# 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:** 5
**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, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/81 "2012-02-15T15:31:46Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > His roles in the Crown Heights riots and the Tawana Brawley hoax are pretty much all anybody needs to know about him. His “role” in the Tawana Brawley hoax seems to have been using her attack as a bully pulpit to expound upon various problems (real and exagerrated). He got burned (as did a lot of other people) because Brawley almost certainly made the attack up. If she’d been telling the truth, he would probably have gotten away with it. On the bright side, most people had learned to be more cynical by the time [this nitwit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Todd_mugging_hoax)appeared in the news. ---
**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, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/82 "2012-02-15T15:33:37Z")
I agree it would be helpful, but sadly I don’t think he has done so. Still, if I’m looking for a religious figure that is politically active to be a positive role model, I’ll take Sharpton and Jackson over Falwell and Huckabee any day. ---
**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, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/83 "2012-02-15T15:42:32Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > His “role” in the Tawana Brawley hoax seems to have been using her attack as a bully pulpit to expound upon various problems (real and exagerrated). He got burned (as did a lot of other people) because Brawley almost certainly made the attack up. If she’d been telling the truth, he would probably have gotten away with it. Sharpton’s demagoguery disrupted and wrecked lives. He has never admitted it was a hoax nor has he paid the court-ordered damages to one of his victims. ---
**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, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/84 "2012-02-15T16:11:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Okay, I have seen the light. The Oreo comment was uncalled for. I apologize to OMG and to others who were offended. Well, that’s mighty white of you. Do you normally use racial slurs regarding blacks that piss you off? Similarly, do you regularly refer to Jews who piss you off as “Kikes” and Italian-Americans who piss you off as “Wops”? If not, why do blacks get such special treatment? ---
**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, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/85 "2012-02-15T16:39:25Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Well, that’s mighty white of you. > > Do you normally use racial slurs regarding blacks that piss you off? > > Similarly, do you regularly refer to Jews who piss you off as “Kikes” and Italian-Americans who piss you off as “Wops”? > > If not, why do blacks get such special treatment? No, there really isn’t a parallel for Jews that would betray their Jewishness, or Italians that act against the self-interest of Italians. However, given that so much of the Republican Party is quite willing to pander to the racism of working class whites, and that the conservative movement and Tea Partiers tolerate and even encourage racism, and that the Republican orthodoxy of dismantling the societal safety net has a disproportionate effect on minorities, and that Republicans so openly embrace anti-immigrant xenophobia, I personally find that minorities in the Republican Party are betraying their own heritage and find them personally repugnant. That I chose to express this with the term Oreo is regrettable. I am not a minority, but cannot fathom why any minority would choose to associate with the conservative cause. It would be akin to Jews For Hitler. I would also not think highly of Hispanic support for any Republican, given the discriminatory laws passed in Arizona and elsewhere. ---
**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, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/86 "2012-02-15T16:49:12Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > No, there really isn’t a parallel for Jews that would betray their Jewishness, or Italians that act against the self-interest of Italians. Sure there are. You’ve heard of the term “wops” and “kikes” haven’t you? BTW, why did you use the term “oreo” instead of simply calling him the “house negro” or the “house nigger”? > [@](#): > > I would also not think highly of Hispanic support for any Republican, given the discriminatory laws passed in Arizona and elsewhere. So then do you think it’s acceptable to refer to people like Marc Rubio as Spics? If not, why not. ---
**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, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/87 "2012-02-15T17:10:53Z")
I have an idea, why don’t you all continue discussion about explicit racial epithets, preferably using them as often as possible. Because nothing makes my day more than reading more hateful racial epithets. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/88 "2012-02-15T17:28:16Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > guys like Fred Phelps and Orly Taitz. As unbelievable as it may seem, Orly Taitz is actually a woman and, as a guy, I’d really rather not claim her for our side. ---
**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, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/89 "2012-02-15T17:52:53Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > As long as he incites hatred against whites, it doesn’t matter how much good (you think) he has done. \*\*– **You** incite racial hatred of whites _every single fucking time you post_, you racist sack of dog excrement. My pasty ass thinks about joining the motherfucking Black Panthers whenever I see your stupid screen name. All Sharpton can do is say shitty things about white people. But every time you post _you prove him right_. So, I think you are doing faaaaaar more to lower people’s opinion of whites. You should really consider throwing out your computer and living as a hermit. You know, for the good of the White Race. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/90 "2012-02-15T17:57:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Still, if I’m looking for a religious figure that is politically active to be a positive role model, I’ll take Sharpton and Jackson over Falwell and Huckabee any day. I don’t think you can get much less active than Falwell, so that doesn’t appear to be such a tough choice. Regards, Shodan ---
**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, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/91 "2012-02-15T18:04:37Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > You should really consider throwing out your computer and living as a hermit. Naw. There’s always the chance that one of my posts will give someone like you a stroke, and that would be a big win for the entire human race. ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/92 "2012-02-15T18:58:08Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Naw. There’s always the chance that one of my posts will give someone like you a stroke, and that would be a big win for the entire human race. Honey, don’t flatter yourself. You think you’re the first racist asshole I ever saw? No. I just thought, with all your concern for Whitey, you should know how much you do to undermine your cause. But, unsurprisingly, you are as worthless and ignorant about this as anything else. Anyway, please keep posting! I love the fact that racial superiority is proven ridiculous every time you type! ---
**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, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/93 "2012-02-15T19:04:45Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > 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. I’d tend to consider Sharpton more of a proto-Phelps than a poorer Trump, myself. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/94 "2012-02-15T19:33:15Z")
> [@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. Then why hasn’t he still apologized to the officers he smeared in the Tawana Brawley case? Him being a good man and all. Answer: he’s a racist of the highest order. By the way, I hope you didn’t strain yourself with that apology-like thing you managed to choke out. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/95 "2012-02-15T21:00:47Z")
Oreo is a completely unacceptable description of white troll. ---
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/96 "2012-02-15T21:11:57Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Naw. There’s always the chance that one of my posts will give someone like you a stroke, and that would be a big win for the entire human race. [Moderating] Wishing harm on other posters is a violation of the board rules. Please avoid using this sort of language in the future. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**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, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/97 "2012-02-15T21:12:21Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Honey, don’t flatter yourself. You think you’re the first racist asshole I ever saw? No. I just thought, with all your concern for Whitey, you should know how much you do to undermine your cause. But, unsurprisingly, you are as worthless and ignorant about this as anything else. > > Anyway, please keep posting! I love the fact that racial superiority is proven ridiculous every time you type! Is there some reason your anger is supposed to be important to me? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/98 "2012-02-15T23:03:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Still, if I’m looking for a religious figure that is politically active to be a positive role model, I’ll take Sharpton and Jackson over Falwell and Huckabee any day. I don’t know if we can call Huckabee a religious figure that’s politically active. He differs from Falwell, Sharpton and Jackson in the fact that he was actually elected to something. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/99 "2012-02-15T23:19:57Z")
> [@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. Mistakes? Tawana Brawley’s actions were not just “a mistake”. She only made it that much harder for legitimate rape victims to be believed. I don’t agree with people like **Lonesome Polecat** , but Sharpton’s a bastard and I’d rather not have him on my side, thank you very much. The man’s nothing but an attention whore. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805/100 "2012-02-15T23:28:29Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > . The man’s nothing but an attention whore. That’s very unfair to attention whores. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rev-al-on-whitney-houston-wtf/612805.md?page=6)