Here is the O'Reilly story: Bill O’Reilly was emceeing an event on April 12th sponsored by the Best Friends Foundation, a non-profit that provides a curriculum and resources for children from 5th to 12th grade to make the proper decisions outside of school. During the festivities, a capella group of 6th to 8th grade boys called the Best Men was late making it back onto the stage to perform. Trying to fill the time, O’Reilly quipped, “Does anyone know where the Best Men are? I hope they’re not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps.” Now, 6th to 8th graders are usually not associated with the theft that O’Reilly is describing. Most adolescents who engage in criminal activity do so later in adolescence. More importantly, the boys that were the target of O’Reilly’s cheap joke were in a singing group. Anyone with a cursory understanding of the “gangsta” culture that embodies most teenage delinquency today (regardless of race) would agree that 12 year olds in doo-wop bands are not trying to make their mark through criminal activity. So why did O’Reilly make this off-the-cuff remark? No kidding…the kids in the Best Men are black. O’Reilly stereotyped young black men with criminal activity, even though the majority of black boys under the age of 18 do not engage in criminal activity. Many members of the crowd, according to Lloyd Grove of the Washington Post, did not hear the remark. However, Bo Derek was in attendance and acknowledged hearing the remark, although provided no additional comment. Washington news anchor Andrea Roane, after hearing the remark, was purported to have muttered, “Unbelievable.” An anonymous source added, “The well-known Republican politicians and their spouses seated at or near my table were appalled.”
Spinning O'Reilly
I don't know how true the story is but who does.
Let's see ... an event sponsored by a group with the aim to provide a curriculum for children to make the right decisions outside of school ... a group of boys late for the stage ... O'Reilly quips off the cuff that he hopes they aren't out stealing hubcaps, the very type of activity the curriculum purports to prevent. Do I have that right so far? Sounds pretty benign to me. Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor any more? In context, uncolored [!] by any racial prejudice, it was a pretty witty remark.
Instead, the PC crowd jumps to all sorts of conclusions, deciding that the remarks are racist since the singing group late for the stage is black / African-American / whatever [see yesterday's baseball thread, I can't keep this straight anymore]. I think we need a hyper-sensitivity alert on this one. Who is the real racist here?
Besides, Boortz and O'Reilly both rate pretty high up on my blowhard meter. I'm surprised both egos could fit in the same room. That said, BO is not guilty on the hubcap thing. The SOB remark is something else, though.