June 17, 2009
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Controversy
You all know I shy away from controversial topics for the most part. But I'm going to have a gander at this topic, albeit somewhat untimely. By untimely I mean a lot of people consider this so last week. But I am going to discuss the Sarah Palin, Dave Letterman thing. Insert scary music here.
First let me be the first to admit I can't stand Sarah Palin. She comes off as arrogant and self righteous to me. She does not seem to consider any views but her own and frankly she kind of makes me sick.
As for Dave, don't watch his show. It's on too late and I don't find any of those late night guys to be THAT funny anyway. Give me Ellen anytime. Of course I heard the now infamous joke and I thought it was in poor taste and offensive. As a mom I totally got why Sarah was offended. And since I try and pride myself on not being a hypocrite, I was all for the firing of Imus, so I guess it wouldn't bother me if Dave got fired too.
What does bother me is the words being thrown around about Dave, including things said by the Palins. Like I said, I'm a mom, I would be pissed if I was Sarah and whatever his name is. Personally, I think it crosses a line whenever you bring the kids into these jokes. Poor Amy Carter and Chelsea Clinton, geeze it's amazing they have any self esteem. But I digress, calling Dave Letterman a pervert, a pedophile, a verbal child abuser is just absurd.
Child sexual abuse is a serious issue in this country and some may argue that that's why this joke was so awful. And I might even agree to some extent, however Dave Letterman is no more of a child sex offender than I am. I mean really people, can we be real here?
Come on, accusing this man of being on equal footing as some of the most horrendous people on the planet? THAT to me negates the Palins and other peoples legitimate gripe about the " joke".
People just always have to go to the extreme with this crap and make themselves look like idiots. If Sarah and fans called for the firing of Dave and want to boycott his sponsors, hey, have at it. They have every right to do that and may even be justified. But to malign this mans character to the degree they are, is just as or even more offensive to me than the joke itself.
True pedophiles are people that are attracted to children sexually, real child abusers rape children on a daily basis. David Letterman does NOT fit this category and to say he does is beyond unfair. And to do it to promote a political agenda is even more disgusting to me.
You lost, try again in four years, let it go, I did for the last eight. Can we just be somewhat normal here?
If I make a joke about murder, is that in bad taste? Yes. Should I have to say sorry? Again, Yes. Should I be fired if I am a late night talk show host? Maybe. Do I have a warped sense of humor? Yep. Does it mean I am promoting murder and am a murderer myself? No!
And since Dave letterman is NOT going to be fired, and his sponsors are not dropping him, you can cry not fair, but please don't cry David Letterman is a rapist. It just makes you sound stupid.
Feel free to disagree here, I am opening myself up by actually giving an opinion for once.
Comments (28)
I think it gave Palin a way to get on tv again.
@PrincessFiveandDime - well that pisses me off if that's true.
The Palins have accepted his appology. I don't see how when he says it was his mistake he meant to say the Britol Palin was knocked up and didn't mean to apply that to 14 year old Willow who was with her mom in the stadium. I think the joke is in poor taste regardless, Letterman thinks that is the only reason the unfunny joke went south. Previous remarks from Letterman about Palin referred to her as dressing like a "slutty flight"attendent" among others. It was Letterman who benefitted from the controversay. He was competing heavily that week against Conan OBrien. As for Chelsea, as I recall, she quickly became off-limits.
@villainwasright - First, I know the Palins accepted his apology and I agree, it didn't really matter which kid he was talking about. But the rhetoric is unbelievable! He's obnoxious, not a child molester, that was my point. As far as Chelsea goes, the comments on her looks continued for a long time, and the Bush girls never got to have a life and drink like all college kids do, all the kids suffer democrat and republican.
I didn't hear the joke until after the fact, but it was definitely in poor taste and not funny. However, I think Palin's actions are just making Letterman all that more popular.
@MorningAngel - right, because they went over the top and said he was basically a child molester and that pissed people off.
@momofjenmatt - So do you think that Letterman at any point in time will ever make a sexual remark about Sasha of Malia. I'll bet you a lunch that when both girls make it to age 18 and beyond no sexual jokes will be told by any prominent US comedian will be made aout them. Men become vulgar pigs when it comes to republican woman that they think is hot. They no that she wouldn't have anything to do with them and it make them insecure. Personally I would have liked to have Todd settler that matter.
I was thinking the exact same thing last night but didn't put it into words!
Funny how Palin can 'preach' one thing and then totally have her family go against her views, but someone making fun of it deserves the book thrown at them?
Seriously, this is how people like Letterman, Leno, Mencia, and basically any comedic talk show host makes their livings....I'm sure she's laughed at others' expenses at least once in her life time!
A talk show host made a bad taste joke, and a politician went over the top? I've heard talk show hosts make inappropriate remarks and jokes and I've heard them apologize. I've heard politicians say absurd things, and I've heard them... uh... say more absurd things! This is getting attention because it's Palin and Letterman. Other politicians remarks are equally absurd and get less attention because of who it is. (Reid and Limbaugh come to mind).
@villainwasright - I have no idea what prominent US. comedians will or will not joke about. And frankly I don't care. I admitted the joke was in poor taste and I admitted I would be pissed if I were the Palins. My point was he isn't a child molester. You are arguing with me about points I didn't even make. So far all the kids have been targets of jokes except the little Obama girls, if they are safe, then good, if not, shame on the comedians. I could care less if David Letterman suffers or benefits from this, I don't have any investment in him. I just heard on Am. talk radio actually what the Palins said ( before they accepted his appology) and what the protesters are saying and it's just as sick as the " joke" As far as the stewerdess slut thing, could care less, she is a grown women who put herself in the spotlight. Her kids however had no choice. People should appropriatly show their anger at this by boycotting the sponcers, etc... not by calling the man a perveted sexual preditor, which he is not.
@reed44 - I'm sure she did, but I still think the kids should be left out of it. Make fun of her all he wants, but the kids should be off limits. However, he is NOT a promoter of child abuse and they should not say he is.
@MixedUpMale - True, actually I heard Leno made a similar poor taste joke about Palins daughter that got no attention because the Palins ignored it. The whole thing bugs me.
I will have to see if there are others who are called child molesters. If it cant be called deflamation then Letterman could sue.
I suppose if someone said I was a bad televion installer maybe I could sue for deflamation. Since I am a blogger and someone said I was a terrible blogger that shouldn't be read I could also sue for deflamation.
Unfortunately you can't sue a person for a bad joke. However a famous commedian should try hard to keep up a good repetoir of Joke that are good.
Palin knows her 15 minutes of fame were up months ago. She has to make more of this so she can spend the next 4 years working on her 2012 campaign. /"shudder"/ That being said, Letterman crossed the line, but he is certainly no pedophile.
@PPhilip - I think they did defame his character and they Palins should also say sorry to him.
@gottobereal64 - 100 percent agree and thank you for understanding what I was trying to say
i think it's kinda funny that this is when people jump on him for jokingabout sexual misconduct with minors. These late night guys have been telling jokes about Michael Jackson for YEARS.
is there irony here? i dunno.
I agree with you.
I agree on all fronts. (And I'm so painfully out of the loop that I had to type 'letterman palin' into Google to find out what we were talking about, so no worries about being the last to weigh in.) I think Palin's just afraid that her name will drop out of the headlines and she'll be forgotten about in the next 4 (well, really, 3) years...and thus she'll miss her chance to be the butt of late night talk show jokes all over again. (Though I'm certain she doesn't see it quite that way.)
I totally agree with you!!
Not only is he not a child molester, he was obviously talking about the 18 year old, not the 14 year old. Palin willfully misinterpreted the joke, and no doubt embarrassed her kids far more than Letterman did. She's a tabloid queen.
The whole thing is ridiculous IMO. It was blown way out of proportion. I think in the end, all involved looked kind of stupid.
I think Dave's gone down hill recently anyway. I'm on the Ellen bandwagon too. Love her. She's hilarious, kind, good to others and good at what she does. Everyone wins.
@Alle_in_Ashe - true, but the Palins got mad so that's why it's such a big deal. Also he was talking about a specific kid when the Micheal Jackson jokes are more about Michael jackson specifically.
@mammaquiet - Always a good thing : )
@transvestite_rabbit - I agree he was talking about the 18 year old, although I still think that's not cool. But I agree her and her husband are just unbelievable. And many of her supporters are just scary freaks.
@MaMaMollisa - so true.
@filtered_sunlight@momaroo - I had to google it too after seeing it refrensed on Facebook. Google- always a wealth of information.
@fratmom - woo hoo!!!! That's why I love xanga, such smart people.
P.S Anyone hear anything about comic Jackie Mason? He has been around for decades and is jewish. He used the "n" word at one of his stand-up shows after being heckled by some blacks. He was admonished. Now as we know the "N" word is used all the time by black singers(?) and comics(?) And it is fine. They also use hymie, cracker, whitie, ho, bitc_ and any other thing. Movies have been made about "W" including a movie about assasinating him. Rappers have songs about killing him. Palin has only been on the true National scene since last fall. The election was lost also in fall. Why can't people leave this woman alone. Most conservatives have thick skins and are not the whiney type. But is there such a thing as going too far? If have never picketed in my life, and don't plan to. Palin was o.k. until it involved her family. When it did I believe her response was that of dignity, not of cheap shots. When Sharon Osbourne resulted to pouring a cup of liquid on some chick's head during some sort of talk/game show, she was exhalted! Sharon's response was "no one talks about my family and gets away with it." Perhaps that would have been the better response from Palin.
@villainwasright - The Palins both STRONGLY inferred that Letterman was a pedophile. I don't think she was dignified at all. And the rhetoric of SOME of the protesters is even worse. Who said anything about conservatives? I don't think anyone has even mentioned that here. This is about THIS incident, I didn't even intend for this to be a conservative vs. liberal post. I am stating my opinion on what happened with a late night comedian and a politician. Nothing more.
As far as Jackie Mason goes he was directly speaking to the black people, which I think is different than a black person using the N word about his own race in a joke. Either way, people have a right to be outraged about whatever they want. People have every right to be outraged with David Letterman, but they do not have the right to call him a child molester.
People don't leave Sarah Palin alone because she supplies lots of fodder for comedians and that boosts ratings. If people didn't think it was funny, they would stop.
There a a gizzilian jokes about Bill and Monica, especially back in the day. Who cares? I don't understand your point, I'm sorry but I don't. When you are in politics you put yourself out there, it goes along with the job. But as I said, leave the kids out of it.
If you ask me the Palins just should have said they were offended, that they thought it was a inappropriate disgusting " joke". They should have said they were outraged, that this is their children he was joking about and it was unacceptable. They should have urged CBS and it's sponcers not to support this kind of " humor" and then shut up about it. That would have been dignafied. Implying Letterman is a pedophile is not. That is why people don't leave her alone. THAT is why MANY people don't like her. And if she can't stand the heat she should get out of the kitchen. She is over the top.
@momofjenmatt - She is "out of the kitchen". She is an incumbent governor. She was in office before McCain asked her to be his running mate. They lost. That was November. Anyway I have not heard her quote saying he is a child molester. Had I heard that, I may have thought it was over the top too. : )
The best thing that ever happened to me was getting totally screwed in the digital tv switch thing. I don't have to listen to any of this nonsensical propaganda b.s. coming into my home anymore (from either side).
even Dr. Laura said that Sarah Palin was overboard with her comments about David Letterman. that shocked me! (oh, and before you delete me from your 'friends' list, i am not a fan of Dr. Laura. in fact, most of the time i just think she's a big whiner. but for some reason i'd rather listen to talk radio, even bad talk radio (although i do draw the line at Rush Limbaugh) in the car than a radio station. i prefer NPR, but it's never on when i'm out. so please, don't judge me
)
olive garden and hellman's pulled ads from letterman...
You're right. People need to get a grip on what real pedophiles are like and not make such accusations lightly.
Comments are closed.