So this is what now passes for journalistic excellence. This “cartoon ,” drawn by Lee Judge of the Kansas City Star, a formally well-respected newspaper, is in such poor taste that it is amazing it made it to print. While the media frets about what Don Imus meant about two-bit loser Pac Man Jones, this special editorial comment slips by all of them.
Why is it such fashion to attack right-wing pundits with such elementary school taunts? It seems if someone wants to say something about a conservative, they can get away with whatever they want. Say something like this about a liberal and wait for the riots to start.
There can be no mistake in the cartoonist’s message: if God was being fair, Rush Limbaugh would have died of a sudden heart attack instead of Tim Russert.
Why is it such fashion to attack right-wing pundits with such elementary school taunts? It seems if someone wants to say something about a conservative, they can get away with whatever they want. Say something like this about a liberal and wait for the riots to start.
When Al Franken wrote a book bemoaning Limbaugh, he entitled it “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot.” Limbaugh has 20 million listeners and Franken couldn’t keep his show on the air and ended up owing a huge amount in back payroll taxes to his employees. Really now, who’s the idiot?
Politics and punditry are messy affairs, but it sure would be nice if the discourse could at least reach junior high school level. Just disgraceful.
2 comments:
This is the kind of things that Dems used to (and probably still do) accuse Republicans of doing, even though it wasn't true. Our criticism of their statements and ideas were considered outrageous personal attacks, low blows, part of a larger right-wing conspiracy, and/or hate speech. On the other hand this editorial cartoon is a low blow, personal, hate speech attack. And, as you say, in bad taste. Wishing someone was dead is one thing. Saying it outloud in a newspaper is another. Besides that, it surely isn't the higher ground/love everyone/tolerant view that liberals or Dems profess.
Your post points to a larger issue of bias in the media. Until Fox News and Limbaugh came along, conservatives felt that either they had no voice out there or that somehow things were fair and nonpartisan. But once the conservative voice began to be expressed, the liberal bias fought back, and now we have the polarity that we have.
It is interesting to see people with different viewpoints and how they respond to the various media and talk shows. For some, they can't get out of the way of their own biases to see that other points of view are valid. They would rather see, or at least wish for death to the opposition. I DO see how people can be upset and even offended by Rush and I can see why some would find Fox News unappealing. What I can't understand is how some of these same people don't see that their news and opinion sources are very slanted as well.
I agree this cartoon is disgusting. It should have never been in the newspaper. Makes me wonder where have the morals and ethics gone in this country
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