Is Rush Racist?

[Lioness]

Limbaugh, a rich, powerful, caucasian man, has been denied the crowning glory on his American dream success; ownership in an NFL team, due to perceived racism. Irony, or injustice?

He insists he has been falsely quoted and has never made the remarks attributed to him such as "Slavery had its merits ...... the streets were safe at night" and other bigoted insults. He has dared the media to come up with the clips of any such statements by him.

The comments about a black quarterback that got him fired from ESPN were provocative and perhaps insensitive, but racist? Debatable.

Has anyone actually heard him say something clearly racist on the air?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Limbaugh, a rich, powerful, caucasian man, has been denied the crowning glory on his American dream success; ownership in an NFL team, due to perceived racism. Irony, or injustice?

He insists he has been falsely quoted and has never made the remarks attributed to him such as "Slavery had its merits ...... the streets were safe at night" and other bigoted insults. He has dared the media to come up with the clips of any such statements by him.

The comments about a black quarterback that got him fired from ESPN were provocative and perhaps insensitive, but racist? Debatable.

Has anyone actually heard him say something clearly racist on the air?

I am not a regular listener to his program. From the times I have been exposed to his pronouncements I have found him to express his opinions forcefully and with the flair of an entertainer. Sometimes I agree with his positions and sometimes I disagree.

I do not see him as a racist.

[aggie]

i have heard him on his program (listen for a giggle and just to remind myself how ignorant he is) speak of obama using a very distinct stereotypical black dialect kind of speech pattern.

is he truly a racist...who knows...but, and i have read in his interviews that he admits to "pulling people's chains," to making intentionally inflammatory comments to get people talking about him and listening to him.

i don't think he would be good for football...they sometimes have enough internal problems...but i personally at this point don't give a hoot whether he bought in or not...but maybe it is karma.

when he lost his hearing for a while, which would obviously affect his career...i thought that was what he deserved at at time...but it obviously didn't affect his routine much

he has more money than God already...criticizes other peoples salaries after he signs some ridulous multi billion dollar contract.

his "followers" are making him richer.

what i thought was rascist in a way on different levels was comparing his opinion to that of the taliban on him winning the nobel peace prize...i did hear him say that. that was rascist and unpatriotic and damaging to moral of our troops and makes our country look rascist and stupid.

[MidasGirl]

What is the definition of racism anymore? The thing is, people have smartened up. They have discovered that it is (viewed as) stupid to don a white hood and march down the street in broad daylight. So they have learned to dance seductively and dangerously on the edge of bigotry and prejudice. Some are probably just entertainers who may not even believe what they say but have discovered that race baiting is a money making machine (eg Glen Beck IMO).

So, racism, by its original definition may be something Rush has very intelligently avoided stepping into. But he has certainly made a lot of racially divisive, incendiary, race baiting and racially insensitive remarks. .

So what does that mean? In a capitalistic society (oh irony!) it means the market decides who they will or won't buy from. If Rush has been making all these comments, why is he surprised that a sport dominated by black players, and whose unspoken rule of etiquette is unity not divisiveness, isn't one where he is welcome to do business?

Ya know, there is such thing called Karma. It usually comes back to bite peoples' asses when they least want it to. And then they cry victim. And those who cry victim the loudest seem to be the worst victimizers.

So maybe, by dictionary definition he isn't a racist, he's just a race-baiting bully. You get what you give.

[aggie]

midas girl, i believe you nailed it!

[MidasGirl]

Thanks aggie. I'm just kind of getting tired of this whole idea of letting subtle racist behavior off the hook because they say, "but look, I have black friends", or "but I don't hate hispanics, my nanny is mexican". You may not be racist but if you are constantly making comments that could fuel a racist person's hatred, then you are by definition a racist because you are (knowingly) aiding and abetting.

[Lioness]

Originally Posted by aggie

midas girl, i believe you nailed it!

DITTO!

I'm just kind of getting tired of this whole idea of letting subtle racist behavior off the hook because they say, "but look, I have black friends",

In this same vein, one of Rush's sit-in hosts is black and apparently so is his producer/assistant, the silent "Mr. Snerdly". So no one could call him prejudiced, right? He is too clever to fall into the Don Imus trap.

So maybe, by dictionary definition he isn't a racist, he's just a race-baiting bully.

He used to have a "Homeless Update" segment where he would make fun of homeless people. The segment was cued by a song sung in black dialect.
I once heard him ask a caller with a black accent to define "leveraged buyout". It was a type of "let's see how dumb this guy is" test that he never imposed on other callers. I won't call him a racist, but he is definitely prejudiced.

Ya know, there is such thing called Karma. It usually comes back to bite peoples' asses when they least want it to. .

I so agree!

[aggie]

yeah, someone tried to tell me oh, but one his main staffers is black....we've all heard THAT defense against prejudice and racism

the flip side, is all of his "followers" that he has a "voice" for...they don't realize that he doesn't give a damn about them while he laughs all the way to the bank before he goes home to his mansion.

[James81]

My dad (and several people in the office where I work) listen to him religiously.

Fortunately, I am only exposed to him if I go out of the office with my boss. From the times I have been exposed to him, racism is the least of his problems. lol

[aggie]

yes, it is just one of MANY

[The Big D]

I don't listen to his show except when someone else has it on (I can't stand his voice, amongst other reasons), but I think the position he holds re: race doesn't have a good name. I don't consider it racist, but it's not 100% socially accepted either.

There are clearly cultural and biological differences between blacks, whites, asians, hispanics and other racial/cultural groups in the US. These differences, when negative and pointed out by a white guy, are sometime termed racist. But if the observations are factual (in as much as any group can be described by generalities) then I think they should be tolerated rather than stigmatized. Rush pushes this line very hard.

[aggie]

well, yeah, there are differences obviously....but he more than pushes that point beyond harder.

he makes a mockery of it...in his heart i believe that he is a supremist.

he finds himself incredibly amusing...but again, he is mocking.

i honestly feel that he wouldn't be half as vocal about obama if he were white.

[funchy]

I used to be a regular listener many, many years back (back when he used to have original content each day). He was smart enough not to outright say he hated other races, but IMHO from his comments and tone, I believe he may be.

From a business standpoint, I can see where they didn't want him on board. He's blind to everyone else's opinion but his own. Forgetting about his strong personal & political beliefs for a moment, just the kind of person he is would make him a thorn in everyone's side.

[amj]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Has anyone actually heard him say something clearly racist on the air?

Top 10 Rush Limbaugh Racist Quotes | News One

[cylon]

Originally Posted by Lioness

He insists he has been falsely quoted and has never made the remarks attributed to him such as "Slavery had its merits ...... the streets were safe at night" and other bigoted insults. He has dared the media to come up with the clips of any such statements by him.

The comments about a black quarterback that got him fired from ESPN were provocative and perhaps insensitive, but racist? Debatable.

Has anyone actually heard him say something clearly racist on the air?

All of the quotes that were attributed to him have now been retracted by every single media venue that aired them, as they could not source them. Every single word he says is monitored, and transcribed, by his adversaries, so it wouldn't be hard to catch him in the act. But the general consensus was, "Well, we can't prove he said that stuff, but, clearly he is a horrible person. So, same difference." That's actually slander, but hey. It's Limbaugh. He doesn't deserve the same legal protections that everyone else has. He also doesn't deserve an NFL team either, because hey, he's a conservative. He deserves what he gets.

One thing that is funny is that people discredit him as an entertainer... most people who say that actually don't listen to the program though. They've heard stuff, maybe there's a joke about him on the daily show, no need to actually LISTEN to what he says, because it's a forgone conclusion that he's wrong.

Just about everything he says is addressed by the President of the United States, the Vice President, most major players in the Democratic House, and Senate, on a daily basis. If Rush says it on Monday, Obama will mention it Tuesday.

If he's an entertainer, then these folks should stop elevating him to their level and stop dragging him into the national debate.

I challenge anyone here who says he is just an entertainer, to go to his website, and for free, to read the transcripts of his shows. Most of his main content is transcribed, left up for all to see, a few hours after his show ends. I would challenge you to go there, and spend a bit of time reading what he says, all the way through, no soundbites. THEN, you can say he's evil or a racist. But at least you could say your opinion was "informed".

That's what I do when it comes to people I disagree with. I love to read their views and thoughts. But maybe, that's just me.

Here's a link where he discusses this entire NFL bid, accusations of racism, the whole thing.

State-Run Media Scum Smear Rush Using Fabricated Quotes

[cylon]

Originally Posted by Lioness

In this same vein, one of Rush's sit-in hosts is black and apparently so is his producer/assistant, the silent "Mr. Snerdly". So no one could call him prejudiced, right? He is too clever to fall into the Don Imus trap.

Snerdly--The Official Obama Criticizer

There's an audio of this I heard, but it seems to be available only now to subscribers. This is the transcript.

[cylon]

Originally Posted by MidasGirl

Thanks aggie. I'm just kind of getting tired of this whole idea of letting subtle racist behavior off the hook because they say, "but look, I have black friends", or "but I don't hate hispanics, my nanny is mexican". You may not be racist but if you are constantly making comments that could fuel a racist person's hatred, then you are by definition a racist because you are (knowingly) aiding and abetting.

YouTube - Rush Limbaugh - Ken Hutcherson on NFL Bid

YouTube - Rush Limbaugh talks to Ken Hutcherson - Part 2

YouTube - Juan Williams Takes On the Race Baiters!

[amj]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Has anyone actually heard him say something clearly racist on the air?

I tried to find racist info and I posted a link with racist comments from Rush... But I couldn't find any documented evidence that he said those things. At the same time, the majority of his alleged racist comments came from his earlier days in the 1970s. I found no transcripts and no sound bites from back then. All of his transcripts and soundbites came from recent years.

I want to hear his older material

[cylon]

Originally Posted by amj

I tried to find racist info and I posted a link with racist comments from Rush... But I couldn't find any documented evidence that he said those things. At the same time, the majority of his alleged racist comments came from his earlier days in the 1970s. I found no transcripts and no sound bites from back then. All of his transcripts and soundbites came from recent years.

I want to hear his older material

Just assume he said that stuff, that will save you the effort of building a time machine. Always err on the side of your own prejudice. I'll just take it as a given that you didn't look at any of the stuff I just took the time to post. I know I wouldn't.

By the way, Rush's show was officially launched in 1988. In the 70s he was a music DJ.

And I don't suppose you have a link to these supposed 70s comments. The ones the media claimed he used were already refuted, so you'll have to find new ones.

[amj]

Originally Posted by cylon

Just assume he said that stuff, that will save you the effort of building a time machine. Always err on the side of your own prejudice. I'll just take it as a given that you didn't look at any of the stuff I just took the time to post. I know I wouldn't.

By the way, Rush's show was officially launched in 1988. In the 70s he was a music DJ.

And I don't suppose you have a link to these supposed 70s comments. The ones the media claimed he used were already refuted, so you'll have to find new ones.

No I couldn't find a single quote from Limbaugh from in the 70s or 80s. Not one quote, clip, or anything else. I find that interesting.

[cylon]

Originally Posted by amj

No I couldn't find a single quote from Limbaugh from in the 70s or 80s. Not one quote, clip, or anything else. I find that interesting.

Interesting because you assume they are out there. Well, if you can't find them, all you can do is make an opinion based on what you've heard since his quotes have been documented.

I would hazard a guess that when he was a Top 40 DJ in the 70s, he wasn't talking about political stuff on the air. But, I can't back that up. I guess that you can only go back as far as 1988.

[amj]

Originally Posted by cylon

Interesting because you assume they are out there. Well, if you can't find them, all you can do is make an opinion based on what you've heard since his quotes have been documented.

I would hazard a guess that when he was a Top 40 DJ in the 70s, he wasn't talking about political stuff on the air. But, I can't back that up. I guess that you can only go back as far as 1988.

I did assume they were out there. I can't say that my assumptions were right or wrong because there aren't clips from back then. At least, I couldn't find any clips. But did you think it was a little racist for him to say that the NFL looked like a fight between the Crips and Bloods without weapons?

[cylon]

Here's the entire transcript that has that quote.

Rush Limbaugh’s “NFL… Bloods and the Crips…” Quote in FULL Context « AmeriCAN-DO Attitude

I can see how it was interpreted it that way. But for it to be racist, you have to take the assumption that white people are not allowed to comment on traditionally black gangs, or make any references to behavior by blacks that is critical.

Actually in my definition to be racist, you have to feel that one race is genetically inferior to another. Otherwise, you're just critiquing modern cultural phenomena.

So, If your definition is that whites can't critique blacks, and make comparisons like that, and you conclude that it means they think white people are genetically superior to blacks (DNA?), then in your eyes, it would count as a racist comment.

[amj]

I saw that transcript. I also saw your youtube clips. What did you take away from those clips? Meaning, what made you post them? Here is one I think is fair.
YouTube - Michael Wilbon: Rush Limbaugh Doesn't Care About Black People I don't think the title fits the content though.

[cylon]

I posted the clips because I thought they were counters, to the posts that I was quoting.

There was a sense that Rush is obviously a racist, and therefore any friendships that he has with black people is a facade or he is just "saying that". Those clips with Hutch were my way of demonstrating that it seems to me he DOES have a very warm relationship with him, Hutch is on TV defending him, and he's saying "My close friend is not a racist." He would know more than your OR me, about that.

I also posted that video because Juan Williams (who is not a conservative) was discussing the other guy telling him to go back to the porch, and how that pissed him off, and I thought it might have had some interest based on the discussion we had about "uncle toms" the other day. Juan Williams is a true liberal and him being insulted like that pissed him off, and I thought it was interesting hearing how he reacted to that. And in that comment, Hutch says, yes that was a racial slur---so it can be a slur from one black person to another.

Then, the point was made about Rush's black assistant "Mr. Snerdly" and how he is always silent. You'll have to read the post, but it was Mr. Snerdly defending Rush, being extremely vocal, and talking directly to the black community as Rush's "Official Obama Criticizer". The audio is only for subscribers but I was able to hear it on the day it was first posted.

So, those were my attempts to counter the argument that Rush was a racist. If he has close friendships with black people, that falls apart, in my opinion.

I just think people WANT Rush to be a racist. They want it to be true.

As far as the video you posted, I 100% agree, Rush is (it seems) reviled by an overwhelming majority of American blacks. But it's fair in the sense that both sides are being expressed.

[cylon]

This is also kind of off-topic, but here's an older collection of some things Bill Cosby has said about how he thinks black culture in America today is having problems.

Cosby rips blacks for abuse, poor parenting - Race & ethnicity- msnbc.com

My question to you is, since Cosby said it, is it racist? And, even if you don't think that it's racist that Cosby said it because he's black, if Rush, or any other white person said that stuff.. would it still be racist?

Basically, is the comment ITSELF racist, or is it only racist based on who is saying it?

[amj]

Rush having Black supporters doesn't mean a thing to me. He is defined by his actions. His actions make him who he is.

The Uncle Tom thing was interesting. I'll have to watch it again. I'm not sure what to make of that.

I don't think most people want Rush to be racist. That wouldn't make sense. If he never made racially insensitive comments I don't think we would be having this discussion. Do you agree that he has made racially insensitive statements?

[cylon]

Originally Posted by amj

Rush having Black supporters doesn't mean a thing to me. He is defined by his actions. His actions make him who he is.

He's not a supporter, he's a close personal friend who he spends time with. So, his actions are of someone who has a close personal friend, who is black. Actions. I never called my friends supporters. They were just friends.

So, do you think this is an inauthentic friendship between Rush and Hutch?

Originally Posted by amj

Do you agree that he has made racially insensitive statements?

I agree he's made controversial statements that most people would not say for fear of being criticized by the politically correct. Racially insensitive assumes that we should not speak our minds because otherwise someone else could get offended. But you can't live that way. And the more you deny yourself the right to express yourself, the more people will not be able to say what is on their minds. You and I are saying what is on our minds. I don't particularly feel like censoring myself, I doubt you do either.

So, if he hadn't made what are considered controversial statements, no we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But I agree that he says things that he probably knows will get people to freak out. But I think he does it because he wants this dialogue to happen. You are free to draw your own conclusions of what his motives are.

[amj]

Originally Posted by cylon

Cosby rips blacks for abuse, poor parenting - Race & ethnicity- msnbc.com

My question to you is, since Cosby said it, is it racist? And, even if you don't think that it's racist that Cosby said it because he's black, if Rush, or any other white person said that stuff.. would it still be racist?

Basically, is the comment ITSELF racist, or is it only racist based on who is saying it?

Man Oh Man. I remember when Cosby said that stuff and after is sank in, it really bothered me. To answer your question, was it racist? No. It was insensitive, harsh, and way over the top but racist? No. He's not demonstrating hate for his own race. However, it was very pompous of him to say those things. I lost a lot of respect for Cosby when I saw that.

If a White person said it, yeah I would think it was racist. If it was reversed, I would feel the same way. Meaning, if Cosby were White and he was talking about White people then I wouldn't call him racist. If he was Black and saying those things, then I would consider him racist. To me, a person would have to completely "sell out" in order to become racist of their own race.

[cylon]

Originally Posted by amj

Man Oh Man. I remember when Cosby said that stuff and after is sank in, it really bothered me. To answer your question, was it racist? No. It was insensitive, harsh, and way over the top but racist? No. He's not demonstrating hate for his own race. However, it was very pompous of him to say those things. I lost a lot of respect for Cosby when I saw that.

If a White person said it, yeah I would think it was racist. If it was reversed, I would feel the same way. Meaning, if Cosby were White and he was talking about White people then I wouldn't call him racist. If he was Black and saying those things, then I would consider him racist. To me, a person would have to completely "sell out" in order to become racist of their own race.

I hear what you're saying, but I'm asking is the comment, the actual words on their own. I mean if you didn't know that Cosby was black or white, and you read those comments, would they be racist?

What you're saying is it's not the actual content, but it's the motive behind the content?