Bill O’Reilly needs to spend more time in Harlem. That way, he’d likely discover that Ziggy Marley – eldest son of Bob Marley – is an actual person who exists. And he’s an international music star.Judging by his TV show last night, Mr. O’Reilly does not know this.
Here’s what happened: Bill is still bent outta shape about the worthless controversy ginned up by MediaMatters.org, the self-deputized language police of America’s airwaves... the leftist hall monitors from hell.
You know, the whole business about O’Reilly sharing a soul-food meal with Al Sharpton in Harlem, and O’Rcilly’s awkward, condescending radio remarks about how Sylvia’s is just like any other restaurant in New York City... remarks which inexplicably became national news... Yeah, Media Matters started that fire.
As if anyone should give a shit what Bill O’Reilly says during every minute of his radio show. Black people have got bigger problems than Bill’s expectations of how folks might dress for an Anita Baker concert.
Okay, so last night on Fox News, O’Reilly does a segment on “the Smearing of America... Can we legally fight back?” There are two “legal analysts” – Megyn Kelly and Lis Wiehl – and Bill susses them out on libel law.
To Bill’s dismay, Ms. Kelly and Ms. Wiehl agree that he, Bill O’Reilly, being a public figure, would have to prove “actual malice” – a huge burden of proof – in order to win a libel suit. In effect, people can say or write pretty much anything they want to about O’Reilly... because he’s famous.
So O’Reilly started to ask: “Say my name is Ziggy Marley and I’m not famous...”
O’Reilly clearly thought he was pulling nonsense syllables out of the air. But Megyn Kelly got a puzzled look on her face and said, “He is famous, isn’t he?”
The conversation proceeded on its merry way, while I giggled and shook my head. After a week of getting pounded over an insensitive racial remark, for Bill O’Reilly to display his ignorance about black pop culture just seemed so... poetic. Out of all the names he could’ve thrown out there to make a point – “Joe Blow” being the safest choice – O’Reilly had to say “Ziggy Marley.”
Now, if I were to do a Media-Matters-style spin job with this little nugget, I might write something like this:
“O’Reilly Pisses On Grave of Bob Marley. Acts As If ‘Ziggy Marley’ Is a Made-Up Name.”
This is what Media Matters does, as a matter of ideology and tactics. Media Matters apparently monitors every word uttered in public by O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc., hoping they’ll say something that can be spun into a career-damaging shitstorm.
I hope O’Reilly will be cool enough to acknowledge tonight – after no doubt receiving some emails – that Ziggy Marley is a real guy. (But I don’t expect it.) He just better not say that he has never heard of Ziggy Marley.
Because here was Bill O’Reilly’s “Most Ridiculous Item of the Day” for July 11, 2002:
“... Janet Reno is holding a dance party at the Level Nightclub on Miami Beach, to raise money for her gubernatorial run against Jeb Bush. Expected to attend are Damon and Marlon Wayans and Ziggy Marley. Wow. No word on whether Ms. Reno will do the lambada, the forbidden dance of love. ...”
16 comments:
Hmmmm.
Moon Unit Zappa should make Bill's head explode.
ROFL.
Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, and O'Reilly compete on the "playing field of ideas?"
This is news to me!
Hmmmm.
@ dougfp
I'd have to agree with you. None of them really express new concepts or pioneer advancements in political thought. They pretty much rely on others to produce events that they can then followup and cash in on.
I suppose this is a good example of the difference between opinion and thought.
ubm: for me the issue is not so much the comments but the fact that these types (rush, hannity included) never seem to have any accountability for the fires THEY start yet everybody else should ignore their inflammatory faux pas. i think it's hypocrisy. and if you don't like or agree with them then you're just a liberal (insert your favorite insult). it's silly. and it bothers me that there are people who believe everything they say. and those people prolly don't know ziggy marley either.
lol yeah hannity, rush, and o'reilly always tell the truth and actual maintain no spin zones.
UBM = clown, or at least he's heading that way.
Sorry I missed the show but I'm curious what O'Reilly was suggesting before his learned guests brought reality to the table. Lawsuits galore for slander? That's walking the line when you spend your time talking shit on coast to coast cable everyday...
For some reason this brought back memories of England's McLibel suit wherein McDonald's, taking advantage of British law placing the burden of proof on the alleged libelous party. So two hippies passing out pamphlets decrying such commonly known McDonald's practices ,such as razing rainforest for cattle tracts and serving unhealthy food, had to prove through expert witnesses and documents that their claims were true. Two hippies vs. an international conglomerate... Let freedom ring!
Nameless asshole wrote: UBM = clown, or at least he's heading that way.
Then I suggest you go read bloggers you already agree with.
And those who can't stand Hannity or Limbaugh (I can hardly bear them) should also go elsewhere for information.
But Media Matters doesn't attack them because they "misinform"... it attacks them because they're conservative, and Media Matters is playing an ideological game of Destroy the Enemy (By Any Means Necessary).
The right-wingers are free to say whatever they want. And the left-wingers who want to see them silenced are the same types who would probably march on behalf of Ward Churchill's "freedom of speech."
A clown now, am I? I guess Mr. Anonymous can't compete on the playing field of ideas either.
Blaark wrote: Sorry I missed the show but I'm curious what O'Reilly was suggesting before his learned guests brought reality to the table. Lawsuits galore for slander?
Oh yes... he thinks he can prove "actual malice" in court on the part of Media Matters. He'd be an idiot to take on the legal expenses of trying.
Perversely, Media Matters winds up playing into O'Reilly's hands... because when Media Matters gins up a half-assed controversy, O'Reilly can play the martyr for his "base."
"If the left wants to destroy me this badly... I must be doing something right." Et cetera.
Hmmmm.
@ UBM
"If the left wants to destroy me this badly... I must be doing something right." Et cetera.
He applies the same thinking to criticism from the right.
Funny thing about Bill. He seems to think that if he gets criticized by both the left and the right that he's somehow perfectly in the middle and that he's also correct.
Bill should have just said, "I had a brain fart" and let it go. But no, he's got to keep hammering on it.
Truth is, the 'playing field of ideas" is abandoned and covered with weeds. Slander & Pander Stadium however, has a full slate of games.
“O’Reilly Pisses On Grave of Bob Marley. Acts As If ‘Ziggy Marley’ Is a Made-Up Name.”
Sounds like something straight out of The Onion, if you ask me. I just recently started reading. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Southern. Welcome to my spot.
Wait...how is showing that their ideas are batshit crazy not beating them on the playing field of ideas? The best part is they don't argue, they just post the transcript/video and mention in what context the comment was made.
Their ideas basically beat themselves when those spouting them get furious at being accurately quoted. What's wrong with that?
dnA: I retract and redact what I said about Limbaugh and Coulter and "the playing field of ideas."
I bought the audio version of Ann Coulter's latest book... planning to do some scandalous remixing like I did with Clarence Thomas's. Only to find out that there's nothing I can do to make her sound more ridiculous than she is already.
Limbaugh and Coulter are full-time political partisans. So I guess I won't sweat the counter-partisans.
That's it! Ziggy Marley! I was trying to remember that name he just made up on the spot. That was hilarious. Tonight he made up the name of a foreign doctor: Dr. Zia.
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