Bring Back Charles Limekiller

Here's Culture Club drummer Jon Moss, quoted by the AP today:

"Think of the diversity in our band -- a Jew, a black person, an English person from Essex, and a Catholic homosexual. That was Culture Club."

Here's former Secretary of the Interior James Watt, describing his staff at the height of Culture Club's popularity:

"I have a black, a woman, two Jews, and a cripple. And we have talent."

Watt was forced from office. Culture Club won a Grammy. I think I speak for the whole blogosphere when I scream, Media bias!

Comments

[mk]

War is stupid
And people are stupid
And love means nothing
In some strange quarters

Wow. Those guys were so, like, political

[creech]

Just asking, but why are Republicans always hounded from office for non-pc behavior but those who profess to be pc are given a pass when they screw up? No I'm not defending Republicans just asking why what's good for goose isn't good for gander.

[diakron]

A hearty Ack!! Thhppt!! for that Bloom County reference.

Who put Election Day so close to Halloween?

[brian423]

creech,
It's because everyone's a little bit racist.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Have you seen Boy George lately. Good Gawd, you thought he was wierd looking before?

[Jeff P.]

Cue the band Indominable Spirit from Mr. Show.

[Johnny P]

A black, a woman, two DIPS, and a cripple was Limekiller's cri-de-coeur....

[joe]

creech,

There are five items on Watts' list: a black; a woman; two Jews; a cripple; and talent. First of all - a "cripple?" Who the hell says "cripple?" Second, notice how "talent" gets appended onto the end, as if it's one more theing they've got, in addition to blacks, women, Jews, and "cripples."

Put the victim card away. That's a very different statement than Moss's.

[Legate Damar]

Couple of things:
1. I say "cripple." Got it from my mom, whose dad was a mess (physically and mentally) from fighting in WWII. They didn't get along. It was the only word meaning "handicapped" that I ever heard while growing up. It was only within the last 2-3 years I found out that it's not "acceptable" anymore. So if James Watt is 2 years behind me, I'm okay with that.
2. I first read his quote to mean "I've got a bunch of people that belong to groups that people don't like and that's okay because we're better than a bunch of white males." I guess it depends on the tone/manner in which he added "And we've got talent."

[Legate Damar]

Actually, looking at the quote, he says "have" meaning he said it in the 80s. That was a completely conventional word at that time. Like when Dire Straits sang about "that little faggot with the earring and the makeup." It was okay then to say that. Really.

[Paul]

"I have a black, a woman, two Jews, and a cripple. And we have talent."

Sounds like my living room on a Friday night, but without the talent.

[joe]

Notice how Moss didn't say they had talent.

Points for honesty.

[ed]

If only he had had a dwarf...

[Mike Laursen]

but those who profess to be pc are given a pass when they screw up?

My totally off the cuff psychological analysis: Because when people align their identity with some group, they resist seeing possible flaws in that group. It's scary as hell for your average person to be cut loose from his or her sense of identity and tribal belonging.

[joe]

creech, Mike, if you think "PC types" don't accuse each other of transgressions, you've never seen a feminist and an Edward Said reader go at it.

[Mike Laursen]

I'd never heard of Edward Said until you mentioned him. What did Said say that pissed feminists off?

[Mike Laursen]

Wait, wait. It would have been even better if I had said "what is it Said said ..." I would have had time to think of it if only the server squirrels were still around.

[John]

Joe,

I think that depends on the feminist. It would have to be an old school feminist to go after Said. The new school ones embrace multiculturalism to such a degree that they can defend anything as long as it is done by a brown person. In the end, the Said lovers won out.

[Inkstained Wretch]

What's interesting about the two quotes is that they show how thin the line is between being p.c. and being "insensitive." It's sort of like how "colored people" is un-p.c. but "people of color" is p.c.

Langugage is a funny thing ...

[Inkstained Wretch]

Of course, it would be nice if I could spell "language" right the first time. It's also a thin line between clever and stupid, I guess ...

[Lazlo]

Commonsewer, I'll take that weird-looking Boy George and give you Pete Burns from Dead or Alive*. GIS him only if you want your eyes to start burning.

(*Who was much prettier than George was, back in the day. So he's fallen farther as well.)

[A Drunken Kwisatz Haderach]

Fear is the little gin and tonic death. Fear is the Limekiller.