And we just love this story! It's about Bill O'Reilly, race, talk radio... and meat loaf.
Liberal watchsite Media Matters is reporting about The Big Fat Head (KTTH m-f, 9-11p) shooting his big fat mouth off on the radio last Wednesday.
Relating a recent dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at Sylvia's, a classic Harlem soul food restaurant, O'Reilly told listeners he "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship." O'Reilly added: "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' "
O'Reilly (whose silly name is Lumpy Burgerbrains) reportedly passed up the falafel, choosing the meatloaf instead.
O' Reilly's radio remarks, made to NPR/Fox News commentator Juan Williams, were in one of his signature lectures about how white people stereotype blacks because of rap culture. He was genuinely surprised seeing nice black people acting so civilized in a restaurant proving to him that all African Americans were not like Ludicris, Twista, and Snoop Dogg- an opinion, apparently, he'd previously entertained.
(Could that be because night after night on The O'Reilly Factor, the black people mostly featured are the extremest of rappers, the thuggiest of athletes; their excesses and legal troubles???)
In a golly-gee-whiz moment heard via CNN 'round the world he said:
"You know, I mean, everybody was- it was like going into an Italian
restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting
there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn't any kind
of craziness at all." (or watermelons, we might add).
Patronizingly, he declared that black people are ‘starting’ to think for themselves. "They're getting away from the Sharptons and the [Rev. Jesse] Jacksons and the people trying to lead them into a race-based culture. They're just trying to figure it out. 'Look, I can make it. If I work hard and get educated, I can make it."
It wasn't the hate-filled kind of racism, it was dumb, numb, condescending and sooooo 1961.
Here's the whole transcript. Judge for yourself if O'Reilly is being quoted out of context as he claims.
It's what you'd expect from an Iowa farm boy who'd just met his first Negro. It's stunningly ignorant that a man his age (58), a veteran newsman- supposedly a savvy guy who's lived all over the country, and works in New York City media should be so unconscious that he utter such things. It's crazy even for Billo.
Maybe he, always the teacher, thinks his graying listeners need to learn the lesson they should have 40 years ago. If that were the case, you'd think he'd present blacks in a better light in the day in/day out of his show, wouldnya?
(O'Reilly's audience are his own age: younger people aren't buying his kind of know-it all, lecturing, and scolding).
And of course, he blames the media- he spent the first quarter of his show Monday on the offense against CNN, NBC and Media Matters.
Will this be O'Reilly's Don Imus moment?
This is similar to Biden describing Obama as articulate, only this is much much much worse and far more brazen.
I happened to come across O'Reilly's show tonight, and I knew sum shit was up when he accused CNN of attacking him because they envy his ratings. Is that the best explanation he can come up with? Why even try at all? As if CNN lacks journalistic integrity, or has any kind of history of attacking outlets with better ratings. He's coming off like a lunatic. I don't think he's all there.
Maybe he thought it was uncharacteristic of black people to welcome that kind of stuffy atmosphere given the dominance of anti-stuffy pop culture within black sub-culture. I could understand that idea, but these are my words not his. Who knows what he was thinking.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 01:49 AM
O Reilly needs to be taken to a labor camp and then disposed of.
Posted by: Jimmy Kowalski | September 26, 2007 at 06:12 AM
O'Reilly claims he beats his caple show competition's numbers COMBINED, yet Blatherwatch just announced that Obermann beat his ass the other day.
Posted by: Tommy008 | September 26, 2007 at 07:40 AM
If in fact O'Reily said this;it would be rather bland compared to what is commonly said on local Yakima talk programs, ;by callers as well as hosts.
Posted by: Eastside | September 26, 2007 at 01:50 PM
That's fascinating, but can you guess what the differnce is?
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 02:44 PM
O'Reilly's remarks, as you reported, seem harmless. Personally, I patronize everyone, black, white, male, female. I even patronize BlatherWatch.
In fact, if we all patronized each other all the time, it would be a better world.
Posted by: Fred Owens | September 26, 2007 at 03:18 PM
I believe the harm in such mild racism is the overall rush to judgement inherent in such people.
If O'Reilly is so quick to judge black people as unkept slobs just because he's observed black people that were unkept slobs then you can bet he does the same thing to any group of people he finds some way of labeling. It's people like him who believe all liberals hate America and have concluded in secret that they should all be executed for treason. You know he'd outlaw MoveOn.org or DailyKos if he had the means to do so.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 03:28 PM
It's funny, you'd think here in a free country like the U.S of A nobody can imagine tolerating a cruel dictator yet you see them swimming all around us in the form of Bill O'Reilly or Rick Santorum just dying to enact their fascist ways and make the US a Christian secular country.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 03:32 PM
Shucks...I think ol' Bill's just hopin' we can all get along...he's just tryin' to raise up the Negro.
Posted by: Fremont | September 26, 2007 at 03:37 PM
...you'd think he'd present blacks in a better light in the day in/day out of his show, wouldnya?"
Mr. Orally is, apparently, unaware of the esteemed Negro Space Program. That would be a better light...
Posted by: Fremont | September 26, 2007 at 04:00 PM
And I bet Fremont you just laughed out loud at that watermellon remark. Now this of course isn't the first time Michael stereotyped black people, remember his black basketball players and their hummers remark earlier this year. Or his posting a picture of Lionel Ritchie in place of AA superstar talker Lionel. Shameful.
Posted by: nevets | September 26, 2007 at 04:48 PM
Don't worry about it nevets, we know how you bubbas behave when one of your own is on the ropes.
Posted by: cracker | September 26, 2007 at 05:22 PM
Biden apologized on the air, and to Obama personally. Do you really think Bill O will apologize? Do you really think that BillO even understands how ignorant he sounds?
I can only hope that this is his Imus moment..both TV AND radio.
Posted by: sparky | September 26, 2007 at 05:36 PM
If O'Reilly does apologize for his innocuous comment, will all of the B'lam family be as accepting as you seem to be for Biden?
Just wondering. I am pretty sure that I have said things in my life that I wish I hadn't. Maybe some of you have as well.
I have watched O'Reilly off and on for years. Never got the feeling that he is racist. Just an occasional moment of stupid, that we all have on occasion. If he where the bigot some of you imply, would he be dining where he did with whom he did? Harlem seems like the wrong place for a bigoted white guy to visit.
Posted by: chucks | September 26, 2007 at 06:09 PM
Biden's comment was barely racist. They claimed that describing Obama as articulate was to say that other black leaders aren't, but he probably meant "particularily articulate", because that would be very true.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 06:39 PM
Freemont is that tape authentic? WTF?
Posted by: simon | September 26, 2007 at 06:45 PM
OMFG it was barely even funny. That was longer and dumber Jugernaut Bitch.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 07:34 PM
What a jerk, on a network full of jerks.
Posted by: Upton | September 26, 2007 at 07:37 PM
If we are ever going to attain Martin Luther King's dream in this nation, we have to stop treating the race issue as a political ping pong ball. In other words, stop throwing off accusations of racism at people just because they are in the wrong part of the political spectrum.
I wonder how blacks feel when they realize that they are being used as a ping pong ball by white liberals to gain momentary political advantage? Isn't that a form of racism in itself?
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 07:51 PM
"Racism! Racism! Racism!"
"Racism is everywhere! Racism is here! Racism is there! Look at all the examples of racism!"
Look, if you really think racism is causing most of the ills in the black community, then you're a fool. You've been duped. You bought into the big lie.
Does racism exist? Yes. Is it racism that's holding blacks back? No. Racism is about 1% of their problem, but they want people to think it's about 99% of the problem. And as long as they focus on racism as the cause of their problems, they will never find the success as a people they are looking for.
Here's the truth: Black people are doing it to themselves, then blaming it on racism.
Oh, and I know most of the people in here will probably get angry that I'm not espousing some politically correct pablum about this issue, but too bad. You can suck it.
Posted by: Sam | September 26, 2007 at 08:06 PM
This issue is not so much about the racism itself, but how incredibly stupid it reveals O'Reilly to be for 1) being surprised black people run a fancy restaurant and 2) actualy expressing that thought out loud.
Atleast he'll die some day and the people who watch his show are scheduled to die sooner.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 08:21 PM
I think those comment by O'Reilly show him not to be a racist, but reveal him to be living a very secluded and sheltered life, probably getting most of his information, and subsequent stereotypes, from television.
Posted by: Sam | September 26, 2007 at 08:37 PM
Damn, I don't really care for the O'Reilly show but I am trying to be fair here. After listening to the entire clip, seeing the reaction of Juan Williams who was in the segment with O'Reilly, and the fact that Al Sharpton the subject of the story isn't taking offense to it shows me that maybe this is an attempt to take out someone they don't like.
Think about it, has Al Sharpton ever been reticent in throwing out the racism charge before? He was involved in the story and he hasn't made any charge.
The comment
"Atleast he'll die some day and the people who watch his show are scheduled to die sooner."
It really surprises me Andrew. Not that you said it, but that your actually older than 16. Very sad.
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 08:40 PM
Andrew, when you accuse someone of racism, even 'mild' racism, you suck all attention from any discussion of their stupidity. Better to start and end with the stupidity critique, and leave racism out of it. BTW, I agree totally--Billow is stupid. I almost never listen or watch.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 08:44 PM
Check out Juan Williams reaction
HERE
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 08:51 PM
Sam, you hit it on the head. It's like someone took their dumb Aunt Sally, who says the wrong thing when you bring your Thai college roomate for Thanksgiving dinner. She's not malicious, just sheltered & stupid.
This is what happens when Aunt Sally gets her own nat'l talk show.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 08:52 PM
Anyone want to guess why Al Sharpton isn't jumping all over this one?
Does anyone here really think that Al Sharpton is reluctant to yell Racism if he feels that is called for?
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 08:55 PM
So it's OK to be sheltered and stupid now? I thought that was a bad thing - certainly not becoming of an esteemed social pundit.
Many dangerously stupid and misguided people throughout history have died and made way for more level headed successors. I take comfort in knowing the less tolerant types tend to be up there in their years.
Posted by: Andrew | September 26, 2007 at 09:10 PM
PugetSound: thanks for the link. I guess that that always-sharp Sharpton views Bill as a potential useful idiot offering a relationship that he, Al can benefit from in some way. So it wouldn't be smart to cry racism here.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 09:10 PM
Wutitiz
Could be right on Sharpton, but he doesn't have trouble getting on tv. and definately wouldn't have trouble getting access to any cameras if he were to bash on O'Reilly.
I just don't think this is anything really more than media matters trying to take out a target on the right.
(this pains me as I am not an O'Reilly fan)
"I take comfort in knowing the less tolerant types tend to be up there in their years"
Funny, when I read your stuff Andrew I rarely come away thinking what a tolerant individual you are.
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 09:18 PM
PugetSound: I think that Bill O gets lots of attention much in the same way as Pat Robertson. He makes a good target. Every few months like clockwork I open the Seattle Times and there is a news story about something Pat Robertson has said. I always have the same reaction "This is news???" Then, inevitably, there are several letters to the editor printed a day or so later about Pat. He derives a lot of his status from the left media, who prop him up just so that they can take shots at him. The same holds with Bill, altho to a lesser extent than Pat.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 09:23 PM
Are ya'll freaking kidding? You think that was a racist comment? Listen to him speaking on the link, don't just read the highlights. When I first read I thought too that is was kindof racist but after hearing him speak, he sincerely is proud of blacks. Saying they are equal to whites. If you dissect anyones speech and highlight "key sentences" I'm sure you can read anything you want into it. I wonder if Al Sharpton had said the same thing about whites(which he has) would anyone harp on him? Everyone screams racism but I'm sure Bill O is not the only white to be surprised that there is a different side to whats shown 99.9% of the time (in rap music, prison population, wedlock birthrate, high school graduation, college, blah blah blah).
Let me dissect 2 minutes of your life and I'm sure I can find something you did that was a hell of alot worse!
Posted by: stevo | September 26, 2007 at 09:24 PM
wuttitiz
your right. i guess on a really local level it is kind of like dori and this blog. he gets lots of negative attention which in an inverse way just makes him that much more marketable amongst the powers that be in seattle radio land.
and the ones that hate dori the most seem the ones most likely to listen the most closely.
love him or hate him, your building his ratings.
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 09:28 PM
PugetSound: true enough re Sharpton, but maybe Al is looking to burnish his image in the eyes of Joe-Fox-Viewer just as a marketing move, and thinks he Bill O can help. What is your take on why Sharpton isn't crying racism here?
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 09:28 PM
wuttitiz
i don't know. all i do know is that over the years al sharpton has never been shy about crying racism early and often.
it just doesn't smell right. kind of like the other day when we had a lot of people jump on duff for a mean comment. turns out it wasn't duff after all. only a few of them had the decency to apologize. the rest just slunk away. watch where you step, coiler is out there.
Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 09:32 PM
Stevo--you're dead right.
However, just a couple weeks ago I was in my car listening to Bill O (couldn't handle Frank S that night). A caller from CA said that his health insurance had wrongly been canceled. Bill was outraged/sympathetic and said to the caller, too bad you're not a minority, you could play that card. The caller responded, I AM a minority, but to play that card would be immoral, and I wouldn't do it. Bill O told the guy basically that he should use any weapon he could lay his hands on in this fight.
That,to me, was racist. That's the segment I'd bring up if I wanted to attack Bill. But the left won't do it because it would tend to undermine one of their own favorite ploys.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 09:45 PM
Sharpton has been on The Factor many times through the years. Williams is a regular. I guess that O'Reilly and Sharpton have had dinner together a number of times.
Having just watched Williams and Sharptons reaction to all of this just tells me that Bill O is not a racist.
We have the same group of people attacking O'Reilly on this thread that spent so much energy attacking Sharkansky. Of coarse those of us who are on the right and the honest moderates see this for what it is. The left wing grasping.
Sorry guys, this to is a non-story contrived by Bill O's competitors who just can not compete with him.
Andrew, you are just going to have to wait for a real honest reason to pound on the folks to the right of George Soros and Dennis Kucinich. This is pure BS.
Now get your homework done and get to bed. It is a school night.
Posted by: chucks | September 26, 2007 at 09:47 PM
Chucks, you're crackin me up. I like the comparison you draw between this & Shark. I've noticed that time & time again on this site, somebody will hurl a bomb out, then PugetSound gets on (even tho you're the leader) & methodically disarm the bomb, then the bomb hurler just kind of curls up & floats away. Will they ever learn from this?
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 09:57 PM
Why would I care about what Billy boy has to say? Do Blacks think all Whites are like Anna N Smith? How about drunk Britney, Paris, Lindsey? I don't think so.. Perhaps, we think all Whites are like Mark Foley, or Pat Robertson. White people have their fools, and malcontents. I don't even know who Twista is. I have heard of Snoop Dog, and Ludacris. Both have appeared on TV, that is where I saw them. I Don't know much about BET, but I am glad, it exists. Are people that ignorant, they think Black people don't do anything but listen to Rap and kill? More young White kids listen to Rap, and more White males are killing their mates, and whole families. Do I think all White people are doing these things? No. So why would I care about what Billy boy thinks? Faux News is nothing more than the KKK with air time...
Posted by: Janeyre | September 26, 2007 at 10:20 PM
"The O'Reilly Factor" is seen by more people - 2.2 million average this year - than its direct competitors on MSNBC and CNN combined. MSNBC's "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann averages 721,000 viewers in the time slot while CNN's 8 p.m. show averages 611,000, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Posted by: PeakLimiter | September 26, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Janeyre: trust me, you'll be better off to post BEFORE you start getting yourself boozed up.
Posted by: wutitiz | September 26, 2007 at 10:57 PM
Janeyre is nothing more than ZZZ with computer time.
Posted by: facedowninherkeyboard | September 26, 2007 at 11:32 PM
"Posted by: PugetSound | September 26, 2007 at 09:28 PM"
I believe Puts nailed it in his post. Very much like Dori, Billo's greatest fear is being ignored. I believe he deliberately 'stirs things up' to be controversial as much as possible. When folks are focusing on you and talking about you - that's 'manna from Heaven' for these people and only helps their ratings. New listeners/viewers are drawn to this if for nothing else because of curiosity. Billo & Dori will continue to laugh all the way to the bank.
Posted by: Duffman | September 27, 2007 at 06:02 AM
Keith has beat Billo in his own time slot as recently as this month, I say billo is done, besides, 2.2 million is not a lot considering their are 300 million americans
Posted by: cracker | September 27, 2007 at 07:04 AM
Chucks,
Thank you for putting Andy in perspective and watching out for his welfare. He has a WASL coming up and we want him to pass this year.
Seriously, you are right. It is contrived. Speaking of same, if you haven't seen it check out this response to the General Betray Us ad that backfired on MoveOn.org. I love the small print.
HERE
Posted by: PugetSound | September 27, 2007 at 07:21 AM
O'Reilly's not a racist.
He's a sexual harasser.
Allegedly.
Posted by: Bill | September 27, 2007 at 09:18 AM
Puts, great link.
Posted by: nevets | September 27, 2007 at 10:26 AM
Nevets
I figured you might. Whoever came up with the Pic of Ike and Move.on type words was brilliant.
History is very instructive...
Posted by: PugetSound | September 27, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Andrew you are a useful tool.
Please keep talk about Dori. It is money in the bank. Please keep being listener of Dori and then posting here what you feel about Dori. It is more money in the bank.
So much sorry Phil didn't put your call through the other day but KIRO has hard policy about letting young adults on the airwaves.
Keep listening. We bank more money.
Thanks
Star Wonder Dog Monson
oh yes, I am a real bitch
Posted by: Star Monson | September 27, 2007 at 01:05 PM
Money in the bank will never buy back Dori's soul.
Posted by: Andrew | September 27, 2007 at 03:19 PM