Posted on 03/21/2012 9:58:59 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
It’s not unusual for conservative commentator Ann Coulter to tell women to stop playing the victim (and in some cases, rightfully so), but it was somewhat surprising to see the New York Times bestselling author defend “The Godfather II” star Robert DeNiro’s joke that the United States is not ready for another white first lady.
“Can we please stop the fake ‘offended’ routine? Pls explain what was allegedly offensive about DeNiro’s joke,” Coulter tweeted Tuesday in the wake of Internet outrage over DeNiro’s wisecrack.
Coulter followed up with a retweet that provides us with a little more clarity: “It’s always a bad idea to imitate liberals. RT @TPCarney It’s just conservatives trying to get offended [like] liberals always get.”
DeNiro came under fire Tuesday when news outlets revealed that he’d said at a recent New York fundraising event that it’s “too soon” for the U.S. to have another white FLOTUS:
“Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?”
Though the Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich campaign did not respond to my request for comment, Gingrich unloaded his beef with DeNiro’s statement later on in the day:
“What De Niro said last night was inexcusable and the president should apologize for him. It was at an Obama fundraiser, it is exactly wrong, it divides the country.”
Michelle Obama wasn’t too pleased with DeNiro’s comment either, as her press secretary’s response was, “We believe the joke was inappropriate.”
So the real question is, whose side are you on: Team Potential First Ladies or Team DeNiro?
For Ann, anything Newt objects to MUST be all right.
I read that her book sales are down. I wonder if Romney threw some cash her way.
It is really easy -
what if senior had said, the white house is not ready for 4 more years with a black man in it.
Exactly.
What did you find funny about it? Please explain in detail because I don’t get it.
She’s absolutely right. It was a joke, not offensive in any way, and it made me chuckle slightly.
I grew up in Southern California. I was told by more than one person that if you see something on a TV or movie screen, it wasn’t accidental.
Those on the right who try to point by point the left fail because the fact is, the left is full of crap. When the left is offended by someone calling a woman a slut it is not because they give two craps about women or that there is no such thing as a slut or anything else. They just want to shut someone [Limbaugh] up. They want to instill a kneejerk reaction on the part of tuned out women to simply associate republican with mysogyny (same thing with racism).
The deNiro quote isn't offensive. The underlying message of racial division is ugly and works against everything the left claims to be for. An intellectual discussion about the racism of leftist cliche may be warranted but anyone who says they are offended, is either really weird, or more likely lying.
This is another reason why Hannity will never be as popular as Rush because Sean tries to point-by-point the leftists and quite frankly it just gets shrill. Rush uses absurdity to illustrate the absurd which is more often than not, quite entertaining.
Hi Hildy,
Looks like you and I are alone here. Let’s go on record as saying that the joke wasn’t intended to demean white people in any way. What was funny about it (only slightly funny, IMO) was the use of irony. As Wiki puts it, “...a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words...”
Kind of a shame to have to explain this.
Would you “chuckle” if Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santorum or Sean Hannity had said something similar about a black first lady? Better yet, do you think that the press, academia, nutroots, DNC, Hollywood and Media Matters would be chuckling? Or do you think they’d be going for the jugular? See? This is why we lose 97 out of 100 fights.
The problem is the double standard. Politically correct has come to mean and thing a conservative says is evil and the same type of comment from a liberal is just ignored.
This whole “joke” thing was an opportunity to beat the Left over the head with their own club.
Kind of a shame to have to explain this.
Yep, I’d chuckle, maybe even laugh. DeNiro’s joke was quite mild, highly reminiscent of 60s topical humor. No need for conservatives to have the same kind of thin skin as liberals.
But the other thing, 2DV, is that if it was about a black first lady, it wouldn’t be ironic or funny at all! Rush, Hannity, etc., need a different gag entirely.
No, you need a better club. This is more like a feather. Get it?
I thought it was not in the least bit funny.
Funny would be saying, “Is this country ready for another REPUBLICAN First Lady”—then, hah-hahs all around. After all, he mentioned the wives of the GOP candidates.
But DeNiro went further and injected race into it, specifically saying “ is the country ready for another WHITE First Lady?
Race has nothing to do with the event or the theme of the joke.
But DeNiro made it so.
If the race polarities were reversed I cannot even imagine the setting that this would ever be uttered.
I was offended because it is a racial joke, against white people. And I’m doubly offended because I am Italian like DeNiro, who should know better.
The only thing worse would be if Chris Rock said it.
Ann has already jumped ten sharks. Ann, we hardly knew ye.
I hear you. I just don’t agree with you. To make every single little tiny thing into some sort of battle just makes one look silly.
I found DeNiro’s attempt at humor neither funny or insightful. Not offensive either unless you are in the business of politically correct posturing as liberals are. The word “cheesy” comes to mind.
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