# My love for Roger Ebert continues to grow... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 22, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960 "2010-01-22T03:44:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/21 "2010-01-22T22:14:46Z")
So let me get this straight: - Roger Ebert criticizes the President, but I like Roger (and don’t like Bush), so that’s cool. - Rush Limbaugh criticizes the President, but Rush is a douche (and I like Obama), so that’s NOT cool. - And Roger is not a hypocrite for calling out Rush, even though Rush is doing the same thing Roger did, because I like Roger and Obama but don’t like Rush and Bush. I just want to be clear on the rules here…TRM ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/22 "2010-01-22T22:16:17Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > So let me get this straight: > > - Roger Ebert criticizes the President, but I like Roger (and don’t like Bush), so that’s cool. > - Rush Limbaugh criticizes the President, but Rush is a douche (and I like Obama), so that’s NOT cool. > - And Roger is not a hypocrite for calling out Rush, even though Rush is doing the same thing Roger did, because I like Roger and Obama but don’t like Rush and Bush. > > I just want to be clear on the rules here…TRM Did you read post #18? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/23 "2010-01-22T22:18:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did you read post #18? Yes. Have you read Roger’s and Rush’s complaints? They are equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/24 "2010-01-22T22:23:08Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Yes. Have you read Roger’s and Rush’s complaints? They are equivalent. No they are not, as has been explained in post #18. If you are going to ignore that post, chances are you will deliberately ignore any other post that explains the clear difference, so I’m not going to bother. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/25 "2010-01-22T22:30:02Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > At the risk of turning this into a GD thread, I do have to point out one thing: Ebert is upbraiding Rush for insulting the president. Hello, Roger? You yourself said MUCH MUCH MUCH worse things about GWB a few years ago, many times. It would help your argument if you’d back that up with a cite. I’m not ruling out that he did this, but I have no recollection that he did. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/26 "2010-01-22T22:36:21Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Ebert is upbraiding Rush for insulting the president. Hello, Roger? You yourself said MUCH MUCH MUCH worse things about GWB a few years ago, many times. I think you have become a hypocrite in your dotage. It might have something to do with the MUCH MUCH MUCH worse things that GWB did. Roger’s point here is that Obama has done nothing wrong with regards to Haiti. He isn’t stealing money, nor is he twisting the tragedy to make himself look good. The equivalence you’re searching for does not exist. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/27 "2010-01-23T00:30:54Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > The equivalence you’re searching for does not exist. And never will, to close-minded ideologues to whom GWB=Evil. Sorry I brought it up. Never mind!..TRM ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/28 "2010-01-23T00:31:30Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Hard not to like the die hard son of a bitch. Back when the intertubes were new, Ebert used to respond to his own email. I got a great response from him once. Wish I had kept it. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/29 "2010-01-23T00:34:02Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > And never will, to close-minded ideologues to whom GWB=Evil. Sorry I brought it up. Never mind!..TRM or anybody else who can recognize the difference between “legitimate criticism of actual actions” and “baseless slander”. And you should be sorry. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/30 "2010-01-23T00:34:49Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > And never will, to close-minded ideologues to whom GWB=Evil. Sorry I brought it up. Never mind!..TRM No, tell us. I’m not a closed minded ideologue who thinks GWB = Evil. I want to know what Ebert said about Bush. I honestly have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/31 "2010-01-23T02:05:27Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I want to know what Ebert said about Bush. I honestly have no idea. Some googling reveals an Ebert critical of Bush, but I honestly can’t find anything quite so crass as the implication that Obama’s administration will steal money meant for the Red Cross. In [this interview](http://www.progressive.org/mag_intvebert) he claims the belief that Bush was not legitimately elected, and discusses the possibility of a breach of church and state. In [this review](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030221/REVIEWS/302210304/1023) he complains about Bush’s stance on the death penalty in an arguably mean-spirited way. A cursory examination of the results from searching “site:rogerebert.suntimes.com bush” doesn’t reveal much except some inflammatory adjectives, eg “dawdling”, “malingering”, “radical”. This is par for the course for heartfelt criticism; I’m not seeing much equivalence with Rush’s remarks. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/32 "2010-01-23T02:46:01Z")
No, I can’t see how those rise to the level of essentially accusing Obama of taking food out of the mouths of starving babies in Haiti. I mean, that’s what he’d be doing if he was “diverting” donations to something else. ---
**Author:** ![Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Top_Hat)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/33 "2010-01-23T03:23:36Z")
Roger Ebert is a fantasic writer. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/34 "2010-01-24T02:50:11Z")
Ebert criticized Bush for actual actions that took place in the real world. Limbaugh criticized Obama for imaginary actions that took place only in his own mind. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960/35 "2010-01-24T02:55:33Z")
I love Roger Ebert, not so much for his criticism of Limbaugh, but for who he is. First, I like that I have come to know him over the years as his life experience bleeds into the columns he writes. As a reviewer and writer on movies he is unparalelled. He isn’t always right, and sometimes his views on movies are baffling, but he is thoughtful and never uninteresting as a reviewer. Many times his reviews have clued me into interesting things I would otherwise not have noticed as I watch a movie. There are very few celebrities I will mourn when they pass. The last was Jim Henson, but Roger Ebert will be as tough as they come when he dies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-love-for-roger-ebert-continues-to-grow/525960.md?page=1)