Here we go again! I try to stick my head in the sand and ignore politics and current events, but some things are impossible to ignore. I don’t want to write about this stuff! I’d rather be getting my funny on.
You can thank Fox anchorman (former co-anchor at ABC’s 20/20), John Stossel for this post. Recently, Stossel called for an action to repeal the business side of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And I quote:
“It’s time now to repeal that part of the law because private businesses ought to get to discriminate. And I won’t ever go to a place that’s racist and I will tell everybody else not to and I’ll speak against them. But it should be their right to be racist.”
Really?! It should be their right to be racist and discriminate? Hmmm, I thought perhaps it was “our” right not to be discriminated against. Apparently, Mr. Stossel believes that in a capitalist nation businesses will do the right thing because it will not serve them financially to discriminate.
Really?! Have we learned nothing from history?
Georgina says
Really John Stossel, really? Are you kidding me? Holy smokes. Discrimination and racism should never, ever be held up as a constitutional right. Unbelievable. – G
An Imperfect New Momma says
I can't with ignorant people. They just suck.
Mrsblogalot.com says
I guess it's his right to be ignorant.
alexandra says
Right to be rascist?
Spoken like someone who's never been discriminated against, I see.
They'll never know, so how do you teach empathy? It's a skill….
Free2bMommy says
Urgh! I hear ya! I try to stay out of it too, but every once in a while I am compelled to speak my peace on the ridiculous word vomit that comes out of some “influential” losers. People should really think before they speak…if he had thought about it…he would have realized that he contradicts himself! Thanks for sharing!
unknownmami says
I think “word vomit” is the perfect phrase for it.
naomidelatorre says
You can always look to Fox News for the leading edge on racism, bigotry, and other ignorant practices. Go Fox.
denisetogetherwesave says
Oh my…. really! I think John Stossel might should keep his opinions to himself!
Monkey Man says
What an idiot! I have a favorite saying – Too bad ignorance isn't painful.
TechnoBabe says
Exactly why I don't watch television, and it was mostly because of Fox News almost five years ago that I stopped watching any television. I refuse to listen to the idiots on it and I will not be part of the sheep being led by the insidious and cunning news accounts. I for one am always happy to see you write a post about keeping this country respectful and non racist.
Cheeseboy says
And to think, I used to like Stossel.
Charlie Callahan says
You ought to know by now that Fox “News” is nothing but a sham, a bunch of bottom-feeding big-mouths whose purpose is to incite anger and outrage. I blame hate radio and TV for the division in America: they, the flag-waving “compassionate conservatives” and us, the assaholic left.
Stossel left ABC over a year ago to join Bill O'Reilly, the dumbest of the Fox dumb.
Save yourself a lot of pain, heartache, and disappointment and DO NOT WATCH FOX!!! (Yes, I'm yelling, which a lot of peeps should do.)
Melani says
It just pisses me off when people talk like that and they could give a shit less about who is hearing them.
I was getting gas one time and standing on the other side of the pump was this young couple, and the guy (who was white by the way) started talking to the girl (who was also white) about …” all the beaners that live in our neighborhood, I know it was them who broke into our car…” Was I ready to knock his block off??? Did he not know who I am married to???? Pissed.
Or the time I started working at Walmart and the girl (white) was telling me about Amber Alerts, when kids get lost in the store, and she proceeded to tell me that …”Mexicans usually are the ones who loose their kids, since they have so many”
Just ignorant people I suppose, which I have no time for!
Meeko Fabulous says
Chica I'm telling you . . . There's always one idiot out there. I think we should stop discriminating against really tall men with mustaches . . . Damn it . . . There goes my dad too . . . LoL!
Curly Q says
🙁 grrrrrrrr. some people! “word vomit” – I like that.
The Urban Cowboy says
“…businesses will do the right thing because it will not serve them financially to discriminate.” Love that quote! Yea, sure they will.
macey says
John Stossel is WEIRD. I don't even know what planet he's on half the time.
unknownmami says
I wasn't even watching FOX, I read about it elsewhere and had to investigate. I didn't like Stossel when he was on ABC.
Camp1974 says
This is why I can't turn on Fox News. Disgusting.
Rebecca says
That is so so sad.
Sue says
Unbelievable! I guess people have the right to be stupid too.
Charlie Callahan says
Sorry, then, for my rant. But I stand by everything I said about Fox, whether or not you watch it.
stevenanthony says
this amkes me sick! I dont understand people who think this way…..maybe we should take all the narrow minded people and stick them on an island together, let them just batttle it out over there crazy ideas….
greeneyedmomster says
It's a very sad time, IMHO.
Very sad, indeed.
Hugs and love,
T
lisleman says
I didn't even know he left ABC. Of course I don't watch the FOX crap. They just love stirring stuff up to get free PR. I hope people start to realize they bias and devices to just get more attention.
It's such a waste to be wasting your energy on this idiot. If you have the time pop over to A Few Clowns Short and find out why you have all the time you need.
thanks
Classic NYer says
Here's something nobody's thought of: racial discrimination doesn't make sense from a business point of view. If you exclude a large group of people, you're losing their money. And you're losing the money of everyone who thinks you're stupid for excluding a large group of people. You've got to have serious emotional issues to leave that kind of money on the table because you don't like somebody's skin color or sexual preference or whatever.
unknownmami says
I think everyone understands that excluding large groups of people from their business will cost them money, that's logical. Racism is not logical, neither is discrimination. Logic (or the loss of money) has never stopped people from discriminating, if it did we never would have had to have a Civil Rights Movement in the first place – the market would have fixed it all, but it didn't.
Betty Manousos says
His opinion sucks 🙁
brian says
ya gotta wonder about people sometimes…
Eva Gallant says
Unbelievable in this day and age.
Nikki says
Nobody should have the right to be racist!! Sheesh…
Raymonde says
Makes you wonder why people open their mouth at times. Bad judgement this time obviously, very misguided. Thanks for bringing to light Unknown Mami. Take care. xxx
unknownmami says
I haven't heard the term “goobers” in forever! Thanks for the chuckle.
the good cook says
Fox Spews
Adoption of Jane says
If it wasn't so painful and inhuman it would almost be laughable that anyone could seriously say they wouldn't ever go to a place that's racist and they will tell everybody else not to and they will speak against them……..and then state….. yet places have the right to be racist…
I don't think its a coincidence that ignorance and Racism go hand in hand…
Kristen says
Open mouth. Insert Foot. Repeat. Fall flat on hiney. {Instructions for goobers}
The Absence of Alternatives says
It should be people's right to practice gender discrimination too. So if they want to keep their girls from being educated and lock them in the basement and force them to marry men that they don't like, it should be their rights too.
I can think of many many other ways of applying this “freedom”. But I am too busy getting stabby to write it all out.
Nature's Details says
Nice post! You know I believe that if someone is not doing the job they were hired to do, you ought to be able to fire them without collecting a whole tome of paperwork. That's the kind of “discrimination” I'd like to bring back. But to be racist?! Hello? Is anyone home?
Michelle from Honest & Truly! says
Wowwww that's ahhhh special. I hadn't heard this one, but fortunately it doesn't have a snowball's chance at passing. Can you IMAGINE all the discrimination that would come up? Yikes!
Lady Fi says
No one should have the right to be racist… even if it means freedom of speech isn't totally free.
This man must be a middle-aged white guy?
BLOGitse says
Oh boy, I don't know who's Mr. Stossel but I thought in US where people are originally from all over the globe, this issue was behind. It's not the color of the skin what makes people good or bad – it's their action.
Recession makes rich nervous to lose what they've got and poor more poor.
Why Oprah would be any different from other black people if it was a question about skin color?
(I'm sorry if I mix things because I don't know Stossel.)
Tina says
I'm just speechless…except to say that John Stossel is a giant asshole. There is no way to reason with ignorant people.
AngelCel says
I don't know this person but it does seem like an extraordinary thing to say in a country that until really quite recently practised its own form of apartheid, is therefore understandably extremely sensitive about the whole subject, and in a country that is made up of people from all over the globe of every race, creed and colour. Bit of a bozo really.
You “stick your head in the sand and ignore politics and current events” ? You don't really mean that do you? It's depressing at times, I know, but to shy away from current affairs allows all sorts of things to happen under our very noses, changing the world that our children will inherit from us.
oceangirl415 says
Burying your head in sand is not an easy thing to do.
38traci says
You speak the truth, sister! Even George Will on This Week said that the 1964 law was a proper balance of rights and that the discussion of repealing it is ridiculous.
The Bipolar Diva says
I'm not so happy with Disqus right now! It's not letting me sign in for some reason. Maybe Stossel got to them and they know that five of my kids are black?
This reminded me of when I was a little girl and would go to Neiman Marcus with my grandmother every Saturday. I went to drink out of the fountain one day and she told me of the signs that had been over those very fountains just a few years before: “White” and “Colored”
We've come such a long way, but obviously have a long way to go. That quote doesn't make me think of the everyday Americans I know. It reminds me of the devisive hatred from the KKK and Black Panthers.
Classic NYer says
So true. The market is not intelligent, or else the recent mortgage crisis wouldn't have happened.
Niki says
People do have the right to be racist. By that I mean, they have the right to hate if they so choose. We don't need thought police. (I'm not saying it's okay to hate.) But they do not and should not have the right to discriminate according to race, religion or gender.
alexisakamom says
Wow I'm speechless that is absurd. How can anyone think that it's ok for some I just won't be part of it? Insert head in oven now.
lifewithkaishon says
That is astounding. And sad. Very, very sad.
marlaahansen says
No freaking way!!!
unknownmami says
I stand by everything you said about Fox, too. They make me so angry, I can't watch them.
unknownmami says
I have to say that I do keep myself at a distance from current events. I mean I still vote and try to stay informed on some level, but unfortunately my panic/anxiety disorder makes it very difficult for me to “handle” certain things. It's more like I have to control the way the information gets to me. The news can be so sensationalist that I can't watch it.
unknownmami says
Disqus is doing some system updates, so they've been a “off” for a couple of days. Sorry!
unknownmami says
I hope your back is feeling better.
unknownmami says
I understand what you are saying. There is no thought police and in your mind you are free to think as you wish.
Rick Bucich says
I don't usually get outraged over quotes such as this because often they're intentionally misquoted.
That said, unfortunately that is not the case in this instance. See video for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhd_TP5rG0c
unknownmami says
Thank you for linking the video.