Rah Emanuel “sincerely” apologized for turning a medical condition into an obscenity today – for the second time.
Once again, I will not excerpt the piece.
I have a brother with Down Syndrome. Longtime commenter Maggie has a daughter with the same condition.
I think it is safe to say that neither of us accepts Emanuel’s apology.
The media praised or glossed over Emanuel’s famously foul mouth for a long time. I remember reading several pieces that shrugged about it – or tittered about it. Just a matter of coarse to shrug off that behavior in a Democrat while playing gotcha if a Republican spits out even a fairly mild epithet, much less an obscenity.
As I pointed out yesterday, my brother is considerably more decent, honorable, polite and has a better vocabulary than Mr. Emanuel.
I’m not squeamish about language even though I do keep a very tight comment policy here at the Crabitat. Nonetheless, I don’t believe that banning words by law is a good idea. But I do believe in calling out someone like Emanuel – and shunning him from polite society.
If this man and his famously foul mouth is a part of the “elite” who know how to run this country better than the unwashed masses, I’m not real confident in where this country is heading.
What I found funny was Glenn Reynolds’ comment of “Rahm Emanuel calls Democrats retarded and then apologizes to retarded people.”
I think that says a lot right there.
Rahm Emmanuel has not done anything “sincerely” since he was left diapers. At least, nothing that wasn’t aimed at advancing the cause of Rahm Emmanuel.
Yeah, crosspatch, I noted much the same thing yesterday. Even discounting Emmanuel’s foul language, I can certainly understand why the developmentally disabled would resent the comparison to Congressional Democrats.
“…my brother is considerably more decent, honorable, polite and has a better vocabulary than Mr. Emanuel.”
Gaius, IMHO you’re probably setting the bar entirely too low there. You could perhaps replace the word “considerably” with “infinitely” for better accuracy. And having spent a goodly part of the last fifteen years or so working with autistic children, I think it safe to say that they don’t accept his “apology” either.
Some feebleminded thoughts:
Patton cussed like a stable boy and I haven’t seen historians hold that against him.
I don’t think there is any argument about Rahm’s character but then he wasn’t hired to be a choir boy.
What chagrins me about this whole episode is those on the right whining that they have been offended like the victim groups of the left perpetually do. It illustrates how deeply PC thought has taken root in our culture. The left has won this aspect of the culture war.
Once upon a time MEN did not whine when they were insulted. Sadly such is no longer the case.
This whole affair is simply no big deal. He said it. So what? Shrug it off and move on.
BTW Gaius, after reflecting on your comments, I have a question that in all sincerity, never occurred to me until a few moments ago. Does my moniker offend you?
feeblemind -
Doesn’t offend me.
As we are saying, the use of the word in a very negative manner is what, I think, Gaius and I are saying.
I do not use the word in any form, by choice. I am not a squelcher of anyone’s free speech. However, everyone who exercises it must be responsible with, and for, it.
Emanuel isn’t. And the free speech double-standard that democrats/liberals have enjoyed is hopefully nearing an end. Funny how they champion ‘gays’ and ‘homosexuals’ and their rights to be who/what they are by CHOICE.
The mentally ‘challenged’ have no choice in what they are. It is WHO they are that those who use them as an insult on others are completely incapable of understanding in their own deficient minds.
About a year ago I quit a job because my ‘boss’ used my DS little girl against me as a weapon of insult. Much the way Emanuel did with the democrats. He was completely incapable of understanding the depths of what he had done.
The thing about DS people, generally I have found they are VERY honest individuals. The apology directed at the “retarded” for dragging them down to the democrat level (IF Rahm had issued an apology as such) might have been acceptable, but we all know that isn’t the case here.
No. I said I was not squeamish.
Nor am I wringing my hands over the boorishness of Emanuel. But I am calling him on it and calling the media on a double standard.
I believe the word “retarded” was arrived at originally to find a kinder term for people with mental disability. It has since turned into a pejorative. But probably ANY term one arrives at will become a pejorative on school playgrounds. Se we are pretty much stuck with constantly changing words to describe something as long as people get hung up about things. If you look at it the word “retarded” it basically means something like “held back” or “handicapped” or has a harder time doing something than other people do. I don’t find it pejorative at all and now we have to develop increasingly complex things to describe it.
It is like the word “Negro” which was the Latino derived word for black (Latin for “black” is niger which evolved into a different pejorative and had to be changed). Then that word became unacceptable and it changed to “black” which had been a pejorative in the 19th century but was then OK. Then that became unacceptable
All this “politically correct” phraseology doesn’t help the people it is meant to describe and simply creates a posturing point where people identify with this or that ideology or social group according to which words we use. Words them become almost like tribal markings or something that identify which group we wish to be identified with.
And someone can be socially “retarded” in lacking of social skills and not be mentally disabled at all.
Crosspatch,
The addition of the obscenity is the real problem. The clinical term can be used in many different, legitimate ways.
The combination is somewhat a different matter.
Gaius -
Ditto.