# Limbaughs racist comments about segregation in Survivor **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888 "2006-08-31T07:03:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/21 "2006-08-31T15:24:06Z")
Rush is, quite possibly, the most pompous asshole alive today. But even if this attempt at humor/irony/absurdity failed miserably, that’s still what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/22 "2006-08-31T15:37:54Z")
I agree with the majority that Rush was making an attemt at humor. but what bothered me was this: [QUOTE=Snooooopy] If only Reggie White were alive to reprise his insightful remarks about race. [/QUOTE] Can we stop digging up Reggie White everytime some white talking head or politician says something racist and or stupid? It’s really kind of lame and pathetic, especially considering that Reggie’s claim to fame came from playing football. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/23 "2006-08-31T15:43:47Z")
Since **antechinus** most likely has never heard Rush Limbaugh, I can understand the confusion. Let me explain. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative radio commentator/entertainer whose daily program is heard by more than 20 million people. He is also an obnoxious ass who thinks he is the master of one-liners and brilliant epigrams. As the cite shows, however, he is no Oscar Wilde. I have no doubt that Limbaugh thought his brilliant satirical wit :rolleyes: would show the hypocricy of the show-business liberals who would meddle in politics but stoop to racial segregation in their own TV shows to boost ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/24 "2006-08-31T15:49:57Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] Since **antechinus** most likely has never heard Rush Limbaugh, I can understand the confusion. Let me explain. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative radio commentator/entertainer whose daily program is heard by more than 20 million people. He is also an obnoxious ass who thinks he is the master of one-liners and brilliant epigrams. As the cite shows, however, he is no Oscar Wilde. I have no doubt that Limbaugh thought his brilliant satirical wit :rolleyes: would show the hypocricy of the show-business liberals who would meddle in politics but stoop to racial segregation in their own TV shows to boost ratings. [/QUOTE] Ohhh. Well I guess Rush really showed them. Us. Someone, probably no one. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/25 "2006-08-31T16:59:26Z")
[QUOTE=Stuffy] Can we stop digging up Reggie White everytime some white talking head or politician says something racist and or stupid? It’s really kind of lame and pathetic, especially considering that Reggie’s claim to fame came from playing football. [/QUOTE] How is his football career relevant? ---
**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:** [August 31, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/26 "2006-08-31T17:08:11Z")
I notice that the OP’s location is listed as Syndey. Australia, like Canada, has laws forbidding hate speech (no First Amendment in those countries). I’m guessing that **antichinus** may not have been aware that the US does not (and cannot) prohibit hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/27 "2006-08-31T17:20:47Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] How is his football career relevant? [/QUOTE] That’s precisely my point. Reggie White made some stupid racist (though he seemed to believe he was being complementary) and homophobic comments once while appearing in front of the Wisconsin (?) House of Reps or some similar forum. Until then he was just known as a great DE for the Packers. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/28 "2006-08-31T17:21:16Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] How is his football career relevant? [/QUOTE] I might have been missing **Stuffy’s** point, but I believe he was saying that Reggie White never billed himself as “the voice of reason” or whatever the hell Rush fancies himself to be, and tries to sell himself as. For my money, if I _ever_ listen to Rush (which is almost never), it’s for the same reason I occasionally glance at The Weekly World News: strictly for the (unintentional) humor value. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/29 "2006-08-31T18:50:23Z")
Reggie White is not my go-to guy every time a famous person makes silly remarks about race. But when a famous person goes around to various races and assigns some poorly thought out “talent” to each one like some demented Dungeon Master, how can you NOT think of Reggie White? It’s not just racial cluelessness – it’s racial cluelessness in a fairly specific manner. It’s like a riff, really. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/30 "2006-08-31T20:36:11Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Will he be dragged through the courts over this. Or am I missing something? Was he using irony? Mother Jones suggests he is being offensive and I would be surprised if popular US radio announcers did irony. > > This transcript doesn’t appear to be ironic. Looks like the guy is a complete idiot. Haw! Now, that’s some funny stuff. Unless…were you serious when you though popular US radio announcers didn’t do irony? Wow. I knew Australians were provincial, but wow. Seriuosly, even if Rush hadn’t been joking, and even if he had made this broadcast in Australia, how exactly could he be charged with inciting racial hatred over these remarks? Let’s suppose he said them in all seriousness. They would be silly and obviously untrue. But hateful? Inciting racial violence? How, exactly? Are you seriously maintaining that you could be sent to jail in Australia for saying things like “Orientals are inscrutable, blacks are poor swimmers, Phillipinos take jobs that white Australians won’t”? Maybe those things are racist, but how do they incite racial hatred? Ever notice how guys from the Orange Sun drive all like, “Owwww. Owwww. Owwww”? And guys from the Yellow Sun drive all like, “Deet-de-do, Deet-de-do, Deet-de-do”? ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/31 "2006-08-31T23:56:28Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Reggie White is not my go-to guy every time a famous person makes silly remarks about race. But when a famous person goes around to various races and assigns some poorly thought out “talent” to each one like some demented Dungeon Master, how can you NOT think of Reggie White? It’s not just racial cluelessness – it’s racial cluelessness in a fairly specific manner. It’s like a riff, really. [/QUOTE] Sorry for the long delay, I had to get some work done. I can see your point in that context, I withdraw my comments. ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/32 "2006-09-01T00:16:29Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] ‘Hispanic’ is a race? [/QUOTE] It’s one of the Government recommended categories for some forms of demographic reporting. Comes right from the Office of Management and Budget. However, to quote a relevant [FDA guidance](http://www.fda.gov/Cber/gdlns/racethclin.pdf) that discusses the OMB recommendation: “The OMB stated that its race and ethnicity categories were not anthropologic or scientifically based designations, but instead were categories that described the sociocultural construct of our society.” That’s probably way too geeky an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Victorian\_Squid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5a626/32.png) [@Victorian\_Squid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victorian_Squid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/33 "2006-09-01T00:39:16Z")
I’m kind of surprised by the leeway you guys are giving Rush on this one. His statements were clearly racist, even if he was using them as the basis for a joke. The difference between his delivery and somebody like Rock’s is that Rock would be using them ironically to highlight the absurdity of the show and such views, whereas Rush has never shown any inclination that he doesn’t actually believe what he said. He’s doing his own version of “Kidding On The Square”, to borrow Al Franken’s term. No, he hasn’t done anything to merit legal action, but it’s still just as offensive. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/34 "2006-09-01T01:08:41Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] Since **antechinus** most likely has never heard Rush Limbaugh, I can understand the confusion. Let me explain. Rush Limbaugh is a conservative radio commentator/entertainer whose daily program is heard by more than 20 million people. He is also an obnoxious ass who thinks he is the master of one-liners and brilliant epigrams. As the cite shows, however, he is no Oscar Wilde. I have no doubt that Limbaugh thought his brilliant satirical wit :rolleyes: would show the hypocricy of the show-business liberals who would meddle in politics but stoop to racial segregation in their own TV shows to boost ratings. [/QUOTE] I dont think so. I think he is playing to his audience and they expect that . ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/35 "2006-09-01T01:35:40Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I notice that the OP’s location is listed as Syndey. Australia, like Canada, has laws forbidding hate speech (no First Amendment in those countries). I’m guessing that **antichinus** may not have been aware that the US does not (and cannot) prohibit hate speech. [/QUOTE] I had a feeling things were stricter in the US over ‘hate speech’. So you are right - I did not know the freedom of expression prevails. We have the Anti Discrimination Board and Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Tribunal which can determine if someone has been guity of racial vilification. There have been several cases where promenant people have had to make a public apology and pay damages. But it has to be fairly serious for this to occur. A website was forced to take down material claiming the Nazi holocaust was a hoax. A sports commentator lost his job after calling a muslim cricketer a terrorist. A radio announcer here nearly lost his job after saying Lebaneese were inbred. Here is a [good summary](http://www.hreoc.gov.au/racial_discrimination/media_guide/whatis.html) of the Racial Hatred Act. To find a list of cases where this legislation has been applied one could look in [Austlii](http://www.austlii.edu.au/). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/36 "2006-09-01T03:11:48Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] And hey, while we’re on the subject of inflammatory statements, what’s with using the word “segregation” to describe the rules of a game show? Overheated much? [/QUOTE] If the show separates (segregates) the contestants into “tribes” based on perceived race, then they are engaging in segregation. They are hardly guily of capital S Segregation as an act of law, but they are clearly engaged in an action, the clearest verb to describe which is “segregate.” The show is dumb. The segregation of players may or may not be dumb (from the perspective of the bottom line, the only measure by which TV productions are judged). Rush is crazy like a fox, although he suffers from a severe lack of honesty or conscience, but he has broken no laws and, in this case, he is clearly making a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/37 "2006-09-01T03:54:52Z")
I agree that Limbaugh should be dragged through the courts. But for his drug crimes, not for this. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/38 "2006-09-01T05:06:48Z")
> [@](#): > > **Victorian Squid** :I’m kind of surprised by the leeway you guys are giving Rush on this one. He’s a corpulent drug addict who is on his, what, like 4th wife or something? It’s simply not worth my time to get upset about anything he says. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/39 "2006-09-01T06:17:43Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] no First Amendment in those countries [/QUOTE] In Canada, freedom of expression is guaranteed by [Section 2 of the _Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_Two_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms#Freedom_of_expression), part of our constitution. However, pursuant to Article 1 of the _Charter_, this and other provisions of the Charter are “subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society,” thereby allowing hate speech laws (and other forms of infringement of freedom of expression, such as obscenity laws, Holocaust denial laws, and so forth.) FWIW, I would argue for a much more absolute freedom of expression; to the extent it’s actually applied, the First Amendment is one of the few things I like better about the American constitution than our own. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888/40 "2006-09-01T09:07:30Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] ‘Hispanic’ is a race? [/QUOTE] October 12 is El Día de la Raza, chaval. It’s a “race” in the original meaning, back when “race” meant what “culture” means now and “culture” meant “scholarship” (in the “you’ve gone to school” sense, not the “money for school” one). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-racist-comments-about-segregation-in-survivor/370888.md?page=3)