Posted on 02/22/2010 1:05:59 PM PST by Kaslin
Last week Sarah Palin appeared on Bill O’Reilley’s show discussing a crude joke levied at her on the animated television show - “The Family Guy.” For those who may not have seen either the show itself or the O’Reilly interview, here’s what happened.
In the animated show two Sundays ago, a teenaged character named Chris is romancing Ellen, his classmate. She has Down Syndrome. As Chris delves into Ellen’s background, she makes this statement, “My dad’s an accountant and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.” The fact that the actress who does the voice for Ellen, Andrea Fay Friedman, has Down Syndrome in real life complicates this story. In fact, Freidman attempted to make Palin the bad guy by saying that the former governor has no sense of humor.
In an e-mail statement sent to the New York Times Friedman went on to say, “I thought the line...was very funny. I think the word is sarcasm... My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life.” Not a bad statement for an adult with Down Syndrome.
Friedman’s plausible defense of the program is obviously self-serving. Unfortunately, she reminds me of a black comedienne who uses the “N” word in her routine; but would picket any white person who did so.
Even more ironic than the fact the Down Syndrome actress wants to secure her career at all costs, is the fact that the program was aired on the Fox Family Network. The Fox News Network has hired Sarah Palin as a commentator, and is obviously very protective of the governor. This glitch shows that the Fox News Network operates independently from its entertainment branch.
Before I go forward with my comments, let’s take a moment to define Down Syndrome. The WebMD says that most kids with this condition have: “Distinct facial features, such as a flat face, small ears, slanting eyes, and a small mouth, a short neck and short arms and legs, weak muscles and loose joints though muscle tone usually improves by late childhood, and below-average intelligence.”
For my money, Bristol Palin gave the quintessential comment on the matter in a statement on her mother’s Facebook page. Bristol declared: “People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront ... why could anyone want to make their lives more difficult by mocking them? ... If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed.”
As the national debate rages about the latest set of tasteless remarks about the former governor and her family, there is a shift in the tone and tenor of the criticism levied against her. The comments about her do not reflect a new level of political persecution; instead they reflect the fact that the ex-governor is starting to reach icon status. Cultural icons like Sarah Palin and Tiger Woods are famous because of who they are - not just because of what they do. Icons don’t just make the news; they are the news. Their fans dote and their detractors perseverate. They fight the harassment of the paparazzi and the gratuitous use of their names and images. Simply sighting an icon can be a life-defining event versus sighting the garden-variety celebrity.
A great example of how one rises from celebrity to iconic ranks is the meteoric ascent of Paris Hilton. Her family name brought her into the limelight and her “jet set” lifestyle made her the envy of everyone on the celebrity party scene a few years ago. Suddenly she stepped into the icon zone. Wikipedia defines her career as follows: “an American socialite, heiress, media personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress.” This means that she has no permanent job other than being a celebrity.
Returning to the assertion that Sarah Palin has become an icon, let me quote Time Magazine, which said last week, “Palin hits the same mystic chords as Clinton. A woman who goes to war against the 19-year-old boy who knocked up her daughter and then posed for Playgirl is far more comprehensible to most Americans than deficit spending is. In her Fox interview with Chris Wallace the day after her Nashville speech, Palin said she'd been focusing more on ‘current events’ since she quit as governor of Alaska.”
Even her political allies are starting to weigh in on the love vs. hate Palin campaign. A prominent Tea Party leader from Texas (Dale Robertson) is warning that the movement “is becoming nothing more than a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party.” He goes on to slam Sarah Palin as being a part of “a growing insider's attack to the heart of the Tea Party.”
Contrary to Mr. Robertson’s sentiments, countless newspapers and magazines are hailing Palin as the de facto leader of the Tea Party movement. If these writers are correct, her best selling book Going Rogue may become a manifesto. In addition, her commentaries on Fox may help focus and refine the insights of millions of followers.
Sarah, Plain and Tall is the title of a book and a trilogy of movies known by children everywhere. The award-winning book is a study of the universal themes of loneliness and abandonment. For months many Americans wondered if Governor Palin and her family could survive the rough and tumble atmosphere of modern American politics. Fortunately for Mrs. Palin, her epitaph will not be “Sarah Plain and Tall.” In fact her destiny is to become a culturally defining icon. She will undoubtedly become a role model of what a wife, mother, and citizen can be.
You go girl!!!!
“I would sure love to see any evidence that Sarah Palin has said anything about Levi Johnston that could be seen as ‘going to war’.”
I think we’ve heard enough about Bristol and Levi or the Bush twins or Meghan McCain or the children of any other politician. The kids should be out of the political picture.
I got it now —— a Ron Paulbot
Let’s see—— how many jokes or crude and disgusting comments have EVER been made about Chelsea Clinton or the Obama girls???? Of course exactly NONE.
Go pull your head out of the funny orifice it is in. Next time you have an intelligent thought let someone else know
It’s like whenever I see a post, article or comment that begins with: “As a lifelong Republican, blah, blah, blah...” I always know that whatever follows will be a slam of conservatives and the GOP.
Yaaawwwwwnnnn...... If nothing else, I know not to count on you as an honest or reliable arbiter of what constitutes intelligent thought.
My point is that Sarah has said basically NOTHING about Bristol’s EX, and rightly so.
The Palins appear to be POSITIVE people unlike these PalinPounders.
Like her or not a Palin admintistration might be the only thing that will save us from abject socialism.And a much lower standard of living.
Well! I see the trolls finally found Free Republic.
You have been here for 3 years? Why? Do you post such nonsense often?
Is your screen name short for OneRomney99?
Nope.. No affiliation to the Romney camp.
in regard to rubberroom99
“I got it now —— a Ron Paulbot”
Yep.
Why is it that Palin-Bots can bash and bust on every other candidate for President but they believe she has some invincibility halo around her?
Would love to hear an answer. The same people getting worked up and bent out of shape everytime she is criticized, love to slam everybody elses candidate.
Why not. 0 does!
So, one can’t be a mother of a small child and be President?
You want to advance that argument to the 160 million females in this country?
How has having her son with her inhibited her activities? Obviously, with an intensive nation-wide book tour, and now an aggressive speaking schedule, Trig has not interfered with her professional commitments/activities.
And, I still don’t understand how he was used as a “prop”.
I don’t see any “truth” in your bullsh*t.
Just the vitriolic ad hominem attacks focusing on style more than substance.
So, one can’t be a mother of a small child and be President?
You want to advance that argument to the 160 million females in this country?
How has having her son with her inhibited her activities? Obviously, with an intensive nation-wide book tour, and now an aggressive speaking schedule, Trig has not interfered with her professional commitments/activities.
And, I still don’t understand how he was used as a “prop”.
I don’t see any “truth” in your bullsh*t.
Just the vitriolic ad hominem attacks focusing on style more than substance.
I am a strong Palin supporter. But I’ve never slammed other candidates. I voted for Romney in the 08 primaries, McCain in the general. I think Newt Gingrich is a brilliant strategic and tactical thinker. Huckabee is a great personal communicator. Pawlenty seems solid. All of the Republican presumed candidates have strengths and weaknesses. But, it’s impossible to ignore the incredible charismatic pull that Palin has on people who have felt shut out by the present power elites. And, no other candidate - in any party - has been as intensively and viciously scrutinized as has Palin (with the scrutiny going beyond her political views to her personal life and even her children’s lives - well beyond the “boundaries” that have been laid out and generally respected for other candidates). The fact that she has not only withstood the personal-level vitriol but actually is thriving does say something about the strength of her as a person. Can’t think of any other politicians who could go through what she’s been put through and come out smiling, optimistic and more of an influential factor than ever.
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