Michael Savage just got personal
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I’m considering this a rant and I think I’m entitled to it. Michael Savage, the hate-spewing, bigoted, radio shock jock pig just sunk to new lows on the crap pile of conservative commentators polluting the airways. This time he got personal when he said, “I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” He went on to further say that they don’t have a father to say, “Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, you idiot.” I have been so incensed that it has taken me this long to be able to write.
I am the parent of an autistic child. My son was diagnosed prior to his third birthday. He wasn’t a brat then and he isn’t a brat now. In fact, he is now seven and one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet. Even thought we call him our “miracle boy,” there was nothing miraculous about how he got where he is. It took four long, hard years getting him to where he is now. He has made great progress and we still have a long way to go.
I can remember the days when I’d leave him at school, being held by teachers and aides while he screamed and cried and tried to bang his head on the floor. I can remember picking him up later as he sat in a corner, cut off from his classmates and teachers because that is where he felt comfortable and safe. I remember the days of trying to make eye contact with him.
Today, he is seven years old and going into the second grade. He has many challenges. He academics are not at second grade level, but he is making progress. He can sit and read to me and he likes to write. He is in a multi-level classroom because of peer modeling and continuity of teachers. Today he goes to school willingly, although he is still unable to participate with the group on a consistent basis and still seeks time alone.
I don’t remember when America became so enamored with and tolerant of hate because that is what the likes of Michael Savage, Don Imus, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh spew. They spew it constantly so that it is almost like brainwashing. Michael Savage is heard by 8 million people on 350 radio stations across this nation. Only in America can someone be as revolting as Michael Savage and keep his job. He should be unemployed today, and he should stay unemployed. His show continues on today because it’s all about the money. We’ve truly lost our way as a nation when we can simply let this roll off our backs.
These people are not harmless. These people are harmful. If they have a point, it’s lost in all the garbage that comes out of their mouths. They rarely deal in facts and their lack of moral character makes outright lies a part of their rationale.
As for Mr. Savage’s advice to the autistic to stop acting like a moron or you’ll get nowhere in life, he is living proof that it isn’t true. He’s a moron and a millionaire. He’s a putz and is heard by millions of people every day. And he’s anything but a man.
Comment by ChenZhen on 27 July 2008:
I listen to Rush and Hannity alost daily (during my work commute), and my opinion is that it isn’t really hate per se. I actually find most of it humorous, and an inspiration for some of the posts that wind up on my blog.
Savage, on the other hand, is a bit different. He really is a shock jock. I’m actually kinda surprised that you didn’t link to his site because you’ll see that he’s on a concentrated PR campaign now in an attempt to undo what he said the other day. The most interesting part is the official statement that his network released, which basically said “well, we know what it sounded like, but trust us, he’s a good guy”, followed by attacking Media Matters for having the temerity to point out what he said. They’re using the “taken out of context” line of defense, but I’m not sure that anyone but his mindless groupies are going to fall for that one.
ChenZhens last blog post..Iraq Not To Go To Beijing
Comment by Dirk Clevenger on 27 July 2008:
Michael Savage is wrong 5 percent of the time. He mostly say’s what America thinks but is afraid to say. Don’t knock him. He won’t be going anywhere soon. Search youtube for michael savage. He is spot on 95 percent of the time and the libs are mounting this attack over nothing. Sometimes the truth hurts. Savage for President 08!!!
Comment by ChenZhen on 27 July 2008:
Dirk-
I think a lot of the conservatives consider him an embarrassment.
ChenZhens last blog post..Iraq Not To Go To Beijing
Comment by Bill - Florida on 27 July 2008:
Chen: When you said you “listen to Rush and Hannity alost daily”, was ALOST day, a parapraxism? (Number 5 at http://hypocrisy.com/2008/07/26/thought-provocations-4/)
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 27 July 2008:
Dirk, Michael Savage is right 95% of the time if you are of his mindset. I am not. Therefore, I can’t even find 5% that’s right. Sorry, but I’m one of the libs. He’s a big mouth who does not deal in facts. He admitted he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but said it accomplished his desire to get attention. You know, facts are important. Truth is important, especially if you’re talking to millions of people who see you as an “expert.” He’s not an expert in anything but making up facts to back up his personal opinion and getting his 15 minutes of fame.
If people buy his schlock, then that’s fine. Anyone who wants can feel free to align themselves with his beliefs. I spend a lot of time on YouTube. It’s nothing new to me. I make it a point to listen to the Savages, Coulters and the rest of the shock jocks. I like to know what kind of venom is out there. I, however, will not ever be one of the people who believes any of them are “spot on.”
Know what? Difference of opinion is what makes the world go around. I have no problem with that. I have a problem with twisting the facts. At the end of the day what we essentially have left is our integrity. As a member of humankind, that’s important.
Deb Della Pianas last blog post..Michael Savage just got personal
Comment by Greg Carlson on 27 July 2008:
Deb: You seem to speak as much venom as anyone else on certain topics and about certain people. You talk about twisted facts? You have reported a few of your own as well. Integrity is important and when someone speaks unkindly about other people, which basically what your trying to do is make others agree with you, there is no integrity in that at all.
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 27 July 2008:
Hey Greg, know what? You’re absolutely right. I do speak with venom about many people and issues. It’s probably because I come from a different place than you. I have great disdain for the Bush administration. I find the entirety of his government to be flagrantly lawless. We have people like Harriet Meiers and Karl Rove being subpoenaed and being told by the President of the United States to just ignore it. That’s outrageous. Do you think you and I would be walking around free if we did it? That’s not one of the ‘perks’ of the job — to be able to flagrantly break the law of the land. So, when we come to some of these political places and get into these discussions, I admit to being passionate and opinionated.
As for my integrity, it’s pretty much intact. I spend a lot of time researching what I write. That’s why I’m not posting more than once a week sometime. And it’s not just ‘internet’ research. I write Op-Ed articles for a couple of local papers, so I spend an average of three hours a week at the library doing research. I have files and references for what I do, so I feel pretty good about myself. I do not lie to make my point. I have integrity.
If I’m opinionated and it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize. Politically, I’ve been at this spot pretty much all my life and it’s unlikely to change. I come from a long line of liberals. I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinion. However, if someone does engage me in a conversation that they know is the antithesis of what I am saying, I would think some kind of return discussion would be expected. I think we all have the right to vigorously defend our own positions. That’s what I’m doing. No conversion intended.
Deb Della Pianas last blog post..Michael Savage just got personal
Comment by Richard Cochrane on 27 July 2008:
Michael Savage is so ideologically awkward even if his ideas were the purest and most perfect possible, many would be rejected as unsound. That makes him easy to vilify, and because he tends away from the most cartoonish on the left he is become a cartoon himself.
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Comment by julie hershey on 29 July 2008:
Dear Deb,
I can see you are in need of a little moral support here, as is your very beautiful little boy.
For those who insist on declaring this issue a partisan one, let me point out that both the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its precursor, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, were signed into law during Republican administrations. That’s right. Thirty five years of laws protecting the interest of atypical individuals, and what do we have to show for it? Another act requiring that all publicly educated individuals meet typical expectations, as well as comments from the cheap side-show clowns that effectively announce complete ignorance about disability. Perhaps Savage himself is a casualty of No Child Left Behind.
His comments are important, though, in that, as Dick Clevenger should be embarrassed to admit, Savage is expressing the notions of a surprisingly significant portion of the population. One glance at the message board following almost any online news story will attest to my belief that there are far too many persons in this country who lack the basic ability to analyze or reflect upon the social issues that continuously confront us. Thus, they assign the “plain and simple” explanation to all of them, as Savage has done. The rage they express may stem from frustration at having to keep their mouths shut in better company. Unfortunately for us, the loudest and most obnoxious of these individuals, the shock jocks, find their comments sanctioned by the airwaves instead of digital technology.
It would seem the most sensible thing for us to do would be to ignore the garbage and take solace in the fact that Savage did not father our children. However, like you, I am unable to turn away. It’s not that I enjoy rolling in it, but, while many of the victims of such attacks possess the ability to defend themselves, your son’s age and developmental delays render him vulnerable, and he must be defended by those who can speak for him. Second, I feel it is a terrible violation of ethics on the part of the media to feed this kind of ignorance and bigotry, as such will ultimately lead to misunderstanding and under-representation of disabled individuals by the public and by policy makers. Despite mounting incidents of rage toward minorities, the media has yet to understand that providing fodder for foolishness can have devastating consequences for us all.
You would think that instead of spewing hatred, most of these commentators would bother to “Google” topics they would like to form an opinion on. Instead, they choose to remain disgustingly uninformed, and to prey upon equally ignorant dimwits who willingly relegate themselves to the intellectual underclass.
What they haven’t considered is that all of this mind-numbing, ego-gratifying indulgence will eventually bear a price, if not for Savage, for the rest of them. The weather vane is about to change direction. For you, Deb, and for your little guy, it’s going to be a long row to hoe, but you will keep advocating, fiercely, and gaining support along the way. Then, in 15 -20 years, the “plain and simpletons” will be biting their tongues as they resentfully take direction from the bright young man they once labeled a brat.
Now THAT’S ego-gratifying!
Comment by Deb Della Piana on 29 July 2008:
Thanks, Julie. I needed that. I have people telling me that it’s not hatred Michael Savage and his cohorts are polluting the airwaves with. I have people telling me this guy is “spot on” 95% of the time. If he is “spot on” then this country is in far worse trouble than I ever imagined.
Savage and the rest of the others have the attention of millions of listeners every single day, and for most Americans it is not entertainment or listening objectively to “opinions.” For too many Americans, these people are viewed as “experts.” My daughter, at the age of 11, is more intelligent than many of these people. I constantly have her asking me questions like, “Mom, why do people discriminate against gay people. It just doesn’t make any sense. They’re people too.” I expect she sees it on television, but I worry that she’s the victim of bigotry as well. I just keep telling her that she’s the one on the correct path. This is a big world and there is room for everyone in it. She gets what these high-paid fools do not.
I know I’m one of the very few liberals on this site, but I’m determined to stick it out and change the balance a bit. As I’ve said, I deal in facts when I write. If it takes me longer to post, then so be it. I won’t back down in the face of challenge and I’ve found that bothers many conservatives. I could stick to liberal sites where I write quite a bit, but that’s taking the easy way out.
As for the guy I like to call “A-man” (his name is Aaron), I took on this topic not just for him. In my time, I’ve met many parents whose children were far worse off. I truly believe that Aaron will function just fine in the world one day because my partner and I have been persistent and he has gotten (and continues to get) the services he needs. Michael Savage is nothing more than a loud-mouth, uninformed bigot. Unfortunately, many Americans (and note that I did not say all), are content to absorb such garbage in forming their own opinions rather than investigate issues on their own.
Thanks for the support.