The double standard: “You can’t criticize me, I’m a Lefty!”

I try not to pay too much attention to celebrities who embarrass themselves by saying idiotic things in public, but this one deserves a brief comment. The self-abuse victim in question is comedienne/actress Sandra Bernhard. Ms. Bernhard was doing a one-woman show in Washington recently and did a bit of a monologue on Governor Sarah Palin. In her expletive-filled monologue, Bernhard called Palin a “bitch” and a “whore” and suggested that if she set foot in Manhattan she would be “gang-raped by my big black brothers”. Apparently, Ms. Bernhard’s ire against Governor Palin stems from the Governor’s opposition to abortion, which in Ms. Bernhard’s view I guess is a crime which should be punished by gang-raping.

While horrific, these comments drew little comment beyond a brief blurb in the mainstream media. Until yesterday, that is. You see, Ms. Bernhard was supposed to be the headliner at a comedy luncheon to benefit a famous women’s shelter in Boston called Rosie’s Place. Well, the folks over at Rosie’s Place may not be big fans of Sarah Palin, but more importantly they do not find it at all funny when someone suggests that a woman be gang-raped. Some of the women who live at Rosie’s Place are themselves rape victims, and Rosie’s Place told Ms. Bernhard in no uncertain terms that she was no longer invited to be a part of the luncheon.

Now, just for a moment, put yourself in Ms. Bernhard’s place. How would you handle this? If it were me, I would put out a statement, apologizing profusely and pointing out that comedians make a living by being outrageous and that sometimes we accidentally cross the line. And that would probably be the end of it.

Ah, no. Ms. Bernhard insisted her remarks had been “taken out of context” and that her monologue was “to protect women” from the “extreme views of Sarah Palin”. She cited her long standing advocacy for women’s rights and organizations like Rosie’s Place. In other words, because she’s a Lefty, she can say whatever she wants and it’s OK, because she’s one of the Good Guys, er, Good Girls. This arrogance is far worse, to me, than simply saying something stupid off the cuff.

Apparently, no one has even considered that what Bernhard said was also viciously racist – i.e., black men in the inner city are violent rapists who lust after white women. But I guess that’s OK to say too when you’re a Lefty.

So far, not one of the women’s rights or civil rights organizations has condemned Bernhard’s remarks. Does anyone seriously want to argue that if it had been Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, or even Michelle Malkin who had made the same comments, that they would have been fired instantly and massively tarred and feathered by every mainstream media outlet with glee?

You can read a transcript and see a video clip of part of Bernhard’s remarks here:

http://media.newsbusters.org/stories/sandra-bernhard-palin-would-be-gang-raped-blacks-manhattan.html?q=blogs/tim-graham/2008/09/19/sandra-bernhard-palin-would-be-gang-raped-blacks-manhattan

Consider the audience

The New York Post reports that the United Federation of Teachers is handing out Obama/Biden camapign buttons to New York City teachers, and some of those teachers have been wearing the buttons to school:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10022008/news/regionalnews/teachers_get_hit_on_the_button_131776.htm

Naturally, this is a direct violation of New York State Department of Education policy, which holds that schools are not the place for political advocacy. But some teachers are claiming their right to free speech should not be infringed.

Are these people serious? Do teachers really not understand that many parents already think they are trying to force their political views down students’ throats? The teachers claim it is not their intention to indoctrinate students or intimidate anyone with an opposing viewpoint, but in this case intention isn’t really the point. The teachers’ union can distribute buttons to every teacher in New York if they want, but they should not be worn in school. This is consistent with other office environments which prohibit political expression in the workplace for exactly the same reasons. The rationale is only augmented by the fact that the target audience for a teacher wearing a political button during the school day can only be the students.

Perhaps the most unsettling thing about the entire matter is that the teachers in question are either being deliberately disingenuous or are genuinely clueless. Either way, are these the people we want teaching our children?