Was his comment offensive?

[dem629]

About a year ago, then-Senator Obama was trying to downplay his dancing ability and said, "I have two left feet."

Should he apologize to people who actually do have two left feet?

Will he make a promise to never use those harmful words again?

[Lex]

1. Do you know of people with kids with 2 left feet?

Is "two left feet" a saying already in use?

The analogy is weak at best.

[dem629]

5. LOL

Talk about missing the mark. ;)

[Lex]

14. So you don't agree the analogy is weak?

nt

[dem629]

17. What, that people could find something to whine about if they tried hard enough?

Nah.

[Lex]

22. Whining about the whiners

is what it is.

[dem629]

25. Laughing at the PC whiners

is what it be.

[Lex]

26. PC is a bullshit term that the right created.

Don't be suckered.

[dem629]

27. LOL

The right and the left both have their speech codes, their own brand of PC.

I think it's best to dismiss all of them.

[Lex]

38. I see. I don't see you "dismissing all of them" but rather

whining about the people who were offended.

[Lost in CT]

48. History lesson PC is a legitimate movement by the left...

A pretty stone headed clay fisted movement mind you but it has been around since the late seventies.

[Lex]

54. No, it's a movement led by the Right to try to intimidate the Left

or make them look silly for being culturally sensitive and for refusing to use hateful speech against racial minorities, homosexuals, women, etc.

Don't be sucker-punched by Frank Luntz and his ilk.

[Lost in CT]

57. For the sake of Kthanid I remember these yahoos in the eighties and they were not Republicans...

They are still among us today.... They are more often found on college campuses (were I met them in the eighties) but can be found in government and large business (as well as charity events)

They are easily identified by their lack of perception their lack of humor and their perpetual outrage on behalf of other people

[Lex]

58. Oh my, not the evil "college campuses" and "charity events."

Do tell!

[Lost in CT]

62. I went to college in the eighties and remember these people...

They were real... and pretty self satisfied little fascists.

[Lex]

64. Particularly at the "lib'rul" campuses, no doubt.

Let's see, who else do I remember having this hostility toward college professors and 'political correctness' at universities? Oh wait, I know it really pisses Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh off.

[Lost in CT]

66. Actually people who like good music bad movies and classic books also had reason

to get real tired of these hysterical vaporiffic offended at every point facists...

No I don't think Sgt Peppers Band promotes violence against woman.

I like the movie Cannibal Holocaust. It is escapist fun not a documentary.

Yes Lovecraft is racist. It was 1930 pretty much every one was back then. It doesn't mean his books are bad or shouldn't be read.

No our free cover if you show us your tits only applies to woman (they may have had a slight point on this last one but I stand my ground)

Who knew some day the would ban ladies night in real bars.

[seabeyond]

13. reference, to clumsy. special olympic, reference to not professional

or whatever....

it is a good analogy i think

[Lex]

18. Because if Obama had said "two left feet" everyone would be up in arms?

No. No they wouldn't.

[seabeyond]

24. i think it is stupid being up in arms over special olympics. n/t

[tekisui]

2. This post misses the mark completely, nominated for worst post

on the topic.

[dem629]

7. Nah.

The "mark" is the overreaction to his harmless joke.

Get over it.

[tekisui]

11. I was never offended, nor did I think it was a big deal,

but it was a dumb thing to say, and his response has been appropriate. Your post is just pointless.

[dem629]

16. What was achieved by a forced/suggested apology?

The joke was off-the-cuff, so that's who he is (which is fine, btw) and all these apologies that are forced/urged/suggested don't accomplish anything.

There are people more special olympic jokes going around AF-1 today than there would have been if people hadn't made such a big deal out of nothing.

[laureloak]

3. Of course it wasn't offensive.

He was saying he needed special consideration for his own ability.

[dem629]

10. What do you mean by "special"?

Hmmmm.

[laureloak]

61. By "special" I mean "beyond the normal amount". So what!

[donheld]

4. As I said

he only said it to see if 1000 threads could be started about it on DU

I think about 3 more threads and we'll be there.

[ogneopasno]

6. Did anyone say they were offended? If they were, would it kill us to take two minutes to listen to

their concerns without mocking them as hypersensitive or PC police?

[dem629]

9. Not that I am aware of. (No offense to people who aren't aware.)

But the point (No offense to people who can't point) is that the PC Police should shut down (No offense to anyone who has had their business shut down) language at almost any level (No offense to people without more than one level) based on a claim of "harm."

[ogneopasno]

12. You do realize you're not funny, right?

[dem629]

21. I'm offended!

But I do get paid to be funny, so continue with your humorless, earnest act for public consumption if it makes you feel better. :P

[DrDan]

8. yes it was - to make a joke at the expense of the disabled is completely

out-of-place for anyone.

His apology was appropriate.

[laureloak]

15. Laughing at one's self is great therapy. We should all try it. n/t

[DrDan]

44. Would it be different if he had said "I don't look as queer as I used to"

Do you think we would see a lot of "laughing at ourselves" had he said that?

[laureloak]

59. I think you and others are reading WAAAY too much into things.

We are what we are and if we can't accept ourselves with a smile and a laugh, how can we expect anyone else to accept us?

[murray hill farm]

28. Actually....

in my opinion, special olympics is a cruel farce...at the expense of the disabled.

[seabeyond]

29. i have participated in it and the kids think of it as anything but cruel, or a farce

i saw nothing but grand when i was a helper in it with the kids. something i will appreciate and value always

[murray hill farm]

35. I spent many years participating...

until I could not do it any more. Sure, it is grand for a few (the least impared), but it is torture for the thousands and thousands who fall short due to a more serious physical or mental disability. It is just heartless to pretend that these "special" olympics is anything more than imposing on the most physically and mentally challenged persons (most of them children), a special competition that is really meant to test ones physical and mental competancy in competition. Special olympics is a feel good event for the guilty able bodied...it is not for the feel good of the disabled.

[seabeyond]

42. i did swimming. we were all jsut in it for fun. not the high stakes competitive

you seem to be talking about. competition wasnt even a part, or thought of it. i was in the top tier of competition for a couple decades in swimming. this was a bunch of people in the water, feeling good.

[murray hill farm]

45. I am happy to hear that your experience was good.

I voluntered in Michigan...and there were some good experiences with the few who did win or place that were really touching, but it was so overshadowed by the sadness and frustration...and too often the crying and disappointment of those who just tried and then gave up..and it was so sad to see. I am glad to hear that what I saw was not how it is everywhere.

[seabeyond]

56. we didnt have that, but maybe the difference was we had a couple weeks, the swimmers

came to the pool and us swimmers on the team worked with the kids, teaching them the strokes. so there was lots of bonding and connection prior to the "competition". and it is in quotes cause win/lose wasnt a part of it. lots of hugs and did great and high five for making it to the wall.... that was a winner.

i can see where you are coming from. wouldnt be fun at all your experience. not at all

[murray hill farm]

82. Thanks for sharing with me your experience.

You never know when you will give to a stranger, just what it is that they need to hear. I very much needed to hear your positive experience. Thank you!

[seabeyond]

83. i hear ya.

:hug:

[DrDan]

47. I have never participated, but as an observer I concur

I am the comment was completely innocent - an attempt to make a joke.

His apology was appropriate.

[RaleighNCDUer]

33. I tend to agree.

Having worked with the disabled I know many of them think so, too. (This was many years ago, but I don't think the attitudes have changed.) They see the olympics on TV, and they know that it is a competition of the best of the best, with clear winners. They value and take pride in competition, and are very aware they are in a special category.

[DrDan]

43. do the participants feel that way? Not in myopinion.

[Lost in CT]

49. He didn't make a joke about the disabled he made a joke about their parents. nt

[DrDan]

51. how so - "It's like the Special Olympics or something,"

I assume he is referring to himself as a participant.

In Special Olympics - who is the participant? Certainly not the parents.

[Lost in CT]

65. No watch the tape he was reffering to the way Jay said "you did good Mr. President" nt

[DrDan]

67. I watched it again and see your point - however - the parallels remain

Jay as a parent, perhaps - but Obama as a counterpart to a Special Olympics participant.

[WI_DEM]

19. It was a stupid, off-hand thing to say, but it wasn't hardly the major crime some here are making it

[EmilyAnne]

68. The major crime that has me actually on the verge of true outrage here is how so many DUers are

rushing to belittle any of the people who may have been legitimately hurt by the comment.

OBVIOUSLY, Obama's intentions were not to hurt or belittle the Special Olympics. OBVIOUSLY, Barack Obama cares about people with disabilities and will work very hard for them in so many ways.
OBVIOUSLY, the comment was stupid. Not cruel. Not mean. Not said because Obama is stupid. He just simply made a dumb joke that some poeple were legitimately offended by. Because he has a brain and a heart, he apologized.

But, DU erupts with the most acrobatic attempts to paint the comment as not merely inoffensive, but a great thing to say.
To paraphrase: "It was so refreshing! The people who were offended are ALL a bunch of whiners. PC whiners, akin to fascists, looking for any reason to be offended. Hell, they'd even be offended about two left feet! What a bunch of kooks. Just get over it, Special Olympics lovers! Nah, nah, nah!
Anyway, its not like the participants would care.
I know someone who is disabled and he doesn't care.
I watched the Special Olympics and I don't care.
I participated in the Special Olympics and I don't care.
I'm disabled and I don't care.
Anyway, the Special Olympics exploits the disabled so that is why the comment was so great.
So, if anyone cares, screw you phony whiners!"

This is the sort of stuff I would expect to see on Free Republic if Bush had said the same thing.

I was never mad about what Obama said. I felt bad for him because its an awful feeling to say something stupid and immediately realize that it will hurt some people. I knew he would apologize. All of that was handled well and he will be forgiven and everything is OK.

I am upset about the way so many on DU have reacted, but I am in the minority here.

[Lost in CT]

73. I am belittling... it reminds me of that British nurse that got fired for praying for a patient...

The patient that ratted her out claimed she wasn't offended but was worried that others might be.

I doubt anyone (who saw the tape) was offended... but I am sure that people are acting offended because they think they are supposed to and are worried that other non-existent people could be offended.

[EmilyAnne]

74. You are wrong. This is such bullshit. I can't believe what I am reading on this board. nt

[Lost in CT]

75. I am being sincere here.. honestly what was offensive about mocking the way

adults overpraise children.

[EmilyAnne]

77. Obama was mocking the way adults overpraise children? Holy shit in hell.

Is that what the Special Olympics is? A forum for adults to get together and overpraise their children.
You are really off base here.

The comment touches a very sensitive spot in some people.
People like me.
People who have loved someone who had Downs Syndrome, for example. Someone who was good and sweet and full of nothing but love and kindness and, yes, got cheered by her overindulgent parents and siblings when, lets face it, I guess she really was a crappy athlete when it came down to it.
And it was always fun to hear other kids and even adults trying to mock the stupid way that she talked or take her glasses off her face because they were so hilariously thick that they must be passed around and tried on by everyone.
No harm done.
I mean, she was a "retard" after all, so its not like she even noticed.

Now I just sit around waiting eagerly for any moment that I can relive some of the sadness, some of the pain involved with living with, loving and then saying goodbye to a person like this.
I love to dwell in such a place because it makes me feel so good about myself. So much better than anyone else.
Thanks for calling me out. You really have my number.

[jody]

20. The bad analogy police are coming for you.

[dem629]

23. I'm offended.

[jody]

36. Don't be, my post was in jest!

:pals:

[EmilyAnne]

69. Why are you acting like this? Seriously, you are reminding me of Anne Coulter. Please stop and

think about the sort of people who may be legitimately hurt by Obama's comment.
Do you really want to bash them?

Obama certainly has apologized because it was the right thing to do. He didn't mean to offend, but he did. It was a mistake. Big deal.
Why go out of your way to belittle people who may have been hurt?

[Quantess]

71. Every congressperson and senator needs to study that comic, and take it to heart!

Capitol Hill routinely features bad analogies.

[jody]

81. ROFL at the thought precipitated by your post, "Congress is a bad analogy of government." n/t

[tonysam]

30. Not the Same Thing at All.

Worst of all is the fact Obama mentioned the Special Olympics, which just happens to be a pet cause of the Kennedy family, among Obama's most vocal supporters.

[TexasObserver]

31. Yes, it was offensive. He's apologized, as he should have, and now he'll do penance.

As he should.

[dem629]

32. Wow. Penance!

People need to get the fuck over themselves when it comes to this contrived offense/outrage.

[TexasObserver]

40. Yes. Obviously you haven't heard of his plan to be involved in the Special Olympics.

He offended a large group of people and it was the kind of comment progressives find offensive.

The only person in this conversaton who needs to "get the fuck over themselves" is you.

[Lost in CT]

50. See I don't think the offend group is large and I clearly don't think they are very progressive. nt

[TexasObserver]

78. The opinion that matters is that of the families of Special Olympics kids.

That's why Obama apologized to them.

[tangent90]

41. I did Penance a few times back before she got married.

;-)

[backtoblue]

34. I have two right feet and

I am able to make only right-footed turns, saving me thousands of dollars in gas!!!! ( Hope I haven't offended anyone with two right feet) :hi:

[acmavm]

37. No.

[tangent90]

39. People who claim to be greivously offended by petty crap like this generally mean

it's somebody ELSE who is (or needs to be) offended but they aren't able to deal with it themselves and so must be protected and defended whether they need or want it. It's a corollary of the "what will we tell the children" mindset.

[LostinVA]

53. Except it wasn't petty, as the President realized

[EmilyAnne]

70. I am sorry, but you are wrong about this. Please, try to think about the kind of people who may

be legitimately hurt by this comment.
Obviously, Obama is a very good man with a big heart and a whole lot of compassion. He did not mean to hurt anyone's feelings.
But, accidentally he did and he apologized.
Why do you want to belittle the feelings of the people who may have been hurt by this?
I am stunned.

[Autumn]

46. No. not at all

they are fucking jokes.

[ColbertWatcher]

52. It was insensitive.

I was embarrassed for him.

[The_Righteous]

55. Sorry your comparison doesn't work

fact number of people with 2 left feet - 0
fact number of people who compete in special olympics - 2.8 million (expected 2009)

sorry but President Obama really let us all down this time

he can't get away with this insult by sheding some crocidile tears, he needs to really extend an olive branch to the special needs community

[Lex]

60. I believe that he will do just that.

nt

[EmilyAnne]

63. Why are DUers going to such great links to showcase their insensitivity? Jeez.

We're talking about the Special Olympics. Come on. Of course it legitimately offended some people.
Obama owned up to the mistake and apologized. Its the right thing to do when you screw up and accidentally hurt someone's feelings.

Why does that bother so many to think that Obama mispoke, some people were hurt and realizing his error, Obama apologized?
Its really not a big deal.

[krabigirl]

72. No.

[prayin4rain]

76. Yeah, and I'm sure you would feel the same if W had said it. n/t

[county worker]

79. Let's see, economy in crisis, unemployment at an all time high,

people turned out onto the street, wars with no end in sight, but most importantly, Obama offended someone last night!

[EmilyAnne]

80. Not the most important thing by a stretch, but still a great way for a while bunch of DUers to be

assholes.