# Rev. Al on Whitney Houston--WTF?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2012, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805 "2012-02-14T11:02:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/41 "2012-02-14T20:51:52Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > So “Rev Al” weighed in on Whiney’s demise? > Surprise! “Whitey” is always to blame! > I’m sure old Al could tie her death to slavery, or prejudice, or..or..anything but personal responsibility. > Who listens to this creep? Sharpton said nothing about “Whitey”. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/42 "2012-02-14T20:53:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That was Jesse Jackson. Bah! They all look alike! Edit: Lobohan beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/43 "2012-02-14T20:54:24Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Al’s a good guy. I wouldn’t call him a race-baiter when he stands up against outrages like the Arizona Show Me Your Papers Law, or when he stands up against anti-Muslim bigotry, or when he stands up for women’s rights, or for unions, or for any number of progressive causes. So our resident Oreo thinks he’s a race-baiter. I’d take that as a compliment if I was him. If you can provoke outrage from that lot, good for Sharpton. I wasn’t aware liberals thought it was cool to use racial slurs to describe blacks they don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/44 "2012-02-14T21:09:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > So our resident Oreo thinks he’s a race-baiter. Says our resident Chips Ahoy! > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I wasn’t aware liberals thought it was cool to use racial slurs to describe blacks they don’t like. It’s ok if a democrat does it. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/45 "2012-02-14T21:22:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Al’s a good guy. I wouldn’t call him a race-baiter when he stands up against outrages like the Arizona Show Me Your Papers Law, or when he stands up against anti-Muslim bigotry, or when he stands up for women’s rights, or for unions, or for any number of progressive causes. So our resident Oreo thinks he’s a race-baiter. I’d take that as a compliment if I was him. If you can provoke outrage from that lot, good for Sharpton. The problem with him isn’t that he doesn’t take on important issues, usually about discrimination and often about race. The problem is that that seems to be all he sees. As the saying goes, when all you’ve got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So while he’s done some work towards important issues, he sees discrimination, racism, and faults of society everywhere and will often dilute what good he’s done and come across as a complete putz to his opponents when he applies that same view to issues where it just doesn’t make sense. Blaming society or racism for her death, short of some really bizarre aspects of her death being revealed, just makes him look like he’s grasping for straws. Then next time he’s fighting a real cause against discrimination, people will recall a situation like this. Sure, it’s ad hominem, but it’s effective nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/46 "2012-02-14T21:39:01Z")
> [@Vicullum](#): > > Why does anyone still listen to that race-baiting media whore? Because he’s a better man than you. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/47 "2012-02-14T22:04:31Z")
But what about the blueberry pie? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/48 "2012-02-14T22:21:33Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Because he’s a better man than you. Really, Please link me to where Vin has A) caused a man to commit suicide after falsely accusing him of rape. B) Complained about Jews being too powerful, C) Declaring "there’s a time when everyone has to decide whether to be a man or a faggot E) defended a man for shooting to death a gay man who made a pass at him F) Referred to the ancient Greeks as “Homos” G) been successfully sued for sever hundred thousand dollars for falsely accusing a man of rape, ruining the man’s life and then refusing to pay the judgement. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/49 "2012-02-14T22:25:19Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Quite the contrary-how about Sharpton’s disgraceful record? Tawana Brawley comes to mind-you may recall that he caused the suicide of a man over Brawley’s lies. Or the riots in Harlem, in which several people were injured, and a man killed. > Yeah, I guess remembering this criminal past makes one “a right wing nutjob”. > Sharpton is a lying, morally bankrupt POS. He should not be a figure given any respect. What riots in Harlem? Are you thinking of Crown Heights? A)That’s in Brooklyn and B) his behavior there was appalling but it had already begun when he got involved. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/50 "2012-02-14T23:06:27Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Are you thinking of Crown Heights? > > A)That’s in Brooklyn and B) his behavior there was appalling but it had already begun when he got involved. The fact that things in Crown Heights were already bad when Sharpton started demagoguing doesn’t make him look better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/51 "2012-02-15T00:07:27Z")
In other news, I heard that PETA just did something stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/52 "2012-02-15T00:14:09Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > What riots in Harlem? He’s probably referring to the incident at [Freddie’s Fashion Mart,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Freddie.27s_Fashion_Mart) yet _another_ bucket of blood on Sharpton’s hands. Sharpton is a doggedly determined fighter for his cause, but he goes about t unethically. He is single-mindedly focused on defending black issues, but he also basically has no regard for anyone else. “Fuck you, I got mine,” is the attitude. If you’re going to respect Sharpton’s complete determination, you also have to respect guys like Fred Phelps and Orly Taitz. Realize that they’re all different flavors of the same basic character. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/53 "2012-02-15T01:11:32Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > He’s probably referring to the incident at [Freddie’s Fashion Mart,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton#Freddie.27s_Fashion_Mart) yet _another_ bucket of blood on Sharpton’s hands. I’m no fan of Sharpton, but blaming him for that tragedy, which was perpetrated by a guy who didn’t like Sharpton, is like blaming Bill O’Reilly for the murder of George Tiller. Now perhaps I’m wrong, but do you think O’Reilly has Tiller’s blood all over his hands. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/54 "2012-02-15T01:50:45Z")
Rule 34? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/55 "2012-02-15T01:55:56Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Al’s a good guy. I wouldn’t call him a race-baiter when he stands up against outrages like the Arizona Show Me Your Papers Law, or when he stands up against anti-Muslim bigotry, or when he stands up for women’s rights, or for unions, or for any number of progressive causes. So our resident Oreo thinks he’s a race-baiter. I’d take that as a compliment if I was him. If you can provoke outrage from that lot, good for Sharpton. Calling someone an “oreo” is a fucked up thing to say. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, and you’ve shown you have zero credibility when it comes to race issues. People like you bring shame to our side. If you can’t act better than some fuckhead at a football game, cheering for your “team” then shut the hell up. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/56 "2012-02-15T02:22:17Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > So our resident Oreo thinks he’s a race-baiter. [Moderating] So, this utterly charming comment has elicited quite a few thread reports. I figured I should say something before you all wear out the “Report this Post” button. First of all, the relevant statute from the Pit rules: > [@](#): > > If you say hateful and/or racist things, you may get warned or banned. **Some slurs are likely to be viewed as hate speech when used as insults, some aren’t.** No, we aren’t going to give you a list. Our goal is not to restrict any and all speech which could be viewed by someone as offensive, but simply keep a modicum of decency, even here. Note that the bolded portion creates an explicit distinction saying things that are “merely” racist, and things that are out-right hate speech. The criteria is deliberately vague, but in practice, we’ve only invoked this rule for the most egregious slurs: nigger, kike, faggot, and so forth. In my opinion, and after conferring with the other pit mod, “Oreo” falls short of that line. But not by much. This is not to say that **BobLibDem** doesn’t deserve a good rhetorical kicking, of course, because Jesus, that right there is a fucked up thing to say. I see **miss elizabeth** has gotten the ball rolling on that already. I’m sure there will be plenty of folks willing to pick it up and run with it. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/57 "2012-02-15T03:11:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > So, this utterly charming comment has elicited quite a few thread reports. I figured I should say something before you all wear out the “Report this Post” button. > > First of all, the relevant statute from the Pit rules: > > Note that the bolded portion creates an explicit distinction saying things that are “merely” racist, and things that are out-right hate speech. The criteria is deliberately vague, but in practice, we’ve only invoked this rule for the most egregious slurs: nigger, kike, faggot, and so forth. > > In my opinion, and after conferring with the other pit mod, “Oreo” falls short of that line. If we’re going to argue that some racial slurs are considered more offensive to use than others than why exactly is “kike” considered as “egregious” as “nigger” while “oreo” isn’t. In fact, “Kike” and “oreo” have fairly similar origins and logic. Both were ethnic slurs that originated amongst a typically victimized group(Jews on the one hand and blacks on the other) and were used to describe members of said group who’s stereotypical behavior brought shame to the group. Now, if it’s considered ok to refer to blacks who don’t behave in a way I’d like as “oreos” then why shouldn’t I also be allowed to refer to Jews who behave in stereotypical fashion(I.E. landlords who speak with thick Yiddish accents and behave obnoxious to their tennants and who come across as moneygrubbers)? For that matter, I notice you didn’t put “Wop” on the list, which was also a term invented by Italian-Americans to refer to those who’s stereotypical behavior brought shame on other Italian-Americans, similar to the way “oreo” is used. By that logic then shouldn’t it be permissible to start a pit thread ripping into “the Wops of Jersey Shore”? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/58 "2012-02-15T03:13:42Z")
[Moderating] Discussions of moderator actions go in ATMB. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/59 "2012-02-15T04:22:29Z")
So, just for future reference: I can still call myself a pecan sandy, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/60 "2012-02-15T05:02:57Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So, just for future reference: I can still call myself a pecan sandy, correct? I don’t know. Depends on your ethnicity I guess. I’d presume that if you’re black since it’s permissible to call you an “oreo” its also permissible though discouraged to refer to you as a “house negro” or a “house nigger”. As for “pecan sandy”, well you’d have to ask Miller. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=4)