Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Why Obama Can Call Me Sweetie Can we move past criticism of every non-PC utterance by candidates and each other and get to some substance? We have a country to save!by Sherry Baker
(Libertarian)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Good grief! I wrote a column decrying the over-vilification of Hillary Clinton for her non-politically correct gaffe, i.e. mentioning that the future is written in stone and people can die before the nominating conventions, and I have been lambasted for using a non-PC headline. Someone even wanted the piece censored and deleted.
For what? Supposedly, it was "inflammatory".
Yes, I wrote "Just Shoot Her" in the headline. I forgot we live in an era that could be be described as dumbed-down, overly hysterical , and intellectually barren. Let me spell this out for the few that didn't "get it": I was not suggesting or calling upon ANY NUTCASE, or non-nutcase (lord knows I don't want to be criticized for not mentioning all possibilities) to actually SHOOT Sen. Clinton.
I was playing with the phrase that has become a part of the cultural jingo, at least I've heard it a lot... when someone is criticized for a goof, and the criticism doesn't stop, people sometimes say, "Oh, just shoot me." There was a TV series by the same name and, yes, it was a play on words about the characters in the show shooting photographs for a fictional magazine but they also used the same phrase in the context I mentioned above...
However, what I did by using it in a political opinion piece was taken out of context and twisted... just what I have been decrying is going on with so much of the mainstream media!
These are the times of being afraid to open your mouth because you will 1. be considered racist, sexist, or some other "ist" or 2. you might say something that out of context can be distorted into something you never meant or 3. Big Brother and Homeland Security might not like it.
My southern momma always taught me "it pays to get your mouth open". I guess I took it to heart because I feel compelled to tell what I perceive is the truth.
So let's give Obama (again, another candidate I don't support) some equal time with Hillary. He was recently jumped on for calling a reporter "sweetie".
He didn't call her "Hey, you with the big gazonkas" or "hey, c*nt" (you know, the "c" word McCain was heard calling his wifey poo during one of his famous meltdowns). He was probably tired and probably uses the term a lot with friends and family and it spilled out.
Are we really to believe he was a sexist, offensive remark by using the, gasp, word "sweetie"?
What planet are these PC-over-the-top people living on? The one I'm living on has women dressed in what would be considered hooker-attire a few decades ago parading on the boob tube (YIKES! Oh, no.. will I be lambasted for calling it a "boob" tube????) and in the street. Language, civility and plain old morals have gone to hell in the proverbial hand basket.
I want to know more about Obama's past, experience... it is fair game for journalists to find out what is there or isn't. I get the feeling digging too deep might come up with some dirt and, gasp, that would be, again, non-PC.
So they carry on about "sweetie"???!!!
C’mon, sweeties (YIKES! I just used that term.... oh, no!), chill out. We have more important things to do than to rail about comments that are not perfectly politically correct and acceptable by great masses that bow to Big Brother.
Let’s find out what is really behind the candidates – and in front of the country. Let’s deal in substance, not the smoke screen of criticism over ill-thought out bloopers that are nothing else.
Did you like this article? If you did, Thumb It! 7 thumbs so far
The views expressed in this
article are those of Sherry Baker only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Sherry Baker is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
You really don't see a difference between Obama, or McCain's, or even your own hot water over silly, and ultimately pointless deviation from political correctness, and mentioning an assassination in similar circumstances as the reason for staying in a political contest? Its not like Hill is running the local DQ you know.
You mention the supposed degradation of culture and society, and claim that morals, language and civility have gone to hell. Why?
Could it be that people focus on the wrong things-yep, sure could. The words of someone's pastor, that threatened harm to no one-silly to be concerned about. What John McCain calls his wife-equally pointless. How many "sweeties" get tossed around-a distraction. Your article title-outright ridiculous to get excited over.
How people dress-also a distraction. Morals-really just a smokescreen as well.
But when a Senator invokes the death of another Senator in the context of winning an election-that's not a smokescreen, that is serious. Why? Because it really does encourage violence.
My fear is that those who worry about political correctness will continue to worry about what people wear on TV, but continue to be blind to advancing cynical power politics that will not only end the republic (to the extent it still exists) but will doom freedom itself.
Myself, I don't care if Obama calls a naked reporterette a "Phat Ho" or a F'n C#@$! I do care if he says that there are lots of black people who will stop at nothing to get him elected. Especially if he is down in the polls. Even if there are-it is not something that can be said, since it encourages followers to action.
It's called leadership. And its worked since the days of Ceasar.
I am in complete agreement with you. Americans need to grow up and educate themselves between the difference between infer and insinuate. God forbid Americans think for themselves so they can notice the misinformative hype in the media as well.
I found this article extremely offensive. By using the word inflammatory, you unfairly made reference to John McCain's hemrhoids, which of course is you playing the age card. There's nothing funny nor cute about ageism, especially when it's targeted at such a highly decorated hero as John McCain.
This forces me to ask the obvious question... Why do you hate America?
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
