“Rush the Racist?” is the headline over a commentary written by retired NFL receiver Keenan McCardell on the Washington Post‘s sports blog, the League–and the question many football fans might ask upon hearing the news that Rush Limbaugh is bidding to become co-owner of the St. Louis Rams.
That’s because Limbaugh has a long record of making racist remarks. In a Los Angeles Times op-ed written by FAIR founder Jeff Cohen and myself, we documented many instances of Limbaugh’s racism, including his admission that he once told a black caller to “take that bone out of your nose,” his assertion that “all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson,” and his advice to a group with a 90-year commitment to nonviolence: “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”
Last year Limbaugh referred to Barack Obama as “the little black man-child.” This past January, while discussing Barack Obama with Sean Hannity on Fox, Limbaugh said, “We are being told that we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black, because this is the first black president.”
So the prospect of Limbaugh owning a team in a league where nearly two-thirds of the players are African-American should be natural media buzz generator. As CBSSports.com‘s Mike Freeman wrote under the headline “NFL’s Greatest Nightmare,” “sometimes these column thingies write themselves.” (Unfortunately, Freeman’s column, also posted on the Washington Post‘s League blog, repeated an alleged Limbaugh quote about the merits of slavery that is unverified.)
Perhaps Limbaughâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s most notable remark in the St. Louis context was his 1994 response to learning from a caller to his show that St. Louis would be extending a light rail system into East St. Louis–a community of some 40,000 residents, almost all of whom are black. Said Rush (The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s Reign of Error, New Press, 1995): “They got a light rail system to East St. Louis where nobody goes?”
Reporters might ask East St. Louis residents what they think about the prospect of Rush Limbaugh owning their local football team.
You’d have to wonder how Rush would react if the team wanted to draft or trade for a black QB to start for them, wouldn’t you?
I’m sure he’d be fine with blacks at other positions – as long as they “know their place” – but as the “leader” of the team?
That’s “Whites Only” territory, innit?
What effect does his drug abuse have on whether he can have an ownership interest? It seems the people of St. Louis [ala Green Bay ownership style] might want to get into it.
What I find interesting is that he went after the light-rail: this is possibly one of the best light rail success stories in the country. It reduced rush hour crowding from Illinois into St.Louis and guess where everybody parks? In East St.Loius. It brought money into that community. I was there when it happened.
Crassness rules the day everywhere and is not limited to fatuous comments here. Do you have quotes in context that prove Rush is a racist? Probably not, you call Rush a racist because you don’t like his anti-racist politics. So you slander him and falsely accuse him of racism. Rush is not a racist but an individualist. He doesn’t care about race, but how people use it to further their career and political ambition. Take his McNabb statement. Does the liberal fringe media want a black quarterback to succeed? Yes! Look at how effusive the media was when Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coached in the Super Bowl. Is he discriminating against blacks in his statement? No! Is he saying that McNabb is not a good quarterback because he is black? No! What he said was the media has build McNabb up more than they should because he is black. In essence, he is calling the media out for being racist for promoting McNabb for his race instead of his skills. McNabb is a good NFL quarterback, but he isn’t one of the best quarterbacks based upon his performance.
There’s no real point in responding to someone who thinks that telling a black person to “take that bone out of your nose” isn’t racist, is there?
Still, I thought these stats might be enlightening regarding Trey’s remarks about Donovan McNabb (from Profootballreference.com):
Five straight Pro Bowls
.645 winning percentage
.600 in the postseason
19th highest career passer rating
And, since we all know black QBs are poor decision makers …
2nd lowest career interception rate
That’s a bit better than “good”, innit? And you’ll have to point me to whomever’s supposed to be overhyping that record.
It doesn’t appear to need any, does it?
So if I verbally say that someone is of a different race than I am, then I’m a racist?
Rush disagrees and gets frustrated with ethnics who *use* people’s fear of appearing “racist” as a means of getting ahead politically, socially, etc. when they can’t get by on their own merit! And if you’ve ever lived in the “big city,” there are places you just don’t go regardless of its racial make-up. And he does regret his “bone nose” comment….we all make mistakes, after all. (http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/limbaugh.asp)
Bottom line: we are a melting pot society. We are all ethnic in some way, with our own traditions and culture. Can’t we just openly recognize we are different instead of denying it and dividing ourselves further from one another? How about we move on?
Rush has got all the professional victims worked up. What he said about the black quarterback was the truth. The racism is from all the people who are crying racism. We make comments about whites all the time but when the same sort of comment is directed back at us we cry racism. No wonder people look down on us. We have become bigger hypocrites and bigots then Rush ever could. I don’t like Rush, but by saying he can’t own a team, then you are no better then other people who discriminate. Wake up fools!
So you just couldn’t resist the word “racist”…good for business huh? This soup keeps getting thinner every time you try to serve it up. People are waking up to these tactics. And guess what we are tired of it! Hope you did good research on the quotes.
Tell me, would the same people who object to Limbaugh owning a team also decry a potential owner that regularly uses the N-word in his chosen profession and glorifies the degradation of women as well as promoting “Gangsta” culture. Not to mention he went on trial for knifing someone in the stomach.
Well guess what? He already is part-owner of a team – the New Jersey Nets and his name is Jay-Z!
Re Jay-Z: I’m sure there are, Bill – I’m one of them.
And I don’t know shit about Jay-Z or his Nets ownership, but if you think about it, both he and Rush are pretty much cut from the same cloth as the other bastards who run pro sports, aren’t they? Most owners just aren’t as blatant in their proclaiming of their vile views as these two “gentlemen”.
Now, are you saying that folks should shut up about Rush because of this, or are you saying that we should speak out against both of them?
If the latter, I’m with you – but I have a sneaking suspicion that’s not your intent.
Am I wrong?
Always a ‘rush’ to cry racism. Because ‘WE all know’ Rush is a racist, we’re allowed to interpret any comment involving non-whites as a clear example of racism. Right? Let’s get him! The real issue in Rendell and Cohen’s oped and the post above, is a selective failure to cite sources, while adding fuel to the fire. Snopes, for one, does a credible job of ferreting out those quotes that are verified, and those that are unsubstantiated. They specifically address many of those attributed to Limbaugh, and they find several of the most racist-sounding quotes to be simply unsubstantiated, citing at least one circular reference right back to FAIR’s oped itsself. Maybe he said these things, but shouldn’t a FAIR assessment cite at least one credible source for each? Not saying Rush has never said anything racist. I mean the ‘bone in the nose’ comment ain’t nice, although I haven’t heard it. It was made early in his career as a shock-jock DJ, and he’s publicly expressed regret. But those who ‘know’ he is racist, and who have glommed on to his (perhaps unwise) comments about Donovan M. or Jesse J. should do so critically. For instance, a plain-language reading of Rush’s comments about Mcnabb reveals two things 1) a criticism of alleged (unsubstantiated) media bias and 2) A three-year-old’s comprehension of pro football. The remark wasn’t racist, it was stupid. There’s a difference.
O.K. David–What did Snopes say?
Dennis – sorry, Casey had the link in his post (http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/limbaugh.asp).
Essentially a mix of verified and non-verified attributions. Some of the most heinous are as yet, as I have seen, unverified. Take a look see what you think. The essense of my point was FAIR’s responsibility to provide a credible, verifiable source for each quote. You know, not just engender hate for Rush then pile on a stack of allegations that reinforce each other without critical attribution for each.
-DB
My only concern is, will this make Limbaugh a martyr/hero to his supporters? I haven’t followed the story (other than the headlines, which can’t be missed), as I am not a football or Limbaugh fan, but I hope that there is no backlash claiming discrimination against him for his (admittedly heinous, IMHO) views/speech.
Mr. Bean, you might want to take a look at this:
https://fair.org/index.php?page=3928
As for “expressing regret” – when someone makes a comment like that, he really has little choice but to engage in insincere contriteness once he catches shit for it, doesn’t he? There’s really no way to spin it, is there?
It’s like saying “We oughta send ’em all back to Africa.” I suppose you could claim that it’s simply advocating for folks getting in touch with their roots, but …
Doug – that’s a much better job by FAIR of documenting the quotes. Curious which of those you find definitively racist. Some? All? Notably missing from the 10/16 piece are these,”They are 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?” and “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”
How do you know he was insincere in expressing regret for his bone in the nose comment?
-DB
We can pick nits ’til the cows come home. I don’t think every racist remark was meant to be included in that item.
How do I know he’s insincere? One tipoff would be that he keeps making these comments. Y’know, you don’t have to scream “KILL ALL THE NIGGERS!!!” at the top of your lungs to be a racist.
I grew up in the South in the ’60s. I intimately know the blatant and the subtle ways racism is expressed – not that anything Limbaugh has done in this area could be considered subtle.
But take the “Crips and Bloods” remark. I think the showboating, taunting and other horseshit in pro sports is vomitous. Does it rise to the level of gang warfare? Of course not. So why is it compared to that? Does some allowance have to be made for hyperbole? Ask yourself if Limbaugh would’ve compared some headhunting white LB to a psychopath if he put an opposing player in the hospital.
More than likely he’d be cheering his “take no prisoners attitude”, wouldn’t he?
And while some black (and non-black) players engage in the above, many don’t. They do their jobs, like the aforementioned Mr. McNabb or Larry Fitzgerald or those far less well-known, and don’t seek self-aggrandizement. Sadly, the dicks get the ink and the pixels for their crap – and, of course, that decision is made by almost wholly white editors and producers, isn’t it?
And the leagues don’t seem too upset by this behavior, do they? Like pro wrasslin’, they know this stuff sells – to audiences in a rainbow of colors.
The bottom line is to condemn *individuals* for their acts – not make generalizations based on them which perpetuate racial stereotypes to boost your goddamn ratings because you know your audience eats this shit up.
That’s what the man does – and why he has the bucks to try to be an NFL owner. You can put as many angels – let’s make that devils – on the head of a pin as you wish, but as a “recovering” racist – as any white person who grew up in the milieu I did and tries to mitigate its effects on her or him would have to honestly admit is the case – I do know the face, and voice, of racism.
And it’s pretty fucking ugly, I tell you what.
Yes. Ugly.
why anyone bothers to watch other people play sports is a mystery to me. arguing with rush worshippers is as at least as pointless an endeavor. face it, he could be the grand dragon and his defenders would still rave about his endless virtues. had to laugh out loud at one poster who thinks it’s a good idea to open the door wide for all or hateful people to become team owners since some owners may already fit that description.
Jane — Lots of name-calling and generalizations thorugh this blog. I’m hoping just one person could simply articulate why they think saying ‘No one goes to East St. Louis’ is racist, or why saying “all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson,” is racist, for example. I mean actually articulate it beyond saying something akin to they ‘just know’. And is it fair to wonder why FAIR (in the posting above) continues to include unverified quotes like “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”? Other news outlets have recently retracted quotes falsly attributed to Limbaugh. If Rush is so racist can’t we just stick to verified facts and discuss those? Doesn’t FAIR insist on rigorous verification and attribution of sources from the media they criticize?
So here is a challenge, ANYONE, simply articulate your reasons for interpreting his St. Louis remark, and Jesse Jackson remark as racist, and see if you can do it without vitriole or insulting insinuation surrounding your explanation. Simply some plain language reasons that have nothing to do with preconceived notions of what Rush believes or doesn’t believe. I wonder if anyone can do that critically and ask themselves honestly where the insinuation of race in those remarks comes from — the author, or the reader.
Jane, I assume you’re referring to my comments. I’m not sure how you could gather from them that I think it’s a “good idea” for racists and misogynists to own sports teams. I was just pointing out that some pretty godawful human beings already do, and always have, and always will.
These are, after all, corporations, dedicated to maximizing profit regardless of harm to others. So they build stadia by evicting folks from their homes, and blackmail local gummints into giving them tax breaks and other assorted goodies by threatening to leave town if they don’t get their way.
My point was that it’s a cesspool – the inclusion of Limbaugh or Jay-Z won’t be sullying some pristine club of community-minded multimillionaires (An oxymoron if ever there was, don’t you think?).
But folks should still call ’em what they are, and given the pedestal sports is placed on in this society for no morally logical reason, I think there’s justification for opposing adding more filth to the mix.
I hope that clears things up.
As for Mr. Bean … I understand the game. It will never end, will it? I address one area, and you shift to another. Even if I dealt with every picayune point of yours so far, you’d still find some other way to gainsay, wouldn’t you?
I’ve got better ways to spend my time, believe me. If you can’t – or pretend not to – see why insinuating Jesse Jackson is a criminal or implying that nobody who counts lives in a predominantly black community might be seen as racially biased, nothing I say will make a bit of difference, will it?
I don’t beat my head against the wall as a general rule. It hurts, and it doesn’t lead to anything other than headaches and blurred vision.
I experience enough of that from other sources.
Ok, so Doug can’t articulate it. Anyone else?
East Saint Louis comment:
“… East St. Louis[,] where nobody goes.”
As of the 2000 census, over 31,500 people live in East Saint Louis. Conceivably, all of the people who live in East Saint Louis go there. I don’t know any of statistics with which to corroborate, but I would bet that seeing as East Saint Louis begins where the heart of downtown Saint Louis ends along the river, many of the residents of East Saint Louis would probably be very interested in using transportation to and from Saint Louis for commuting and the like.
Well, then what’s the problem with saying that “nobody goes” to East Saint Louis, other than the fact that it’s almost certainly a factually inaccurate statement? The residents of East Saint Louis are about 98% black. Insinuating that no one lives in (by stating that no one goes to) East Saint Louis overlooks about 31,000 black Americans that live there. At its best, the statement betrays a point of view woefully unaware of anyone dissimilar to Rush himself, but in context (ridiculing/laughing at the plan to extend the MetroLink rail service to East Saint Louis), I would say it clues us in on just how valuable Rush thinks primarily-black cities are.
To clarify: The statement also marginalizes the non-black residents of East Saint Louis, but seeing as building a rail bridge to a town of 500 or less would *actually* be an absurd waste of money, the statement, in my interpretation, is most strongly diminuative of black East Saint Louisans.
Jesse Jackson remark:
Why stating that all composite images of criminals resemble Jesse Jackson is likely racist requires a bit of a looser train of logic to explain, but I don’t think for a moment that I would err to mark this comment as bluntly offensive.
Why would all criminals resemble Jesse Jackson? Maybe I’ve formed an incomplete list, but I’ll try to gather together anything and everything Rush could have been referring to.
All criminals or criminal descriptions look like Jesse Jackson because:
1. All criminals have moustaches.
2. All criminals have gray sideburns.
3. All criminals sort of have flat tops.
4. All criminals are 76.5″ tall.
5. All criminals are male.
6. All criminals are black.
7. All criminal descriptions given to sketch artists have one or more of the above features, informed either by some sort of correlation between crime and any of the above attributes or demographics or by racially skewed perspectives of most Americans.
I don’t know the context of the statement, really, but I doubt number 7 is what Rush was getting at, even though a discussion of why crime is represented disproportionately in different demographics (and why we are so painfully aware of this trend) would certainly be interesting. I’D tune in, at least. Maybe I could even stand to stay.
I think we can safely eliminate numbers 1 through 4. Number 5 is at least relevant to the conventional statistics I’ve heard about most convicted criminals being male. I don’t think that Rush would have plucked JJ from the 3+ billion males teeming about as part of an attempt to joke about most criminals being male, though, and I frankly won’t believe anyone who tries to blow life into such an anemic explanation.
The only motivation I can see in this statement is that Rush sees most or all black people as indistinguishable. Unless there is some physical thing about Mr. Jackson that he coincidentally shares with most criminals, or unless there is some sort of fantastic context (like Rush cracking a joke about a series of composite sketches he saw that ACTUALLY look like Jesse Jackson because of other features than race, which would really be pretty funny (imagine a hardened criminal of 68 years sporting a moustache and flat top)), all I can even strain to hear is that Rush wants to say, abstrusely, that he either sees all criminals as blacks or all blacks as criminals. Either is pretty racist. At the very best, Rush is only saying that he can’t tell black people apart from each other by sight, and he’s going deaf, not blind. The missed connections must be further inside the head than in the eyes.
And for free:
The Donovan McNabb comment:
Donovan McNabb, in 2001 or 2003, was one of the better quarterbacks present in the NFL. Inconsistent, yes, overrated, yes, but undeniably a talented athelete. Besides, Rush wasn’t wrong to say that McNabb had been overhyped; he was wrong in attaching to the American sports media some sort of design or conspiracy to move black quarterbacks up in line, ahead of white ones, for no legitimate reason. The conspiracy was fabricated, and using your spotlight as a celebrity pundit to invent and assign intention for the actions of dozens if not hundreds of others (especially when you know nothing of their actions, much less their actual intention) is a grave mistake he should have avoided.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/peter_king/09/30/mcnabb_limbaugh/
Besides, hype of atheletes is pretty much the only thing I ever witness from the sports media. Look at all the talk about Brett Favre. Is the media trying to coddle Mr. Favre because he’s one of the oldest QBs in the league? Age discrimination! The “media has been very desirous” that an old quarterback do well.
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