A Boor and a Coward [Victor Davis Hanson tears apart the creep, a.k.a David Letterman]

NRO Corner ^ | June 11, 2009 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Tolik]

Smug, hip David Letterman offered a smirky non-apology about his ongoing class and sexist slurs against the Palins, his apparent social inferiors.

"We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter, the 18-year-old girl, who is — her name is Bristol, that's right, and so, then, now they're upset with me . . ."

"These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don't think it's funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn't put it in a joke..."

Examine the logic. First, Letterman makes a gutter joke about Palin and her unnamed 14-year-old daughter attending a NY Yankees game. Then when a bit of outrage follows, he apparently claims he really meant to slur the other 18-year-old daughter who, back in Alaska, of course did not attend the game but was not named by Letterman. That would be okay, you see.

Second, then he evokes the now common straw man "they" who are apparently "upset" with him, hoping to play the victim card. Then he dribbles out something about his "last show" as if we are to weep that some mob is out to silence him. (But the reason he picked the Palins, and not the Obamas, Gores, Bidens, or Kerrys, was precisely because he knew it would not equate to his "last show").

Third, he strangely amplifies his joke by confessing it really was about "raping" and "having sex of any description," but just not with a "14-year-old girl," suggesting it would have been okay had he just been more explicit and named Bristol, the 18-year-old. In Letterman's world, because Bristol is 18, she is a year past most statuary rape clauses and thus the joke would have only been about "raping or having sex of any description with a [18-year-old] girl."

Nothing offered about his slurs against airline attendants and Governor Palin herself, when he sneered that she had a "slutty flight-attendant look," or his remark that Palin "was keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter."

The self-serving, creepy apology was as bad as the initial slur. Letterman is emblematic of an aging, baby-boomer culture, that dresses up street vulgarity with a tie and coat. The only thing that saves him is his care to do this with the Palins from Alaska that don't figure into the usual no-go race/class/gender paradigm.

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Letterman in His Dotage   [Victor Davis Hanson]
 

Letterman attacked in crass sexual terms both Palin and her daughter: Two of the rhetorical cornerstones of the feminist movement used to be zero-tolerance for sexual slurs by men alleging promiscuity ("slutty flight-attendant look"), and jokes about something as serious as rape (e.g., Palin's 14-year-old daughter "knocked up by Alex Rodriguez"). David Letterman, who has become ever more creepy in his dotage, on both counts proved a boor — and receives only silence? (Personally, I admire flight attendants a great deal: They put up with a great deal from jet lag to obnoxious passengers, and somehow remain polite and hard-working — and with a modest and professional look.)

06/10 11:59 AM

[xsmommy]

here.

[pray4liberty]

“Statutory rape fantasist David Letterman”

Somewhere, Don Imus and Howard Stern are laughing.

[pray4liberty]

I can only imagine the Left's reaction if David Letterman were to call Obama's adorable little daughters "nappy-headed ho's".

Momma Michelle would punch him in the nose.

[VRWCmember]

I hope I'm not giving the impression that I am soft-pedaling Dave's joke, or that I do not find it outrageous and offensive. There is nothing funny about joking about a 14 y/o getting "knocked up". I think Letterman should be excoriated for this ugly joke about statutory rape. I think A-Rod should be condemning Letterman for joking that he would molest a 14 y/o girl. I think the Professional Flight Attendants union should be protesting Letterman for calling them "slutty". But I also think that our outrage and our condemnation of Letterman would best be served by making sure we did not characterize the joke as being about a "violent rape of a child" or even as simply "rape" without using the appropriate term of "statutory rape". We don't have to sacrifice on accuracy just to evoke a more emotional response from Middle America. In fact, I believe that if we are careful to make sure we express our outrage accurately and specifically, we improve our ability to convince Middle America of how prurient Letterman and other liberals are in their hatred of all things conservative.

[VRWCmember]

"... the toughest part of the trip was keeping Elliot Spitzer away from her daughter."

Not very funny, and since the only daughter with her was Willow it implies that Elliot Spitzer is a pervert that was trying to contact her 14 y/o daughter. Pretty stupid joke to make, but I'd have a hard time arguing that the joke is implying that Willow is a prostitute. The stupidest thing about that joke is that keeping Spitzer away from their daughter would not be tough at all for either Sarah or Todd. Either one of them could easily kick Spitzer's butt so hard that he'd never bother anyone's daughter again.

[Palladin]

Ain’t that the truth! Dirty old men. The kind kids shy away from. The kind you keep your kids FAR AWAY from.

[nikos1121]

When McCAin went on his show to apologize, I said to myself this guy, (McCain) is toast. He looked old, arthritic and not very presidential. I still voted for him, but to give Letterman the upper hand bothered me.

Letterman is a joke. He looks more and more with each passing year like Howdy Doody. Maybe someone who knows how to do it, can post a picture of the dummy, (i.e. Howdy Doody).

[eleni121]

Letterman has become much more political in the last 8 years

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It might be because of his liason with a Huff-Puffington post writer woman.

[nikos1121]

Done. Took one minute. Others should do it too.

[paulycy]

We cannot let this situation die, as I'm sure Dave and the Left hope it does.

It will die this weekend if nobody follow through on Monday to reignite the fires...just sayin'

[nufsed]

Is that who he married?

[RoadTest]

Yes, you’re right. The Demonrats are afraid of Gov. Palin because she is honest, truthful, strong-willed, individualistic and loving.

They cringe from Democrat headquarters all the way down to Hell at such individuals, for they are a conviction to them all. Again, the wicked and the righteous; they are mortal enemies and they recognize each other.

[RoadTest]

You’re right - he would have been shut off the air in a decent nation.

[Republic]

AMEN to that!

[Elsie]

Nothing offered about his slurs against airline attendants and Governor Palin herself, when he sneered that she had a "slutty flight-attendant look," or his remark that Palin "was keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her daughter."

Now if he would have mentioned her HAIR being NAPPY or something - THEN the powers thaty be in media WOULD have fired him - right?

RIGHT??

[dervish]

Thank you. I just emailed him.

[Utah Binger]

TV.com
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Best Western
Intel
CBSports.com
JohnFreida.com
DiTech
Lexus
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True Credit by TransUnion
Lifelock
Bowflex
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Capitol One
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Embassy Suites
EBay
ancestry.com

I thought ancestry.com was a Mormon outfit. Advertising on the scumbag letterman?

[Yardstick]

that's OK as long as they're the other tribe's kids.

Yep, the libs will crawl over broken glass not to offend the Other, unless they happen to be conservative.

[dervish]

thanks. I took the time and sent every one an email.

Please reconsider your sponsorship of the Letterman show. Mr. Letterman made lewd remarks on national TV about a fourteen year old girl. Pedophilia and statutory rape are never jokes. Some topics are beyond politics, such as the children, especially minor children, of politicians.

Instead of expressing profound regret and acknowledging his mistakes, Letterman tried to hide behind a lie – that the joke was about the older daughter who did not accompany her mother or go to the baseball game. This added further insult to the injury, and did nothing to undo the damage of promoting pedophilia and statutory rape.

Please weigh, do you really want your company associated with this issue and appear to support pedophilia and statutory rape?

Thank You

[ThreePuttinDude]

Let me know if you want in or out.

IN