Was Dr Laura Schlessinger treated fairly?

[Maximilian]

Originally Posted by pelathais

The United States Federal Government "pulled the plug." That would be the very definition of "censorship."

I was thinking and wondering "out loud" more than trying to make an argument. GM was one of the companies that famously used "product placement" types of advertising on HBO's The Sopranos.

The Sopranos used "the n- word" frequently, yet no one complained and GM still sought and received the coveted product placements. It's only when someone who is perceived as being "conservative" uses the word - even in an academic fashion as Schlessinger appears to have done - that the big money Liberals attack.

I don't know, didn't Howard Stern run into similar issues?

If she's a hot commodity in the market, she'll earn more money and have the same audience when she switches formats.

Your point about GM -- is the government really "calling the shots?" Really?

[drummerboy_dave]

Partial transcript, via HuffPo:

CALLER: Is it OK to say that word? Is it ever OK to say that word?
DR. LAURA: It depends how it's said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it's ok.
CALLER: But you're not black, they're not black, my husband is white.
DR. LAURA: Oh, I see, so a word is restricted to race. Got it. Can't do much about that.
CALLER: I can't believe someone like you is on the radio spewing out the n-word, and I hope everybody heard it.
DR. LAURA: I didn't spew out the n-word!
CALLER: You said "nigger, nigger, nigger," and I hope everybody heard it.
DR. LAURA: Yes they did, and I'll say it again: nigger, nigger, nigger is what you hear on HBO.

It's a double standard, no matter how you slice it. The political correctness movement has made it acceptable for black people to say it, but no one else. Everyone knows this! And, when people like Dr. Laura point it out, the sensationalists in the world jump on it like stink on an elephant.

[drummerboy_dave]

Originally Posted by pelathais

The United States Federal Government "pulled the plug." That would be the very definition of "censorship."

I was thinking and wondering "out loud" more than trying to make an argument. GM was one of the companies that famously used "product placement" types of advertising on HBO's The Sopranos.

The Sopranos used "the n- word" frequently, yet no one complained and GM still sought and received the coveted product placements. It's only when someone who is perceived as being "conservative" uses the word - even in an academic fashion as Schlessinger appears to have done - that the big money Liberals attack.

Yep, again with the double standards.

[Mr. Smith]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_dave

Yeah, your show has far more listeners than hers.

This is the predictable response of a less than half-witted demagogue who can't think of anything better to say. My absence from the radio profession does not invalidate my opinions. I have an opinion. Deal with it.

[Maximilian]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_dave

It's a double standard, no matter how you slice it. The political correctness movement has made it acceptable for black people to say it, but no one else. Everyone knows this! And, when people like Dr. Laura point it out, the sensationalists in the world jump on it like stink on an elephant.

Dr. Laura regrets saying it.

If you believe there's a double-standard, go for that argument without sinking to that level.

I hate the double standard as well. I also realize a white guy calling a black guy a "nigger" is different than a black guy calling another black guy a "nigger." We can cry "not fair" (and I agree), but it is what it is. They took the negativity of that word and turned into a familial word. Coming from a white guy, it's hard to have that tone.

I think the word should be buried and never remembered again.

[Twisp]

Originally Posted by pelathais

The United States Federal Government "pulled the plug." That would be the very definition of "censorship."

I was thinking and wondering "out loud" more than trying to make an argument. GM was one of the companies that famously used "product placement" types of advertising on HBO's The Sopranos.

The Sopranos used "the n- word" frequently, yet no one complained and GM still sought and received the coveted product placements. It's only when someone who is perceived as being "conservative" uses the word - even in an academic fashion as Schlessinger appears to have done - that the big money Liberals attack.

Perhaps because conservatives are the one that use that word more than their liberal counterparts? I can't think of too many cases where a liberal politician/media figure used that word. Harry Reid saying negro is the closest I can remember.

As far as The Sopranos, they definitely used that word, along with a host of other racial epitaphs. Perhaps GM thought it was in an artistic format and decided to not pull their products from that show. Not sure.

I'd say that GM, along with most other sponsors, makes these kind of decisions based on protecting their brand and revenue stream, rather than doing it to attack liberals.

[Mr. Smith]

Originally Posted by Maximilian

To each his own. For some, she speaks their language, for others she rubs the wrong way. Her ideas are great, though, no matter the medium of style.

I have an incredible wife, and she goes on and on about how much of her ideas about marriage were shapped by DL. So I suppose I have some indebted gratitude toward her.

The Proper Care and Feeding of a Husband was the book my wife raves about. I don't complain: i'm property cared for and fed, and in return I like to think I do a pretty decent job keeping her happy.

DL? Moody?

The content of her advice and the spirit in which she gives it are two different worlds. She treats callers as if they are raving idiots. I can't deal with it. Strictly speaking of her radio show, I believe she actually appeals to the personality trait of those who are susceptible to abuse. I've heard a couple of psychologists even make these observations of her style on the radio. Extremely submissive people are the ones who tend to call her. Those with strong personalities tend to never call her unless it's to tell her of something they did that they think she will approve of.

On the other hand, although I've never read any of her books, I've read excerpts and her writing style is FAR different from her speaking style. It's MUCH more pleasant and gentle and I thought it had great content.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Twisp

lol, the very fact that you will type out "redneck" but not the word in question leads me to believe that you know why one is more acceptable than the other.

If you really thought both words were just as bad, then you wouldn't have typed redneck, but would have censored it like the other word.

Actually it's probably because the PC crowd says it's ok to use derogatory comments of whites but not of blacks. Nobody here wants to be censored or banned for using the N word nor do the Admins want a ton of complaints

I don't have a problem pronunciation the word or spelling it out as long as I am not using it in a derogatory way

[drummerboy_dave]

Originally Posted by Mr. Smith

This is the predictable response of a less than half-witted demagogue who can't think of anything better to say. My absence from the radio profession does not invalidate my opinions. I have an opinion. Deal with it.

right, smithie......seems we've had this conversation before....

You go, with your bad self.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Twisp

Yeah, they definitely came through all right. lol

Whether VBulletin allowed them or not wasn't the point. D4T said that "redneck" is just as hateful as the other word, but he would never think to say or write down the other word, whereas he has no issue doing so with "redneck". Therefore, he must know that the other word is much stronger and hateful than "redneck".

I agree with you - and not with D4T on this one. I use "redneck" playfully. Would "redneck" be more akin to some one saying "ghetto" in the way that word is used?

I always thought that the African Americans who used the "n- word" did so to try and wear down some of the hateful aspects of the word, king of like the way "Jan Kaas" ("John Cheese" - as in "You cheese eating Dutch !#@#%!!") was won over by the Dutch and eventually became "Yankees."

If that is the case, how "black" does one have to be to use the "n- word?" Laura Sclessinger is obviously "Too white." Maybe we can use her as an extreme. On the other end? Serena Williams is fairly "dark" - so can she freely use the "n-word?" So, can someone "in between" like George Clooney (who's fairly dark for a "white") or Halle Berry (who is about as dark as Clooney) use the "n word?"

There's an interesting discussion here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n26712135/

I know what it's like to be harassed as a kid because of the color of your skin... and I'm a "redneck." Like I said before, "color" is nonsense. Ultimately, most of the arguments about "color" end up in nonsense - from all sides and in all colors.