Tuesday morning quarterback has returned, and is in fine form. This is a relief to all football watchers everywhere. According to the commentary on this page, the tastefully named Gregg Easterbrook was let go by ESPN for his commentary about the movie Kill Bill and that he implied that Jewish executives (specifically Michael Eisner and Harvey Weinstein) were only out for money. While this is, as we like to say in my company, a career limiting move, I did not find the comment particularly offensive. Here's what he wrote:
Set aside what it says about Hollywood that today even Disney thinks what the public needs is ever-more-graphic depictions of killing the innocent as cool amusement. Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, is Jewish; the chief of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein, is Jewish. Yes, there are plenty of Christian and other Hollywood executives who worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence. Does that make it right for Jewish executives to worship money above all else, by promoting for profit the adulation of violence? Recent European history alone ought to cause Jewish executives to experience second thoughts about glorifying the killing of the helpless as a fun lifestyle choice. But history is hardly the only concern. Films made in Hollywood are now shown all over the world, to audiences that may not understand the dialogue or even look at the subtitles, but can't possibly miss the message--now Disney's message--that hearing the screams of the innocent is a really fun way to express yourself.
And the apology. While i think the apology was fairly self-serving rather than genuine, he did offer an apology. That said having an apology is no reason not to be fired! ESPN can fire anyone for any reason without any cause whatsoever. It's called being employed at will, and we're all victim. I could be fired right now for having a blog at all. That's the price for free speech. I cannot be arrested, but I can be ignored.
To the comment itself, I almost have nothing to say (obviously almost since I'm taking up your screen real estate right now). I saw the movie and I thought, while violent, it was so absurd that it just did not seem real. It's almost like bemoaning Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the scene with the black knight where he gets his arms and legs chopped off, or Mr. Bill on SNL. I do not particularly think this leads to the overall death of civility in our society or corruption of minds around the world. But to Mr. Easterbrook's point, I do think it is hypocritical to practice a religion (any religion) and forward a set of thoughts that are counter to that religion. That said, we are all hypocritical. Every one of us. Me. You. Yes you reading this blog right now. The only question is are we willing to live with the level of hypocracy that we practice in our lives and own up to it when confronted with it. I can only assume that Mr. Eisner and Mr. Weinstein have made this calculation.
While I'm sticking my foot squarely in my mouth, I'd like to say, I rarely find anything offensive, and have not been seriously offended by any of the following people/quotes in recent history:
John Rocker: Imagine having to take the 7 train to [Shea Stadium] looking like you're [in] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing. [...] The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?
Comment: Barring the slur, which i do find offensive, and the jingoism, this is actually a true statement. I was living in NYC at the time of this comment, and yes, this is exactly what you would see. I, on the other hand, found it to be an amazing experience... where else in the world do you get that kind of diversity at every street corner?
Rush Limbaugh: "[McNabb is] overrated ... what we have here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback can do well—black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well... There's a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."
Comment: As my brother, huge football fan and generally very nice guy was quick to point out, Limbaugh compared McNabb to Brad Johnson, who is also very good (though underrated). Whether or not McNabb is overrated is a bit of an opinion... overrated by whom? by how much? compared to? I don't think the opinion was that well founded, but it was just an opinion. Yet was this racist? It is simply an analysis of his opinion of the coverage of the fact that Philly has a black QB. It may be wrong, but it’s just an analysis.
Kellen Winslow: “It’s war,” Winslow said. “They’re out there to kill you, so I’m out there to kill them. We don’t care about anybody but this U. They’re going after my legs. I’m going to come right back at them. I’m a ... soldier.”
Comment: I just don't care about this. People can go through life however they would like. This doesn't sound like the most pleasant way to make your time on this mortal coil, but that's not my job to dictate how people should live. I'm not sure if anyone has actually watched a game of football out there, but this is a pretty accurate statement. Yet to hear the uproar around this, you would think that he insulted the memory of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who died for this country. It's absurd.
I only comment on these quotes because I'm always so amazed at how much people blow up quotes into their own story, rather than looking at what was actually said. Though I'm not (or shouldn't be) in the business of giving advice, I encourage people everywhere to read what's actually written (or listen to what's actually said) rather than reading their own version of the truth into everything.
