In a post-Don Imus world, one would think journalists would be on their guard to not say or write anything that could be in any way perceived as racist.
Yet, just days after CBS's Andy Rooney made a racial slur concerning Hispanic baseball players, NBC's Matt Lauer actually called outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a "piñata."
Certainly, given Gonzales's ethnic background, and the context of the discussion, mightn't "whipping boy" or "punching bag" have been more appropriate?
Unfortunately, as he was speaking to Democrat strategist James Carville, this is what Lauer said on Tuesday's "Today" show (h/t Steve Hill of Target Rich Environment):
Video (0:36): Real (997 kB) and Windows (1.09 MB), plus MP3 audio (256 kB)
"James, you know, Ari's talking about the venom in Washington right now and when it comes right down to it, strange dynamic, an only-in-Washington story. There are a lot of Democrats who just victimized and villainized Alberto Gonzales over these last eight months, but when it comes right down to it this morning, are not all that happy he's gone, because in some ways they've lost a piñata, haven't they?"
Think there'll be a Don Imus outrage over this?
No, I don't either.
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Matt may have continued . .
August 28, 2007 - 13:19 ET by Mica the Magnificent" . . because in some ways they've lost a pinata, haven't they? I mean he quit and ran out of town like a Speedy Gonzales. Yep, just packed his papers crossed the Washington D.C. border and migrated home."
Pinata
August 28, 2007 - 13:54 ET by bravefacariOMG!
Too many PINATA COLODAS for Mattie!!
August 28, 2007 - 13:55 ET by PawpawNThink Mattie has been going out with David Gregory too much lately, too many pinata colodas!!! Oh, that's pina colodas!!! After a few, who cares!!
Matt's amazing career
August 28, 2007 - 14:54 ET by Rick on Cape Cod BayI have yet to hear this guy say anything compelling. He was in over his head when he anchored in Providence. What is the big attraction to this rodeo clown?
Lauer's the token gay dude
August 28, 2007 - 14:59 ET by MightyMouthLauer's the token gay dude for NBC. He's already french kissed Bryant Gumble on air and crowned George Looney Queen for a day. Every networks gotta have at least one.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Lauer's hate speech
August 28, 2007 - 13:58 ET by LionKingI would consider this hate speech. It certainly alludes to a lynching while the Demolibs celebrate the resignation of another "Bushie".
Matt - Pinata
August 28, 2007 - 14:00 ET by Six String SpiffExactly, a pinata for all the immature children to beat because they lost elections.
The American Revolution Continued
easy now
August 28, 2007 - 14:13 ET by dubuquemanI think we are being a little picky here. "Pinata" has become a very popular term in recent years to describe someone being bashed around. Let's not seem as squeamish as the Left about language.
THANK YOU.
August 28, 2007 - 14:16 ET by balboaTHANK YOU.
Sheesh!
August 28, 2007 - 14:27 ET by scamoramaHe's a "pinata" in the sense that the MSM beat on him until they got the goodies -- his departure. That might be Lauer's intended meaning.
But, really, the use of the word wasn't any more "racist" than Andy Rooney's reference to baseball players. Hispanics are not a "race".
If I said the NBA is just a bunch of guys named "Johnson", would THAT be "racist"?
I'm not defending Rooney or Lauer, by the way. Rooney's an old fool, and Lauer's an idiot.
DM
August 28, 2007 - 14:28 ET by Noel SheppardDM,
I think all political correctness is being too picky. However, the side of the aisle responsible for such should practice what it preaches, and be held to the same standards it extols. Failing this, those wanting political correctness should shut the heck up! ns
I guess sometimes we just
August 28, 2007 - 14:40 ET by Hero SquadI guess sometimes we just have to settle for knowing that most people realize how silly many of these controversies are, who is responsible for elevating them into such, and how they are being hypocritical for pointing out these statements for people they oppose, and looking the other way with people they support.
*****
"Some people have a way with words. Other people, er, I don't know. Not have way, I guess
reply to Noel
August 28, 2007 - 14:48 ET by dubuquemanOh yeah, I agree with you. I just think it's important to be clear that we're pointing out that the Left would jump on this if it were in reverse, not that we are actually offended.
By the way, I love the way the Times and others just reported as a given that Rooney's comment was "racist." It wasn't. He was just stating that he is not interested in following a sport played by a lot of people from the Dominican and elsewhere. He said nothing to denigrate Hispanics. In the Olympics, we root for the American teams. Is that racist?
I can't, under any
August 28, 2007 - 14:57 ET by balboaI can't, under any circumstances, imagining myself ever caring if someone on the right said this. I understand what Noel's saying, but pinata's a pretty common term. If Lauer said something like they don't have their favorite frittata to pound or something more ethnic than hat pinata is now? Then, yes, that's shifty.
DM
August 28, 2007 - 15:09 ET by Noel SheppardDM,
Not only aren't I offended, you can't possibly imagine how hard it is TO offend me. I think all this PC nonsense is absurd.
However, I believe the folks setting the agenda should live by the agenda they've set. As they don't, this is just another example of the liberal motif "Do As I Say, Not As I Do!"
And, I'm frackin' sick of it!
Furthermore, in this case, I do indeed believe that whipping boy or punching bag would have been more appropriate given the context of the discussion inasmuch as both terms much more accurately describe how the Dems and the media see Gonzales. Pinata is MUCH too playful a description, as when one hits a pinata, the goal is to get candy from it. That certainly isn't what one does to a punching bag or whipping boy, and without question isn't why the Dems and the media have been beating on Alberto.
Make sense? ns
Remember maccaca?
August 28, 2007 - 15:30 ET by Mica the MagnificentI believe a biiiiggg deal was made of the word 'maccaca' by the left.
The outrage! The scandal! The 24 hour news coverage! The history of the word and why you should be offended!
ETC. freekin ETC.
Noel, I'm no fan of the "PC
August 28, 2007 - 16:15 ET by JerNoel, I'm no fan of the "PC Gone Wild' crowd either, but I think this is a very weak example. A human "pinata" has been a phrase frequently used in recent years to describe someone who has been made a hapless, somewhat defenseless target to be repeatedly hammered. In this context, it can be argued that Lauer's usage is critical of Democrats.
Jer
Jer
August 28, 2007 - 16:42 ET by Noel SheppardJer,
You and I both know what Lauer meant, and weren't offended by it. Frankly, maybe nobody was offended by it. And, maybe none of the folks listening to Imus several months ago when he made his remark about nappy-headed hos was offended until Media Matters sent the recording and transcript out to a thousand different bloggers. Who knows?
But, the problem with PC is what was at the time an innocent comment becomes blown out of proportion and results in people losing their jobs -- if they're not liberals, that is. Whenever a liberal says anything un-PC, everybody makes excuses such as "Well, he's a nice guy, and we know he didn't mean it that way."
Why isn't the same benefit of the doubt given to conservatives? Hmmm? Trent Lott makes a tremendously innocuous statement at a birthday party, and he has to resign as Majority Leader. Robert Byrd says "nigger" on national television, and nobody cares. Why?
Regardless, I still think whipping boy or punching bag is more in context of the point Lauer was trying to make. ns
I'm not doubting that Byrd
August 28, 2007 - 18:02 ET by balboaI'm not doubting that Byrd said that, but when did he say it?
bal...I'm guesssing 3-5
August 28, 2007 - 19:53 ET by Jerbal...I'm guesssing March 2001 and I believe it was on Fox News Sunday. It wasn't in a malevolent context, but it was pretty shocking nevertheless. [Just checked Noel's link]
Jer
B
August 28, 2007 - 19:07 ET by Noel Sheppardhttp://www.capmag.co...
WOW...that is not...not
August 28, 2007 - 20:40 ET by balboaWOW...that is not...not good.
Noel, we're really not too
August 28, 2007 - 18:33 ET by JerNoel, we're really not too far aparrt on this one. I felt very badly for Trent Lott. His remark about Thurmond making a great President did have a 'you-gotta-be-kidding' kick to it (and I doubt Lott really believed it) but, for cryin' out loud, it was a toast to a (very) elder statesman on his birthday!
I haven't researched the exact Byrd quote, but my recollection is that it was not anti-black and thus was a reason for getting a pass--that and the fact that he is a Democrat who has emphatically renounced his Klan connection earlier in his life. Granted, however, merely uttering the n-word would usually unleash a torrent of scorn.
One more thing: There have been many instances of conservative pundits making some very insensitive remarks without suffering any serious repercussions.
Jer
As I remember, all Lott
August 29, 2007 - 01:14 ET by scamoramaAs I remember, all Lott said was something to the effect that if Thurmond had been elected President, "we wouldn't have had a lot of the problems we've had".
Where's the "racism" in that?
(note: the civil rights movement wasn't the only thing that had happened in the previous 50 years)
I suppose if you're a bleeding heart, you'd look at Thurmond's positions on race and figure that Lott meant, "Strom, you'd a kept them uppity niggahs in their place", but you'd have to stretch the remark a long way to do it.
Which is just what happened.
scamorama...the reason
August 29, 2007 - 02:09 ET by Jerscamorama...the reason Lott's remarks entangled him in a political thicket from which there was no escape relates back to the motivation for Thurmond's presidential run in 1948, viz. the rejection of Truman's "liberal" civil rights policies which resulted in the formation of the Dixiecrat party of which Thurmond became the nominee. As such he was then and thereafter seen as the archetypal southern segregationist, ultimately swimming against the tide of history.
That said, although Lott should have chosen a different toast, I agree it wasn't racist, and, as I indicated in my earlier post, was sorry that he was forced to resign.
Jer
Jer, think for a moment.
August 28, 2007 - 20:27 ET by MikeBJer, think for a moment. He described or compared an hispanic man to a "pinata". Now, imagine just for a moment if someone like say Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter had used the same word in the same context of an official who happened to be hispanic in a liberal administration. Do you not think that the hue and cry from the MSM would have been enough that even a deaf person could hear it?
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
MikeB: In all
August 28, 2007 - 21:02 ET by JerMikeB: In all honesty...no. Other words, in other contexts, and the PC brigades might be out in force. But not "pinata" used as Lauer did, even though Gonzales is Hispanic. Not only is the word inherently benign, it is now commonly used in this country--maybe "pronto" would be another example--and does't carry the cultural, ethnic or racial baggage that another word might. (Unless, of course, it were used in a derogatory manner.)
Jer
He is a liberal
August 28, 2007 - 14:33 ET by ksimm81And so there won't be any outrage from the hypocritical, leftist MSM.
I must admit that I am no
August 28, 2007 - 14:58 ET by mostlymoderateI must admit that I am no fan of the NAACP, La Raza, the ADL or any other crybaby special interest group that makes a living nitpicking about daily speech. HOWEVER, this latest stunt by Matt Lauer was racist. Pure and simple. He needs to grovel for about a week, just like Imus, saying he is sorry. Then, he needs to suck up to Al Sharpton, just like Imus. Then, his entire "career" needs ruining, just like Imus. Oh wait, I forgot, he is one of the "chosen" reporters. He can say what he wants.
Geraldo Rivera
August 28, 2007 - 15:28 ET by smitty031will be over Albertos anytime now looking for his comment on being likened to a a papier mache donkey...Great Job Matt!!
BTW Don Imus called. He wants his chair back
Matt, wouldn't you say that
August 28, 2007 - 16:46 ET by Hero SquadMatt, wouldn't you say that the MSM has a plethora of pinatas?
*****
"Some people have a way with words. Other people, er, I don't know. Not have way, I guess
I wasn't offended either,
August 28, 2007 - 19:10 ET by NYT_SucksI wasn't offended either, but it makes me mad that he can get away with this, but a conservative saying it about a liberal would get raked over the coals.
Now...now let's remember it
August 28, 2007 - 19:56 ET by mlongNow...now let's remember it is not racist if the target of the comment is a Conservative/Republican member of a Minority group and the person making the comments is a Liberal.
*********** John Edwards '08 ***********
"More woman than Hillary,more black than Obama!"
Don't bet on it...
August 28, 2007 - 20:45 ET by goldenthroatMatt Rauer's racist comment will barely raise the hackles at the Nobody But Clinton network. He's liberal - they're liberal - both are left-coast, bleeding-heart, "do as I say, not as I do" MSM.
Of course, when Imus put his foot in his mouth, they both were calling for his head on a silver platter - typical hypocrisy of the left.
"Yeah, that's the ticket!" - Tommy Flanagan
Some in-depth polling of
August 29, 2007 - 03:13 ET by maggieqpublicSome in-depth polling of the Hispanic community might be interesting.
“In over his head”, “incompetent”, “unqualified”…. Most of us have heard similar comments the last few weeks. The Attorney General may lack a keen intellect. Matt Lauer ties it all together by adding ethnicity…. “piñata”. Oh, I get it, the Attorney General is a stupid Mexican! Sounds kinda mean-spirited to me.
}}---> Lauer
August 29, 2007 - 09:24 ET by Cool ArrowI guess Lauer feels his remark was okay since he didn't say "greasy headed pinata"
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