Another "racist"/"xenophobic" Republican ad
By Liz A Mair Posted in 2006 | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (20) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
For those who haven't seen it, here's the anti-Bob Menendez ad that liberals are decrying for "playing ethnic politics"
I guess they've have failed to notice that Menendez, their posterboy, is a grade-A scumbag plagued by allegations of corruption and, well, generally being a crook. Of course he's a cr*ppy legislator, too, but apparently, they like cr*ppy and have loose enough ethical principles to think Menendez is clean as a whistle (which he quite obviously is not).
Perhaps that's why the ad intimates a link between a mafioso crook and Menendez-- and not because Menendez is Hispanic and the mafioso is (presumably) Italian-American (i.e., both "ethnics")? Seems a pretty obvious point to me, but then I'm not a member of a party dumb enough to allow him in its ranks, am I?
Cross-posted at WWW.GOPPROGRESS.COM.
I watched the ad and if the Dems think this ad is racist they also better call HBO racist. The Dems need to insist The Soprano's be taken off the air.
Opps, sorry we all know that will not happen because the charge is ridiculous! We also know that this means, like Ford in TN, Menendez is in trouble, henceforth they play the race card.
Your Word is your Worth, your Worth is your Word
I am of Italian heritage and I am a citizen of NJ. I take offence to this.
No, I don't think it should be taken off the air. Let it run! I beleive in freedom of speech. One of the most potent aspects of freedom of speech is that it allows the ignorant to show who and what they are. (Yes the Soprano's is offensive too. I am most ashamed of Italian's acceptance, even glorification, of hollywood's portrayal's of themselves)
If someone is a criminal they should be called a criminal. You don't need to malign an entire group of unrelated people to say that.
Unless it suits your purpose?
Should all republicans be blamed for the company they keep safe in their cozy congress. That's alot closer to home isn't it?
Marcus Traianus you should be ashamed to use a noble Latin phrase to support this kind of thing. The Romans and the Greeks brought the world the first concepts of democracy. Do not sully them in support of this wretched trash.
I am of Italian Heritage also and I do take offense to it. I can understand why people who aren't from Italian decent might not understand why it is offensive, but to everyone who is can easily understand. Keep it on air or dont. But, I don't think this ad will help Kean Jr.
When opponents of Alito called him "Scalito," and some people (including Orrin Hatch) said the nickname was offensive to Italian-Americans, were they being overly sensitive as well?
Or was that different?
Isn't really the same thing, now is it? I must've missed the part where they were using pet names for Menendez based on, say various items you could buy at Taco Bell, in this ad.
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"I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson
In other words, it's wrong to call somebody names, but it's okay to make light of stereotypes?
I'm not saying the reactions in either case were right or wrong . . . but they do seem inconsistent.
Between calling somebody names based on their ethnicity and making a parody of a popular television show, I can't really help you there.
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"I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson
The stereotype exploited in this instance is that most maphia members are Italian American. The stereotype exploited is not that most Italian Americans are maphia members. We know that to be true because ultimately the ad attacks a nonItalian of corruption. Perhaps the argument that the ad is antiItalian would hold water if the ad was promoting the opponent of an Italian.
In actuality, it should be noted that saying that most maphia members in New Jersey are Italian Americans, thereby justifying the depiction of a maphia member as being Italian American, is a matter of demographics and not a matter of stereotyping. But I digress . . .
The second stereotype exploited in the ad is that most voters in New Jersey have a sense of humor. After all, it was New Jerseyans who dubbed their home "The Garden State." I mean that's funny. So while I believe that the ad makers were appropriately hilarious in their depiction of the mobster, I am very disappointed that they thought New Jerseyans' would appreciate the humor. Shame.
Sola Gratia
Keep it up and I sense a harpoon in your future.
By the way, I must agree that free speech lets the ignorant show who they are.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
Should blondes be offended by the blonde playboy bunny in the ad run against Ford in TN?
I was not offended and I am blonde, blue eyed and female.
How many dumb blonde jokes have we ALL told or laughed at? When someone tells a dumb blonde joke I laugh when they are funny. Sometimes the person that told the joke apologizes to me for a telling a dumb blonde joke. I always tell them I have never been offended by them because I may be blonde but I am not dumb.
You need to stop taking things so seriously.
Why did the blonde have white-out all over her computer screen?
She kept making typing errors! LOL
Your Word is your Worth, your Worth is your Word
Why the ad hominum attack?
Why in your first setnence would you imply that you would do something to silence my free opinion and then (sarcastically I assume) agree that free speech is a good thing? I sense the hypocracy of someone here.
I simply stated that I find the ad personally offensive.
Yes that was my first post. I tried to make it thoughtful and open to discussion. What would be wrong with a free and open discussion. And why are you even bothering to look up how many previous posts I have made? Why does it matter? Either my words mean something or they don't, no?
Surely, what ever ethinic or racial origin you are, you can understand that it is easy to make the mistake of saying something offensive in the voice of another people?
Did I perhaps misunderstand you?
1. Only Irishmen can portray members of crime syndicates in New Jersey.
2. Only Italians can portray inner-city gang members.
3. Only Englishmen can portray people wearing sombreros.
4. And only brunettes can play less-than-brainy women.
5. Only black people can portray alcoholics, because we don't want to offend the Irish.
6. But most importantly, only Conservatives can play whiners because we don't want to offend liberals.
Perhaps if there's a commercial depicting trolls, Moe will have to play the part so as not to offend them.
Sola Gratia
I'm honestly a bit confused by your response.
Was it meant to be sarcastic? Or are you seriously misunderstanding what I am saying about MY OPINION of this (and other) stereotypes?
Aren't there better ways to convey a good message than this ad?
Or have we, in this country, gotten to the level of leading by where we know the most sheep will follow.
The problem with political correctness is that it replaces thought with unquestioned dogma. I was raised to believe that we are better than that.
I could go on ... but if your response is to only condemn me personally for expressing my opinion then I choose to leave you to your self supporting "discussion".
If, on the other hand, you have some ideas on how we could have a more vigorus and thoughtful discussion on this or other issues .... please continue.
Or have we, in this country, gotten to the level of leading by where we know the most sheep will follow.
We Republicans aren't just sheep, we are mindless robotic sheep, doing whatever shepherd Rove programs us to do in our daily programming updates.
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"I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson
...while visiting this weblog.
Thank you in advance for your compliance in this matter.
Moe
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
They have nothing to say when a Republican decilines to follow the laws of politics as explained in 'I, Racist'. If we conservatives do anything demmies don't like, it is by defintion racist.
That it is not racist is not the point. It is sort of like the standard the ACLU uses to censor free speech: If an ACLU supporter can see religion in something, it must be banned.
If a demmie can claim a Republican policy, speech, ad, haircut, etc. is racist, it is.
The corallary is that when dems use blackface on anti-Steele ads, or call Condi 'Aunt Jemimah' or talk about the evil Jooos neo-cons, it is never racist. Only Republicans are racist. As John Cole sips his koolaid, he realizes this great truth as well.
Tell the whiny dems who are trying to divert the subject to anything except their corruption in New Jersey, in Las Vegas, their dead voters in Washington and Phillie, and of course cool cash Jefferson, to stuff it.
Why do all the ad's that resonate with voters get labeled as despicable? First the Harold Ford ad and now this. Do I sense a pattern here?
The only voters buying this specious charecterization is their own part faithful.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"