Special Olympics
Drew263
Birmingham, AL Posts: 602
So, I'm sure it's safe to assume you folks are all up in arms over our leader's comment last night, right?
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
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Eh, I have more important things to worry about right now...
He wasn't just making fun of himself. Geez, it's not hard to figure out.
I'm guessing if a republican had said it, this board would be in a meltdown. Hyprocrits.
Hail, Hail!!!
See... that's where you are completely wrong. We have something called a 'Sense of Humor' and can differientiate the context of the statement.
For Example: If George W. Bush had made the same statement... we would have taken it as FACT... since we all could picture George W. Bush competing in the Special Olymipcs.
Big difference.
Hail, Hail!!!
I fall under the disabled category (though I don't necessarily perceive myself that way but the society...that's another story, smile) and I have briefly met President Obama when he was here for a rally at Troy High School.
Too often, people feel awkward when they first meet me but President Obama, then President-Elect, was not. He was very comfortable with me and others, looking at us as simply human beings and taking the time to briefly talk or responding to questions.
Cosmo is right... it's called sense of humor. :P I did not get the sense or feeling that he was mocking people with different abilities.
EV: It's your band.
~Q Magazine
"Kisses for the glow...kisses for the lease." - BDRII
The people who are complaining about this are usually the very same people who get their panties in a bunch about the same basic principle of the Special Olympics... 'Everybody Is A Winner'. Everyone who runs a race in the Special Olympics gets a medal, regardless of how they finish... there are only winners, hence... no losers.
Take that principle to the Little League Diamonds and these very same people bitch about Trophies going to all teams, even the 0-12 team in the basement... leagues that don't keep score or personal stats on the players... because 'it teaches kids the 'Wrong' message'.
...
The problem in America... too many idiots think that politics is a sport. They pick a team and are loyal to it til they die. They are so focused on being a proud and devoted Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative... that they lose the overall view of being an American.
Hail, Hail!!!
You just insulted the disabled way worse than Barack Obama ever could
http://www.disaboom.com/forums/t/42780.aspx
You people who think this is a gaf are sick and really should sit back and ask yourself what is right and wrong.
This country is in serious trouble, people are losing their jobs left and right and I don't think it is appropriate for the leader of the free world to be spending time chatting with talk show hosts or hanging out on the set of ESPN.
Second, those of you who want to blow this off as "oh, he made a mistake". Please! There are just some things that are considered taboo and I would consider making fun of the handicapped one of those things. Isn't that something we teach kids in kindergarten?
Third, the lack of outrage is astonishing to me! Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) made a racial slur "off the cuff" on some grainy cell phone camera in a second rate comedy club and he was ready to be tarred and feathered. Remember the Don Imus situation..... people wanted him pulled off the air ASAP! So let me get this straight, racial slurs not okay, compairing yourself being bad at a sport to the mentally handicapped is okay. Good, glad I got that straight (insert sarcasm here).
Also again, if Bush would have said something like this people would be calling for him to resign but since it was "the chosen one" I guess it is okay, he just made "a mistake". Sarah Palin actually has a mentally handicapped child and Obama's people were all over her and all over the media spreading a false rumor that she cut funding for Special Olympics. So I guess that's not okay either (insert sarcasm again).
The people that Obama made fun of are the people who really should be getting government assistance not the free loading, lazy pieces of garbage who choose not to work that sit around and suckle at the government tit.
Lighten up, Francis.
Hail, Hail!!!
..............thanks for the insight Cosmo...and who the hell is Francis
I get pissed when I hear people making fun of disabled people. And even though he was making fun of himself, he was mocking those with challenges. Am I angry and will I try and find him to throw my shoe at him? No. Because living in this country means hearing this garbage every day. I can't let myself get so offended that I lose my faith in humanity and live angry all the time. So I spend my time educating the ignorant instead. Obama will be on my list.
He PROBABLY shouldn't have said it, but can anyone here say they haven't made an offensive comment in an attempt at humor? He was making a joke, it was in poor taste, however, I think there are more important things to worry about.
Okay, let's make some insights into your comical rage regarding this 'issue'...
First off, yes... this country IS in big trouble. There are several extremely difficult problems that need to be solved. The Economy, the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Foriegn relations with Middle Eastern nations and our European and NATO Allies. Difficult problems that require measured, flexible long range solutions for lasting positive outcomes. None of these problems cropped up in the past 60 days.
President Obama is acting on these problems. Granted, some of us understand the they cannot be solved in 60 days. People will not like the actions being taken, but instead of sitting in your living room, complaining about them... how about offering up some real solutions? How would you fix the massive, complex problem of AIG, alone? Let it fail and and risk taking down the entire Global Ecomomy? Do nothing? What?
Fixing these problems... not gonna be easy... it's gonna get ugly... and it AIN'T gonna be cheap.
Secondly, it was insensitive on his part... I grant you that. But, how much of it was made with malice or a slip of the tongue? I mean, seriously, there's a reason I prefer watching the NCAA Men's Tournament or the NBA Play-Offs over the basketball finals at the Special Olympics. I would have a fanatical sense watching the Special Olympics... only if I was either participating in the games at any level or have someone I know in the tournament. The level of play, as well as the final score, is substantially different... even though the enthusiasm of the competition and love of the game remains equal.
Regarding Michael Richards and Don Imus... from your rant, I can only presume that your level of outrage against them is equal to that of President Obama... am I wrong, here? Personally, I wasn't that outraged and thought that a lot of people completely over reacted, regarding those incidents. You may think I'm an insensitive jerk for not calling for Richards' and Imus' head on a skewer... I guess I'm just not as Politically Correct as you. So, sue me.
As for former President Bush, there were several comments... as well as decisions and ACTIONS that he made that drew anger and outrage from many people. When Obama invades and occupys Brazil because of the on-going calamity in Mexico... I will join you in my outrage. When, there are unattended dead bodies in the streets of an American city for 3 or 4 days under this Administration... I will be right there, spewing my venom against this President. Also, there were more than several reasons to believe Sarah Palin would have been inept as the second in command than bullshit election campaign propaganda... starting with her support of Senator McCain, 'suspending his campaign until this economic crisis was over'... when most of us knew that would mean suspending his campaign for about 4 or 5 years.
Finally, your comparison between the handicapped and Welfare Fraud is... well, kinda funny. How about fixing the Welfare system? There are hundreds of thousands of Americans living below the poverty line that can use your help. Have you ever been to ghettos or barrios in America? What jobs are out there for them to have? I will concede that there is fraud that goes on... just as insurance fraud goes on. It doesn't mean to scrap the Welfare or Insurance plans because of it, right?
...
The thing that gets me is this... because of this type of 'outrage', politicians are forced into being tele-prompted robots, reading from carefully crafted scripts, written and edited by politically driven spin doctors that must adhere to your Politically Correct sensitivities. Is that what our leaders are supposed to be? Spewing out scripts created by their handlers? Or do you want them to be human.. and make human errors?
You provided many reasons for outrage... how about taking on THOSE problems, instead of focusing your concerns on what you expect your leaders to say in order to appease you?
...
As for Francis... "My name is Francis... but, you can call me, 'Psycho'. Anyone who calls me 'Francis'... I'll KILL you. Anyone who touches any of my stuff... I'll KILL you".
Hail, Hail!!!
Agreed. If this had been Newt Gingrich, John Boehner or Rush Limbaugh you would never hear the end of it. Rember when Limbaugh made the comment and was shown shaking, that was taken as an insult to people with Parkinson's at Michael J Fox. Limbaugh was hammered for that. I wonder if people on this board that are defending Barry thought this was funny. The left has always been prone to double standards. Then they use classic comments like "it was just a joke", "that was ot what he meant" or "Limbaugh is an idiot anyway". It is really laughable.
Maybe Obama should spend less time on his NCAA picks and more time trying to pick some people to appoint into the Treasury department. It is becoming laughable that he can't even find a deputy asst. treasury director.
that's right.
i don't think Bush would've apologized at all. he never apologized for anything!
and actually my first thought after his comment was
negative attention is better than no attention at all.
He had just taken a question from a man with a disability earlier that day in LA
the comment got people talking about the disabled community.
and before i judged him, i consitered what Obama is trying do to for the disabled community. a lot more more than Bush!
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
Well said...I agree completely
1. It was an off-the-cuff joke in response to being made fun of for a low bowling score. He didn't put thought into it and then decide it was an appropriate thing to say. And he clearly realized that it was innappropriate and apologized. So does he truly believe whatever bad things about disabled people his joke supposedly expressed? I don't think so.
2. As has already been noted, he seems to be on the side of the disabled community. And actions are more important than words - especially silly attempts at a joke on a comedian's talk show.
3. He said, "I bowled a 129... it was like special olympics or something." Now I don't know anything about bowling - in general or in the special olympics. But is it possible that this was a factual, accurate statement? I mean, what's the average score for special olympics bowling? Maybe it's 129 - who knows.
If you're going to make an argument, and want to be taken seriously, get your facts straight.
Obama was never "hanging out on the set of ESPN".