Media Watch, Message Points, Politics, TV
Co-editor Jon thinks MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is the cat’s pajamas. He’s fond of posting Olbermannic diatribes and lambastings and bully-pulpit blatherings of the increasingly distinguished-looking anchor of Count Down with Keith Olbermann. Jon even posted an angry seven-minute-plus Obermann oration today.
Now that one was a real tour de force, but as the folks at FishBowl NY note, Keith and Count Down don’t always take the high road:
Considering its “Nappy ‘Hos” history, MSNBC should’ve learned a lesson or two about off-handed, misogynistic remarks. Still, no one should be surprised — Olbermann and Countdown have done this kind of thing before. One example, as we reported way back in October, involved a pre-penitentiary Paris Hilton. At that time, it wasn’t the “A Slut and Battery” that drew our attention — it was what he said: “Paris Hilton claims she was punched in the face yesterday morning at a nightclub in Hollywood. [pause] ‘Course she’s had worse things happen to her face …”
Appears you can take the pundit out of the locker room, but you can’t take the locker room out of the pundit.
Topics: Media Watch, Message Points, Politics, TV
“Appears you can take the pundit out of the locker room, but you can’t take the locker room out of the pundit.”
It would still be easier than taking Paris Hilton out of a locker room, or a locker room out of Paris Hilton.
Sorry, Olbermann’s got a gun to my head.
I am a huge fan of all the openly liberal newscasters. Let’s see… Olbermann … Hmmm.
I could quibble with Fishbowl’s drawing a comparison between the college basketball players who were unfairly called “hos” by Don Imus and Olbermann’s reference to Paris Hilton’s private behavior, of which there is video evidence.
But … nah.
If that’s all you’ve got to criticize Olbermann on, then it ain’t much. Paris Hilton is a public figure, and I for one get sick of hearing about her.
Now, if you want to go after the flagrant sexism of Chris Mattews, then you’ll have a great point. Did you see him gushing all over Ann Coulter on Hardball a few months back. Then on his little 30 minute show stupidly asking every male guest if they were attracked to Coulter. No one took him up on it. He tried to recover when he had Coulter on his show a few weeks back. The one where Mrs. Edwards called in. Once the show aired he was reported to have said that every time Coulter is on his show he feels the need to shower. I’m thinking due to his earlier actions and comments about her that the shower wasn’t needed because he actually felt dirty.
Apples and Oranges. Slutty Oranges. The Basketball team attacked by Imus did nothing wrong, other than to be black and women. Paris Hilton, on the other hand, for years openly courted attention with sluttish behavior which, by example, is more damaging and degrading to young women than anything a talk radio or TV pundit can say. For Hilton to complain about the media treatment she invited upon herself (and she doesn’t, even her release from the slam was nothing more than a method for marketing her brand of jeans) would be the same as Senator David Vitter complaining about HIS media treatment. Olbermann is in the clear on this one. His job is to call attention to things going wrong, and if humor is involved, that’s on the person who is calling attention to his/her self.
Hey kids, I noticed you went to KO’s defense on the Paris Hilton comment and ignored the reference to Vitter’s wife. How selective of you. My point is, if Olbermann really wants to be taken as seriously as he seemed to in his rant about Mr. Bush’s war, then why should he and his producers stoop to the level of calling the wife of a senator a “ho” and referring to an X-rated Internet video of Hilton’s sexcapades? Jon’s right — Olbermann is about our only liberal TV talker, so why not demand that he meet a certain minimal quality level of discourse? Arch, sarcastic humor can be a useful weapon in political discourse, but where’s the need for a bright guy like Olbermann to rely on potty-mouth and innuendo?
I too, winced when KO said that line about PH.
Your criticism and morally superior aspect is diluted a bit when this post is seen in the context of the previous post celebrating Shrub’s ASS.
I enjoyed the heck out of BOTH posts!
to be fair to KO.
He was off the day the comment ws said about Vitters’ wifes’ dress-I too was shocked at the attack on Wendy Vitter-especially by another woman. I di not hear any comment calling Wendy V. a “ho”.
Could do without the sexist locker-room chat about Paris as well.
There is too much selective outrage as when the GOP or w*nkers such as Sean Hannity worry about comity in Congress even though they’re the masters of personal attack politics.
Keep speaking truth to power Keith, in any fashion you see fit.