Where's the Outrage?
 

from Fox News:

An NFL player who made a wisecrack about an opposing player's penchant for watermelon and fried chicken was "just being funny," reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

When Miami Dolphin Junior Seau was asked by reporters how he planned to stop former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson, an African-American, on the field during a game, he reportedly said, "Just kind of give him a couple of watermelons, load him up with some fried chicken and just say, you know, 'Keep eating.'"

Seau said there were no racial overtones to his comments. Former teammate Marcellus Wiley said: "I'm sure it was harmless. Junior has that side of him that we know and unfortunately maybe America doesn't know. He's not the new Rush Limbaugh, I don't think."

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Why is this guy "funny", but Rush's comments were "racist"? All depends on who it's coming from, I guess. :rolleyes:

Mike

Maybe he and John Rocker can start their own "Foot-in-the-mouth club"

Don't you think it's fair to hold Rush to a somewhat higher standard than a football player? Besides, one comment was said in dead earnest, and the other was a wisecrack.

Don't get me wrong -- I do think that Rush Limbaugh's comments were blown out of proportion.

Ron
http://germanstar.net

Why? Do you think the football player would agree with you when you say that he should be held to a "lower standard" for some reason? Isn't THAT a discriminatory statement?

Mike

Rush Limbaugh's business is commentary -- his comments carry more weight than those of Junior Seau. On the same token, I don't think anyone would expect Rush to keep up with Junior on the football field.

Ron
http://germanstar.net

Whatever.

One comment, which was a very legitimate observation, is seen as racist, because the Jesse Jackson-worshipping crowd WANTS to see it as racist, because they disagree with the politics of the person it came from. The other comment, which looks a lot like a direct insult to me, is not seen as racist because it came from a sports hero, and "he's just a football player".

Absolute bull$h!t.

Mike

:D That would really help ratings though.

Well said, Mike. I thought Seau's comment was rather tame compared with some of the banter you hear in the locker room. He simply forgot he was talking to a member of the press.

FYI, Seau and Tomlinson are friends and he was making comments based on personal knowledge that tomlinson loves watermelon and fried chicken.

Tomlinson was not the least bit upset. stating that he and Junior always clowned around like that.

Anybody notice that Seau is kind of dark himself?

So what? That makes it OK? Is it OK for me to call you an *********, as long as I say, "It's OK, I'm your buddy because I'm an ********* too"?

Whether Tomlinson was "upset" or not isn't the point. Everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows that the "watermelon and fried chicken" joke is a racial slur, and its meaning is not diluted just because someone of the race it is intended to slur uses it.

I think everyone is too sensitive to this crap anyway, but the fact is, there is a blatant double-standard when it comes to this subject, and everyone knows it.

You're either in denial, or you're just trying to rationalize it because you don't like Limbaugh either.

Mike

In the PCness world what you say only matters if you’re on the wrong side.

Liberals can say just about anything they want with little or no problem, but if you’re not on their team look out.

Look at he way NOW handles the Clinton thing, it was OK because he is one of them so he couldn’t possibly mean any harm.

I remember sometime ago a prominent Liberal actor made a very racial comment, but it was ignored because he was so compassionate. Maybe someone here can refresh my memory.

I didn't say it was right. I just said that it was meant as a joke, from a friend to another.

I also think people are way too sensitive to all this crap anyway.

We shouldn't take too much out of what athletes say anyway. When you stop to think about it, they are just athletes. I cringe everytime the reporters ask these guys questions about sports and somehow expect the answer to be earth-shattering, all-revealing.

They ask the same questions 40 different ways and put these guys who are not used to public speaking, on the spot.More often than not, the guys often make mistakes, have terrible grammar and thier answers are taken out of context to suit the interviews audience. Listen to Jim Rome any day of the week and you 'll see him spin the answers and questions to incite exactly what this thread has done.

Remember that controversy sells newspapers and gets TV ratings.

BTW, I am an assh%$# and I would not get offended if you were to say so.
:D

Mike.. I agree with you to a certain point. Its dumb for Junior to say what he did, but there is a difference between what he said to what John Rocker or Rush Limbaugh said. The difference is that one was serious... the other was joking.

BTW... I assume you are also mad about how African-Americans call each other jokingly "N*****" while people of other races can't?

So what?

Rocker is a different issue...he has proven himself more than once to be a dumb redneck, and what he said, however true some of it might have been, was insulting and a stupid thing to say.

What Junior said is known to be insulting to an entire race, joking or not. Would it be OK if you or I said the same thing?

What Rush said is largely TRUE, and even if you don't agree, it was NOT in any way an insult, intentional or otherwise.

I'm mad about double-standards and hypocrisy of any kind, INCLUDING that one.

Mike