# Bill O'Reilly again... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 12, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416 "2004-12-12T05:45:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/21 "2004-12-12T06:40:34Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Millions of dollars _are_ spent by Christians to try to convert Jews in colleges. > > That’s off the topic, though. The point of this pitting is that Bill O’Reilly effectively told Jews that they don’t have a right to live in America without being harrassed by Christians. He did no such thing. Here is the transcript segment: * * * O’REILLY: All right. Well, what I’m tellin’ you, [caller], is I think you’re takin’ it too seriously. You have a predominantly Christian nation. You have a federal holiday based on the philosopher Jesus. And you don’t wanna hear about it? Come on, [caller] – if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then. I mean because we live in a country founded on Judeo – and that’s your guys’ – Christian, that’s my guys’ philosophy. But overwhelmingly, America is Christian. And the holiday is a federal holiday honoring the philosopher Jesus. So, you don’t wanna hear about it? Impossible. * * * First of all, he specifically refers to the U.S. as a **Judeo-Christian** nation. That specifically includes Jews. Secondly, he is only talking about the caller going to Israel because the caller cannot seem to tolerate encountering anything about Christianity in his daily life. O’Reilly points out the obvious fact that it is impossible to avoid it completely and that the caller will have to go to Israel if it is that big an issue for him alone. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/22 "2004-12-12T06:42:16Z")
What did the caller say that was “loony?” That he didn’t like being harrassed by Christians? That he didn’t like being steamrolled by Christians when he was a kid? And no matter what the caller said, it’s completely out of line to tell Jews to go back to Israel. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/23 "2004-12-12T06:43:48Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > If he told a black caller to go back to Africa would you think he was only talking to that caller or all Africans? If the black person called in saying that he just couldn’t stand talking to white people about white things, seeing white people’s celebrations (President’s Day), and claiming that white people were always trying to get him to come over to their side then O’Reilly might be justified in suggesting a move to a remote part of Africa for the caller’s own sake. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/24 "2004-12-12T06:45:11Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > First of all, he specifically refers to the U.S. as a > **Judeo-Christian** nation. That specifically includes Jews. Secondly, he is only talking about the caller going to Israel because the caller cannot seem to tolerate encountering anything about Christianity in his daily life. O’Reilly points out the obvious fact that it is impossible to avoid it completely and that the caller will have to go to Israel if it is that big an issue for him alone. I would liken this to telling a rabit anti-smoker to never leave their house, because that’s the _only_ way they can be assured that they’ll never encounter cigarette smoke. Someone who says that to a _rabid_ anti-smoker isn’t saying it to _all_ anti-smokers, since most are able to cope with the fact that yeah, people smoke. It’s a fact of life. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/25 "2004-12-12T06:48:01Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > He did no such thing. Here is the transcript segment: > > * * * > > O’REILLY: All right. Well, what I’m tellin’ you, [caller], is I think you’re takin’ it too seriously. You have a predominantly Christian nation. You have a federal holiday based on the philosopher Jesus. And you don’t wanna hear about it? Come on, [caller] – if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then. I mean because we live in a country founded on Judeo – and that’s your guys’ – Christian, that’s my guys’ philosophy. But overwhelmingly, America is Christian. And the holiday is a federal holiday honoring the philosopher Jesus. So, you don’t wanna hear about it? Impossible. > > * * * > > First of all, he specifically refers to the U.S. as a > **Judeo-Christian** nation. That specifically includes Jews. Secondly, he is only talking about the caller going to Israel because the caller cannot seem to tolerate encountering anything about Christianity in his daily life. O’Reilly points out the obvious fact that it is impossible to avoid it completely and that the caller will have to go to Israel if it is that big an issue for him alone. There is no such religion or philosophy as “Judeo-Christian.” That is an utterly meaningless construction. It’s just another word for “Christian.” As soon as you add the “Christian” part you eliminate the “Judeo” part. More to the point, the US was NOT FOUNDED ON ANY RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. that assertion by O’Reilly was a lie. This is not a Christian country. Aviding it completely is not the issue. Avoiding a governement sponsorship of christianity in public schools is the issue. Using tax payer money to pay for religious celebrations in those schools is the issue. And telling Jews to go to Israel is just inexcusable dickheadery. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/26 "2004-12-12T06:48:10Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > What did the caller say that was “loony?” Well, assuming that gift exchanges would be enough to set kids up for conversion was one thing . . . That means that if _you_ participate in Christmas gift exchanges, you’re also really helping set up kids to be converted to Christianity. That’s a bit loony, no? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/27 "2004-12-12T06:48:32Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > What did the caller say that was “loony?” That he didn’t like being harrassed by Christians? That he didn’t like being steamrolled by Christians when he was a kid? Tag! You are it. Where is this harrassment and steamrolling that he claimed. Use transcript segments. I could be as paranoid and loony as that caller and claim that Jews tried to convert me. I went to a heavily Jewish university and you should have seen some of the things that I went through. Menorahs on the quad, overheard discussions about Jewish law, and an invitation to a Jewish wedding. I still shudder when I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/28 "2004-12-12T06:50:46Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > And telling Jews to go to Israel is just inexcusable dickheadery. If he had said that, sure. But he was just telling _this_ guy to do that, since apparently the exposure to people exchanging gifts and so forth was too much for his delicate psyche. Honestly. I don’t think that this is your finest Bill O’Reilly bashing hour. He’s a blowhard and often a dickhead. But even dickheads occasionally do things that are not as bad as some might think. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/29 "2004-12-12T06:51:18Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > If the black person called in saying that he just couldn’t stand talking to white people about white things, seeing white people’s celebrations (President’s Day), and claiming that white people were always trying to get him to come over to their side then O’Reilly might be justified in suggesting a move to a remote part of Africa for the caller’s own sake. That isn’t what the caller said. He said he didn’t like being proselytized by Christians when he was _attending a public school_. And I don’t believe that O’Reilly was just talking to that one caller. He was saying that Jews are second class citizens who have lesser rights than Christians. Oh…and you’re wrong in your hypothetical. If O’Reilly told even one black caller to go back to Africa he would be a racist piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/30 "2004-12-12T06:52:28Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > If he had said that, sure. But he was just telling _this_ guy to do that, since apparently the exposure to people exchanging gifts and so forth was too much for his delicate psyche. > > Honestly. I don’t think that this is your finest Bill O’Reilly bashing hour. He’s a blowhard and often a dickhead. But even dickheads occasionally do things that are not as bad as some might think. My fucking cock it was just that one guy. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/31 "2004-12-12T06:52:34Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > There is no such religion or philosophy as “Judeo-Christian.” That is an utterly meaningless construction. It’s just another word for “Christian.” As soon as you add the “Christian” part you eliminate the “Judeo” part. > > More to the point, the US was NOT FOUNDED ON ANY RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. that assertion by O’Reilly was a lie. This is not a Christian country. Aviding it completely is not the issue. Avoiding a governement sponsorship of christianity in public schools is the issue. Using tax payer money to pay for religious celebrations in those schools is the issue. > > And telling Jews to go to Israel is just inexcusable dickheadery. Let me say again, he did not tell JEWS to go back to Israel. I doubt he has ever thought such a thing and certainly didn’t say it. He told this particular person who happens to be Jewish a place where he might find safe-haven from his paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/32 "2004-12-12T06:53:59Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > Well, assuming that gift exchanges would be enough to set kids up for conversion was one thing . . . That means that if _you_ participate in Christmas gift exchanges, you’re also really helping set up kids to be converted to Christianity. That’s a bit loony, no? Sponsoring gift exchanges in a public school amounts to a government endorsement of a religious ritual. It’s forcing non-Christians to participate in a Christian tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/33 "2004-12-12T06:55:07Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Let me say again, he did not tell JEWS to go back to Israel. Yes he did. The caller was perfectly rational and moreover, he was RIGHT. O’Reilly is just a raving psychotic. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/34 "2004-12-12T06:58:10Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Tag! You are it. Where is this harrassment and steamrolling that he claimed. Use transcript segments. > > I could be as paranoid and loony as that caller and claim that Jews tried to convert me. I went to a heavily Jewish university and you should have seen some of the things that I went through. Menorahs on the quad, overheard discussions about Jewish law, and an invitation to a Jewish wedding. I still shudder when I think about it. I don’t care what happens at colleges I’m talking about public schools, but Judaism is not an evangelical religion. They do not try to convert people. They actually discourage gentiles who _want_ to convert. There is no comparison. Jews do not harass non-Jews the way that they are harrassed by some Christians. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/35 "2004-12-12T06:58:11Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Yes he did. The caller was perfectly rational and moreover, he was RIGHT. O’Reilly is just a raving psychotic. ## This time with proof: ## O’Reilly: And you don’t wanna hear about it? Come on, [caller] – if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then. He specifically refers the caller by name (blanked out) and tells him that he should go to Israel if he is that offended. It says, and does not imply, anything about any other person or group. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/36 "2004-12-12T07:00:10Z")
> [@](#): > > He said he didn’t like being proselytized by Christians when he was attending a public school. Is giving someone a candy cane “proselytizing”? Is witnessing people exchange colorfully-wrapped boxes with candy or games (or sweaters) inside “proselytizing”? Come on. People do Christmasy stuff because they enjoy it. They aren’t trying to “convert” other people. They just like singing the carols, and dressing up in red and green, and giving each other gifts. Now, if this person said that they felt _left out_ that is one thing, but he said he felt like they were trying to “convert,” or that such activities are “setting up” kids to be converted. But converted to what? The fact that Christmas is fun? Well, hell, a lot of atheists are _converted_ to that notion, aren’t they? > [@](#): > > Sponsoring gift exchanges in a public school amounts to a government endorsement of a religious ritual. It’s forcing non-Christians to participate in a Christian tradition. That may be technically true, but do you seriously think that it is “converting” kids to Christianity? Do the atheist kids who enjoy a secular Christmas feel “left out” or worse yet, “converted”? No, because they are exchanging gifts too. Do you seriously think that the atheist parents mind if their kids exchange gifts, if indeed the family celebrates Christmas? Do you seriously believe that atheist parents worry that exchanging gifts is going to “convert” their kids? Really now. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/37 "2004-12-12T07:00:49Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I don’t care what happens at colleges I’m talking about public schools, but Judaism is not an evangelical religion. ## That’s odd because most of the caller’s complaints were based at his experiences at college. CALLER: Yeah, when I got to college I found out – that’s true. A lot of people were. I found that millions of dollars were spent trying to convert – O’REILLY: I mean that you really believe that people were trying to convert – you personally – were trying to make you change from being Jewish to Christian? CALLER: Absolutely. O’REILLY: How do they do that? CALLER: Well, for example, there are various organizations in the colleges that go to people – try to invite you to Bible study groups – ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/38 "2004-12-12T07:07:37Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > ## This time with proof: > > ## O’Reilly: And you don’t wanna hear about it? Come on, [caller] – if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then. > > He specifically refers the caller by name (blanked out) and tells him that he should go to Israel if he is that offended. It says, and does not imply, anything about any other person or group. And it was an insult to all Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/39 "2004-12-12T07:08:58Z")
Hate to say it, but the only thing O’Reily is wrong about in THIS particular quote is that Christians can also prosletyze you in Israel (as far as I know). As long as private citizens are the ones doing it, which is what seems to bother the caller, no harm, no foul as long as they aren’t breaking laws like harrasment or blackmail or whatever. Now, O’Reily does seem to support some forms of STATE sponsorship of religion, which is wrong, but that doesn’t seem to be the issue here. This caller is just a whiny bitch who apparently wants to restrict the freedoms of others. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416/40 "2004-12-12T07:11:42Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > And it was an insult to all Jews. How? If I tell a rabid anti-smoker that they might be happier never leaving their house (because they can’t _bear_ to see anyone smoke, or see any evidence of smoking), am I insulting all anti-smokers? Hardly. Most anti-smokers are able to cope with the concept of smoking, so there is no need to suggest that they never leave their house. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-oreilly-again/279416.md?page=3)