Hitchens being an ass

[joobz]

He called her a "black dyke". That's going too far.

We'll to be fair, if he slurred it enough, he could have made it rhyme with Wanda Sykes.... which would be kinda funny.

 

[ravdin]

I agree with Hitchens that Wanda Sykes did get it wrong. She had a unique opportunity to poke fun at the most powerful man on the planet, and she decided to take a cheap shot at Rush Limbaugh instead. She was supposed to make light of the President. Limbaugh doesn't deserve the attention.

Sykes should have followed Steven Colbert's example from a few years ago. Granted, his material was much easier to work with- but as a comedian she should be up to the challenge.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Would someone explain what was said by whom about whom?

I find Hitchens a complicated and not always consistent man- nothing wrong there- , with whom I sometimes agree and sometimes disagree.
He has a debating style I find entertaining, but which would, frankly, get the stuffing kicked out of him in many a Glasgow bar.

 

[jmcvann]

So since you agree with her attack on limburger, and Texas, etc, any attack on her by someone who disagrees is "out of Line"?
Hypocrit much?

uh...no. Straw man much? I never said who I agreed with. But if it helps you when you assign an opinion to me, feel free to do so. I guess I assumed people would get that it was the "black dyke" part I had a problem with, as neither Sykes' color or sexual orientation have anything to do with what she said.

BTW-I agree with her assesment of Tush limberger

Good for you. And nicely juvenile as well.

 

[Wowbagger]

Also: Water is wet, fire is hot and the Pope almost always claims to be Catholic.

Yawn. Someone wake me up when Hitchens stops being an ass.

 

[jmcvann]

For what it's worth, Wanda Sykes' jokes were kind of lame and cheap.

...to you

She is terrific on Curb Your Enthusiasm but her stand up is often hit and miss

...to you

why Chris Rock used her so much on his show and called her one of the funniest people in the world is a mystery.

...not to him. I imagine he said it because he actually believes it.

You are not the final arbiter on all things humorous. Some people like Chris Rock. Some people like Carrot Top. Neither is wrong. They simply have different tastes in comedy. When opining on the arts, it's almost always better to say that you don't care for something, rather than say it's inherently bad.

 

[GreNME]

He drinks, he says, 'because it makes other people less boring. I have a great terror of being bored. But I can work with or without it. It takes quite a lot to get me to slur

Spoken like someone with a genuine drinking problem.

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

This is my view of her as well. I think she is really funny but can't pull off her jokes.

Also, she actually was pretty funny on Chris Rock's show.

I saw one of her specials and only found it mildly funny. Some laughs but not great.

Maybe she is better as a supporting player to a Larry David or Chris Rock than as the star of her own show. Maybe she works better being the wacky and weird black woman to a straight man.

Anyway, "I hope his kidneys fail. He needs a little waterboarding" isn't funny no matter who says it, gay or straight, black or white. The President barely cracked a smile at that and seemed to be only doing so because he had to.

You'd think Rush would be such an easy target, no one could miss.

 

[rustypouch]

...which has nothing at all to do with skepticism.

And the original poster said nothing about skepticism. He voiced his opinion on Hitch, I voiced mine.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

He called her a "black dyke". That's going too far.

If she had insulted a Republican (or anyone else) by attacking their race or sexuality, I'd say she was out of line.

From our friends at Wiki:

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, Sykes was the featured entertainer for the 2009 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, becoming both the first African American and the first "out" homosexual to get the role.

Bolding mine.

What the English atheist said.

 

[jmcvann]

You'd think Rush would be such an easy target, no one could miss.

Excellent point

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

...which has nothing at all to do with skepticism.

True, but it's fun!

 

[Ian Osborne]

"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -- Thomas Paine

Of course, but gratuitous insults aren't what he had in mind. Hitchens' argument did not hinge on her race or sexuality, so why bring up either? As the thread title says, he was being an ass.

 

[stilicho]

Would someone explain what was said by whom about whom?

I find Hitchens a complicated and not always consistent man- nothing wrong there- , with whom I sometimes agree and sometimes disagree.
He has a debating style I find entertaining, but which would, frankly, get the stuffing kicked out of him in many a Glasgow bar.

That's my impression of him too. He's simply the latest in a line that includes for one reason or another Kingsley Amis and Evelyn Waugh.

In not a few Calgary bars he'd find himself clutching his stomach in pain, too. I'd look for his next book entitled: "Holy Crap, My Ribs Really Really Hurt!"

 

[scissorhands]

He has a debating style I find entertaining, but which would, frankly, get the stuffing kicked out of him in many a Glasgow bar.

Having the wrong accent or supporting the incorrect football team/version of Christianity, often results in the same outcome in Glasgow bars.
Maybe Calgary bars are similar?

 

[Ysidro]

For those too dense or outside American culture:

"Dyke" isn't all that polite. Not to the level of the infamous "n-word" but still not nice. Particularly when it's obviously being used a perjorative.

Hitchens is still an ass.

Any questions?

 

[scissorhands]

"Dyke" isn't all that polite."

It is used extensively within the lesbian community in UK to describe themselves.
Look it up sometime.

 

[dudalb]

But quite often it does.

"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -- Thomas Paine

And the person who seems to want to offend everybody at some point is not being honest, he is just showboating for attention.

 

[Bombastic Penguin]

Is this thread going to be the continuation of the "Christopher Hitchens is not a real atheist because he hurt my feelings" saga? Only time will tell.

Not to the level of the infamous "n-word"

Such a shame. Maybe I could have gotten an extra laugh out of my day.

 

[dudalb]

"Dyke" isn't all that polite."

It is used extensively within the lesbian community in UK to describe themselves.
Look it up sometime.

Sorry, but considering Hitchens reputation and his history, I can't buy he did not know that Dyke would be offensive.
Hitchens gets a kick out of pissing people off. End of story.
Just because somebody says nasty things about religon does not mean he should be automatically proclaimed as a shining example of rational thought. Bill Maher comes to mind.