'IDOL' HATE STUNS STAR (Racist "American Idol" fans?)

New York Post ^ | May 29, 2003 | MICHAEL STARR

[Michael2001]

'THE View" co-host Star Jones says she's received hundreds of hateful e-mails for her on-air support of "American Idol 2" winner Ruben Studdard. "I have to tell you, being on this show six years, I have never received such vicious e-mails . . . 'Take Ruben and go back to Africa,' vicious things," Jones said on "The View" yesterday to gasps from the audience.

[the_doc]

Mah cinnamons perzackly.

[L.N. Smithee]

This just proves my theory: American Idol fans are stupid.

As an American Idol fan, I say being called stupid by someone dumb enough to make a snap judgment like that is a compliment. Thanks.

[Mamzelle]

Could it be that she's taking her emailbox a bit too seriously? Or maybe she's playing victim? Everyone with a prominent site gets piles of offensive junk--delete it, and forget it.

[pbear8]

pinging

[OldFriend]

She's the racist. Can she honestly say that if Ruben were a personality challenged grossly overweight white singer with not much range, she would have voted for him.

Of course not, she wanted him to win because he was black so she ought to look inside herself before she calls others racist.

And that goes for Oprah too who had all the top ten on her show and went on and on about how she was rooting for Ruben. Never mind the insult to all the other kids.

[OldFriend]

And there is a segment of the black population that would excuse any black person for any offense and revile any white person for that same offense. That would vote for the black person no matter the justification, simply using skin color as their reason.

It's a free country, people can be racist or simply remark on what they perceive as an injustice.....

If you want to go back to the night of the Idol voting.....BEFORE Ruben won, you will see many many people complaining that they could NOT vote for Clay......lines busy, no dial tone, etc.

It had nothing to do with racism, it had to do with the perception that certain areas were not serviced by AT&T...or whomever was in control of the voting.

While Ruben's mom said she was able to vote 200 times for her son, Clay's mom said she was NEVER able to vote even once.

Be honest, what you would be thinking if the situation was reversed and people could not vote for Ruben.

[IvanT]

I'm shocked that e-mails of that nature were sent. Up here in Canada that Ruben fella was the most popular of the contestants by far! (Not that I watch the show, the missus does)

[manic4organic]

I am an "Idol" fan and think Ruben justly won. This is just another lame play of the race card. Nevermind the 99.9% of the fans that are non-racist. Of course that wouldn't be news.

[IvanT]

As I've said before, we are PC ad Nauseum in Canada, but I think I'll never fully comprehend the black/white racial issues of the US.

[jonalvy44]

Here is another example which proves my point. Why must we be on constant alert for those that abuse their position? She should be fired for this...Her "joke" appeared to be a real quote to readers. Once she was called on it, she writes the next day that it was a joke.


Just A Joke': Gossip Columnist Makes Up Cheney Quote
(CNSNews.com) - Did you hear the one about New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams, who stuck a joke about Dick Cheney into her column on Thursday? She even made up a quote -- one that made the vice president look bad. And now she blames Washington for not laughing.


In response to "frantic" calls from Cheney's office - which was deluged by calls from inquiring reporters - Adams issued the following clarification in Friday's column:


Yesterday, to lighten everyone's load, I shoved this joke in the column: "The White House is now concentrating on the economy. Vice President Dick Cheney has told subordinates: " 'The way to lick this recession is to get all those deadbeats out of the soup kitchens.'" From sea to shining sea, America the Beautiful has a sense of humor. It stops at the Potomac. Washington-types wanted to know the source of my item. The Vice President's office called to deny he'd ever said it. I said, "Of course, he never said it. It's a joke." They wanted me to take it back. I said I don't know how you take back a joke. So, with the music of "Les Miz" in the background, the teased-up head of c. adams is now marching to the gallows. Let it be known that, in future, Jay Leno may have to hold up cue cards saying, "Attention D.C.: Joke coming."

[honeygrl]

"This just proves my theory: American Idol fans are stupid. "

Bingo.

[honeygrl]

I loathe Star Jones... but not because she's black. She's just irritating.

[FourtySeven]

Is Tom Daschle deeply saddened?

Note, for all those without a brain, I do NOT condone racism at all. I just hate "The View" just a little bit less.

[honeygrl]

"If you read the American Idol boards (at Bolt) when the Clay/Ruben contest was heating up, you will see hateful comments about white people from black posters. The racism was a two-way street."

I think racism has always been a two way street. At one point it was considered ok in society for whites to be that way in public and now it's considered ok for blacks to be that way in public.

Soon they'll all join together and hate the middle-easterners. Many already have.

[Chuzzlewit]

I think this story is a lie

Agreed.. I don't believe it, not for one minute. She may have gotten 1 e-mail to this effect. Poor thing. She's delusional.

[Robert A Cook PE]

I'm not really offended or delighted that Ruben won. What really pisses me off is that Clay never really had a chance. Every single interview I saw, be it on the Daily Show, CNN, MTV, FOXNEWS, or any other major cable channel, everyone, including the judges, the fox executives, the host, former contestants, were plugging Ruben. Clay was usually mentioned in passing as "the other contestant." Everybody on that show wanted Ruben to win so they could have a black idol. The voters may not be racist but the show executives most certainly were.

[mhking]

She's just irritating.

She's fat, too...[g]

[republicandiva]

To begin with, have you ever watched "The View?" Although I seldom watch, when I have I've noticed that not one of these women engenders any sort of warm, fuzzy feelings towards themselves. They are often rude, highly opinionated and at times downright obnoxious. And although I don't agree with the racist remarks being made (as I don't agree with the homosexual remarks and bashing directed at the other finalist) it's not a stretch to understand why Star Jones, or any of the other women on that program, could be receiving heated e-mails. They provoke this type of controversy. And with Barbara WAWA as their ringleader, I'm guessing they ENCOURAGE this type of controvery. BUT, that doesn't excuse those sending the e-mails, and I'm guessing they are small minority of viewers. You do realize some 30+ million people were watching this series, don't you?

Second, American Idol is, IMHO, one of the best shows to come along in years, and every REAL musician I know is thrilled to see this type of competition. If you seriously believe the millions of families sitting down together and actually being able to watch a "G" rated program together in primetime are stupid; if you honestly believe that the millions of children who will now have a desire to study music and learn a craft(rather than imitate the garbage on MTV)are stupid; and if you honestly believe that a contest that strives for excellence and teaches that value to those watching is stupid, I suggest you have not bothered to analyze the situation, but are having a kneejerk reaction.

However, the show is flawed and that was proven with the voting on the finals. The reason you're seeing the ire of Clay Aiken fans is because of some major problems with the voting system which (as we remember all too clearly with Bush-Gore) will leave one side always believing they were cheated. Do you not still hear the chants of "selected not elected?"

And again, I don't agree with the racist remarks, I don't agree with the homosexual remarks! But to simply dismiss millions of people as "stupid" just about rises to that same level. And let me ask you this, if Clay had won, given the problems with the voting, would there be similar bashing and cries of racism? Absolutely, this was a very close competition and undoubtedly 1/2 the viewers were going to be disappointed and raise questions! And this is not a symptom of a minority of AI fans, this is a symptom of America. We've obviously got a long way to go with our prejudices, and not just of a particular race. But, by your labeling of millions of people as "stupid" you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem!

[Afronaut]

I guess out of the millions that watch this crap no Racism would exist? I guess there were no Pot Smokers or Wife beaters either, [Racist "American Idol" fans?] NO!

My Mother the Car would do well these days.

[mhking]

Everybody on that show wanted Ruben to win so they could have a black idol. The voters may not be racist but the show executives most certainly were.

Race shouldn't be in play one way or the other.

I'll admit that I didn't pay anywhere as much attention to the show this time around that I did last summer with AI1. But barring that, from what I heard, I was a bit more impressed with Ruben. Has nothing to do with race; I felt he was more versatile and more of the "AI" image that the show was "looking" for.

My impression of Clay is that in the long run, he may have a larger career, simply because of his potential on Broadway and in musical theater (and Hollywood, as an extension of that). But he didn't fit with the "pop idol" image that AI pushes for.

I'm happy that both of them are going to do well career-wise, and quite honestly, I wish this whole mess would just plain go away.

Now to go back to my initial statement, I'm not surprised that e-mails were sent deriding Star Jones and her support of Ruben. I've seen that sort of thing happen before, and I'm sure I'll see it again. I'm no fan of Star Jones, by any stretch. (for that matter, as far as I'm concerned, all those hens on "The View" could take a flying leap if you ask me) But what it boils down to is that there are those who would take an innocuous issue (on both sides of the coin) and attempt to turn it into a race issue - that's what I was implying more than anything else.

If anyone took what I was saying out of that context then I apologize.

'Nuff said.