As I stated during the Larry Elder interview and in print, I'm really not sure about Hillary's RFK faux pas but the above clip of FOX Contributor Liz Trotta jokingly wishing for Sen. Barack Obama's demise is utterly reprehensible. She attempted to be contrite by naming Osama and Obama in an imaginary kill game and as expected her joke fell flat. I'm not one for condemning Fox all the way through because other media that one may deem as being more progressive can be equally insulting but this foolishness must be stopped. Here's an excerpt from Jeffrey Feldman's op-ed piece, courtesy of the Huffington Post:
Americans Everywhere Are Tired Of This!
There is no question that broadcast pundits "can" make jokes about assassinating a Senator and a Presidential candidate. The United States Constitution protects freedom of expression to the extreme. But that is the wrong question to ask in this situation. The issue is not "can" pundits make jokes about assassinating Sen. Obama, but "should" they?
It is astounding that Americans should even be forced to have such a conversation, let alone on Memorial Day Weekend when we remember with respect the sacrifices of fallen soldiers. But here we are.
I have to wonder how many people there actually are in the U.S. who think it is funny to make jokes about the assassination of Sen. Obama? What percentage of the American population consists of people who think that the assassination of Sen. Obama--or anyone for that matter--makes for a good punchline? Is it 50 people? 75, maybe?
Perhaps I am overly optimistic, but I do not believe there are very many people in our country--or anywhere else for that matter--who laugh or find it remotely funny when broadcast pundits stoop to the level of making jokes about killing an elected leader. It does not feel funny. It feels like someone spitting in our faces.
I believe that the vast majority of Americans--people in every corner of the country and of all political stripes--all react with an equal level of disgust when we hear remarks of the sort that Liz Trotta made on FOX News.
When we hear such "jokes" about assassinating a member of the Senate--a member of our government--we do not laugh, but instead wonder. We wonder what has happened to broadcast media in our country. We wonder to ourselves, to our families, and to our friends: How have we arrived at this point? How has our broadcast media so utterly lost its moral compass?
I'm no fan of Ariana Huffington, but Feldman has a point-assassination talk does not belong anywhere in any presidential campaign, especially when two candidates represent disenfranchised protected groups. Click on the link below for the article in its entirety:
FOX Pundit Wishes for Obama Assassination, Laughs
No comments:
Post a Comment