I know candidates all the time try to get on the late night talk shows, but I feel that it is beneath that of a Sitting President to appear on one of these shows. Obama didn't let me down last night. He was off teleprompter and had a "Special Olympics" gaffe.

I have done a lot of work raising money for the Special Olympics and have a very good friend from childhood that has received benefits from Special Olympics but to have the sitting president go on a late night talk show and try to compare his lack of bowling skills to the Special Olympics is appalling to me.

Blah, blah, blah. Everyone says something stupid sometime. Just a matter of being lucky enough that no one hears it. If your buddy bowled a 20 while you and your friends were out bowling and said that, you would of laughed even if you knew it wasnt quite the right thing to say. Now every talking head in america will pound this in to the ground, even though most of them have probably said something equally dumb or worse in the past on their respective shows. Of course where I get my news I cant even find a mention of that in their articles on his appearance. Eventually they will have to cover it as coverage of the other news channels covering it Im sure.

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"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home."

quick call the politically correct police!

too bad he didn't toss in a short bus joke as well

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

I haven't watched it yet, but I did record Jimmy Fallon too... I watched about 5min... horrible.

Fallon is unwatchable.

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/20/obama-apologizes-special-olympics-bowling-joke/
I volunteer for a lot of Special Olympics Events including Bowling and all I got to say is...

The Athletes do not bowl as bad as the President.

On the brightside, the VP volunteered to hand at medals at the Spec OLY wintergames in Idaho. Its nice to see the VP balancing out the Pres's karma for a change.

Also, the Pres has mentioned inviting some athletes over to bowl or play basket ball with him. I hope some masters level one players come and whoop his butt!

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He really is a horrible bowler. It would be hard to do worse blindfolded.

You can put lipstick on a retard, but it's still a retard.

The comment was really down to Bush levels. ;P

Outside of that he was pretty fun to watch.

In all seriousness, I think the country needs a little more Obama with his sleeves rolled up, working late nights on nothing but the economy and staffing Treasury with competent economists, and less NCAA bracket picks, Leno appearances and town hall meetings.

Yes because out of the 60 days he's been in office he's done stuff like that on 5 or 6 of them

Please stop dittoheading. You're better than that, boss.

Lol, give me a break dude.

It's pretty legitimate, don't you think? 1 appointed Treasury official, a bad one at that, people like Krugman, Huffington and Buffett all criticizing various aspects of his economic policy and saying he's doing too much of everything else, and not enough on the economy. I agree with that.

Oh, shut the fuck up. How fucking ridiculous that people who are retarded get offended over it being pointed out to them. It's like me being offended because someone called me a redhead. What next, we start getting offended when someone gets called "stupid" for being stupid? Are people who can't talk going to get mad when someone gets called "dumb?"

Grow a goddamn skin and stop being such whiny fucking pussies.

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I have told "Special Olympics" Jokes in the past. In private. Not when i was on National Television and being president.

It was not just being pointed out to them. It was stated in a way to do a comparison to his own lack of bowling skill, as an insult to himself, using them as the low level baseline.

Remember when Kramer used the "N" Word? He got a lot of hell for that.

Having the power and position of president puts you at a level of behavior that is supposed to be a higher standard than a regular guy off the street.

[quote="WorthyIam"]Remember when Kramer used the "N" Word? He got a lot of hell for that.[quote]
Not even remotely in the same ballpark. That fact that people actually are trying to relate the two somehow is just an example of how ignorant and ridiculous political correctness is.

There's a reason there's a Special Olympics. It's because the people involved in it are handicapped. Most of them couldn't possibly compete against normal average children or adults. MOST, so I don't want to hear about anyone's exceptional friend or the latest Discovery Channel special about the little retard that could. If most of them could compete, the program wouldn't exist.

So they are handicapped, and because they are handicapped they have the right to be offended if people make light of it? Fuck that. I'm a heavy guy. Do I get pissed if someone calls me fat? No, because it's the fucking truth.

We don't do mentally retarded people a favor by coddling them and pretending they're just like everyone else. We don't do them any favors when we get offended or teach them to be offended when someone makes fun of them. You want them to fit in with the rest of the world? Teach them how to laugh at themselves and how to take a ribbing without getting upset about it.

And for fuck's sake, stop being offended over stupid shit.

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No you're not, you're fat.

You sugar coated your own condition in a post railing against.. sugar coating. Good job.

I enjoyed this blog I read somewhere.

Other possible one-liners.

# "Thanks for having me on the show, Jay. You seem like a pretty nice guy... for an Italian. [Tony Soprano impersonation] Ayyyy! Fuggetaboutit!"

# "Kevin Eubanks, how are ya, man? Is Jay letting you come in through the front entrance yet? No? It's okay, I do the same thing to Biden."

# "I stopped by Hollywood earlier. Or as I call it, Little Israel. I dropped a penny on the sidewalk and lost 3 Secret Service guys."

# "You think being the first black president is easy? Every time I leave the White House, Secret Service checks my pockets for silverware."

# "Yeah, John McCain and I get along. Although he always freezes me out when I try to give him a high five! [audience groans] What, too soon?"

# "Sarah Palin and I don't talk much, 'cause I don't speak Tardese. 'Doy! Durr! Look at my dumb baby!' [audience member boos] Oh, lighten up."

# "Ya know, I thought about picking a female VP too. But I've already got somebody to clean my house and fetch me beers! Am I right, fellas?"

# "Any Irish folks in the audience? Don't raise your hand, you might spill your drink. 'When Oirish oys are smilin'...'" [staggers, pretends to vomit]

# "Another great thing about LA is all the fags. [audience hisses] OK, OK, Faggot-Americans. Hey, I got no problem with it. After all, I did hire Rahm Emmanuel!"

# "You know what cracks me up? Chinese people. [sticks front teeth over bottom lip and pushes back corners of eyes] 'Herro, Mistel Plesident!'"

# "People ask what scares me most. Iran? The economy? Try: Waking up every morning next to She-Hulk! Oh, I'm gonna get it when I come home."

Way to ignore the part right after that, where I said that if someone called me fat it was true. And yes, I'm heavy, you moron. Part of being fat is being heavy.

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I was trying to point out in a subtle fashion that you sugar coating your own issue is a way of admitting that it bothers you. If it doesn't bother you, wouldn't you just call yourself fat? The only people I've ever heard use the term heavy to describe themselves are people that are self conscious about it.

Just because something is factually correct doesn't mean you go about using it. It's because even if you don't think the joke was in poor taste, many do, and to get along with people in the real world, you generally try to respect those kinds of things.

Was Obama's quip a big deal? Not really. Was it in poor taste? Yes. Jesus man, it's just common sense.

So, because many people thought slavery was okay, Abolitionists should have just respected those kind of things?

You see how poor your argument is? Just because a lot of people think a certain way doesn't mean it's right.

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He's NOT that far in. I'd rather have a president that takes a BIT of time, than one who lives in a bubble. Again, I'm not drinking the Obama Kool-Aid, but I DO appreciate his candor of late. I find it refreshing. You find it an opportunity to criticize, more power to you. And others find a reason to be offended. They'll get over it.

People bitch and moan about the dumbest shit.

If it was a Republican, the lefty sensitivity police woudl be going nuts.
The neo-cons would be decrying our overly politically correct culture.

But, it's a Dem, so the roles are reversed.

Don't people ever get tired of their own hypocrisy?

As a side note, I wish I was still allowed to say retarded in public

I said "that shit is retarded" at a bank the other day (to some policy they had that I didn't agree with). Oops.

When I left, I was like, "Oh great, now I'm that guy".

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I can't remember when Bush said something that was exactly to this effect. There are situations that make the President appear dog-dumb of which Bush is responsible, and then this where it was a completely off-the-cuff remark which had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings.

I think there's a discernable difference when Bush said something that was BOTH stupid and showed a certain amount of ignorance, and this where it was simply the first phrase that sprung to Obama's mind in terms of "playing bad". It's hard to say that it was based off of ignorance, particularly given Obama's more frequent stance on disabled workers and the like as compared to Bush's(not to mention he called the head of the SO, invited SO athletes over to the White House, and apologized right after he appeared, before it aired... when was the last time Bush apologized for a gaffe to that degree?).

And let's not forget that Bush had a track record for saying incredibly stupid things(and taking a longass time to say them), not simple heat-of-the-moment gaffes that - while insensitive at worst on Obama's part - were hardly indicative of any serious ignorance(or complete misunderstanding of the English language!).

As a side note I'm glad to see Obama going on shows like this. It brings a human side to the President, and it's nice to see one that isn't trapped behind the walls of the White House that only communicates to the outside world with the press corps. I don't see how it "diminishes" the Presidency in any way... I'd like to see an explanation as to what krby's referring to. If it's simply because he's going on a comedy show, that seems a little arbitrary =)

Venen, I don't think I ever read someone write something so stupid that they thought was so smart.

I wish someone would put their butt cheeks on your face.

So I'm guessing that'll be a "no response" from the generic "U wuda dun it with Bush too" line of argument.

I must say though, that is probably the most simple and straightforward post I've written in some time. You've got a ways to go if that's even remotely interpreted as "thought was so smart" =)

Thread won.

The Johnny Knoxville movie about the special olympics was awesome.

Though, far be it from me to refuse your sagely advice on the stock market.

I thought Obama did great on Leno. I want to see him more in the normal public eye, as well as doing his job!

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

You could be the most idiotic person I've ever read. Basically, you said "Obama making a slam against retards makes him seem like a better person." This has nothing to do with Bush. It has everything to do with you being laughably stupid.

If you can't recognize what a complete and utter hypocritical douchebag that makes you, I cannot help you.

Suggesting that Obama didn't make the statement out of complete ignorance, but rather out of a quick heat-of-the-moment response that he didn't think through equates to my suggesting that "Obama making a slam against retards makes him seem like a better person"?

I'm hopeful that you'll stick to more economic threads in the near future. Your level of comprehension of anything that breaks into political, philosophical, or interpretive territory takes a serious turn for the completely uneducated. Maybe that's why you made the moron suggestion in that thread a while back, something to the effect of "take only as much education as you have to." You couldn't hack it at anything else. As long as it has dollar signs and money attached, you're in. That's good for anyone who is easily amused, bad if you have any desire for intellectual stimulus and interest.

I'd say stick to your threads in the general forum, explain to everyone precisely how to make 40k a year, do a halfass job search that ignores the point, and make sure to post up your portfolio. Help us poor, lost souls, who are obviously in need of Orme's preaching.

Ahem, if I may muster an Orme quote:





Thanks Orme, I dunno what anyone who doesn't make 40k here would do without ya =)

You two should go in the corner and fuck. All this sexual tension is getting to me.

Venen, do you have a point? Or are you just going to randomly try to find SOMETHING to slam me on? Try to stay on topic.
(as for the anti-education thing, suggesting a 4 year degree should take less than 7 years is not exactly anti-education).

Bottom line: Show some intellectual honesty (for once).
Had Bush done exactly what Obama did, you would be writing about what a moron he is. I on the other hand would be saying "get over it", just like I am here. But, when an idiot like you tries to say "but this is a good thing", it's laughable.

Hey, in my living room, I call Chinese people Chinks and Japanese people Japs and black people ni...no, wait, I don't. Because no matter where you do it, it's inappropriate.

Why do you think your insensitivity is better than his? Because you hide it from others? (Someone might argue the examples aren't comparable. Do you think making fun of people who are born with disabilities is any different than people who are born with a certain skin color?)

Obama shouldn't have said it, and he should have shown more common sense. I won't crucify him for it, but he should have known better, plain and simple.

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there's nothing wrong with saying nigger, chink, faggot, special olympics references, if they're used in a joking manner. i am not a big fan of the whole "taboo" word bullshit. if you use them with hatred then that's another story.

ni hao

Whether something is inappropriate, or how insensitive you are being, are directly related to where you are and in who's company you are in. It is impossible to make arbitrary judgements such as "saying retard is insensitive or inappropriate" without completely ignoring reality or placing your own thoughts and opinions above everyone else's.

I pointed out some very specific differences between what Obama said here(which also apply to previous gaffes by Obama) and Bush's gaffes which would make me less inclined to do the same as I would Bush.

You probably thought you were pretty clever posting the tried and true "this would've happened on the other side too if it were the other guy" line, then got butthurt after I gave actual reasons I wouldn't, which you ignored(intellectual honesty indeed).

And again with the piss poor reading comprehension. I never said nor implied what he said was a "good" thing. If anything, the opposite when I said "while insensitive at worst on Obama's part". At best, a bad slip of the tongue.

As a white guy, your opinion on those words probably isn't that important.

I read, you still suck

You know, honestly, I don't understand why they're even insults. What does Chink even mean? Or Jap? I'm not even sure I understand wtf nigger means. Is it just a means of belittling people? And if so, who gives it the power to do so?

Frankly, being called whitey, or cracker, or anything of the sort has absolutely no effect on me, no matter how the person is intending it or how vitriolic they're trying to be. So why is it an insult?

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they're words, that's all

it's the vitriol and hatred/emotion with which they're said that adds the insult to them

you could call someone a "FARKER" and have it mean the same thing, they're just taboo, recognized words which carry a negative connotation to them.

White guilt. You're a bad person if you don't feel guilty for being born white. It doesn't matter what the words are or what they mean. If your skin is white, you did something wrong to a minority somewhere at some time.

Well, reading over the history of some of the words we're talking about, most of them were at one point used widely without any negative connotation. Fag or nigger in particular were just words to describe people that we now refer to as gay or black. Some place down the road, someone decided they didn't like those words anymore and today they're considered insults. Why? What is the connotation behind the word? Other than a "feeling" you get when it's used, what's the difference between black and nigger? Or colored? Or negro? Each and every one of those has been used as a common and acceptable means to described someone of African descent, so it's just strange to me that today they're considered insults.

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It's learned behavior. Nigger or fag are not inherently evil words. We have been socialized to understand their negative implications. Many of us grow up, and they become part of 'that' collection of words, much like shit and fuck for 'polite' society. Many of us frequently use them, without malice or ill intent, but we also don't use them in any fashion when in close proximity of people who might be offended by such words.

If you're black and living in the United States, chances are high you've encountered white people calling you nigger in an unpleasant manner. Add that we are indoctrinated with the 'white people enslaved black people' line (Which, while not untrue, doesn't nearly cover many other relevant details.) that we, as a country, almost seem to celebrate. Shit like that can fuck up a kid. Throw in some taught racial biases and you got a cluster bomb of resentment that can be triggered with just a word.

But shit got worse. It used to be you were "one of them" when you used the words. Now days you're "one of them" if you don't openly or immediately condemn every motherfucker who uses the words, regardless of context and if you do, you're merely tolerated.

Now this is not an indictment against all, merely some. But, think about the tiny portion of raiders in MMOs; Squeaky wheels.

I don't know. As a retard, his opinion on the special olympics references might be relevant.

zingggg

IIRC the n-bomb is taken from the word niggardly, which means lazy.

Source?

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From the class I'm remembering it by, I think it was The Devil's Dictionary or a work like it.

Nevermind, I got curious and picked it up and it's just there as a play on words. The book is a funny read anyway.

Yeah, the best part about being a white male is that you can't complain about ANYTHING. At all. Women and minorities want you to believe your life is all rainbows and unicorns.

Sounds to me like you are complaining about the situation. Quit complaining, whiner.

Many forms of "polite" and mannerisms are somewhat arbitrary and have little solid logical basis. Does that mean we should throw them all out on a whim?

We can trace all sorts of words back to their roots, but if we did that with every word we'd likely end up with nothing but grunts and coughs. Implied and evolved meanings form up a rather large base for our language.

The N-word, and other similar words, of course have long histories that didn't always begin with malintent. What matters, however, is what they turned into and their meaning today. That's like saying the first pitbull didn't have very big jaws... uh, thanks for lettin me know?

The history and the association of the word, while not making it inherently evil, certainly brings a discernable amount of meaning to it in and of itself, regardless of its original meaning.

I guess I have the opposite experience when it comes to people saying the word. I see it all the time, especially on the internet(especially among the younger generations) and in certain gaming circles where people feel a bit more safe using it. Then, when someone calls them out on it, you'll get pummeled with insults and called a politically correct pussy. Then you go onto a more mature forum with adults, and you'll see the exact opposite - someone uses it, and gets told to please refrain from the language.

I suppose I prefer to latter, because if I have easy access to two words - one that offends a large segment of the population, and one that has much less chance to - I'd choose the second option.

That's not the only reason, of course, but a good one nonetheless. The other is simple courtesy. You can take ANY word from the English language and make it bad in certain contexts, and that's exactly the point - the part many people fail to understand is that regardless of original intentions of words, it can still be inappopriate to use them within those contexts. If someone took a guy hostage for 30 days and the kidnapper tortured him every day while also saying "hey pimp" right before he did it, I would never utter those words in front of him. Course, with the N-word, you have the much broader usage of it, and so that courtesy extends to society as well - in particular because it's not a word that is much of a necessity within the English language.

I tend to think much of the intent of the use of the N-word today that doesn't specifically revolve around bad intentions is because people don't care, are rebellious just for the sake of it, or are completely ignorant of the stories and things people had to go through at the hands of intolerance and racism - and what were common ways to *showcase* and illustrate that exact intolerance? Not just the N-word, but lynchings/hangings, and burning crosses. The latter two are also frowned upon when referenced(nooses especially in the second case, i.e. with Jena Six), again regardless of what original meanings a hanging or burning cross may have had, but because they were commonly used in a practice of hate.

I also wonder how people manage culture shock. What do people do when they leave, say, the US where everyone is uptight about words and goes to another country where the words might be more commonplace and not associated with as much burden?

Same thing you do when you go to your friend's house and the family experience is so different from yours in a shocking way?

You just become an observer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigger



Pretty safe to say that now-a-days more blacks call each other nigger one hell of a lot more than whites do.

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

It's too early to have this info, but I'd really like to see the Special Olympics' books. The publicity coming out of this could be a huge boon for their fundraising.