RM95: There is a difference between being politically INcorrect and being callous and/or disrespectful. Had Maher made these comments at a later time or in a different place (without the empty chair haunting the stage) these remarks would not have been nearly so offensive to so many.
The term camel jockey is offensive to a good majority of people, yet when people complain about the use of that word, it's dubbed political correctness.
RM95: Somebody, somewhere is going to complain about anything and everything. We all draw the lines in different places. That one (camel jockeys) is offensive to me as well.
Just so you know, I agree with you in this situation. I'm not sure what Maher said and did is really worth losing advertising over, but that's their right.
Maher was, indeed, politically incorrect. Yet those on the hypersensitive PC lynch mob here seem to have no problem supporting an action that will undoubtedly result in the death and maiming of innocent Afghanis, people who have been oppressed by the Taliban. The response, of course, will be that the US didn't ask to have 6,000 people murdered on its soil. Well, if it is wrong to murder innocents in America, isn't it wrong to kill innocents halfway around the world? Or is this an inconvenient observation for some here?
Now they are innocent Afghanis and not 'camel jockeys' to you? Maybe there's hope for you yet, MrSpur.
bobrek: This isn't meant as a criticism, but just so you know, a couple of years ago I used the term "oriental" when asking if an employee's family was of Chinese decent. She politely corrected me by saying that they prefer to be called Asians. In Asia, "oriental" referrs to objects like oriental rugs or vases, not people. Just thought I'd let you know so you could avoid the awkward moment I had standing there saying, "Um, uh, oh, sorry."
MrSpur: Who here is calling for such action? DaDakota has perhaps been the most passionate for a call to arms but he has consistently called for surgical strikes and ground forces against the terrorist cells not the Afghani citizens.
Well, now I have to change my way of thinking. In the past, if an Asian corrected me because I refrred to them as Oriental, I'd say, "But, Jeff says it !".
RR, Do you think that 'surgical strikes' are not going to result in collateral damage? I've read a recent article (within the past 24 hours) and saw a televised interview with a retired General...both basically said the idea of 'surgical strikes' was a pipedream. War is war. Slaughter is slaughter. People may not want an 'offensive' description of it, or exhortation of it, but at its core it is rather clear as to what it is.
Since we can't prohibit collateral damage no matter how hard we try, what should we do? We have given the Taleban the option to turn bin Laden over to us. They refuse. No one is celebrating over collateral damage. Are you saying that those under bin Laden's rule are also innocent Afghanis?
Bill Maher is a worthless waste of air space. He could not succeed as a standup comedian, so he had to find a new angle...he simply is not funny and this is a way to try to mask it. The sad thing is that many Americans get their "news" from his pathetic show. He is also not very bright and most arguments I have seen him try to make are really poor. He also annoys me because i saw him on some talkshow once and he was talking about how he is a big Libertarian (economically right wing, Freak ) yet most of how he explained it (he was basically a commercial) was either wrong or superficial. Anyway, these terrorists on the planes were in no way cowards.
How is killing yourself for what you believe in brave? If you asked me, it would have been braver of them to actually try and make a difference with their time on this planet, not cut it short, kill thousands of people, and promote even harsher feelings than existed before. Those pilots were cowards, no matter how you look at it. Bin Laden is a coward, no matter how you look at it and the act was one of cowardice, no matter how you look at it. It doesn't take bravery to fly into a building. It takes bravery to get up every day and say "I'm going to make the world a better place." Bill Maher is a moron. The fact that his show is still on the air is beyond me.
Orientalism is also the term commonly used among scholars for the idealization of the colonial era in Asia... ...not surprising that some consider it offensive.
That is the point. In their minds, they were sacrificing their lives for the eventual betterment of the world/their people. That is not cowardly.
