# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/61 "2012-02-15T06:12:35Z")
nm ---
**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, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/62 "2012-02-15T06:22:42Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > 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. [Moderating] Perhaps you need a little help here. Let me break things down for you. [This is ATMB.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=2) This is the forum you go when you want to complain about a moderation decision. [This is a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=642123) in ATMB that’s _already_ complaining about my ruling, so you don’t even have to go to the trouble of making your own. If you have something you want to say about my ruling here, put it in that thread. If you bring it up here again, I’m going to give you a warning for ignoring a moderator’s instructions. Got it? [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/63 "2012-02-15T06:37:01Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So, just for future reference: I can still call myself a pecan sandy, correct? On that note, can I call myself a Samoa when I’m not actually a Pacific Islander? ---
**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, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/64 "2012-02-15T06:50:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > Perhaps you need a little help here. Let me break things down for you. > > [This is ATMB.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=2) This is the forum you go when you want to complain about a moderation decision. > > [This is a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=642123) in ATMB that’s _already_ complaining about my ruling, so you don’t even have to go to the trouble of making your own. > > If you have something you want to say about my ruling here, put it in that thread. If you bring it up here again, I’m going to give you a warning for ignoring a moderator’s instructions. > > Got it? > [/Moderating] Huh, I was responding to someone else’s post not your ruling. Also, I didn’t complain about your ruling. If you’re upset with my post then please explain why mine is being noted while Der’s isn’t and while mine is seen as a comment on your ruling while his isn’t. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/65 "2012-02-15T06:54:08Z")
I am neither thin nor particularly minty ☹ But I’m losing weight and drinking juleps. … Wouldn’t it be great if the dominant right wing voices (e.g. all of Fox, talk radio, WND, etc.) were nearly as sane and clear-headed as Mr. Sharpton? How many of us remember the pre-Rush days (when Bob Grant was king) where Sharpton was a rhetorical outlier? Funny thing is, underneath his attention whoring there is a lot of substance behind many of his bombasts (not including the current thread-subject or many low-hanging fruits). Sharpton, you’re a buffoon. Not only that, but your schtick has been widely overtaken and perfected by others. Have a cookie. ---
**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, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/66 "2012-02-15T06:55:54Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Huh, I was responding to someone else’s post, not your ruling. > > If you’re upset with my post then please explain why mine is being noted while Der’s isn’t. > > Thanks [Moderating] For the third time, complaints about moderation go in ATMB. As promised, this one comes with a Warning. If you want to complain about it, I _highly recommend_ that you place your complaint in the correct forum. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/67 "2012-02-15T07:14:29Z")
Time to retract, Bob. Lib. Dem. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/68 "2012-02-15T07:23:13Z")
My favourite cat was named Whitney. Well, actually, she was named Sarah… Whitney was her middle name. And it was because she was completely white. And Kay Lenz, who I’d found attractive, had recently played a character on _Hill Street Blues_ named Whitney Barnes. So basically, this is completely irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/69 "2012-02-15T09:37:27Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > So I heard Al Sharpton on MSNBC last night (I was just home from work and removing my workclothes and making my dinner–don’t give me a hard time) and he was rattling on about Whitney Houston, just like everyone else in the broadcasting industry, but he had a somewhat unusual theme: the cause of her sad story is “Society.” I’m surprised, I didn’t expect Rev. Sharpton to listen to Spanish punk… the dudes in [Siniestro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Hp_LHWAvw) are a bit [younger](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrwSRsmwOk) than the Stones. (The first link is to a homemade video using the original 1990 recording, the second one to it live on TV in 2008). Noise and lyrics by Siniestro Total, partial translation mine: You got out yesterday, now you’re seeking horse, looking for someone who’s carrying some red. Hands up, babe, this is a robbery, if it works I’ll give up stealing. If I wasn’t just a little bit addicted I wouldn’t do these things and would be a total square. Chorus: Take it easy, dude, it’s all society’s fault. (A lot of it would simply be a bitch to translate, so I’m not going to try and inflict it on y’all; I think that bit gives the gist well enough) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/70 "2012-02-15T10:50:53Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Sharpton, you’re a buffoon. Not only that, but your schtick has been widely overtaken and perfected by others. Have a cookie. As long as it’s not an Oreo. _Zing!_ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/71 "2012-02-15T12:37:07Z")
Okay, I have seen the light. The Oreo comment was uncalled for. I apologize to OMG and to others who were offended. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/72 "2012-02-15T12:40:35Z")
That being said, Sharpton is a giant in the Civil Rights movement. There are a lot of people who are better off today than they wouldn’t have been had Al not been willing to put himself on the front lines against injustice. Does he take himself too far on occasion? Probably. But in my opinion, the man deserves an enormous amount of slack. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/73 "2012-02-15T13:43:00Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > F) Referred to the ancient Greeks as “Homos” Inexcusable! Everyone knows the ancient _Romans_ were Homos. The ancient Greeks were _Anthropos_! ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/74 "2012-02-15T14:37:37Z")
> [@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. So it’s all right for him to incite hatred against whites so long as he supports your side. Wonderful sense of morality you’ve got there. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/75 "2012-02-15T14:39:15Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > So it’s all right for him to incite hatred against whites so long as he supports your side. Wonderful sense of morality you’ve got there. I disagree that Sharpton incites hatred against whites. Watch his program and maybe you’ll find he’s a lot more reasonable than you’ve been led to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/76 "2012-02-15T14:41:22Z")
Mostly I think Reverend Al incites publicity for Reverend Al, but occasionally he does something useful with it. He’s kind of like Donald Trump, apart from the “occasionally doing something useful” thing. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/77 "2012-02-15T15:05:40Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > That being said, Sharpton is a giant in the Civil Rights movement. There are a lot of people who are better off today than they wouldn’t have been had Al not been willing to put himself on the front lines against injustice. Does he take himself too far on occasion? Probably. But in my opinion, the man deserves an enormous amount of slack. As long as he incites hatred against whites, it doesn’t matter how much good (you think) he has done. It’s amusing how so many lefties who can see right through Glenn Beck are totally taken in by the likes of Sharpton. _“This ain’t the garden of Eden, There ain’t no angels above, And things ain’t what they used to be, And this ain’t, this ain’t, this ain’t the summer of love.”_ **– Blue Oyster Cult** – ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/78 "2012-02-15T15:08:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I disagree that Sharpton incites hatred against whites. Watch his program and maybe you’ll find he’s a lot more reasonable than you’ve been led to believe. His roles in the Crown Heights riots and the Tawana Brawley hoax are pretty much all anybody needs to know about him. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/79 "2012-02-15T15:12:32Z")
I’m not saying the man hasn’t made mistakes. But if you can look past a couple of errors in judgement, there’s a lot of good in the man. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/80 "2012-02-15T15:31:20Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’m not saying the man hasn’t made mistakes. But if you can look past a couple of errors in judgement, there’s a lot of good in the man. Has he ever apologized or made proper restitution for his past errors? I would be more forgiving of these if he had. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=5)