
She didn’t DIRECT the word at anyone. If she did, that would STILL raise the question of HOW she directed it at them, and if so, as you suggest, if thats only appropriate for a fellow black person to use the term.
(Larry King made the same argument last night)
IF its only appropriate for black people to use the word “nigger” THAT is racist.
IF its only appropriate for gay people to use the word “Fag” thats whatever the equal term for racist is with regard to sexual orientation.
If Mexicans are only allowed to tell mexican jokes THAT is racist.
Back to Dr. Laura’s comment.
She didn’t direct the term at anyone. Her original comment was “Turn on HBO and all you hear is black comedians saying “nigger, nigger, nigger”
She didn’t answer the black caller who had just called in and say “hey girl, wassup my nigger”
She merely used the WORD in a sentence, NOT directed at anyone.
The equivalent if I said to you “I heard Dr. Laura’s show yesterday and she said “nigger, nigger, nigger”
Is MERELY uttering the word now hate speech EVEN if its not direct at anyone and EVEN if its merely describing a sentence someone else used?
WOW!!
What is wrong with this picture?
Hey fine… If only black people can say “wassup my nigger” to each other and thats cool ok… Fine.. I can’t say that to a black person cause I’m white.
But to JUST say the word, not directed at ANYONE? REALLY? That’s wrong now too?
Lets do the math on this one.
If you are half black can you say “whassup my nigger” affectionately to a friend?
If you are 1/4 black can you say that to a friend?
If you are 1/8th black can you say it?
If your mom is black but your dad is white and you look mostly like your dad and people would have a hard time knowing you were mixed race can you use the term?
This elevation of a WORD to “superword” status is beyond absurd.
The discussion of who’s allowed to use the word and who isn’t is beyond absurd.
I refute the moral comparison to “its ok for you to make fun of your sister but not for me”... If its not ok for me to make fun of your sister, its not ok for you to make fun of her. PERIOD.
If its ok for a black person to use “nigger” affectionately towards a friend, Its ok for ME to use it affectionately towards them. PERIOD. If they have a problem with that, they need to look in the mirror, not at me.
The fact that Dr. Laura’s comments have EVEN caused a stir demonstrates how many people in this countries livelihood and societal/governmental objectives are dependent on race-baiting and stirring the race pot.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2010 at 2209 hrs
Um, considering I was addressing Charlie’s example and not what Dr. Laura said (something you’d know if you just bothered to read more closely), you could’ve saved a lot of hot air just now.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 18, 2010 at 2309 hrs
That’s what I don’t understand about this whole “woe is me” victim mentality when it comes to this issue. It’s not illegal for white people to say the word nigger, it’s just not going to make you many friends. Say whatever you want, but don’t turn around and start crying when other people give you disgusted looks instead of hi-fives. It’s not a conspiracy. You’re not a victim. You’re just socially retarded.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 19, 2010 at 0857 hrs
It’s not illegal for white people to say the word nigger, it’s just not going to make you many friends. Say whatever you want, but don’t turn around and start crying when other people give you disgusted looks instead of hi-fives. It’s not a conspiracy. You’re not a victim. You’re just socially retarded.
Nice try Jason… Are you suggesting that Dr. Laura got “disgusted looks instead of hi-fives” There was a lot of cryin for sure… but it didn’t come from DL, it came from all the people who were up in arms over her comment.
Spin this how you want. Dr. Laura didn’t insult anyone she merely characterized (very accurately) the language black comedians use on HBO and OTHER people were the ones who started crying and flying into a fury.
The day the race-baiters limit their reactions to “disgusted looks” won’t be any time soon.
EVERYONE ELSE flew into a tizzy over it. So who’s claiming to be a victim here?
My vote is for everyone who got their undies in a bunch over her comments.
Some would probably be disgusted with your use of the word retarded. Some would probably get their panties in a wad about your casual use of such an “offensive” term. Some are giving your a disgusted look right now instead of hi-fives.
I guess you fall into your own category of “socially retarded”
That’s my point. Lets just stop the insanity. Lets stop making a big deal about “a word”.
As for illegal. There are PLENTY of people who want to make it illegal to use the word “nigger”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4490664.html
not suggesting people would be successful (yet) trying to get it outlawed, but that is where this “superword” status being given to words is headed.
People need to get over themselves. If someone offends you with a word, ignore it. “stick and stones” GROW UP.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 19, 2010 at 1140 hrs
She said something stupid. She got punched in the mouth for it, figuratively speaking. Now she’s whining about a special interest conspiracy violating her first amendment rights and silencing her dissent. That’s a bitch move.
If anyone is offended by my use of the word retarded then they’re welcome to criticize me for it. I know that some people find it offensive but I continue to use it because I consider it a useful, evocative word. If I face some consequences because of that, I understand, and I’ll accept them. You won’t catch me whining the next day about how special interests are censoring my important dissent, because I’m not a bitch. I know our societal norms and if I’m going to intentionally cross them I would never cry about being a victim of my own actions. But Dr. Laura, and a lot of people like her, seem to want to blame their social retardation on the fact that society won’t cater to their individual tendencies and temperaments. That’s not the way it works. Those are the people who need to get over themselves, and either get with the program or shut up. No amount of whining is going to make the rest of society suddenly reverse directions just to make them more comfortable. Sometimes personal responsibility isn’t just for poor people.
PS – three year old comments from the mayor of a tiny town in Texas about a theoretical, unconstitutional tiny town ordinance aren’t real good evidence of this imminent superword censorship that you seem to think is coming.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 19, 2010 at 1350 hrs
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