For some reason, I can't stop laughing about how they both call it "the nigger word".
So, you know, Doctor Laura's kind of a cunt. (I imagine that would make her squirm, but hey, they say it on Showtime, so... cunt cunt cunt.)
Unfortunately... she's also... sort of... weirdly... kind of right.
:-/
Look, obviously Dr. Laura should get her ass fired... not because she said "nigger" on the air, but because her approach to giving advice seems to be channeling Michael Richards before sounding weirdly upset about how "white people vioted [Obama] into office". I dunno', maybe Dr. Laura just figured she didn't have any black listeners before this, but come on; black people have radios, too. In fact, they probably have yours. BA-ZING, racially-charged comedy!
So yeah, using what is ostensibly a "call in and ask for advice" platform as a way to segue into a rant how about black people are taking over America by being legitimately voted into office ("by white people", remember... that's black people's most insidious trick!) is definitely grounds for termination. And also, I have to shake my head in Dr. Laura's direction for apparently not seeing the huge shitstorm forming on the horizon as soon as the first "nigger" slipped out.
But she isn't totally without a point, even if she isn't exactly clear herself on what that point is. It's the part where she talks about her (painfully unfunny, wholly unoriginal) "joke" about how "white people can't jump, I want you on my team". There are differences between the races, man... if there weren't, Chris Rock and his Gilbert Gottfried voice would have gone into politics instead of comedy. You should always be dubious about statements like "black people do this, white people do that", but I still think there's a difference between "racism" and "jokes".
Sure, you can say "racist jokes are based in stereotypes that shouldn't be supported", but quit being a pussy. With rare, mostly Bill Cosby-related exceptions, all good humor is at somebody's expense, for dozens of reasons, for all races and creeds. If you take "race" off the table, that suddenly throws every other reason to make fun of somebody into question... and everyone likes to make fun of someone every once in awhile.
Okay, maybe you're one of those people who only laughs at "Family Circus" comics. And I'll admit that there's a difference between "jokes meant to be hurtful/bullying" and "good-natured ribbing". And I'll way admit that I'd only ever say "nigger" to a black guy if he was in disguise, even if it was part of a joke. But there shouldn't ever be topics that are just "off limits", either for discussion or for jokes. I think what Dr. Laura was trying to say (before she got distracted by how fucked up it is that we actually elected an African American black man to be President) was that not every insensitive comment or politically incorrect joke is "racism", and that if we really want to move forward with the understanding that they are racism and they should be treated as such... well, I hope your ready for society to break down so we can make time in our day for the epic shaming that we all have coming to us.
