This morning, I Tweeted out a softball.
By “softball,” I mean the above image, which has been making its way around right-wing e-mail chains. It doesn’t take a bleeding-heart liberal to realize the disturbing and disgusting nature of the message. It’s lily whiteness vs. savage blackness. And if you don’t see that … if you think it’s merely a comparison between two individual women, well, you’re blind. Absolutely blind.
I digress.
As soon as I was forwarded the image, I turned it around. I believe in not only knowing what others are saying, but exposing ignorance. Left or right, Democrat or Republican, it’s important. At least it seems to be. So I tossed it up on Twitter.
Again, I digress.
Of those who responded, 95 percent seemed to have the same reaction I did—awful, awful, awful. But then there was John Dennis, a WEEI sports radio personality in Boston and a man with a history of jarring insensitivity.
Here, in response to my Tweet, was Dennis …
Then, Dennis again …
Now, to be clear. The poll Dennis is referring to came out last week, via Quinnipiac University, and Obama was, indeed, voted the worst president since 1945. However, one thing must be made clear: The poll is really, really dumb. I’m not saying that because of the results. Hell, I thought George W. Bush was awful, and so did voters. The flaw, however, is that a shitload of the participants were surely not alive for many—if not most—of the presidents. How else to explain Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower, three significant executives with riveting backgrounds, barely registering on either the Best or Worst scale? Hell, Richard Nixon—shamed forever—ranked a distant third on the Worst list. Here, see for yourself …
I’m babbling. Dennis’ Tweets were, in my opinion, numb, but not exactly offensive. I guess the main thing I found strange was his reaction: Your response to the racial degradation of the First Lady—a seemingly decent woman with little-to-no policy say—is to talk about a survey that ranked her husband America’s worst president? Um, weird. Confusing. Odd.
But then …
And …
Finally, this …
Dennis proudly stands by the Tweets about her weight. Which is not especially surprising, considering: A. They rightly make him seem like the typical “Nice tits!” sports idiot who fills far too many American airwaves; B. His background playing, “the race card.” (his words) Eleven years ago, Dennis was on air, discussing the true saga of a gorilla that had somehow managed to escape from the Franklin Park Zoo. The animal was captured near a bus stop, and Dennis referred to him as “a METCO gorilla”—METCO being a Massachusetts program that bused inner-city (mostly minority) children to suburban schools. Get it—blacks, gorillas. Funny, right?
Dennis was suspended, and forced to apologize, which he did. So, hey.
Here’s the thing: I’ve appeared on Dennis’ show before. I’ve never had any beef. He’s been nice to me, helped promote my books, etc … etc. But, really, this isn’t about that. I’m so friggin’ tired of some dolt conservatives (and I’m not referring to all conservatives, or even most conservatives) complaining how they’re always portrayed as buffoons by the left—then acting like buffoons. It takes no genius to see what the above image means; what it portrays; what the message is. You don’t like the First Lady? Fair enough. Think her past comments are awful? Fine, fine, fine.
This, however, wasn’t about that.
Not even close.
PS: Aftermath: John read this post and blocked me. Ah, sports radio critics. They sure can sling it …
PPS: Pretty good response from my man @oneonehockey …
