Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Savage stupidity

If I wrote about every time some idiot right-wing shock jock went on some outlandish attention-whoring tirade, my fingers would probably fall right off my hand.

I don't typically pay much heed to the likes of Michael Savage (a.k.a. Michael Weiner), the vicious radio nut job out of San Francisco who stirred up a hornets' nest not by attacking the usual targets, like liberals, gays, etc, but rather by lashing out at autistic children. Personally, I am all for the idea of corralling all extreme right-wing lunatics into insignificant AM echo chambers that few people listen to and that fade out under bridges. Out of sight, out of mind. Therefore, I could typically care less about these goons' latest pathetic attempts to get people to pay attention. I often prefer not to take the bait.

Nonetheless, I found it quite interesting that after all of Savage's ridiculous rants, it took the trashing of mentally challenged children for the shit to really hit the fan.

Typically, when these nutjobs start flapping their gums, attempting to be outrageous in what seems like their own version of the hoary old "Aristocrats joke," my first reaction is to go, 'yeah, whatever.' After all, it's all just words and rhetoric. Ignore these assclowns, and they eventually will go away if nobody pays any attention (or money).

In addition, I am a firm believer in karma, or, those who choose to live by the sword shall die by it. It happened to Opie and Anthony, and most famously to Don Imus. Shock jockery can make for a very lucrative career, but not a very secure one. In addition, these personalities have to continue to find new ways to shock people, as they get desensitized to the same ol, same ol.

So, back to Savage. You've probably heard the story. Not content to verbally assault the usual suspects, and to prove he is the nastiest, most racist, and most hate-filled tub o' facist shit on the planet, he violated a serious taboo - by attacking disadvantaged children.

Savage claimed that autism is a "fraud, a racket." He then claimed that the parents of minority children falsified cases of asthma to collect more welfare money and get extra help in school.

He continued, "Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is."

"...They don't have a father around to tell them, "Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot...

"...If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, "Don't behave like a fool." The worst thing he said -- "Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot. Don't act like a girl. Don't cry." That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You're turning your son into a girl, and you're turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That's why we have the politicians we have.

Uhh, Weiner. Stop behaving like a fool.

Of course, many of us are desensitized to the rantings of this pathetic, bad rug-wearing snake oil salesman. So much that he gets talked about even less these days than other irrelevant rabble-rousers like Ann Coulter.

And some indications are that people are starting to tire of this sad act. Autism activists protested outside the studios of his New York affiliate, WOR. WOR's management even issued the typical statement distancing themselves from the scathing remarks. Savage, in response, didn't even offer up an apology, he even defended his remarks.

Today, another shoe has dropped. The seven-station Super Talk Mississippi radio network has canceled The Savage Nation. Essentially, he lost all but one of his affiliates in a single state!

Advertisers are jumping ship as well, starting with Aflac.

Savage's syndicator, Talk Radio Network, has been mum on all of this so far. Kind of ironic, since Don Imus got thrown under the bus by CBS for much less.

Sadly, no one had really held Savage accountable for all the other outrageous, hateful rhetoric spewed by he has said over the years. One wonders if right-wingers are recoiling after all of this, since it is they who revel in claiming that fiery ideologues such as Jesse Jackson and Randi Rhodes speak for all of the left, or that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is Barack Obama's mouthpiece. Obviously, if they believe that, they obviously must have to agree that Michael Savage speaks for conservatives. Hey, if the shoe fits.

But this is all about Michael Weiner, a nasty hate-filled man who makes millions of dollars by being a facist asshole on our nation's airwaves. The ultimate karma is that this sad sack is forced to live with himself, stewing in his own hate and misery. And since he decided long ago that he could gleam a few quick bucks by exploiting the ugliest side of humanity, that is the price he must pay.

Savage, stop acting like a fool.

More:

Gawker writes about "Michael Savage's Homo Hippie Past"

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Notice the hat that Savage's wearing? His son Russell is the CEO. I fully admit to loving energy drinks a bit too much, but I'll drink chamomile tea before I buy Rockstar.

FSL said...

LT, I get it. You don't like the guy or what he stands for. Me, too.

Still it worries when someone (anyone) raises an issue and others demand the issue not be discussed or looked into.

In my reading of the transcribed excerpt (I don't normally listen to his show), he is attacking parents, not kids diagnosed with autism.

His basic point (cutting through the shock jock diatribe) seems to be that autism (like ADD) may be over-diagnosed and over-treated. He seems to say that many cases of so-called "autism" are really behavioral issues. I don't know he's wrong. I don't know he's right, either. It seems this is a question worth looking into. Drug companies do have a vested interest in promoting current views of autism (and current treatment practices). Raising this issue is consistent with Savage's graduate work dealing with alternatives to allopathic medicine.

> "..insignificant AM echo
> chambers that few people listen
> to and that fade out under
> bridges."

That also fits almost all stations doing liberal talk radio.

In most markets, Savage is on the number two right-wing talk station (with ratings generally comparable to lib-talk outlets and Salem). Unfortunately, Savage is up against Mark Levin on most of the blow-torch talk stations (Citadel has been known to make stations take Levin in order to get or keep Hannity). I give Savage credit for this: He attacks Bush. Levin wants a presidential dictatorship.

ltr said...

Notice the hat that Savage's wearing?

sporq, I did notice that hat (and not the cheap rug he's obviously wearing in the first photo-parts of which I fiendishly Photoshopped).

I admit, I occasionally drank a Rockstar when I was working some really long hours a few years back, for times when Starbucks just wouldn't do. Then I found out who it was owned by, and that was the end of that.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the veiled Nazi imagery in the first pic. My rationale is this. When Savage and all those other candyass conservatives stop calling people on the left 'commies' (and Stalin and Pol Pot were just as evil as Hitler was), then I'll stop calling guys like Michael Weiner a Nazi. Screw Godwin's Law.

And yeah, I know he's Jewish. If he has a problem with that, he can take it up with me personally.

hart116 said...

fsl,

You may not know if Savage is right or wrong but I do. He is wrong. My youngest has autism. The difference became evident at age three. Avoiding eye contact, not socializing with other children, delayed speech and other symptoms were all indicators that something was wrong. His father, me, was, is and always will be there for him. If you would like to educate yourself, go to a school for autistic children and see if yelling at them, calling them a moron, putz or idiot will get the desired result.

As far as treatment, I can only speak for my self. With the help of his family and support staff our child is making great strides communicating, socializing and becoming more involved in “our” world. I can only hope that this puzzle is solved by someone, be it the pharmaceutical industry or other, so that the children who are lost can be returned to their families.

“Dr.” Savage my ass.

FSL said...

hart: I can appreciate that this is a difficult situation for you and your family.

Savage holds at PhD from UC Berkeley in nutritional ethnomedicine, as well as masters in medical botany and medical anthropology. He does have an earned doctorate and legitimate credentials in alternative medicine.

His point appears to be that many children as misdiagnosed as autistic. This does not sound like the case in your situation but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It's a possibility worth investigating for the benefit of any kids who may have been misdiagnosed.

There are a lot of bad, even sick, parents out there who get some kind of warped pay-off by having their kid "labeled." Probably a lot of them were out protesting outside Savage's affiliated stations. The more someone tries to suppress a viewpoint, the more I think there may be something going on.

Lu Cifer, @Lu666Cifer said...

There is something SERIOUSLY WRONG with Mike WIENER. He is NOT the type troll like Sean Insanity or oxyRU$Hitler Lardass, he KNOWS what he is doing is bullshit, but fuck it! Just so long as the CHECK CLEARS! I really cannot understand how anyone can sell out like that. And if he hates homos so much, THE FUCKING MOVE OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO YOU IDIOT!!! What a sad tragic case of DUH!!!!
I live in BFE, so, it'd be no different if I was to say "I HATE NATURE! I HATE LIVING IN THE COUNTRY!!!" Jesus goddamn hell, is it any wonder why KKKons go so out of their way to piss on EVOLUTION!!! They cannot stand the FACT that evolution left them behind mentally! They at some point MUST have had a moment when they crapped their pants upon the realization that evolution DID NOT end when humans grew opposable thumbs!!!!!
http://Lu666Cifer.blogspot.com

Lu Cifer, @Lu666Cifer said...

And THEN too...sorry...damn stupid keyboard! I mean really, I lived in South Florida most of my life, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GAY PEOPLE THERE ARE DOWN THERE?! I DIDN'T FLIP THE FUCK OUT! I said "GREAT! There's 2 guys I ain't gotta compete with!" (Sorry ladies if that sounds SEXISTS! :P)
But goddamn! We got all KINDS of TOXIC bullshit thrust upon us all! UN-fucking-Constitutional "laws" that are set up TO FUCK US ALL! You can be thrown in Gitmo for DARING to protest some scum business BU$Hitler Co. ("Home-grown Terra Act) loves since they are getting hand-jobs and tons of blood-money to look the other way (that is assuming they give a SHIT about the principles America was founder upon, HA HA YEAH RIGHT!) and you know these motherfuckers are listening in on NOT just Democrats who oppose BU$Hitler Co., they are also listening in on, well, ALL OF US!!! What the FUCK is it going to TAKE?! When are people going to stop and take a look at what is REALLY going on here?!?!?! Sorry about the rant, but you know I love you in a manly platonic way!!!

anastasi said...

Michael Weiner sounds like someone with a case of Asperger's.

Anonymous said...

I saw one of the earlier posters say that "Savage attacks Bush", and I couldn't help but bring up part of an article Savage wrote on his site not too long ago, where he says the following about Bush:

"George W. Bush may be remembered as the greatest American president. America was on the verge of boiling over with anger at one liberal decision after another. Bush has many failings, but when it comes to the core issues of our civilization, he does the right thing."

Savage is a Bush-lover, just like everyone else on right-wing radio.


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