The hurt talker

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The Hurt Talker
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That rant by radio personality Laura Schlessinger has been both disgusting and - for me, as a white man and an American - embarrassing. How can anyone in America be this clueless?

Obviously, it's not about saying "nigger" on the air. I hate even posting the word, considering the tragic history of race relations in our country, but as Jon Stewart says, it is a matter of context. But when she gets a call from a young black woman, concerned about the racial slurs she hears from her white husband's family and friends, what does "Dr. Laura" advise?

First, she starts ranting about Barack Obama. Yeah, of course. Because that's so pertinent to the problem, right? "Without giving much thought, a lot of blacks voted for Obama simply 'cause he was half-black. Didn't matter what he was gonna do in office, it was a black thing. You gotta know that."

Sure, just like a lot of whites voted for McCain just because he was white. And we all know how welcoming the Republican Party has been to minorities, don't we? Gee, I wonder if the GOP's "Southern Strategy" of appealing to white racists has been noticed by black voters at all? Or did they really think that Bill Clinton was black, too?

But really, what does this have to do with her caller's problem? Well, apparently, now that we've elected a black man to the presidency, African Americans should stop complaining about being called "nigger." Jebus, what do they want, anyway??? We elected one of "them," so isn't that enough? They actually want fair treatment, too?

So what's Dr. Laura's advice to the young woman whose in-laws call her "nigger"? It's that the black woman should get a sense of humor! Or else she shouldn't have married a white man in the first place. (Apparently, in Dr. Laura's mind, that's just what white people do. So blacks should get used to it, or stick to themselves. Yeah, segregation... *sigh*  Don't you miss it?)

A lot of people - myself included - thought that this was disgusting and wrong. In fact, there was so much criticism that two of Dr. Laura's sponsors got cold feet (not at all an unusual response to controversy, is it?). So Dr. Laura has announced that she is leaving radio, claiming that her First Amendment right to free speech is being violated.

Of course, where there's right-wing lunacy, Sarah Palin is bound to show up, in this case supporting Dr. Laura with one of her goofy tweets: "Dr.Laura:don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence"isn't American,not fair")."  Heh, heh. Does she do that on purpose, I wonder? Or is she just not that bright?

Anyway, as all rational people understand, free speech also includes the right to criticize someone else's speech. All Americans are free to criticize Dr. Laura and Sarah Palin alike. Since the government didn't get involved with this at all, there is no First Amendment issue here.

Or are they suggesting that the government should get involved, that their idiotic comments should be immune from criticism? Hey, why should right-wing lunacy get a free ride? If you don't want to be ridiculed, don't be ridiculous.

And I've got to laugh when the right-wing, which seems to worship private businesses and corporate interests, complains that it's not fair when corporate sponsors drop them like a hot potato. How is that not fair? What, do you want the government to prevent your sponsors from leaving? Honestly, is there anything about this that makes sense?

To recap, Laura Schlessinger never "lost her First Amendment rights." She can say whatever loony thing she wants. But I can criticize her for it, because I've got First Amendment rights, too. And depending on the details in their contract, her sponsors can stop paying her vast sums of money when she gets too loony even for them. That's not a First Amendment issue at all, but contract law. She can take them to court if it violates some prior agreement. (This is what conservatives say they want. Or does she expect special treatment here, too.)

Neither Laura Schlessinger nor Sarah Palin, celebrities both, have any right to be immune from criticism. The criticism doesn't even have to be just, though it certainly seems to be in this case. But then, if you disagree with this post, you can criticize me, too. Should I then claim that my First Amendment rights are being violated, because someone dares to disagree with me? Or is it only right-wing extremists who are supposed to be immune from criticism?