# Samantha Bee's "Feckless Cunt" comment. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 31, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214 "2018-05-31T19:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**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:** [June 5, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/181 "2018-06-05T13:44:44Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > If you add a little bit more information to this, you can clearly see the difference. Nonsense - both Bee and Barr used English words to formulate sentences which included nouns, verbs and adjectives. Therefore the two are directly comparable. Insisting that more pertinent details and wider context are required for a meaningful comparison to be made is just making excuses for blatant hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/182 "2018-06-05T13:54:56Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Nonsense - both Bee and Barr used English words to formulate sentences which included nouns, verbs and adjectives. Therefore the two are directly comparable. > > Insisting that more pertinent details and wider context are required for a meaningful comparison to be made is just making excuses for blatant hypocrisy. Oh right, sorry :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/183 "2018-06-05T14:04:03Z")
This entire thread is the same as the false equivalence dance the media does over Trump saying racist shit and then getting called a racist for it. “Both sides are now offended, so it’s equal!” An underserved racist insult is not the same as an insult for actions a person takes. If you argue otherwise either you’re doing it in bad faith and are an asshole, or you’re an incredibly stupid person that can’t understand basic concepts. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/184 "2018-06-05T14:04:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Isn’t Feckless Cunt a mare running against Justify in the Belmont Stakes? > > \*sorry if I missed a previous racehorse name allusion somewhere in the first four pages of the thread. Can’t be. In horse racing, mares are female horses 4 years and over while the Triple Crown races are for 3 year olds only (fillies, colts, and geldings) ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/185 "2018-06-05T15:02:56Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > Can’t tell if trolling or serious. Then again, you are making the argument that it’s impossible to punch down with a joke and that the social backgrounds of Barr and Jarrett absolves Barr of her racism, so you most likely are serious. You are making stuff up. Jarrett comes from a higher socio economic background then Barr does. That means Barr’s mean joke was not punching down, since it wasn’t punching and was directed upward. Racism is bad whether it is directed up, down, or sideways. A homeless guy directing a racial slur at a billionaire is just as bad as the other way around. The whole idea of punching up or down in reference to comedy is to give certain people a license to say whatever they want while other people have to be censored. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/186 "2018-06-05T16:07:51Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m fairly certain there is a universal and objective interpretation of a white person calling or comparing a black person to an ape. And that interpretation is “racist”. I’m white, so I can understand and agree with it. > > A woman calling another woman a “cunt”? I’m not a woman, so I don’t know if a universal and objective interpretation exists or what it is if it does. > > Same with a black person calling another black person “nigga” in a rap song. I’m not black, so I don’t know if the universal and objective interpretation of this exists. > > And I’m fairly certain that if you called a poster who was known to be black an “ape” in the Pit, it would draw a warning. It’s not universal nor objective. Those words have real meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/187 "2018-06-05T16:14:06Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > Can’t tell if trolling or serious. Can you tell that accusations of trolling are not permitted in this forum? I’m feeling generous - do not do this again. > [@puddleglum](#): > > You are making stuff up. Don’t do this either. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/188 "2018-06-05T16:23:19Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > It’s not universal nor objective. Those words have real meanings. You may not think so, but it is. Unless 99% of the US is wrong and you are right. I guess that’s a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/189 "2018-06-05T16:56:25Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > You may not think so, but it is. Unless 99% of the US is wrong and you are right. I guess that’s a possibility. So, if I link Bush as a chimp, Trump as an orangutan, and Obama as some other primate then that’s racist solely because Obama has some African DNA? Nah. I disagree. You want equal treatment? Then equal treatment, not special treatment, not put on a pedestal treatment, is what you get. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/190 "2018-06-05T17:01:51Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So, if I link Bush as a chimp, Trump as an orangutan, and Obama as some other primate then that’s racist solely because Obama has some African DNA? Nah. I disagree. You want equal treatment? Then equal treatment, not special treatment, not put on a pedestal treatment, is what you get. You can disagree all you want. Good luck with that. Don’t you have anything else to worry about other than “Why can’t I call Obama an ape without being considered racist?” Maybe work on those things first? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/191 "2018-06-05T17:09:35Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So, if I link Bush as a chimp, Trump as an orangutan, and Obama as some other primate then that’s racist solely because Obama has some African DNA? Nah. I disagree. You want equal treatment? Then equal treatment, not special treatment, not put on a pedestal treatment, is what you get. You really need to take your problems up with the racists and the bigots. They are the ones who abuse the language in such a way to ensure that certain words and phrases are offensive. You are right that it doesn’t make any sense that comparing white people to primates is different from comparing black people, but the racists and bigots have a long history of doing that, so, unless you want to look like a racist and a bigot, then you shouldn’t imitate racists and bigots. If you have no problem being compared to the racists and bigots that use the language the way that you insist that you should be allowed to use it, then you are free to use it. Just don’t be surprised when the racists and bigots give you a wink and a nudge, and everyone else keeps their distance. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/192 "2018-06-05T18:06:59Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > unless you want to look like a racist and a bigot, then you shouldn’t imitate racists and bigots. But that’s not fair!!! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/193 "2018-06-05T18:28:57Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So, if I link Bush as a chimp, Trump as an orangutan, and Obama as some other primate then that’s racist solely because Obama has some African DNA? Nah. If you compare Bush to a chimp because he is not too bright, Trump to an orangutan because he relies on his base instincts, and Obama to a gorilla because he’s black, then that’s racist. It’s not equal. Criticizing an individual for his individual characteristics is different than criticizing an individual for being a member of a racial or ethnic group. By the way, just to clear one thing up: Humans are primates. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/194 "2018-06-05T19:45:09Z")
I thought the caricature of Bush as a chimp because of these photos and his appearance not the dissemblification concerning his IQ was funny. [bush chimp comparison - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=bush+chimp+comparison&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=d0UapQZVDBhmrM:) Now I wouldn’t dare post funny images of Obama because some political people are more equal and deserve gentler handling. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/195 "2018-06-05T19:48:58Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Now I wouldn’t dare post funny images of Obama because some political people are more equal and deserve gentler handling. That’s too bad. I’m not sure how you continue living without being able to post Obama-as-a-monkey photos online. Edited to add: I just googled “funny pictures of obama” and there are 100s if not 1000s of funny images of Obama that don’t involve comparing him to a monkey. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/196 "2018-06-05T19:57:36Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I thought the caricature of Bush as a chimp because of these photos and his appearance not the dissemblification concerning his IQ was funny. [bush chimp comparison - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=bush+chimp+comparison&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=d0UapQZVDBhmrM:) > > Now I wouldn’t dare post funny images of Obama because some political people are more equal and deserve gentler handling. Ironic that this is the first hit in the search link you posted: [Portraying Obama As Chimp Not Like Showing Bush As One](https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2011/04/27/135771740/portraying-obama-as-a-chimp-not-the-same-as-showing-bush-as-one) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/197 "2018-06-05T21:08:37Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I thought the caricature of Bush as a chimp because of these photos and his appearance not the dissemblification concerning his IQ was funny. [bush chimp comparison - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=bush+chimp+comparison&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=d0UapQZVDBhmrM:) > > Now I wouldn’t dare post funny images of Obama because some political people are more equal and deserve gentler handling. I’m pretty sure you’ve already been told this, but there’s a very dark history of ape and monkey imagery being used to dehumanize and justify brutal treatment against black people. There’s no such history for white people. And thus it’s entirely reasonable to consider history when evaluating things like symbolism and imagery. When you say silly things like “some political people are more equal” than it makes me think you’re not actually interested in a serious discussion on a topic with lots and lots of history behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/198 "2018-06-07T05:38:23Z")
[Tonight](https://apnews.com/60758122432145a5af80ceaef0dfd5bf/Samantha-Bee-is-back,-both-angry-and-apologetic)! > [@](#): > > Immediately addressing the issue at the opening of her show, Bee said she hated to “contribute to the nightmare of 24-hour news cycles that we’re all white-knuckling through.” > > “I should have known that a potty-mouthed insult would be inherently more interesting … than this juvenile immigration policy,” she said. > > Bee had called Ivanka Trump a vulgar term in an attempt to encourage her to speak to her father about changing a policy where children of people entering the country illegally are being detained. > > To drive her point home, Bee finished her monologue and went directly into another segment about immigration, knowing that she would have a curious audience tuning in to see her reaction. > > Cameras showed four dour-looking men dressed in suits with their hands on red buttons, who she introduced as her show’s new censors. > > “Civility is just nice words,” she said. “Maybe we should all worry about the civility of our actions.” > [@](#): > > “It is a word I have used on the show many times, hoping to reclaim it,” Bee said on Wednesday. “I used it as an insult, I crossed a line, I regret it and I do apologize for that. The problem is that many women have heard that word in the worst moments of their lives. A lot of them don’t want it reclaimed. They want it gone, and I don’t blame them. > > “I don’t want to inflict more pain on them,” she said. “I want this show to be challenging and I want it to be honest and I never intended to hurt anyone, except Ted Cruz.” > > After drawing a laugh at the mention of the Texas senator, Bee said that many men also were offended by her language. “I do not care about that,” she said. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/199 "2018-06-07T06:03:43Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’m pretty sure you’ve already been told this, but there’s a very dark history of ape and monkey imagery being used to dehumanize and justify brutal treatment against black people. There’s no such history for white people. And thus it’s entirely reasonable to consider history when evaluating things like symbolism and imagery. > > When you say silly things like “some political people are more equal” than it makes me think you’re not actually interested in a serious discussion on a topic with lots and lots of history behind it. You doubt my intentions? I am interested in a world where we are truly treated equally. I don’t think things like affirmative action, quotas, safe places for students of color or whatever, or treating a group of people with kids’ gloves is productive. If I wasn’t for equal treatment of people why would I be supportive of Kaepernick’s principled stance against police brutality for example? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214/200 "2018-06-07T08:40:45Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > You doubt my intentions? I am interested in a world where we are truly treated equally. I don’t think things like affirmative action, quotas, safe places for students of color or whatever, or treating a group of people with kids’ gloves is productive. > > If I wasn’t for equal treatment of people why would I be supportive of Kaepernick’s principled stance against police brutality for example? I’ll back away from talk about intentions. I think it’s fine to discuss these things with seriousness. There’s tons of history behind these concepts, and it’s reasonable to not want that history dismissed or ignored. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samantha-bees-feckless-cunt-comment/815214.md?page=11)