Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Slurs Betrays a Deep Contempt of Race, Ethnicity, or Gender. Contempt is not a Civilized Value.

The ANNOTICO Report

 

 Beginning a generation or so ago Americans became touchy about racial, ethnic, and gender slurs -- even if they were only jokes.

 

 Often the slur betrays a deep contempt for others merely because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Contempt is not a civilized value.

 Oddly enough, two groups continue to be the victims of slurs in America, people of faith and Italian-Americans. For now all is quiet on the people of faith front, but an Italian-American group is making an issue of a slur recently broadcast by NBC golf analyst, Johnny Miller, about PGA Tournament winner Rocco Mediate.

 

On June 21 Miller issued an apology that made matters worse. He denied that his remarks had anything to do with Mediate's "ethnicity."

 

The author states: "A joke about the name "Rocco" has no ethnic bias? Mr. Miller, how stupid do you think your audience is?"

 

The Current Crisis
Another Imus Outbreak

 

The American Spectator
By  R.Emmett Tyrrell Jr. 
June 30, 2008

Possibly we have gone too far. Beginning a generation or so ago Americans became touchy about racial, ethnic, and gender slurs -- even if they were only jokes. Now it is hazardous to utter a slur even in jest about members of another race, ethnic group, or -- as the sexologists might say -- sexual orientation. We all recall the furor around Don Imus when, pursuant to a cheap laugh, he uttered a rude reference to the black female basketball players of Rutgers. Imus was forced out of his popular radio show.

As an ardent defender of the First Amendment I opposed Imus's extinction. Yet this touchiness about slurs is not going to go away -- and in many cases should not. Often the slur betrays a deep contempt for others merely because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Contempt is not a civilized value.

At any rate, given the intensity of our national touchiness over slurs, no group should be exempt from protection. Slurs are based on stereotypes, often misinformed stereotypes, and to allow one group to be slurred is to validate a stereotype. Oddly enough, two groups continue to be the victims of slurs in America, people of faith and Italian-Americans. For now all is quiet on the people of faith front, but an Italian-American group is making an issue of a slur recently broadcast on NBC. I actually heard a similar anti-Italian slur on a cable station while I was exercising at the gym a few weeks back. I wish I had had a pen handy. I would pass the details of the incident on to vigilant members of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, sponsor for decades of New York's Columbus Day Parade and other Italian-American heritage programs. They are now after NBC for failing to discipline the golf analyst, Johnny Miller.

During the U.S. Open, he slurred Rocco Mediate who was at the time strongly challenging Tiger Woods. As Mediate's tenacious play raised the possibility that h e might win, Miller quipped: "Guys with the name of Rocco don't get on the trophy, do they?" Earlier Miller opined: "He's a character [Mediate] -- he looks more like guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool." Today in America no commentator would get away with making such remarks about the African-American Woods. Why should a commentator get away with such slurs on Woods's Italian-American opponent? For that matter, why would Miller even be thinking such thoughts? Italian-Americans have been top-ranked golfers since the days of the great Gene Sarazen.

On June 21 Miller issued an apology that made matters worse. He denied that his remarks had anything to do with Mediate's "ethnicity." That really roused the ire over at the Columbus Citizens Foundation. Citing the long list of commentators who have been suspended by their networks or fired for slurs, the Foundation insists that NBC do the same. The Foundation has a very good point. Are Italian-Americans less worth y of protection from slurs than other Americans? NBC should do the right thing and give Miller some time to think, and one of the things he might think about is how he might craft an apology free of further insults. A joke about the name "Rocco" has no ethnic bias? Mr. Miller, how stupid do you think your audience is?


R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator, a contributing editor to the New York Sun, and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute. His The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House has recently been published by Thomas Nelson Inc.

 

Not Enough Political Correctness In Golf Or Life

Travel Golf.com

Ron Mon

Sunday June 29, 2008

 
...Coming on the heels of John Millers xenophobic diatribe against Italian-Americans, I feel that I must speak out against these people who make light of other folks ethnicity.

There are many ways to insult humanity. From truly hateful speech involving words that not even the late, great George Carlin would venture to speak, to simple ethnic jokes, to epithets. Many hide behind the opinion that it is a light-hearted attempt at collegial humor. They claim that they can take as well as they can give. For many years, the gold rule involving this brand of reference has been, if you belong to the group, its ok to use the terms. If you are not a member, stay away. Even if you have friends that belong, you do not have the right to utter the message.....

 

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