President Obama insults Special Olympics on Leno. Apology Issued to Special Olympics P7

[trasoul82]

I think the "outrage" of the public actually proves the point of Obama's joke. Not to say the joke was appropriate, but he was basically justnoting the common practice of running to the defense of the honor of those who face uncommon challenges in everyday life. Even the term "Special"Olympian represents the sensitive hyperbole used when dealing with the mentally and physically challenged, but that's a whole other argument. I wonder ifeveryone saw the same clip that I saw. I saw Obama trying to deflect Jay's sarcastic comments about his bowling skills. It seems that some people here sawa clip of Obama saying "I bowl like a ******." What Obama saying was more along the lines of 'Just give it to me straight. I don't need yourartificial support... I'm working on getting better'. It was a candid moment. But what I would really like to iterate is that I think people need tostop looking to critique every moral fiber of a public figure. I'm sure Obama has some significant skeltons that will fall out of the closet, don'twaste your load on this "quip". This type of things happen in everyday life, and the result is usually the same: Guy makes joke. Guy is labeled "insensitive". Guy apologizes. Everyone moves on. This is exactly what is happeneningnow. It's how our society is, but why? Again, that's a whole other discussion. And any wanting to call me a blind Obama supporter, just have somequotes to back up your claim.

 

[bravo]

why didnt nbc just pull that part out

 

[nostrandave68]

Originally Posted by throwedyonasb

why didnt nbc just pull that part out

Because people would then scream "COMMUNISM" because Obama would have enforced his presidential power to get the segment edited. Come onyou know how that would have been spun... Fox News headline would be "Does President Obama Control What You Watch"

 

[mez 0ne]

Jesus talk about public outcry over a mistake he made, not like he REALLY meant it and we;'re all guilty of saying things 1000x worse, the guy is onlyhuman and made a tasteless joke, and apologized for it because he didn't mean to offend anyone.

As noted earlier this country becomes wayyyyy too sensitive over anything nowadays. I don't approve of what he said but damn there is a lot of other, moreimportant news we should be worrying about rather than judging his character.

What you judge someone on is what they do to learn from their mistake, not the actual mistake they make.

 

[trasoul82]

Originally Posted by DaJoka004

You guys fail to realize why this is a big deal. People have been taken down for much less. Take a look at Harvard's former President who is now Obama's Director of the National Economic Council.

[h4]Sexism allegations[/h4]
In January 2005, at a Conference on Diversifying the Science & Engineering Workforce sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Summers described three hypotheses for explaining the higher number of males in high-end science and engineering positions. Summers claimed that he was adopting an "entirely positive, rather than normative approach" and that his remarks were intended to be an "attempt at provocation."[sup][12][/sup] It was the second hypothesis, termed "different availability of aptitude at the high end" by Summers, that drew allegations of sexism.

According to Summers, the preponderance of males in high-end science and engineering positions could be explained by the following: first, that more men than women were willing to make the commitment in terms of time and flexibility demanded by high-powered jobs; second, and controversially, that there were differences in the intrinsic abilities of men and women at the extremes (3.5 to 4 standard deviations above the mean), as shown by higher variance in aptitude, abilities, or preferences relevant to science and engineering among men; and third, that the discrepancy was due to discrimination or socialization.[sup][12][/sup] He also stated his view that the order given reflected the relative importance of each of the three hypotheses.[sup][12][/sup]

An attendee made Summers' remarks public, and an intense response followed in the national news media and on Harvard's campus.[sup][13][/sup]Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at MIT, walked out during the talk in disgust.[sup][13][/sup] It was claimed that Summers perceived sexism cost him the job of Treasury Secretary in Obama's Administration.[sup][14][/sup]

[sup]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Summers#cite_note-13[/sup]
He was forced to resign.

Obama has to watch what he says when he doesn't have a teleprompter. It's embarassing to me to see our President make a joke about challenged people.

I was more embarrassed by having a President who emulated challenged people. But seriously, what "joke about challenged people" didObama tell? His joke was about how they are sometimes treated (patronized) not about the people themselves. Instead of saying "Don't patronize me,Jay", he said "This is like the Special Olympics". Again, it was tasteless but candid, and really not a big deal. People are acting like Obamaannounced that he will be stepping down as president to star in "The Ringer 2". Obama saying that he has been to 58 states was more offensive thanthis.

 

[josebronx]

had to double take when I heard that,

obama

 

[tmay407]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

and Clint Eastwood grew up in the era that gave us nonsense like this...

boofrigginhoo.. you can't make racial jokes anymore... good!

Weren't 90% of people saying that Clint Eastwood is a racist piece of %%!* in the Gran Torino thread? And now they're quoting him, sayinghow right he is...

How convenient

 

[sundoobie]

http://www.latimes.com/ne...009mar21,0,7433169.story

[h1]Not bowled over by Obama's Special Olympics joke[/h1]

Email Picture

Alex Brandon / Associated Press

President Obama's joke to Jay Leno about a low bowling score has been called offensive.

Despite the president's apology, athletes and others say they are disappointed with his remark on Jay Leno's show.

By Stacy St. Clair and John McCormick
March 21, 2009

Reporting from Chicago -- When she met Barack Obama two years ago, Caitlin Cox proudly wore the two bronze medals she had won at the Special Olympics. The then-Illinois senator grinned as she showed him pictures of her signature bubble-gum-pink bowling ball and posed for photographs with her.

Cox, who has Down syndrome, excitedly recalls that meeting each time she sees Obama's photo on a magazine cover or hears him mentioned on TV. Her ears perked up again Friday morning as her parents discussed the president at breakfast.

• 
  [h2]Obama's 'Tonight Show' appearance...[/h2]

• [h2]'Tonight Show' video[/h2]
• [h2]President Obama is sorry for Special Olympics joke[/h2]

Her mother, Suzanne Thompson, told her that Obama had made a joke about the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Thursday and that it might have hurt a lot of people. Cox, 21, dropped her head on the table and, after a brief silence, said the news made her sad.

Thompson tried to console her daughter, telling her sometimes people do disappointing things.

But as a mother and special education teacher, Thompson said, internally she was crushed by the president's insensitivity. She knows how destructive such stereotypes can be, and it infuriated her that an organization dedicated to empowering millions of people with developmental disabilities would be reduced to a late-night punch line.


"My heart just sank," she said. "To have the president make a comment like that when we're working so hard to change hearts and minds is just devastating."

While appearing on "The Tonight Show" to tout his economic plan, Obama -- who famously rolled a gutter ball while trying to woo primary voters last year -- told Leno that he had been practicing in the White House bowling alley and recently scored an unimpressive 129.

"It's like -- it was like Special Olympics or something," the president said, prompting laughter from the audience.

Obama called Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver after the show to apologize and to express his admiration for the organization. Shriver accepted the apology and later said he hoped the gaffe would serve as an opportunity to knock down myths about people with disabilities.

His sister, California First Lady Maria Shriver, issued a statement expressing disappointment with the president's comments, as well as the laughter that followed it:

"While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone, the response that his comments have caused, coupled with the reaction of a prime-time audience, demonstrate the need to continue to educate the non-disabled community on the issues that confront those with a developmental disability."

Obama's comment also hit close to home for David Axelrod, the president's top political guru and a senior White House advisor.

Axelrod's daughter, Lauren, is a longtime Special Olympian who has competed in swimming and track and field events. His wife, Susan, was part of a delegation led last month by Vice President Joe Biden to the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho.

"I think he was trying to make a comment about himself and his own skills, more than putting anyone else down," Susan Axelrod said. "We have been with him with Lauren, and he is nothing but totally respectful." Still, she called it an unfortunate comment.

"Knowing the president the way I do, I would assume that he is horrified that he said this, and I think he will make every attempt to make something positive out of it," she said.

But the president's joke was more than just the perpetuation of a cruel stereotype, Special Olympians said. It was factually incorrect as well.

A 129 score would keep the president off the medal stand at several Special Olympic bowling events, according to recent results.

Brothers Rich and Ted Olson have participated in the Games for more than three decades and don't have enough space in their suburban Glen Ellyn, Ill., home for all their medals and ribbons. The Olsons, whose scores typically run in the 140s and 150s, didn't find the joke offensive, but Rich laughed when he heard the president's score.

"That's not very good," he said. "It wouldn't beat us. He needs to practice."

sstclair@tribune.com

 

[dublbagn]

Its funny to hear people try and defend what he said....lets face it he made a very insensitive comment. There should be no double standard, if this were Bushpeople would jump all over this. For a president to say something like this is unacceptable....he should apologize and keep it moving...

 

[mez 0ne]

^ First of all he already apologized.

secondly nobody is defending what he said, they just can't believe how big a deal some people are making this out to be. It was tasteless and sometimesthings can slip when you're on not speaking from a teleprompter, we are all human and people make mistakes.....but damn its really NOT that big a deal.

If anyone is more capable of learning from their mistakes in a positive manner, its a man like Obama.

 

[sundoobie]

If anyone is more capable of learning from their mistakes in a positive manner, its a man like Obama.
Even though I truly believe the man is genuinely humble based on my readings of his books and watching him speak on television, however at timeshe does show some arrogance.

So has he really learned?

Hmmm

At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepares to take office in January. Then he smiled and said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances."
The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted with astrologers during her husband's presidency.

"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Obama had been forced to clarify a comment he made to a Philadelphia radio station where he said his white grandmother was acting like a "typical white person" when she expressed fears after seeing blacks on the streets.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Virginia, Mr Obama was lampooning Mr McCain's attempt to pretend his policies were any different from George W Bush's when he said: "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig."

and remember after the Don Imus gaffe, Obama said this.

Obama said, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude."

"He didn't just cross the line," Obama said. "He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America. The notions that as young African-American women - who I hope will be athletes - that that somehow makes them less beautiful or less important. It was a degrading comment. It's one that I'm not interested in supporting."

Though every major presidential candidate has decried the racist remarks, Obama is the first one to say Imus should lose his job for them.


Dude should stick to the teleprompter next time.

 

[peteweezy]

secondly nobody is defending what he said, they just can't believe how big a deal some people are making this out to be. It was tasteless and sometimes things can slip when you're on not speaking from a teleprompter, we are all human and people make mistakes.....but damn its really NOT that big a deal.
Basically. I don't think saying/feeling what most are saying is defending Obama cause from what I've read I didin't see nobodyagreeing with Obama just saying its being blown out of porpotion like alot of things are nowadays. I guess if you don't trash somebody for every mistakeyou wholeheartedly agree? We all know thats not the case.

 

[trasoul82]

Am I seriously missing something here? Did Obama actually make a joke about the Special Olympics or did Obama just react to Leno'spatronizing comments? The article posted by SunDoobie contains this quote:

"It's like -- it was like Special Olympics or something," the president said, prompting laughter from the audience.


Say what?

*reviews tape*

Not only did Obama NOT say that*, but the audience didn't react to what he said either. I think we all realize that a "special" child will get anextra pat on the back as oppsed to his "normal" counterpart. I think we also all realize that there are certain things you shouldn't say. Butshould our emotions be so out of wack that you misquote someone to drive home a point and then follow it up with a lie about how the audience laughed along (inreaction to the joke)?





*He said "This is like Special Olympics or something" in reaction to Jay Leno's comments.


What bothers me the most is that if this crap keeps up for every minor thing, when Obama actually does something significant down the line and people call himout on it, it will be thrown into the same category as nonsense like this. And that's just...









(wait for it)...

Spoiler

Spoiler

[+]

Spoiler

******ed. (yeah, I said it)

 

[rome357]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

^^ It might be good to you, me, and alot of people but as long as your living in America your going to have cats upset that can't say what they want. Its just a never ending cycle and I guess thats how the world is made to be.

that's fine... and I'll keep the cycle going until those people finally understand that even if it doesn't affect them, these types of statements are wrong..
I don't have anyone who is developmentally/mentally disabled in my family...but...I understand completely how these types of comments are hurtful.

When you have the President of the United States making saying it.... it gives the green light for everyone else in the country to think that it's ok to make these same type of comments.

as stated before... jokes at the expense of someone else's misfortune(due to no fault of their own) aren't funny

Originally Posted by ROME357

Originally Posted by SIRIUS LEE HANDSOME

Whatever man I am a grown man...

You really aren't giving that impression though

Why, because he doesn't agree with you and dirty?

no b/c his argument boils down to this...

yeah..that's a "grown man" argument there...

btw.. I'm glad he apologized... but really...he should know better in the 1st place.



.

I thought Obama's joke was pretty tasteless.

Although, some of the Obama haters are making more out of this than it is.

 

[maelstroom]

 

[throwedindagame]

Obama made a slip up, he apologized. Life goes on.

There are more pertinent issues at hand.

 

[essential1]

Look people who are throwing outrage need to stop.. If you have never said anything insensitive or done anything hurtful or insensitive then you can screamoutrage. But since this is NT every has. Everyone here has most likely done or said something 100x worse...

No one is saying it wasn't dumb to say..

But if you are going to keep crying outrage I hope you aren't living in a glass house.

 

[haiti5]

obama needs to resign immediately..to make a joke or slipup like that is inhumane..he should give his seat to joe biden..and go back to his chicken andwatermelon in chicago

 

[951guero]

Originally Posted by haiti5

obama needs to resign immediately..to make a joke or slipup like that is inhumane..he should give his seat to joe biden..and go back to his chicken and watermelon in chicago