News flash: Someone said something stupid on Fox News Channel!
Actually, this time I think it matters more than usual. On the Five (2/19/13), a discussion of rape on college campuses included what you might call a skeptic’s take: Maybe there’s not really any such thing.
BOB BECKEL: When was the last time you heard about a rape on campus?
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE: What?
ERIC BOLLING: What are you talking about? It’s rampant.
BECKEL: It’s rampant? Where?
BOLLING: Rape on campus?
DANA PERINO: In particular, date rape on campus.
BOLLING: Wow.
BECKEL: Date rape, yes, that’s one thing. Are you going to take a gun out and shoot your date?
GROG GUTFELD: Yes, maybe you should.
GUILFOYLE: If your date is a rapist, you shoot them.
BOLLING: Can we move on? Let’s move on this.
You can see the video of this, if you must, here.
On the upside, the most important thing to note about this is the fact that most of the panel knows that campus rape is a widespread problem.
So who’s this Beckel guy? One of Fox News‘ “liberals” (Extra!, 3/12).
Beckel issued an apology of a sort the next day:
I want to say one thing, yesterday, a number of people responded to what I said about date rape as if I didn’t think it was a serious issue. Of course, I think it’s a serious issue. It’s a horrible, horrendous issue.
And to simply put this: Rape is rape–whether it’s date rape or somebody coming in off the campus trying to rape somebody else, I very strongly feel that way. So, I just want to straighten the record out on that. I was simply trying to make–there is not a distinction to make. But date rape is rape. By any other definition, rape is rape.
Of course, people probably “responded to what I said about date rape as if I didn’t think it was a serious issue” because of the words he said on television that gave that impression.
But the other thing to know about the “liberal” Beckel is that he says these kinds of things all the time. He once told viewers that after he went swimming, his eyes looked “Oriental.” He’s made passing references to “Chinamen” and “rednecks.” He thought that a speech by Indian-American Republican Bobby Jindal “reminded me of a call center ad in Mumbai.” These are just the ones I could find after spending 10 minutes searching around; presumably there are more.
It’s not always run of the mill bigotry, though. On Fox he said this about WikiLeaks‘ Julian Assange (12/7/10):
A dead man can’t leak stuff…. This guy’s a traitor, he’s treasonous, and he has broken every law of the United States. And I’m not for the death penalty, so…there’s only one way to do it: illegally shoot the son of a bitch.
In most places, a record like this would probably lead your employer to tell you to take your act elsewhere. But if you’re running a right-wing propaganda network, Bob Beckel’s a pretty valuable “leftist” to keep around.
Doug Latimer
Is there a directive at FOX that every discussion include at least one reference to using a gun?
gul
What a moron. That old saying “It’s the company you keep” I think applies here.
Blake
How is Assange treasonous? He’s not an American citizen! Even if he were, the information he posted isn’t treasonous.
However, I have no problem with describing eyes as ‘Oriental.’ News flash: people of different races LOOK DIFFERENT. Each race has a certain typical look. Using those typical looks in descriptions isn’t racist.
itry2brational
“These are just the ones I could find after spending 10 minutes searching around…”
How much time did you spend on the campus rape epidemic statistics? I haven’t seen a single one.
Bob Walton
Fox needs a smarter “leftist.” There’s a difference between espionage and treason. Australia isn’t terribly upset about Assange’s Wikileaks.
Padremellyrn
How could Fux Snooze even pretend to have a ‘Liberal’ anywhere; Anyone with a Liberal Attitude wouldn’t be allowed in the building to take crap in the bathroom, let alone get near a camera. For Petes sake, Becks head would explode if he found out there was “liberal” around.
FreeSpirit
Telling your audience to shoot your rapist is inciting not protected by the first amendment. Beckel should be fired then charged with inciting violence on public airways. It takes a person with a predatory personality to spread lies and hatred on Fox. To expect such person to speak up against rape is to expect Donald Trump to renounced wealth and become a nun.
Sheila Dean
Attempted rape is a very serious crime. Self-defense using a deadlly weapon to foil a violent crime is a good thing. Guilfoyle said what pro-gun free speech proponents say; which is I can defend myself. They don’t wait for the State to save them in the moment or permission to defend themselves from someone ready to commit an act of violence against a woman. Women on Fox news speak a language conservatives may understand better. It just doesn’t translate well over to progressive democratic filters. Everything with a gun attached sounds like heresy to you guys right now. Don’t just give away all your rights. There are women ready to contest their right to bear their arms and tote a gun.
Padremellyrn
@Sheila – Perhaps instead of threatening everyone that you don’t like with a gun, you should go back to school and learn how to read. The article was about Beckel not taking Date Rape (and other topics) seriously; not about stopping it. The man didn’t even believe it existed and your defending him.
“Women on Fox news speak a language conservatives may understand better. – Sheila”
And what language is that; Babbling moron? Like Beckel above.
TeeJae
However poorly worded was his argument, he had a good point about guns and date rape. Statistics show most rapes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. So, how many girls are going to pull a gun on their date? On a friend? On a dorm neighbor? On a classmate? In other words, the idea of college girls conceal carrying in the very slim chance they will be attacked by a stranger is ridiculous.
That is the point Beckel was trying to make. And it’s a good one.
TimN
No, it’s not. I’m not sure how you teased out that stuff. Beckel’s an idiot; the Assange remarks prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. He sounds like a Democratic Party partisan hack; they’re legion these days. I’m sure he’s absolutely down with drones and other wonderful things an awful lot of those folks see no problem with now that their man is quarterback
TeeJae
Tim- I agree with you about his views of Assange, and some of his other idiotic statements. However, just because he may have a bad “track record” on other issues, does not make him wrong about this one. Allowing college girls to conceal carry to prevent rape (as if there are NO other alternatives) is both dangerous and ridiculous.
No Difference
Isn’t it nice to know that if you are ever personally assaulted you have the 2nd Amendment right to call out an entire, well organized militia to protect you? The Canadians might be planning an attack on us right now, you just don’t know.
Handguns aren’t just for militia anymore.
No Difference
well-disciplined (sorry)