Can we finally agree that Rosie is an asshole?

[Orrex]

I can't stand anything about her except her politics and her fearlessness in confronting Conservative dipshits.

Nevertheless, she is endlessly making an ass of herself and spewing the kind of thoughtless bullshit that would get any other media personality yanked off the stage.

So can we finally agree that Rosie "Mommy, where's my fur" "Everything is homophobic" "Ching Chong" O'Donnell is an asshole?

[InternalDialogue]

1. Politics aside, I've never been fond of her.

That being said, I'm really only here to see what sort of copycats your subject line inspires.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Well, I, for one, certainly CANNOT agree with your assessment.

Not one bit.

[Orrex]

4. Well, ask yourself this:

If any Conservative media figure had made exactly the same three statements that Rosie has made so recently, what would be the reaction?

I'm no friend of Conservatives, mind you, but Rosie's thoughtless blather and frankly astonishing lack of general sense should earn her a serious rebuke at the very least.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Rosie is a reasoned, thoughtful, intelligent woman.

And I agree with everything she says.

[Orrex]

8. Oh, I get it. You're putting me on!

In any case, a few weeks ago on "The View," Rosie told a story that she probably thought was cute, but I couldn't help wondering what would have been the reaction if, say, Charles Gibson had told the same anecdote. You know, the one in which Rosie, bathing with her young child, is amused when the child says "mommy, where's my fur?"

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JVS]

11. I was wondering what was going on

[cwydro]

39. What was the other statement?

I work so I never see the show. I missed all these but learned about the ching chong comment here as well as the "fur" comment. What was the other one?

[Orrex]

71. I was referring to her outing of Clay Aiken

While simultaneously labeling Kelly Ripa as a homophobe. It was a baseless attack meant to silence Ripa while drafting Aiken as a pawn.

[cwydro]

95. Yep, Thanks

I had forgotten that one.

[Evergreen Emerald]

154. yeah...those right-wing talk show hosts never say anything inappropriate

I wish she would try to sound more reasonable...like Hannity or O'Riley, or Beck, or...

!

[fujiyama]

3. I heard that "ching chong" comment

and it made me cringe. It sounded extremely crude and understandably offensive.

And it just wasn't funny.

Her speaking in general is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I find her really annoying.

[Orrex]

7. I'm reminded of Sen. Al D'Amato's impression of Judge Lance Ito

D'Amato was rightly attached for his ethnic slur, and he had to deliver a second apology after his first one was so dismally inadequate. Why Rosie should be afforded greater latitude for a whole string of idiotic utterances is wholly beyond me.

[fujiyama]

9. Ah yeah

I had forgotten about that.

That guy was a real dick.

[BikeWriter]

28. I saw it at Youtube. It made me wanna puke.

[hickman]

6. Why is it that when some people get married they turn into

jerks? She used to be a funny compassionate person. Then she marries Kelly and becomes a jerk. Am I the only one that has noticed this dynamic? Do single people always project happy and shiney until they find a mate, then release the hostility?

[Quantess]

151. I wasn't even aware she got married.

But then, I have been aware that Rosie O'Donnell is obnoxious for QUITE SOME TIME NOW.
I just assumed that was her "charm" and "appeal" to her base. This isn't anything new.
(edited for punctuation)

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. delete - posted response in wrong spot

It is now correctly response #12 above.

[JVS]

13. I'm glad you got that off your chest

:hug: It was very brave to let your feelings out like that.

[Bullwinkle925]

14. I haven't been paying attention to her. I stopped watching

the View" several years ago. It began as a fresh concept but then turned into a 'self-serving' lovefest between the women which I found was becoming odious and no longer entertaining. I'm not aware of any of Rosie's utterances lately.

[kwassa]

15. So, who is Rosie O'Donnell, and anyone else on daytime TV?

and who is this Oprah I keep hearing about?

and this "The View" show?

As I work for a living ... I don't see any of these, not that I want to very much.

[Orrex]

18. I likewise work for a living, but I've found it hard to avoid her idiocy

It's all over the Internets and news programs and the like.

[bridgit]

16. i haven't paid any attention to her since she stopped doing stand-up...

and even her stand-up wasn't as universally humanistic as Ellen's so go figure :shrug:

[tigereye]

40. good point Bridget

I used to like her standup (not great, but she was funny). Now she tends to pontificate, but actually, I think she is getting the crap that any woman of conscience who speaks her mind strongly, tends to get. She's supposed to be funny, right? Kinda like Jon Stewart on Tucker Carlson - we seem to be able to see people only one way....


actually if you want to see a woman who really has no PC button, that would be Sarah Silverman..... they oughta put her on The View and see the fur fly!

I only saw the View when was I having my car fixed, but I really miss Viera and tend to prefer Joy Behar, if the truth be told.

[Orrex]

44. The difference is that Sarah Silverman is funny as hell

It's far too easy to excuse Rosie O'Donnell as a public figure who's criticized simply because she's a strong-willed woman. Clearly she is a strong-willed woman, and more power to her, sez I. But if any other woman or any man had made those same idiotic comments (even, say, Jon Stewart or Keith Olbermann), the criticism would be just as valid.

When she's on The View, O'Donnell isn't playing a character the way that Stewart does on The Daily Show or Silverman does in her on-stage routines; O'Donnell is speaking her mind, often without apparent forethought or awareness of consequence. Certainly she's entitled to say whatever the hell she wants, but she should expect to be subjected to criticism from anywhere within range of her voice.

[tigereye]

64. hey, you aren't Bridget!

;)


Silverman is funny to a point....

[Orrex]

76. I'm not? Would that make me A Bridget Too Far?

(pause for laughter...)


(keep pausing...)

[tigereye]

98. pity laugh for ya

actually, I really like baaaad puns. I'm one of those.

[Orrex]

99. There's no shame in scoring pity laughs

That's the best way to tell that one's puns are truly appreciated!

[tigereye]

101. I always think that a groan is a compliment....

[youthere]

17. I always liked her stand-up, movies and her show..

but she annoys me now. She's become obnoxious.

[philosophie_en_rose]

19. She makes me miss Star Jones.

And Star Jones was the queen of sanctimonious idiocy.

[blondeatlast]

100. "...queen of sanctimonious idiocy. "

Perfect summation and absolutely hilarious!

:rofl:

[underpants]

20. You clearly never watched her daytime show

She did for charity giving and volunteering what Oprah did for reading at least in terms of getting housewives with lots of idle time getting involved.

[Orrex]

22. That's super, to be sure

She's an asshole with laudable accomplishments to her credit, but she's still an asshole.

And, anyway, I already distinguished my view of her politics from my view of her personality.

[Puglover]

21. Christ. Build a bridge.

:eyes:

[Midlodemocrat]

23. Nope. I adore her. She has done so much for the GLBT community

I'd be hard pressed to criticize her on anything.

[Orrex]

24. Surely there must be a boundary?

What, in your view, would be beyond the limit of acceptability? Or is she given carte blanche just because she has done good (and truly commendable good, I agree!) in one arena?

[Midlodemocrat]

25. Frankly, I'll criticize her when the GLBT community is

as accepted as heterosexuals are. Is she outspoken? Sure, she is. Does she put her foot in her mouth? Hell, we all do at one time or another.

I think her good works FAR outweigh anything else she has done. She tackles conservatives with verve and I don't think any other celebrity has put themselves out there for GLBT rights as Rosie.

I admire her for that.

[Orrex]

27. Fair enough. Again, though...

I stated outright in the OP that I distinguish her politics and courage from her asshole personality.

Barney Frank, I'm told, can be quite a jerk in his own right, but I can think of no one who crusades more passionately for civil rights. I can admire his works from afar without ever wanting to go on a long car ride with him. I suppose the same is true of Rosie.

[Midlodemocrat]

30. And, I think sometimes we as the general public forget that

the individual's public persona might be vastly different from their private one.

I had 'heard' the same about Barney Frank, but I don't have any first hand knowledge.

And, I'm sure there are celebrities, et al that you like that I despise. That's what makes it a great, big, wonderful world.

:hi:

[Orrex]

33. No way!

What makes this a great, big, wonderful world is the fact that I'm always right. ;)

To be honest, I almost hope that Barney Frank is as much of a jerk as I've heard; that way he'd be a total bastard, but he'd be our total bastard!

[BikeWriter]

29. One question, please. Couldn't her motives...

for that be entirely self-serving? I have cringed over things she's said several times recently. :shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

31. Yes. Absolutely. But, I do admire her desire to better things

for the entire GLBT community.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

43. Not even for outing Clay Aiken???

[Midlodemocrat]

48. Didn't know that.

Didn't know Clay Aiken was gay. :shrug:

[BikeWriter]

55. It's supposedly widely known, he does not admit it. She did...

out him for a lot of people. I didn't know it, for instance.

[Montauk6]

122. Y'know, Midlo and Tyrone, it wasn't the "outing" I found so grating

as her argument that it's SO HARD on him to have all this fame. That's when she lost me. As far as I'm concerned, Clay Aiken is possibly the most fortunate RUNNER-UP in history.

[Midlodemocrat]

124. I wasn't aware that she had outed him, but I have to agree totally with you.

His Christmas album is absolutely fantastic. Although I'm not a fan of country music, he has a simply beautiful voice. He also *seems* (as far as I can tell from what I've observed) to be a nice guy. I wish him the best.

[Montauk6]

129. I don't even know if SHE'S aware that it was an indirect outing

What happened was she was commenting on the Aiken/Ripa rift where he put his hand over her mouth to shut her questioning of that football guy who did Dances with the Stars (oy, the elements of this whole thing are SO irrelevant!!!). Ripa reacted, I FELT, with tact saying, "ohhh... that's a no-no" but she was clearly irritated by the gesture. AND SHE SHOULD'VE BEEN! It's her show, she had a good stream going with the questions, AND he could've jumped in at any time!

So, Rosie comments that Kelly's annoyance was rooted in homophobia. At that moment, someone could've jolted her back to reality by saying, "But Rosie, to anyone's knowledge, Clay's never come out so how can you say that this was homophobia." That may have resulted in some major blushing and zipped the conversation right then and there.

Of course, I could just imagine Clay yelling at the TV screen, "ROSIE!!! IXNAY ON THE OMOHAY-OBIAPHAY!!!"

[Quantess]

152. I knew Clay Aiken was gay already.

How could he NOT be?

[nini]

78. This is the attitude that bothers me

Yes, she has done quite a bit for gay rights - She is actually one of the front runners in that category and definitely needs to be commended for it.

However, that shouldn't make someone not call her on other things she does that are not OK.

She weakens her case for gay rights when she goes after other cultures etc.. That's what bothers me. She is defeating her own purpose at times and should not get a free pass on the not so great things she says just because she has done good in other ways.

This applies to anyone..not just her.

[Midlodemocrat]

91. I didn't say I agree with what she said. Frankly, I didn't even know

about it until much later this morning. I thought the OP was just the regular Rosie bashing.

My point is, people put their foot in their mouths all the time. She's apologized for it and I don't for one minute think she's a bigot.

She's a passionate person and I think she stepped in a pile of poo with her comments. I don't for one minute think she's an 'asshole' for it. I think she made a mistake.

[LibraLiz1973]

103. How was she "going after other cultures"?

That's a really broad (and erroneous, IMHO) statement

[nini]

141. well I guess we disagree

Her comments were offensive to the Chineses race/culture/language - however you want to say it.

[Westegg]

92. But do you understand why others are criticizing her?

I get your personal take on this subject. Likewise, my personal take is that no one is above criticism, no matter what good they've done.

[Midlodemocrat]

96. I don't have a dog in this fight.

Whether or not she supports GLBT doesn't affect my own life at all, and I think she's human, made a mistake and has apologized for it. I admire her courage in certain other areas of her life and therefore, I don't think she is an asshole. I just don't.

I think all of us would agree that if we were to agree with EVERY SINGLE THING anyone ever did we'd be hard pressed to find anyone to admire or even like.

JMHO. YMMV.

[LibraLiz1973]

102. I think people are taking the comment Waaaaaay to far

I like Rosie alot. It was a dumb thing to say but she HAS apologized... more than once.
What she said was taken completely out of context. Much like John Kerry's joke that pissed people off.
It's a damn shame that people are taking her to task over something that was SO innocent

[cwydro]

26. She certainly appears to be a hypocrite.

Offended by statements or actions she considers homophobic, but the hell with other minority groups - hey if it's good for a laugh...

[BikeWriter]

32. She has reminded me of rush oxycontin lately.

[Crazy Dave]

37. I wish that we could kick & recommend individual threads

:thumbsup:

A lot of people give their heroes a free pass to do what they please and offend others, as long as it's not them on the receiving end. It reminds me of all the moms you see crying at their son's murder trials. Ten eye witnesses and video of the shooting, the murder weapon that he bought with his fingerprints all over it, yet the momma will still get on camera crying, saying that it wasn't her boy that did it.

Does love or admiration make people blind, stupid, hypocritical?

[BikeWriter]

34. Here's Rosie's ching chong thing at Youtube..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuTspbPmV_g

[Zavulon]

35. I've never had any use for that talentless dolt.

She's not funny, and the only people I know personally who like her are outright morons. This "ching chong" thing isn't a surprise at all.

To be honest, I don't even think she's a lesbian. I think she "came out" for some headlines when it looked like a.) it was reasonably fashionable to do so, and b.) her career needed a serious shot in the arm.

The sooner she develops serious problems with her vocal cords, the happier I'll be.

[JackBeck]

38. Are you kidding?

You don't think she's a lesbian?

I don't even know where to begin with that one.

[Zavulon]

41. I haven't followed her career at all, but

She used to openly drool all over Tom Cruise and then when people like Ellen got all sorts of headlines for coming out, Rosie's like "um, oh, yeah, I'm a lesbian too." Since I don't have a webcam in her bedroom and wouldn't look even if I did, I have no reason to believe her - unless you have some sort of proof. If you do, I have no problem admitting I'm wrong.

[JackBeck]

42. So is that how you feel about all gay people?

That we need to prove it to you. And what's with only being able to tell if a person's gay by seeing what the gender is of the person they are having sex with?

Being gay is not just about sex. It's also about family, which Rosie has with her partner Kelli.

[Orrex]

45. I thought that all gay people came out for fabulous book deals and free publicity

Homosexuals have it so easy in today's warm and welcoming society...

[Zavulon]

60. I didn't say "all." I pointed to one.

You'll note that I didn't single out anyone but Rosie. I don't doubt Ellen, for instance.

There are some people who I am inclined to disbelieve. That includes everyone in the Bush administration and certain celebrities. I don't even believe Rosie is where she claims to stand politically, and I would put no publicity stunt past her.

If you want to put words in my mouth and apply them to all gays like Jack did, be my guest. I only spoke of one person, but don't let that stop you from kneejerk reactions and getting offended.

[Orrex]

68. You saw that I was replying to JackBeck, did you not?

And for the record, I don't care whether you were speaking of one asshole or one thousand.

[Zavulon]

72. I did not, actually.

I was scanning the posts, not the links. I have Jack on ignore, and because I was running through the posts rather quickly I thought you were replying to me. Luckily, neither of us seems to care about the other's opinion.

[Orrex]

73. I'm offended that you haven't put me on Ignore

What's a guy gotta do around here?

[Zavulon]

87. My first laugh of the day on this board, thanks.

Actually, you didn't shriek loud enough, get offended enough or twist my words enough. Also, you failed to throw around words like "rude" enough.

Cheer up, I've only got two people on ignore and I've been here for eight months, so it isn't easy to do. You gave it a good shot.

Maybe next time. It's tough, but not inmpossible. :)

[PVnRT]

105. Don't forget the fabulous toasters

[ncrainbowgrrl]

109. Now that is one HOT Toaster. Why doesn't mine look that awesome?

I guess I'm not famous enough to get a very hip toaster!

[JackBeck]

110. Nor are you famous enough to have your coming out be called

a publicity stunt.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

111. Yeah, that's true. I guess I'm just an average citizen....

so, I get the standard appliance- no fancy bells or whistles.

[Zavulon]

50. Did I say that?

I don't feel that way about all gay people, no, I feel that way about a particular blowhard publicity hound. Did I say I doubted Ellen, for instance?

Why not can the hypersensitive crap and save it for someone who has a real problem with gays? My problem is with one person whom I have no reason to believe. Period. Put words in someone else's mouth, thanks.

[JackBeck]

54. Your original statement that you doubt Rosie's gay is just rude.

And your statement that the only way to prove it is by seeing who she has sex with is also rude.

One wouldn't have to look very far to see that she has created a rather large family with her wife. But I guess that's also just a PR stunt.

[Zavulon]

56. Okay, then here's a plan:

I'll put you on ignore, and you just keep applying my words to all gays - even though I clearly did nothing of the kind. You're already on a roll.

My statement about doubting her was not rude, it was fact - I do doubt her, and I don't owe you an apology for it. If you don't like what I'd require as proof from her, too bad - that's fact, too (a celebrity living with someone to convey an alleged orientation has happened before, and I wouldn't put it past her). I sure as hell have no intention of apologizing for speaking badly about a talentless windbag who gives me the impression that she'll say anything for her career.

What was rude (and stupid) was you applying my words to the entire GLBT community, but fortunately I really don't care about the opinions of people who jump to incorrect comclusions like you did.

No go on and continue to be offended because I spoke badly about one allegedly gay person. Just don't expect a response.

[JackBeck]

57. Wow. Twice in one week.

I think I'm on a roll.

[Ariana Celeste]

107. I think you are.

:D

[JackBeck]

108. I wear it as a badge of honour.

I've been here for about a year and a half and have gotten involved in some pretty heated discussions, but never been informed that I was being put on "ignore"...until this past week. Twice from two different people.

I never put people on ignore because I figure, if I'm thinking you're an idiot right now, I want to see if you continue to make a fool out of yourself. Not that I have a problem with people who use the function, we all have our reasons in life for doing things.

[Puglover]

112. "allegedly gay person"

Hey congrats! That just hit the tip top of my weekly DU bizzaro post list! Yeah, as someone said upthread. There are so, so many celebraties out there who feign gayness to further their career. :eyes:

[LostinVA]

115. "Can the hypersensitive crap"?

Oh, sorry, I forgot that we're supposed to let YOU tell us what should offend us. Kinda like a woman being called "sensitive" and "hysterical," huh?

Take some sensitivity classes or stay off the GLBT threads. God. You can dress up homophobia however you want, but that' what it still is.

[cwydro]

121. This is a GBLT thread?

I thought it was a Rosie thread. Aren't you being contradictory defending her when obviously Asians were offended by her remark? Or are you the arbiter of what is offensive to other minority groups? Seems you could just stay on topic instead of starting a subthread re gay issues. The OP was not referencing Rosie's sexuality.

[Midlodemocrat]

123. But that poster did. And some of what

he posted was at best insensitive and at worst homophobic.

I would have thought you would have seen that?

[cwydro]

125. Yes, I agree with you that the poster was certainly clumsy

in expressing his opinion. However, I do try to respect other people's opinions. I just thought we should stay on track as to what the OP was stating. I think Rosie also, was very clumsy in expressing HER opinion. I don't think she meant in any way to offend, but I think she should have offered a gracious apology when she learned that she had.

[foreigncorrespondent]

139. But you decide...

...not to respect the opinions of the queers who stand up and say "hey mr straight guy, we are rather offended by your comment regarding Rosie's lesbianism?"

[cwydro]

140. Actually I thought they were offended

because he said he DIDN"T think she was gay. He didn't say anything about her lesbianism; he said he thought she wasn't. What a silly argument.

And I'm gay too and not in the least offended by a silly clumsy post.

But still, the OP was just talking about Rosie being annoying. I think she has become rather pedantic and annoying and holier-than-thou. Gay or not. Just because someone is gay and so am I, IMO does not give her/him a free pass to offend other minority groups.

I just think she should make a gracious apology. I am disappointed in her; I thought she was better than that.

[foreigncorrespondent]

138. No it isn't a gay thread...

...but in case you failed to notice a heterosexual moron brought up the gay issue which happenes to offend us gay people.

And an FYI: as for Rosie and her statement. I never liked her anyway. I think she needs to apologize and fast.

[JackBeck]

163. Never put words in your mouth. You created your own reality.

You showed that DU-ers dig their own grave.

I can't grasp how you still think that Rosie came out as a publicity stunt.

And I seem to be not alone. Is everyone else that you disagree with on your ignore list as well?

[Midlodemocrat]

46. Don't you think it's possible that drooling over Tom Cruise

was part of her 'schtick'?

I have no reason to doubt her sexuality. She seems to have made a nice life for herself with her family.

[Zavulon]

51. Possible, but there's something about her

that makes me doubt most of what she says. I'm not even sure I believe she is where she claims to stand politically.

[Midlodemocrat]

52. Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

I disagree. I think she has done so much for the GLBT community. That's one of the things I really adore about her.

[Zavulon]

53. As I said elsewhere, I

don't follow her career closely. She's just one of those who inspires disbelief from me every time she's on TV. She strikes me as willing to say and do anything to be liked or to get attention, and nothing surprises me from her. Actually, her anti-Asian rant is the only thing I've seen from her in ages that struck me as genuine.

If she's as supportive of the GLBT community as you say (and I'm not saying I doubt you, I really don't know), I wonder how the Asian GLBT community feels about her today.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

81. Hey, maybe she isn't even a carbon-based lifeform! -nt

[BikeWriter]

83. She looks like a squid... Sorry, squids!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

75. No, wait, let me guess: the evil Hollywood establishment makes things harder for you

if you don't conform to the Gay Agenda. Right?

[LostinVA]

114. I "drool" over John Stamos and Jude Law

I know very straight women who "drool" over Angelina Jolie.

OF COURSE she's gay. How dare you question the legitimacy of anyone's sexual orientation, and call her a fake lesbian for a career move.

Disgusting dreck.

[ronnykmarshall]

159. I drool over Angelina too!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

130. I'm a lesbian who openly drools over Johnny Depp. What's your point?

[foreigncorrespondent]

136. Get a grip on reality!

ROSIE WAS OUTED!!!!!! She did not stand up and say "by the way people, I am a lesbian."

Sheesh!

[Jamastiene]

145. She said she was gay.

She nor anyone on this board should have to prove that. Cut and dried answer.

[LostinVA]

113. You don't even think she's a lesbian?

Your post is so offensive and outrageous.

[foreigncorrespondent]

135. ROFLMAO

Here you are calling the people who like Rosie morons, yet you have just shown your intelligence here.

Rosie didn't come out, she was actually outed. Best learn some hard facts before making yourself look like a fool next time.

[johnnie]

36. I never understood what made her famous

I don't hear enough of her to know what she says, but her comedy, acting and anything else I have seen her in, wasn't impressive to me.

If it just takes strong convictions to be famous, I should be famous by now.

[democracyindanger]

58. You didn't? One word:

Madonna.

[johnnie]

67. Oh yeah!

I forgot about that.

[JackBeck]

90. We can also thank her for introducing Ali G to Americans.

He was her limo driver in the video for "Music".

[LostinVA]

126. I love Ali G

[ronnykmarshall]

160. Another one I droll over.

Damn I need a mop!

[MissMillie]

47. People sometimes go for the sound-byte

and end up saying something stupid. That doesn't make them an asshole.

[Orrex]

49. A repeated pattern of thoughtless public declarations is damnig, however

Rosie's been in the business a long time, and she's no dummy. Therefore she should be made to face the music when she outs someone or looses an ethnic slur on broadcast airwaves.

[soleft]

59. Tell me who isn't an asshole at one time or another

Everyone is capable of every human behavior at one point or another. Some of us are better at limited our descents into darker behaviors. Hopefully she'll learn from this and make amends in some way. If you don't like her you don't have to watch her.

[BikeWriter]

80. Yes, I do have to watch. I want to know when she attacks me!!!!111

[Orrex]

85. Of course I don't have to watch her

But she is a spokesperson for many noble causes, and her repeated forays into insensitive and/or offensive commentary damage her credibility and the credibility of the causes she represents. So even if I don't watch her, as someone who likewise advocates several similar causes, I am forced to deal with the impact of her thoughtlessness.

[soleft]

89. I can understand that

I guess I figure if I can forgive her for gushing all over Bush after 9/11 I can forgive her gross ignorance for this too. To me she's one of those people who's a work in progress, and sometimes she needs a lot of work.

[bleedingheart]

61. I like Rosie, I think a lot of people don't like outspoken women

I am an outspoken woman and I know that people other like me or not.

However I have noticed that outspoken men get far more respect..and are even lauded for their outspoken behavior.

So she makes a quip or two that people don't like ...but yet OReilly and Matthews do it all the time and yet I don't see people as mad at them as they can be at Rosie...who I think is a far better person.

[cwydro]

62. I have no problem with outspoken women

and I'm one myself. But an ethnic slur is an ethnic slur. She shouldn't get a free pass just because she is a woman or a gay spokesperson.

[bleedingheart]

65. I didn't see the clip...

it is just that ever since she has been on that program she is on now...people just have nothing nice to say about her and to be honest I think she had a lot more going for her than Star Jones.

[L A Woman]

134. It was not an ethnic slur!

Like my granny always told me, "take things as they are intended."

Honestly, with all the Christian-bashing and women-bashing and vegetarian-bashing, etc. etc. that goes on here all the time, you have got to be kidding me with this thread.

I do find all the DU fake anger to be highly amusing!!!!

[Orrex]

63. Two entirely separate issues

Fact One: Rosie O'Donnell is a strong-willed, outspoken woman

Fact Two: Rosie O'Donnell is, to judge from her repeated insensitivity and defiance when confronted with it, an asshole.

Neither depends upon the other to be true, and neither precludes the other.

And are you serious when you say that you don't see people complaining about O'Reilly and Matthews?

[bleedingheart]

66. it is the way they complain...it is hard to describe

but I was at a party where a very rude man was mocking my politics. He was rude, and completely lacking in manners. When I finally got done being nice...I let him have it with both barrels...and what I noticed afterwards was that some folks..even women felt I was wrong even though that fellow was a king sized asshole...it seemed to me that people don't like women to defend themselves successfully...it seems to make them uncomfortable and it runs against all the stereotypes that we are to be demure and beholden to men...

[Orrex]

69. Well, you wouldn't have this problem if you knew your place

I see what you mean, but I still say that Rosie's in the wrong, here. It's not just that she's strong-willed or passionate in her convictions; she made a very public ethnic slur, the offensive nature of which is independent of her strong will or convictions, and she needs to be held to account for it just like anyone should be.

[bleedingheart]

79. I don't know if I just viewed the correct video...so help me here

I watched her comment on something about Danny DeVito and she was talking about it being all over the world (the news about him being drunk I suppose)...so she did a routine where she pretended to speak chinese...then inserted the world "danny devito" and then ended with ching chong ..etc

Now...perhaps it is me...but I don't think she is making an ethnic slur...clearly she doesn't speak Mandarin or any other Chinese dialect so she was just making a point that the name "Danny Devito" would be what most people would be saying along with what ever commentary they had.

Now if she said something rude about Chinese people I would understand.

I grew up in a bilingual household..My mother spoke Lithuanian and my father spoke Croatian. None of us kids mastered either language because my parents spoke to one another in English and reserved the foreign languages for private issues or amongst their sibligns...(dad always spoke Croatian to his sisters so we wouldn't babble anything gossip back to mom)...

To this day I joke with my mother that her Lithuanian music sounds like some demented flea circus...(I do it to get a rise out of her)...and I will make fun of how they Lithuanianize new names like Car is "automobilis" in Lithuanian...or at least american-lithuanian... Now what I do is ruder than what Rosie was doing...

Now if I am missing something from the clip..please let me know.

[Orrex]

84. You saw the right segment, and the slur is in the eye of the beholder

Rosie has insisted that she wasn't aware that it was a slur, but George Allen likewise insisted that he didn't know that "Macaca" was offensive. She may or may not have been aware that it was a slur, but to be honest she should have known it. If she were prattling on in a 1930's step-and-fetch-it caricature of "black" speech, it would be offenseive whether or not she knew it. If I were to comment on the breasts of a woman in my workplace, it would be offensive even if I thought I that I was being complimentary.

Rosie should have known better, and she should have been more sincere and contrite in her apology.

[bleedingheart]

86. I understand what you are talking about and there were many ways

for her to have gotten her point across...

She could have said..

1. "all over the world, I am sure that newscasters are talking about Danny Devito's behavior"

2. "I can just imagine people talking in their native language, and even our viewers would know what they would be talking about because they could hear the name "danny devito""

Instead because of her brash and comedic background she "painted the picture" for the viewer by simulating a chinese newscaster...

and the slur is the fact that she doesn't speak chinese and because she doesn't ...she uses words that "sound chinese" and thus she is making a mockery of all chinese people....???

the same could be said of anyone who imitates accents or dialects of any language..???

[Orrex]

94. I think that you've articulated it very nicely

By reciting a made-up newscast in a bad caricature of Chinese, she's giving an ignorant commentary on a language that she doesn't understand (neither do I, for that matter), and the particular way that she did it has a belittling tone that commits the bulk of the offense, I think. It carries a sort of "it all sounds like gibberish" vibe which, in its particular "ching chong" formulation, smacks of "they all look alike to me." She probably didn't intend that, exactly, but that's how it comes across.

Contrast that with the timely joke on last night's The Office, in which Steve Karel was nominally dating an Asian woman but couldn't tell her apart from her friend (to the point that he actually marked his date with a pen). The joke there, as framed, is obviously on Karel's character, rather than on any impenetrable similarity of appearance between one woman and the next. For the record, they didn't really look that much alike anyway, so the joke is made even more absurd.

I don't think that anyone who immitates and accent or dialect is necessarily committing a slur, but what Rosie did knowingly was to reduce a language to a juvenile caricature, and that's where the problem came about.

[bullwinkle428]

97. Just as an off-topic, "The Office" last night was hilarious! Perfectly

in-character for Michael Scott, who fancies himself as a kind of Mr. Sensitive & Wordly, and comes off as freaking clueless most of the time!

[LibraLiz1973]

104. from rosie.com

Here is (just one of the many) Rosie's answer to the ching chong drama:

If the joke were about fat people and instead went: “Fat people around the world heard it. They probably said, ‘Gobble gobble, munch munch, DeVito, drunk, munch view, gobble”.’ Would it offend you?

well
it would offend me
as it makes no sense

but the joke was about
the abusrdity
of danny devito drunk on the view
being INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[Orrex]

116. She'd be better off giving a sincere apology rather than explaining the slur

She's telling people why they shouldn't be offended, rather than accepting that she offended them.

Next, she'll tell us that she never bet on baseball.

[JVS]

74. Outspoken or Bloviating Windbag. There is a difference.

I flip on the TV and she's there almost screaming at the camera about something or other. I'd actually rather watch Oprah than Rosie.

[BikeWriter]

82. I surround myself with outspoken women...

I think Rosie's just rude. :shrug:
I dislike OReilly and Matthews intensely too.

[L A Woman]

131. What do those two have to do with anything?

Do you dislike O'Reilly and Matthews because they are outspoken - or because you disagree with their viewpoints?

Rosie is a liberal. What do you dislike about her besides her outspokenness?

[BikeWriter]

150. Someone upthread mentioned the bastids.

[ikojo]

70. I liked her when she had her talk show in the

1990s. She was a breath of fresh air, even though she too did celebrity crap. I felt she was far more real than Oprah. Also the fact that she was so tuned into pop culture and could sing almost any top 40 song from 1970 forward was cool.

She now seems to be divisive just to be divisive. That is not good. It alienates people and progressives or whatever you call yourself should not be about alienating people.

[ileus]

77. Agreed

[KamaAina]

88. Ching chong, the witch is dead

:spank:

[democracyindanger]

119. Now THAT'S funny.

[Taverner]

93. Honestly, I think of her as a Conservative at heart

I watched that Gay Parents Cruise on HBO a while back, and everyone came off as wonderful EXCEPT her with her overbearing parenting. I swear it was like watching Dobson.

[Deja Q]

106. She's an ear, eye, lock of hair and a breast too.

:shrug:

As with all people, she has her good points and her bad points.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

117. actually we cant agree...and from your post it sounds like people in glass houses

shouldnt throw stones

[Orrex]

146. Uh, what?

:wtf:

For the record, you're welcome to subject to equal scrutiny any statement I've knowingly made on nationally broadcast tv.

Anyone who works in that medium (and has for decades) had better be aware of the impact of her commentary, however idiotic or thoughtless it may be. Rosie has no excuse other than to say "I screwed up, and I am sorry that my attempt at a joke was an offensive slur."

[latebloomer]

118. always found her obnoxious, but after 9/11

when she said something about "President" Bush making her feel all safe and secure, I permanently soured on her. Now she's a Democrat again.

I find her unfunny and not particularly talented.

[cwydro]

120. Yep, that's when the worm turned for me too

[L A Woman]

132. How oddly disturbing.

Why would you take that and base your entire opinion of her on it? Why not base your opinion on what she did to Tom Selleck? Or why not base your opinion on the charity work she does for gay families and for children? Why not base your opinion on the fact she donated a million bucks to the 9/11 families and publicly challenged every other rich celebrity to do the same?

Rosie is from New York. You can imagine the pain she felt after that tragedy, as we all did. And Bush had not yet really proven himself to be the lunatic he is. I didn't hate him yet. I didn't vote for him, but I didn't hate him. I trusted that he would do the right thing after 9/11. Why would Rosie's trust in the president at that time make her NOT a Democrat?

How can you judge a person based on that?

[latebloomer]

137. You trusted that Bush would do the right thing after 9-11?

Well, I sure as hell didn't-- on that day I was twice as terrified knowing he and his cronies were at the helm! And I was watching the buildings burn from across the river!

I found it fawning and scary, the way she seemed to have relinquished her intelligence and was looking to this right-wing maniac to be her Daddy and protector. It reminded me of the way people give away their rights in blind obedience to a dictator. I saw him as a major threat to the world before he was even selected, and the thought that he could seize more power and do more damage was distressing, to put it mildly. As has happened.

That's cool though, that she does charity work. I'm not familiar with that, because I have a visceral reaction to her that makes me tune her out. I just find her grating. She may be a very good person, but she annoys me.

[L A Woman]

157. It wasn't that I trusted HIM personally...

but I thought he and Congress would do what Americans demanded, which was go after Bin Laden. Remember, up to that point, he hadn't done anything but take vacations. It's amazing that you could tell by his extensive vacations that he was a major threat to the world. I saw him as more of a lazy, spoiled frat boy who didn't know he was president.

But back to Rosie...I do find it fascinating that we never criticize men this way. "I know he's a liberal and he does a lot for charity and he publicly admonishes conservatives, but I just don't like how LOUDLY he talks."

[latebloomer]

161. Yes, he is and was a lazy, spoiled frat boy

but HE wasn't and isn't the one who is actually running the country. It's those who run him that I feared.

And I do believe I would find an obnoxious, talentless, not-too-bright male entertainer just as annoying.

[Mobius]

127. I couldn't stand her when she used to do bad game shows

like Win Lose or Draw, with her bad 80's hair cut, well into the late 90's.
Yeah, she has done agreat deal for the Gay "community", but so have a lot of other people, who didn't need to act like the poster child masculine lesbian and insult people like Clay Aiken to do it.
Who gives a shit if Clay Aiken is gay or not, and why try to "out" him, as if being gay were something to be ashamed of.
That in and of itself, would make me doubt whether or not Rosie is gay. I mean if she feels Clay should be ashamed, is she ashamed of herself? Or perhaps she is more homophobic than anyone she accuses.
I am not generally a fan of the type of music Clay Aiken sings, but I think he has got a hell of a set of pipes none the less.

[undeterred]

128. She has a big mouth.

And she seems to forget that the whole world is at the other end of a microphone. But I wouldn't call her an "asshole".

[Little Wing]

133. Anyone making a deal out of this "ching chong" thing has too much

time on their hands. I just watched the clip, it's totally irrelevant to anything.

[Orrex]

143. Do me a favor and make me a list of things I'm allowed to comment on

Since, in point of fact, I do not have too much time on my hands, it would be greatly helpful if you could notify me of the proper topics for review and discussion.

Thanks so much.

[aein]

149. you're not truly an asian-american until you've been given the 'ching chong' treatment by some moron

[JVS]

162. I figure if Rosie can turn the Clay+Kelly incident into homophobia...

then she is sensitive enough to realize that ching chong is inappropriate.

Unless it is just a matter of her only caring when her ox is being gored.

[Jamastiene]

142. Uhm, while it is true that Rosie is very outspoken,

I would not classify her as an asshole. She is outspoken. She's one of those people who are straight up and honest about their opinions. WYSIWYG...I like those kinds of people. You know what you are getting up front with them. No surprises or exposure of major lies down the road. That is much better than dealing with people who are honey dripping sweet to you while they twist the knife in your back. I'll take the bluntness any day.

And no, I don't particularly think she meant anything bad about the Asian people. It's possible she did not know that was offensive to them.

[Orrex]

148. I have never claimed that she's an asshole for being outspoken

Nor is she an asshole for being a blunt or for being a strong-willed woman. Anyone who fails to make that distinction is, I think, missing the point.

She's an asshole because she repeatedly makes insensitive, thoughtless statements and because she seems generally unable to accept that her statements are sometimes offensive and entirely unable to give a sincere apology for them. Obviously she's free to say whatever the hell she wants, but that's not the point, either.

[Jamastiene]

153. She's not an asshole.

Sometimes she makes crass comments, but that does not make her an asshole. Name calling is the lowest form of expression, btw.

[Orrex]

164. Oh, come on.

Name-calling is the lowest form of expression only if it's the entirety of the expression. If name-calling is used as a summation of a larger case (such as the case made by discussing Rosie's many gaffes, slurs, and insensitivities), then it's entirely appropriate.

FWIW, I'd say that she could be called an asshole specificially because she routinely makes crass comments.

[El Fuego]

144. YES. She doesn't deserve her own forum.

[Quantess]

147. Who likes Rosie O'Donnell, anyway?

Nevermind.

[liberal hypnotist]

155. Rosie got rich.

After Rosie got her teeth capped she changed everything. Once funny now she was just sticking her new teeth out all the time. She is the alter-ego of many people who are tired of being nice all the time. so we get Rosie.

[blockhead]

156. agreed...

asshole

[ronnykmarshall]

158. I agree.

I like Rosie, but she's really been making an ass out herself lately.

[DainBramaged]

165. WOW, fighting over Rosie. Can you say, we forgot our agenda?

Iraq, children's health care, the cost of health care, joblessness, Iraq, inflation, housing market crashing, Bush out of control, 208 sooner than you think.

And we're fighting over Rosie being an asshole.


How sad. I wonder how much of this thread is being influenced by intruders?

[cwydro]

166. Excellent post!

AND some are fighting over whether she is gay or not...:rofl: :popcorn:

[DainBramaged]

167. Fighting over her being gay? That's like fighting over her being a real woman

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you

[Orrex]

168. So now we can only discuss weighty political matters in the Lounge?

When did this fundamental change occur? Perhaps it was somewhere between the "show us your tits" and "I'm bullish on Kudzu" threads.

Thanks for notifying me of the major shift in Lounge policy. Because, after all, people can only handle one topic at a time; multitasking is impossible, right?

:eyes:

[DainBramaged]

170. Stop, fighting over Rosie is even stupider than show us your tits

Whatever you think, go for it. I don't care. Oh, and I have JUST as much right to voice my opinion as you or anyone else.


:spank:

[Orrex]

172. Ah, yes--the old "it's a free country" trump card. How refreshing.

Did I ever tell you that you had less right to voice your opinion than I have? If so, please point me to that post, and I will cheerfully recant.

Rosie is a very public and very vocal figure who aligns herself with a range of liberal causes and topics; when she jams her foot in her mouth and subsequently acts like a jerk about it, it has an impact on the public perception of Liberals and of the causes that they support. Therefore it is hardly stupid to discuss Rosie (or any other Liberal spokesperson) when she makes an asshole of herself.

But it's nice to see that the Lounge has a new Stupidity Arbitrator to keep us from discussing insufficiently non-stupid matters.

[DainBramaged]

173. If you don't like what I write, put me on ignore. I just did you. Bye.

Oh, one more thing. Since you STARTED this thread, I have my doubts. The Reich wing has made Rosie one of their "targets" now, thinking they can get her off TV.

When the Reich learns that the media is for EVERYONE maybe we'll have less "Rosie is an Asshole" threads.

Especially here.

[Orrex]

174. Woo-hoo!

:woohoo:

Finally! It took a thread of some 170+ posts, but my anti-Rosie rant finally got me onto somebody's Ignore list.

Thanks, Dain!
:hi:

[mduffy31]

169. I will say this`

it is a lounge thread though, not everything here is about politics and the progressive agenda, most of the time it is just about having fun.

[DainBramaged]

171. Ok, let's play show us your tits instead of knock Rosie.

And the word hate shows up way too much here than it used to. When did we become a party of haters?

[mduffy31]

175. Or go to GD and not worry what is going on over here

[DainBramaged]

176. Hmmm, I can think of a few places where you could post too.

I see you're not a fan of Rosie either?

[mduffy31]

177. I really don't give a shit about her one way or the other

[Call Me Wesley]

178. Locking.

Let's stop in the name of Festivus!



Thank you!

Call Me Wesley
DU Moderator