http://thetandd.com/articles/2009/10/18/opinion/doc4ad90f14cb86e810566587.txt
What's the matter, the penny-rolling-down-a-hill joke didn't translate well into an editorial letter?
GOP tells Jewish joke, wonders why people don't laugh...
- Thread starter dante
- Start date
What's the matter, the penny-rolling-down-a-hill joke didn't translate well into an editorial letter?
WTF is going on in South Carolina these days? I was just there last weekend and it didn't seem all that crazy.
The only time the GOP could get a laugh from a joke is if it comes from here:
Kinda like killin faggots in the parking lot to show you're down with family values?
GOP: the launch ramp of the bell curve.The only time the GOP could get a laugh from a joke is if it comes from here:
If only the GOP followed the true path of the "hey guys, watch this!" mentality and removed themselves from the gene pool.
That's mighty white of you to say.
No, not even close. Look past the poor delivery and look at the message. His message is that even the little things need to be looked at to save money. The very racially charged phrase, 'cheap ass jew', exists and is a know stereotype. It exists because that specific group of individuals created banking and monetized saving. That is a stereotype based on jealousy, and while back-handed, should be taken as a compliment to their cultural background.
When trying to convey saving to a group of lesser educated, and uninformed individuals, you sometimes need to use their language. Was it is poor form in the pussy filled, PC landscape we currently live in where it's effectively socially 'illegal' to offend someone? yes. Did it likely get the point across to a larger group of individuals who do not other wise know saving and thrift? Yes.
Think about it, we are discussing it in this thread now. His message has gotten out and spread, because of his wording. Seems pretty effective to me.
And Blue, giving me a red because you automatically assumed I was being racist, is a bitch move. Fact is that people say offensive things, and people get offended. I'd like to see that come back to the world, because people weren't scared to speak their minds. Sure, you got bad apples, but when those who are getting screwed (see our current middle class fiscal ass raping by the govt and fed) are scared to speak out because they might offend, they lose their voice and lose their rights.
I'm sorry but this is terrible logic. Yes, he has to speak in a lexicon that his audience will understand, but it could definitely be done without resorting to insults and stereotypes. By ignoring the fact that he used a stereotype because he made a valid point while doing so, you're condoning the usage of stereotypes. With that thinking, I could run around screaming "jungle bunny", but it would be OK as long as I make a valid point.
I understand your point, although it is a subtle one.
You are not supporting an Anti-Semite slur, but considering the audience it is intended for, yes it is an effective message.
But first of all, it is a ridiculous comment. In the real world, I've seen examples of cheapness from all races. I developed a negotiation strategy to defeat Asian ladies who want to nickle & dime every transaction: The 1% Asian Discount.
Second, not every South Carolinian is a retard. Colbert is from SC, for example.
Finally, he could have chosen a hundred different terms from scroogelike to niggardly. Yes, I used the word niggardly, correctly, I might add.
But as for using Jew to describe cheapness hit home for me.
I was riding WITH TheMontashu, who is Jewish, at Pacifica, and we rode up to a grom who was headed to jumps at Boyscout.
We started chatting about bikes, and this kid mentions how his buddy tried to Jew him over a bike sale.
Mooshu and I looked at each other but we didn't say anything. Mostly it was just an idiotic comment, what was the point?
Maybe saying something would have taught this kid not to be stupid.
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Please keep what you two do in the privacy of your own homes to yourselves, thank you very much...
Jon, I am sorry I offended you. My deepest apologies...
F* that noise. People need to quit being so offended and focused on social issues and focus on bigger issues about who is running our country, where our taxes are going, and that we are fighting an unjustified war.
F* that noise. People need to quit being so offended and focused on social issues and focus on bigger issues about who is running our country, where our taxes are going, and that we are fighting an unjustified war.
It's so complex. So rich and deep in metaphor.....I.....I simply.....I don't know......didn't see it the first time. My goodness.
Yeah I get it.
Yeah next time I hit on a hot jewish chick from south florida, we'll both be bewildered when she doesn't jump in my lap after I call her a cheap ass jew. I was complimenting her rich cultural heritage in financial responsibility!!
*facepalm*
Yeah man it's a really difficult concept that couldn't in any way have been expressed differently. If only there were some other example anywhere in recorded history that didn't brush up against a jewish racial stereotype. But alas......there are none. None at all. Anywhere. Ever. Except for in truly advanced reading like children's literature with lots of pictures.
The message isn't rocket surgery. The delivery shows that the presenter is just a dumbass because he's in the public eye and should know he'd be scrutinized. But he doesn't, because he's an idiot, and defending the message by falsely claiming it's the only example available doesn't make him (or you sound) any smarter. I'm not offended by a racial or cultural slur. I'm offended that elected officials in the country are morons.
Trust me, you didn't offend me. I just like to play PC Po-leece from time to time.
You gotta look at the context of it. If it became acceptable for elected politicians to sling racial prejudices and cultural stereotypes around in their regular, on the record, dialect, we'd be one step closer to the House o' Representin'.
And yes, I see the point he was trying to convey (in regards to monitoring your finances, no matter how small), I just think its really poor form for an elected officials to have to resort to insults and stereotypes just to make their point.
You gotta look at the context of it. If it became acceptable for elected politicians to sling racial prejudices and cultural stereotypes around in their regular, on the record, dialect, we'd be one step closer to the House o' Representin'.
And yes, I see the point he was trying to convey (in regards to monitoring your finances, no matter how small), I just think its really poor form for an elected officials to have to resort to insults and stereotypes just to make their point.
just to keep this thread fair and balanced:
With the shape of those weiner ships, they really missed out on a good circumcision joke in there.
Mark, just because you agree with the message behind the editorial (cut costs, save money, etc), doesn't excuse what was a racist, anti-semitic remark. It actually detracts from his message, since most people who see it focus on the "penny-pinching jew" aspect instead of it's overarching theme of living below your means. There are a hundred different ways that this could be conveyed without coming off as a racist southern hick. My grandparents lived through the depression and were so affected by it that to this day they have a use up items to their fullest potential, repair what they can so they don't have to buy something new (when was the last time you repaired an extension cord?) and basically live below their means. Many others that lived through the depression learned this lesson (as I type this I think of an older man I used to do yardwork for also repairing lamp and extension cords), and they are in far better shape than most people today since they have been living responsibly.
Any actual anecdote would be far preferable than the tired, old, "money-grubbing jew" remark, and for that I can't help but think that this was a racist comment, written to appeal to other racists in SC. I'm all for hoping that the Republicans can actually get back to at least *some* power by focusing on fiscal responsibility, but appealing to the lowest common denominator of American voters I can definitely do without.
Yeah you'd think with all the idiocracy references around here, one of the major overarching themes wouldn't need to be spelled out.
Travis, Jon, Kevin - Yes I agree entirely. Was it a racist comment? Yes, undoubtedly. Could it have been said better? Yes, undoubtedly. Is the actual message finally something positive from govt (excluding ron paul and pall allen)? yes, finally.
I just really really really don't want congress to have a 'house o' representin' just because the name better appeals to an ignorant sect of society who otherwise wouldn't know why it's there. Know what I mean? 
Except that earmarks are a drop in the bucket and not the cause of our fiscal problems. So it's not really a positive message, but instead one that allows a politician to make it look like he wants to do something about spending without tackling healthcare and the Pentagon.
You don't need to be a Jew to figure that one out...
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Would that have been so hard?U.S. Sen. Jim Demint said:
Not only is it an idiotic phrase, it's an idiotic concept. The republicans have been masters of focusing the public on the silverware while robbing the safe, and this is just continuing that trend. We need to stop having ideological wars over pennies, and start managing dollars.
You mean like focusing on $17b in earmarks in 2008 while continuing to pay $100b/year for wars of choice?
Where did you possibly find such a low number?
Another turn of Jew phraseology, eh? You're trying to trick me somehow.
Edit: Having just read the link, I have to ask...did he mean to say "there is a Jewish proverb..." because "minding the pennies and letting the dollars take care of themselves" it has the ring of an actual proverb about it. Of course, if it is, the unintentional re-phrasing of the lead-in still tells a lot about who's saying it...
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