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by CatLover-The Original is Proudly Canadian on March 20th, 2009
What state was Barack Obama a senator for?
by Answerbag Staff on July 19th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
What day did Obama become president?
by Answerbag Staff on July 7th, 2010
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When was Obama elected as a US senator?
by Answerbag Staff on June 14th, 2010
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Are Birthers really that dumb or are Modern American Conservatives just so desperate that they make up anything to smear Obama with?
by 23Skidoo on May 19th, 2012
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Isn't it eerie and Orwellian how Obama's own 16-years-long claims to his Kenyan birth disappeared down a media "memory hole" in 2007?
by More2Be on May 18th, 2012
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You're reading Do you know any handicapped person who was offended by Obama's joke about the Special Olympics? Is it just a bunch of non-handicapped people offended on behalf of the handicapped because they are afraid handicapped people will be hurt by it?
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Comments
Nope = no republicans needed here - he did this all on his own.
by Moonchaser on March 20th, 2009
and just because i use the term "black bastard" I am not necessarily referring to black people? Like it or not, the term "special olympics" has become associated with the "Special Olympics" - or, as we prefer to call them , the "Paraolympics". You are right, the word "special" on its own, is not associated solely with the term olympics, just as the words "queer" is not associated with homosexuality.
by dea_ex_machina on March 20th, 2009
I don't quite agree with you. I do believe he was refering to the Special Olympics. I don't think we should treat it this seriously, though. If I say a 2nd grader could beat me in a math competion or I have the math skills of a 2nd grader, I'm not making fun of them. I'm making fun of myself.
by raindancer on March 21st, 2009
you are right, he was making fun of himself - and it was a self deprecating comment - but one which has the message that those who take part in special olympics are not that good at what they do; that the special olympics are for failures. If he had said that he should compete against 2nd graders, that is a different matter. The truth is that those who complete in the paralympics could probably beat most of us at the events they have worked hard at and trained hard in, and in which they take pride in their performance - in spite of their disability, not because of it.
by dea_ex_machina on March 21st, 2009
I fully agree that they could probably beat most of us. Hell, most of them would probably wipe the floor with me in just about any event, in spite of their disability. There's no reason why they should not take pride in their accomplishments. However, I don't necessarily agree that none of their pride is linked to overcoming disabilities. I've always found that people who have to overcome challenges to succeed usually take greater pride in their accomplishments and value them more. And, of course, they would not be in the Special Olympics if they did not have a disability.
by raindancer on March 21st, 2009
and the Paralympics would not take place if it were not for the determination to prove that these people are fit individuals who just happen to have a disability
by dea_ex_machina on March 21st, 2009
This comment was supposed to post right after my last one, but AB has been a real b*tch for the last couple days and is not working right.
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I did not see him saying that the participants are not good at what they do or that they are failures. I can certainly see how someone who read that into his statement would find it offensive. I don’t see how it would be much different to substitute 2nd graders for Special Olympics. The second graders would have a greater challenge against them than a fully grown not disabled man would just as the handicapped have a greater challenge facing them. The fact that their skills are superior to the President I’s is funny. To say that it would be okay to say 2nd graders implies (imo) that the 2nd graders would be able to take the joke as it was meant and not be offended and disabled people would not. (I’m sure that’s not what you mean, just my perception of the whole situation).
by raindancer on March 21st, 2009
Okay. Nobody's saying the Special Olympics (or Paralympics) are a bad thing. They are a great thing. But, if these individuals are people "who just happen to have a disability", shouldn't we treat them that way, rather than treating them as if they are "untouchables". Every single day, someone makes a joke about (or a joke that references) a group that I qualify as a part of. Quite often, people make jokes directly about me. I would be a complete basketcase if I took each one as a personal attack. I think we should give the disabled enough credit to believe that most of them understood that there was no insult intended and that it was just a joke.
by raindancer on March 21st, 2009
there is a difference between everyone saying it, and a president saying it. He has been elected as the president of his country.
by dea_ex_machina on March 21st, 2009
So, even though I hear comments and jokes about it regularly, if the President were to say, "Oops. It's like I had a blonde moment or something.", I should be offended? Do you feel like it should matter more or somehow cause damage that the comments of "common" people. I do not believe that the President should check his humanness at the door. On the contrary, I like the President to be approachable and real rather than putting on false airs and pretending to be better than everyone else. The fact that he is capable of making such a joke, but is also cognizant of the fact that some may have interpreted it in a hurtful and insulting manner (and is fully willing to promptly apologize for any possible harm caused) is a good thing in my book.
by raindancer on March 22nd, 2009
Would he have apologised if he were not the president? do you think his apology was because he realised what he has said, or because he realised how it would come across?
Did he realise what he has said on the campaign trail when he called a woman "sweetie"?
by dea_ex_machina on March 23rd, 2009
I don't know if he would have apologized if he were not President. Would half this many people care what he said if he were not? Even you said that the reason it makes a difference that he said it rather than everyone else. Whether he apologized for saying it or for any unintentional hurt it caused is something that only he knows for certain. It makes no difference to me. I do not consider the joke "wrong" but I think he forgot his audience (which is to say that with that many people watching, SOMEONE was bound to take exception to it). Admittedly, I do not know the exact circumstances of the situation you are referring to, but what the hell is wrong with calling someone "sweetie"? (male or female)
by raindancer on March 23rd, 2009
if used by a male to a female it can often be seen as patronising - if I were called "sweetie" by a male, especially a male colleague or person in authority, I would be offended - because the implication is that I am not even worth a "Ma'am" or a "Miss" - just a "sweetie". I do not mind being called "sweetie" by someone I am familiar with, or by a lover, but it is out of place for a stranger to call me that.
by dea_ex_machina on March 24th, 2009
Ah, interesting. It sounds like the word or phrase is not really the issue. It's the context, the intent, or the perception of the listener. I don't care to be called "Ma'am" (makes me feel old) and I would find "Miss" very distasteful and somewhat insulting, particularly coming from a male colleague or man in authority. I'm guessing that's because the most common usage of "miss" I've heard or experienced (outside of an honorific) is when someone is talking down to or chastising a child or very young woman. "Sweetie" has more positive connotations to me. Cont.
by raindancer on March 24th, 2009
When it comes to the use of a term that is not typically considered universally offensive (as opposed to words like b*tch or ho), I would think that it would be incumbent on the person who found it offensive to inform the user that they did not care for it. If they continued to use it after that, It would be something worth getting offended over. He seems to have apologized after it was brought to his attention that the woman in question found it offensive.
by raindancer on March 24th, 2009
You know sometimes I just think women shoot themselves in the foot. I am a woman. As a matter of fact I am an educated woman and I would not be offended being called sweetie. I think you need to take into consideration who is saying it and why. If someone is speaking to a woman and they want to put an friendly or even mildly affectionate twist to their comments what would women like to be called? Would these same women have difficulty if they were called "dear". I hate being called miss or ma'm. He wanted to come across as being warm and not putting the woman in question into a generalized realm. What the hell is so wrong with that? Call me sweetie any time and thank you for the attention you are giving me.
by CatLover-The Original is Proudly Canadian on March 24th, 2009
what would be the equivalent "warm" phrase to use to a man?
by dea_ex_machina on March 24th, 2009
How about "sweetie"!
by CatLover-The Original is Proudly Canadian on March 24th, 2009
Or hon, dear, sugar. Those are the ones I've heard waitresses use toward men. They work for women as well.
by raindancer on March 25th, 2009