Monday, July 28, 2008

Michael Savage is an Asshole

A group of angry parents, activists and autistic children on Sunday called for the firing of talk show host Michael Savage.

Savage recently said on his nationally-syndicated radio show that autistic children are "brats" who haven't "been told to cut the act out." Savage also said most autistic children need to be told to "stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man."

The radio host has not apologized for his statement, and instead said on his Web site that the "national panic" of autism was created by greedy doctors and drug companies.

Autism is a mental disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate. The government estimates about 1 in 150 children have some form of autism.


Maybe I'd be better off calling him a dick since his real last name is weiner?

14 comments:

BAWDYSCOT said...

I have no idea who this guy is or why he is someone worth quoting, but just as I believe the Nazi Party has the right to profess what they believe in the press and in the media, this "dick" does too. You would have to think, though, that people wouldn't buy into this shit, but as I have posted in the past; the general population's stupidity has never ceased to surprise me.

csm said...

I can't see why anyone would buy into his particular brand of shit... but then, I'm not fond of Rush's or Coulter's either... all are noxious for various and sundry reasons. Yes, they are all entitled to say whatever they want, but that does not mean they are entitled to use our airwaves to do it.

That said, I'm all in favor of free speech, even if I disagree with it. And I would not label a conservative an "asshole" unless they said assholey things... like Savage.

(And Rush and Coulter for that matter.)

BAWDYSCOT said...

This brings up something we touched on awhile back and that is...which is more damaging to society, people who put down sections of our population(the autistic)or the "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say On Television". For my money Carlin wins this hands down; it takes more brains and guts to take on the mainstream than it does to pick on a disadvantaged group we haven't been able to fully understand yet.

coreydbarbarian said...

michael savage has the #3 show in talk radio. (#1 & #2 are usually rush limbaugh & glenn beck, but sometimes sean hannity squeezes in there). i try to catch them all at least once a week, just to stay on top of their antics. out here in the midwest, am radio is still the MAIN source of political "news" for the majority of voters. the cities are different, but most of the midwest is not city-fied.

all that said, csm is right - savage is an ass. he makes his living by being loud and boisterous and obnoxious, and by making absurd comments like this one. sad to say, that's his gimmick.

savage definitely over-reached on this one, though. i don't think he had any idea how many people he would upset. he is used to saying whatever he wants, and everybody ignores him, but he clearly angered more than a few parents with his act this time.

me personally, i found him offensive this time, just like everytime i listen to him. i just keep hoping he'll offend enough people to lose his syndication, sooner or later. he can say whatever he wants, but he doesn't actually deserve a syndicated show.

let him spout the stupidity on a street corner instead of nationally; that would be more fitting with the actual quality of his speech.

BAWDYSCOT said...

I wonder what the Savage Fuck's take will be on Sen. Ted Stevens indictment or even if he would ever mention it. Could it be that Republican fucks of a feather stick together?

csm said...

Oh, I'm sure we'll hear the right wing take on Stevens from G or mouse. My guess will be something like "In our system of justice he is presumed to be innocent!"

BAWDYSCOT said...

I dunno, csm, I find g, and even mouse, to be more respectful and skeptical than the average run-of-the-mill Republican mouthpiece. And this would be a fair fight if the Democratic left had controversial turn-off brain and open mouth shills. Controversy=not necessarily bad. Stupidity(from whatever source)=pretty much always bad(except for bliss lovers).

(Disclaimer - I will fully admit this is far from my best posting, but it is what it is.)

csm said...

You are probably correct about G. I apologize for lumping him in with those who are regurgitating right wing talking points.

I admit, I could be wrong about mouse, too, although "respectful" is not an adjective I'd use to describe mouse.

Anonymous said...

I know I've said this several times, but it seems I need to say it again. I am not a Republican. Conservative? Extremely. Republican? No. And I'm quite certain you've never heard me defend criminal behavior by any politician. But you are correct that I believe in "innocent until proven guilty." And indictment is just that... an indictment. Not a conviction. I would say the same thing for a Democrat. I prefer to let the courts do their job before passing judgment.

However, I do find it interesting that other politicians (on both sides of the aisle) are being very cautious with their words... even an obnoxious shill like Barbara Boxer. My guess is that they are waiting to see what evidence there is and the extent of the wrongdoing. You know, just to make sure it isn't the same type of thing they've been involved in themselves over the years.

I also find it interesting that this indictment on a Republican is coming so soon after the Justice Dept was getting so much heat for politically motivated hirings. I'm not saying that Stevens is necessarily innocent (although he might be, we'll see). But considering that he has been under investigation for so long causes me to wonder about the timing.

But back to the subject of loud-mouthed talk show hosts, the left wing have some, too. Just listen to Randy Rhodes (I'm not sure if the spelling is correct). I've tried to listen a few times in the past, but I just couldn't stomach it. The right wing has more (and more visible ones), but it has more to do with ratings than anything else.

I don't listen to any of them, except Larry Elder on occasion. In fact, I had never heard of Don Imus until his name was all over the news. But he probably has better ratings now than before. This is the first time I've ever heard of Michael Savage, too. Maybe it's a special industry secret that if you want to boost your career, you just say something offensive enough that the MSM picks it up and gets your name out there.

coreydbarbarian said...

i hadn't heard of randy rhodes, myself. it's all right-wing, all the time out here - except for that guy that talks about ufo's after midnight. gotta love am radio.

speaking of which, here is further proof that right-wing propaganda is bad for your (mental) health. if obama does win, i expect many more episodes like this one. hopefully not in the same locale, of course.

something else ... i could never sit through more than 30 seconds of don imus's mumblings, but he has one big advantage over savage ... imus has raised tons o'cash for numerous childrens' charities over the years, including autism research. still couldn't listen to him, though.

coreydbarbarian said...

i got curious, and checked out the michael savage website. he has a link on his page to a msnbc article on the steven's indictment. don't know what that says about his spin on the matter, though.

also - g, is randi rhodes a girl?

Anonymous said...

Yes. She is a woman. I've never checked the spelling. So I went with the spelling of Ozzy's former (deceased) guitarist.

coreydbarbarian said...

no worries, g. i prolly would've spelled it the same way. just making sure i had the right one!

csm said...

I've listened to Rhandi Rhodes at times and although she is polarizing to the left I haven't heard her lie or say anything as obnoxious as Savage or Limbaugh. Of course, she may have, since I have only listened a bit here and there on XM. She is not on the regular radio here in the Houston area (nor in most places). IMHO it is easier to be a shrill, polarizing right wing talking head because right wing listeners (not all, but most) are more prone to lapping up bullshit they want to hear than are left wingers. Of course, as a left winger, that is not an unbiased opinion ;-)