Racially insensitive comment by Bill O’Reilly?

msnbc.com ^ | April 15 | A Scarborough Country interview

[modern_orthodox]

We all make mistakes. And we all say things we regret sometimes. But tonight, many conservatives on Capitol Hill are shocked by a racially insensitive comment that was made by the most powerful figure in cable news — Bill O’Reilly. Lloyd Grove reported this column in his column “The Reliable Source,” which appears in “The Washington Post,” and talked to Joe. LAST SATURDAY, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly was emceeing a benefit for disadvantaged school children in Washington, D.C., something that he should be commended for. But apparently O’Reilly found himself filling time before an African-American boy’s group named “The Best Men” were to come on stage. And he said this to the entire audience, quote, “Does anyone know where The Best Men are? I hope they’re not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps.”

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Did Mr. O’Reilly really make that statement in front of a Washington audience?

LLOYD GROVE, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: I’m afraid so, Joe. He did. And a lot of people didn’t hear it because it was a noisy room with a bunch of people in it and weren’t paying attention. But those who did are certain he said it. And I talked to Bill yesterday, and he didn’t deny it. He just said any talk about it was foolishness and ridiculous.

SCARBOROUGH: It’s interesting that you said that he just dismissed it and said it was foolish. When Trent Lott got into the mess he got into this past winter for his remarks that he made at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party, Mr. O’Reilly said, “Excusing bad behavior by the powerful is a dangerous game. Trent Lott offended millions of Americans and probably didn’t even realize he was doing it. There comes a point in every person’s life when they either surrender to prejudice and ideology, or they become independent thinkers. It’s easier to surrender. The people of the United States must hold those in power responsible for what they do and say.” Now, isn’t what Bill O’Reilly said the other night about the same as what Trent Lott said in an off-the-cuff remark this past winter?

[drc43]

Gads...This nation has lost its sense of humor.

[farmfriend]

This was not the first racially incesitive comment I've heard O'Reilly make. He was talking to a gal about drug testing welfare recipients. His contention was that we should test them all and hers was that only ones meeting certain criteria should be tested. He then commented that we would have to engage in racial profiling in order to do that, leaving the impression that blacks would meet the criteria more often so we would then start targeting blacks if we were going after drug users. The overall assumption was that welfare people are drug users and that the majority of those were black. I like O'Reilly but have always felt he was a bit of a prude when it came to sex issues. This took me by surprise though.

[seenenuf]

It is wrong, wrong, wrong for any one other than a liberal bonefide commedian to make a joke about anyone other than a white person,,, bla, bla, bla.
Has anyone noticed how crime show TV portrays majority of crime done by blacks? Where's the insensitivity poll-ece?
O'Reilly is doing good - and like Newt gets schewered for his style more than the substance of his gig! THe Left's
problem come with their lack of substance when name calling.

[SERE_DOC]

"I had seen it in the paper and although I'm a big O'Reilly fan I think he should have used a little common sense here."

Horse crap, his statements were neither racial or insensitive. it was during a skit and you shouldn't use equipment your not trained with.

[capt. norm]

"I hope they’re not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps"

For those who were not around in the 50's, this joke is derived from reality.

The rock group "Dion and the Belmonts"

While at a live concert, so the story goes, the "Belmonts" were out in the parking lot collecting hubcaps while their headliner, Dion, was on stage solo. Another rock group even made a parody song out of it.

I think most of us who were around back then remember this as it cast the evil 'rock 'n' roll' in a bad light and became ammo for parents putting down the latest "misic fad" that may last another six months and be gone.

[airborne]

Political correctness has run amuck! It's a freaking stampede!

[Naspino]

The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight "with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."-Robert KKK Byrd

I'll respond for KKK Byrd since I've seen his response so many times...

How dare you question my committment to minority groups, sir. I was raised with little -- er I mean minorities to my left and to my right. I have dedicated my life to keeping them in my dis- I mean raising them up... How dare you sir.

[nicmarlo]

This has been posted on FR, but I don't recall the title....

[Mears]

Huh?

[TigersEye]

Sounds a lot like the Trent Lott defense. ;^)

[TigersEye]

The people who want to be offended by O Reilly Trent Lott will always find some excuse to be offended. What I have yet to figure out is, if someone says he's offended, why should I care?

[RooRoobird14]

FYI--WP reporter Lloyd Grove is also the same guy Tim Robbins threatened to beat up because Grove had interviewed Susan Sarandon's mother.

[Howlin]

grovel@washpost.com.

[Jaxter]

Big whoop. Anyone offended by his off the cuff remarks are free to boycott his TV show and books (If they could figure out how to boycott something they already don't watch or read). Just as the rest of America are free to boycott Dixie Chicks cd's or Tim Robbins' movies. Whatever, it will have no effect on the ratings of the O'Reilly Factor or his book sales.

[TigersEye]

...i'd like to see O'Reilly stew in this for awhile (if it becomes an issue) and have to explain how what Lott said was different than what he said.

The way it is different is that O'Reilly was specifically referring to black people and Lott was making reference to the general body of a political philosophy of which race was only one small part.

[biblewonk]

“Does anyone know where The Best Men are? I hope they’re not in the parking lot stealing our hubcaps.”

LOL

[usnret99]

I believe he was working the teen angle. Not the racist angle. There seems to be people bent on trying to find everything and anything to trash people.

[Mark Felton]

Ultimately, blacks must take responsibility for such perceptions.

If the general public has a popular image about a person or a product then it is the responsibility of the person, or product manufacturer, to change the perceptions and build a new image.

The image people have of young black men as criminals is not unfounded. It has a solid basis in fact. Therefore it is incumbent upon the blacks to change this image by changing the facts, and pronouncing loudly and continuously their full efforts to make the change.

O'Reilly's statement was a faux pas, and insensitive to the boys. But it was not racist or unfair. He cannot be faulted for having an opinion that is statistically factually credible.

As I was growing up in the UK I was often referred to as a Yankee and a Cowboy, I was neither, did it bother me? no. Were they racist comments? Only if I wanted them to be, but their was no advantage for me to consider them so.