http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-09-25-oreilly-restaurant_N.htm?csp=34 NEW YORK — After eating dinner at a famed Harlem restaurant recently, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly told a radio audience he "couldn't get over the fact" that there was no difference between the black-run Sylvia's and other restaurants. "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," he said. "And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all." O'Reilly said his fellow patrons were tremendously respectful as he ate dinner with civil rights activist Al Sharpton. The comments were made during O'Reilly's nationally syndicated radio broadcast last week. The liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America called attention to them by distributing a transcript and audio clip on the Internet. "This is nothing more than left-wing outlets stirring up false racism accusations for ratings," said Bill Shine, senior vice president for programming at Fox News Channel. "It's sad." O'Reilly spoke during a general discussion about racial relations with Fox News analyst Juan Williams. O'Reilly said he believed black Americans were "starting to think more and more for themselves" and backing away from a race-based culture encouraged by Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. He said he treated Sharpton to dinner to thank him for appearing on his Fox News Channel show. O'Reilly pointed to the lack of difference between Sylvia's and other restaurants as a marker of racial progress. He also noted that he went to an Anita Baker concert recently where the audience was evenly mixed between blacks and whites. "The band was excellent, but they were dressed in tuxedoes, and this is what white America doesn't know, particularly people who don't have a lot of interaction with black Americans," he said. "They think the culture is dominated by Twista, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg." Williams concurred that too many people believe there's little else in black culture beyond profane rap. "That's right," O'Reilly said. "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M.F.-er, I want more iced tea." Sharpton said he was taken aback that anyone would be surprised at how blacks acted at Sylvia's and will ask O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor Wednesday to explain what he meant. Nothing O'Reilly said at the dinner was offensive, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger. Karl Frisch, a spokesman for Media Matters, called O'Reilly's comments "ignorant and racially charged."
i dont know if this makes him racist, but it definitely shows an inherent problem in his line of thinking. it sounds like he was surprised that they were "normal" people, just like him. what did he expect to see?
Ummm. The entire article is misleading. I'm not a big O'Reilly fan, but this isn't even newsworthy and appears to be taken out of context. Watch him tonight with Sharpton to see what Sharpton himself feels about this non-event.
That would mean having to watch Fox News. Considering that it is anything but "fair and balanced," I'll pass. I can read about it in the evil Main Stream Media, or the equally evil Drive By Media, whatever that is. Rush loves to use the phrase. D&D. Impeach Mr. Busy Bankrupting America, Busy Passing on The War to The Next President.
I agree and I'm really glad you fat people are starting to think more for yourself instead of being led around by Richard Simmons. I mean, I went into a diner the other day and I saw a fat guy eating a salad and drinking water. No, he wasn't eating ice cream and drinking beer... he was eating responsibly and seemed to be doing it on his own accord without anyone yelling at him. I saw another fat guy once who wasn't wearing sweatpants, but was dressed professionally, like he had a real job. And I've never seen a fat guy yell at a waiter, "Hey skinny boy, bring me some more watermelon and fried chicken!"
Wow, this is ridiculously out of context. Would you expect craziness surrounding a Bill O'Reilly / Al Sharpton dinner? Uh, yeah, regardless of where it was held. I'd expect craziness anywhere Al Sharpton goes, frankly. O'Reilly tries to compliment people and it gets spun around this way. Wow. You can't win with the left...
It sounds to me like he's making the point that the image being portrayed of black people as being rappers and gangstas isn't a fair generalization. He compliments the fact that he and Al Sharpton, two controversial figures, sat in the middle of a restaurant comprised mainly of black people and there was no issue. Not everything has to be an issue.
BillO says: Not "Some people couldn't imagine there's no difference," but "I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference." See the difference?
It wasn't just that he was suprised that the people weren't crazy, he was surprised they weren't shouting "mfer get me some tea". If that was his pre-conceived notion going in, then yes there was racism, and not it wasn't taken out of context. A guy surprised that black people can have a dining experience he considers normal is racist.
either that or you could actually read the article in the first post... "Sharpton said he was taken aback that anyone would be surprised at how blacks acted at Sylvia's and will ask O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor Wednesday to explain what he meant. Nothing O'Reilly said at the dinner was offensive, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger."
"There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M.F.-er, I want more iced tea." -Bill O'Reilly
I bet alot of non-blacks; possibly older ones, feel this way, O'Reilly's just outspoken enough to say it. People of different races haven't really lived, worked and socialized together on a large scale, countrywide, until what, 20-30 years ago, so obviously there's alot anxiety and ignorance for older people on "both" sides, subconscious or otherwise. And frankly, I've heard fellow, otherwise intelligent blacks (including my parents) say some pretty ignorant **** about white southerners, or completely misinterpret white person's behavior or comments. By the way, we blacks have been exporting our "craziness" for the last thirty years through our movies, music, clothing and ignorant slang; so we can't be shocked when old white guys from the suburbs expect to see it up close. Cause and effect.
