Who said I wasn’t wondering that? Its just that Belowjob (and you) are participating in this thread, so I’m asking you about what you think and why you think it. If Miss Harris-Perry begins participating in this thread, then I’ll ask her some questions.
Meantime, why don’t you answer the ones posed to you, that we can all appreciate your position the more?
There’s nothing to wonder about. See post 13, she’s very clear as to why she’s apologizing.
Okay, so she during a segment on humorous photo captions, she laughed at something someone said. And that was enough to raise this much ire?
Also, what reason did she choose the picture if not to talk about the gorgeous adopted baby? I mean, what else did she say about the picture or the people in it that was offensive or should raise my hackles? What was it that the other lady sang that was offensive and why was it offensive?
Again: what did she need to apologize for? What did she do that was wrong and how was it wrong?
Seriously?
For singling out the black baby in a picture full of white people–white people who aren’t of particular importance or relevance to the typical MSNBC viewer–and then laughing about it on national TV.
It’s not rocket science, man.
Do you think she apologized for no reason?
Do you honestly think she would have posted that picture if the adopted baby was white?
And why the Romney’s? They’re the definition of yesterday’s news. They have been pretty quiet for the past several months, as far as I know. So why single out them for the family pictures? Because they’re conservative and we’re supposed to reflexively laugh at them?
I thinks it’s also worth noting that MHP mother is white.
As it happens, yes, but that wasn’t my point. My attention was caught by the staggering naivete in your post in general, not just in how it applies to this topic. You can’t actually believe that nobody apologizes unless they’ve done something wrong, can you? Because I’ve got A&E rehiring the Duck Dynasty guy, the dude Dick Cheney shot in the face, and every single person who’s ever been in a relationship, ever, that says you’re wrong.
I thought “generally” was a sufficient qualifier. Guess I was wrong.
If the Obamas decided to adopt a white baby, I would really hope that someone at Fox News wouldn’t put the family picture up and allow a guest to sing “One of these things is not like the other!” Even if that’s what everyone in the television audience is thinking, it would still be a rather low blow for a news program.
If I would find that inappropriate (and I most certainly would) but I didn’t find this inappropriate, I’d expect to be called out as a hypocrite.
If that’s the worst thing said on Fox News about such an event, I think most people will be pretty astonished, Fox News included.
Maybe. Do you think it’s is unusual or common for rich white folks to adopt black babies? I think it is unusual; its certainly not common. And the baby does stick out a bit since he’s, ya know, a different color than the other 24 people in the picture. Besides, its the Romneys that sent that picture out into the world.
[Sarcastic Hyperbole]It’s obvious that they cynically put the black baby on Mitt’s knee, to make him appear less racist![/Sarcastic Hyperbole]
See? It’s stupid when motivations are ascribed without evidence no matter who does it.
Maybe because the,Romneys sent that picture out into the world themselves, and MSNBC did in fact hear of lot of strident, declarative comments from the public after the photo was first published, as MHP said?
Its as if people have a collection of hot buttons and if a certain number get pressed in any way, it equals outrage, even if taken in context or as a whole, nothing improper or offensive ever occurred.
I still have yet to see any real attempt at explaining what it is that was wrong about the whole thing. Mentioned a baby? Mentioned he was black and the rest of the family wasn’t because he was adopted? OH THE HUMANITY! MAKE IT STOP!
Unless they sent the picture out with a message saying, “Please imply something about the baby’s race so everyone can get a good laugh”, I don’t think this means anything.
It’s also pretty stupid to pretend that commenting on a child’s visual sore thumbness is innocent and universally funny. MHP above anyone else should know that being the “only one” frequently sucks for this exact reason.
MSNBC isn’t obligated to be as strident and declarative as the lowest common denominator in their viewing audience.
You seem to be much more worked up about this than I am or anyone else except for maybe Caleb Howe and the OP.
The woman wasn’t a doe-eyed innocent here, and she’s actually admits it. Just because you don’t get why what she did was cringe-worthy doesn’t meant it wasn’t cringe-worthy. I’m the last thing in the world from a conservative, and I’m not even that sensitive. But I’m also comfortable enough in my liberalism and negritude that I don’t have defend every single stupid move made on “my” side. MSNBC doesn’t need to turn into another Fox News to score points. You can poke fun at the Romney’s without bringing a little baby into it.
Snowboarder Bo, with all due respect, it was inappropriate. The only “news” was that there is a black Romney child. If the child had been white, then there would not have been a story, and it wouldn’t have been on national TV. Colorblind it ain’t as color was the story.
I wouldn’t call it the worst story of the year or anything, but it certainly wasn’t colorblind. I cringed even harder watching it because I am sure it’s going to be fodder for right wing talk radio to highlight hyperbole that liburls stoop too.
I’ve also got three mixed race kids, and hope that the US continues on it’s way to colorblindness (its a journey)
A family of some of the most out-of-touch, whitest cult members in the world. All black kids should be so lucky.
I hope they’ll put out the effort (and I assume that for them it would require actual effort) to make sure the kid isn’t raised in an all-white environment, but I wouldn’t be at all surprise if they didn’t.
I don’t think the people on the show were mocking the baby, but the situation.
The hypocracy on this board is rather amazing, and quite sad.
Imagine a black politician, say Jesse Jackson, adopting a white child. Imagine that a republican talk show host, say Rush Limbaugh, put the picture up of the family with the white child. Then imagine the howls of.outrage this board would generate if Rush, or one of his guests, did a sing-song of “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things does not belong.”
The outrage would last for weeks. It would be held up as proof that all republicans are racists who want a return to slavery. And contrary to what Snowboarder Bo may think, this board lives to assign motives to conservatives/republicans without evidence. It happens all the time. Conservatives are against abortion because they hate women. Conservatives are against welfare because they hate poor people or are racist. In fact, if one believed the standard SDMB view of conservatives one would have to believe that roughly 50% of the population are bible thumping bigots who hate women, love killing brown people, want a return to slavery and kick puppies for fun.
Yet when one of the acceptable people, in other words a liberal, is an ass it is ignored or brushed off. No.matter the offense, it will be rationalized away in a giant ball of cognative dissonance.
The only saving grace is that there are a few people who get it like Monstro and China Guy.
Slee
I don’t think anyone’s arguing that the story was meant to be “colorblind” at all. Race and the Republican party has been one of the biggest stories of the last year. Now the most visible face associated with the Republican party - and specifically, with the Republican party’s inability to connect with minority voters - has a blended family. I can’t quite bring myself to call that newsworthy, but by the standards of 24 hour television news, that’s hardly the most banal topic they could have come up with.
It’s possible to apologize when you did nothing wrong only because someone else is mad. Aren’t you married?
But there’s a difference. If Rush Limbaugh made fun of a black child, he’d be doing it as part of the general anti-black attitude of the modern conservative movement. If Melissa Harris-Perry made fun of a black child, she was only speaking for herself - it doesn’t lead anywhere despite what people like Caleb Howe and the OP claim. And if you think this isn’t true and that conservatives and liberals have the same record on race issues, then you need wake up and smell the coffee.