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January 01, 2010
Death to "mouth peace"!
So many people on the left are wishing Rush Limbaugh dead that the death-wish "movement" has caught the attention of legacy media. Rochelle Riley (no Limbaugh fan) has a column titled "Stop wishing Rush Limbaugh Dead," and quite predictably, the Limbaugh death-wishers are showing up in the comments. One champions his First Amendment right to wish the man dead: I'm gonna pretty much keep wishing him a slow, painful death. Stop telling me how to feel about this a-hole. Free speech, right?Yes, and it's free speech to scream "DEATH TO THE JEWS!" I suppose. Another commenter compares the hatred liberals have for Limbaugh to the hatred conservatives have for Olbermann: As much as liberals hate Rush, conservatives hate Olbermann wayyy more.Not only do I disagree with Olbermann, I think he's a thoroughly dishonest demagogue. But if he had a heart attack I would not wish for his death. Wishing for such a thing would mean putting him on a pedestal with evildoers like Osama bin Laden, Ayatollah Khamenei, Fidel Castro, Alois Brunner, etc. People who publicly voice opinions I don't like -- no matter how dishonest or despicable I might consider them to be, simply do not rise to anywhere near the same level as people who actually commit evil deeds. And even if Olbermann called for shooting conservatives (which he has not), even that would not rank him with an actual shooter. Moreover, wishing people dead because of their opinions is an admission that their opinions have vast power beyond your ability to cope. Such an inability to tolerate free speech is inconsistent with the spirit of the First Amendment, as it comes close (IMO) to being a tacit admission that certain opinions should be prohibited. I may be old-fashioned, but I still believe in that Voltaire-credited saying, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." And wishing someone dead because of what he says is hardly consistent with defending his right to say it. The only thing more idiotic than wishing someone dead, is to do so publicly. But there's an echo chamber of Limbaugh death wishers, reveling in their idiocy and egging each other on. Naturally, Rochelle Riley's article drew them as honey draws flies. I culled a few examples: I wish Rush Limpballz dead. And every other republican also. This Country was never meant to be fascist which is what the neo-cons are trying to bring to America. Rush Limpballs sure doesn't speak for me or any middle-class for that matter.Where it comes to "me's," I guess any "middle-class" will do. Here's someone who is against feeble-minded authority: I wish a horrible, painful death on the worthless excuse of a man because he is a horrible human being who has the ability to fuel the hatred of other feeble minded people. And as the saying goes(sort of)...fear those feeble minded people in positions of authority!I didn't know that talking on the radio meant being in a position of authority, and that worries me, because the same thing could be said about writing a blog. I do not want to be placed in a position of authority against my will on the say-so of total strangers. Another commenter is angry at Limbaugh (and now Riley) because a co-worker joined a Nazi group: Riley says the freedom of speech must be upheld. Rush must be allowed to ferment hate and seeing this first hand I say death to a monster is fair also. I just hope someday to hear of this justice by the higher powers. My co-worker listens to this fervor causing former drug adddict daily and last week he joined a Nazi group. Whats Ms riley got to say about this?Hey, I didn't know that hate could be fermented, but maybe I can brew all these comments and try to get myself pickled with the lefty spirits. And why not? After all, it is New Years Day. What better way to party with the death wishers? The party is planned, bringing chips and dip. Just let me know when he dies. We will consider that passing as civic improvement. He is nothing but a rude, nasty person and a drug addict on top of it.So there! This one sarcastically urges Limbaugh's fans to stifle their gay tears, and threatens to take drugs: SNIFFLE, SNIFFLE!! Leave poor Rush alone! It doesn't matter that we conservatives jumped for joy at the word of Ted Kennedy's death and berated him mercilessly in the days and weeks after. And it doesn't matter that most of us don't respect anyone who has a view that differs even slightly from ours. Rush is different. He's one of us -- a REAL American... unlike anyone who's ever voted for a Democrat or belonged to a labor union. So, picking on him is way out of bounds you un-American commie terrorist lovers. If crying weren't something so gay, us real Americans would be sobbing in the street. Instead, I urge my fellow tea baggers to pray for Rush tonight while you're cleaning your assault rifles. For me, I'll take an extra dose of Oxycontin in his honor!Whoa, isn't that a borderline suicide threat? This one doesn't exactly wish him dead, but the spelling is precious: My own butt hole view is that there's nothing like being a "mouth peace" for love. Especially when you don't think your crap stinks: If he lives, then he'll continue to makes conservatives look insane and stupid.Well, my crap stinks as much as anyone else's, and I don't pretend otherwise, but there is a difference between the failure to mourn a titan of the left and wishing someone dead because you don't like his opinions. Anyway, there are a lot more, but there's only so much hate I feel like regurgitating today. (After all, it is New Years Day, and I really should be trying to be more of a love peace than a hate peace.) To end on a more pleasant note, the bright side is that the wish-you-were-dead brigades seem to have driven at least one commenter to libertarianism: As much as I'm bored by Rush Limbaugh, I have to say that I'm equally disgusted with wish-you-were-dead comments. There are a lot of talking heads out there who annoy us. Hey, when are liberals going to tell Perez Hilton to put a cork in it? Liberals and conservatives ruin my day everyday. That's why I'm a Libertarian now.I've had plenty of days ruined by liberals, and occasionally (although not nearly as often) by conservatives. I'm almost tempted to resolve not to let anyone ruin my day, except they don't. Other people can ruin my day only when I let it happen. So maybe I should resolve to stop ruining my day. Might be too much of a mouthful, though. There are too many mouth peaces in the war. UPDATE: My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the link, and a warm welcome to all. Comments welcome, agree or disagree. The news that Limbaugh's tests revealed that nothing was wrong must come as quite a disappointment to the death wishers. Hmmm... Might their teleological thinking have backfired? posted by Eric on 01.01.10 at 12:11 PM
Comments
It appears that some people are easily led, wishing ill on another person because of vocalized opinions is admitting that we are not mentally strong and allow others to control over our personal life. (No side is always right) Hugh · January 1, 2010 02:25 PM Aside from the 8 year old's argument of "They do it too!", not crying about someone dying is a far cry from joyfully wishing someone dead, it's actually messed up that someone actually thought that was a good argument. You pretty much have to let people ruin your day. It's just how much you let them ruin it. If you let it get to you too much, the idjits have won. One thing that helps is to expect people to be absolute scum, that way, you're surprised a lot less. Veeshir · January 1, 2010 04:57 PM One other thing, am I the only one who thinks it funny that that guy used the 1st Amendment as a defense for wishing death on someone for what they say? That just seems kinda ironic to me. Veeshir · January 1, 2010 05:01 PM "It doesn't matter that we conservatives jumped for joy at the word of Ted Kennedy's death and berated him mercilessly in the days and weeks after." Yeah, "jumped for joy" is hyperbole, but considering that Kennedy killed a woman he was boffing while his wife was pregnant, colluded with the Soviet Union to undermine the United States, and actively worked to create legislation that would prohibit any of us little people from receiving the health care he received himself...every word of "merciless beration" directed at Kennedy was well-deserved, in life as well as after. Rush has had some issues with women, but he never tried to gang-rape a waitress with Chris Dodd (or committed treason as defined by the Constitution), so I just don't grok the comparison. HeatherRadish · January 1, 2010 08:16 PM I only feel pity and compassion for these people who wish anyone ill. They don't understand how that kind of hate and rage harms others and themselves. Concerned Citizen · January 1, 2010 08:54 PM Did Voltaire ever actually defend anyone "to the death" or even at any risk to his own comfort? Or was he just making a proto-Leftist snarky wisecrack? Micha Elyi · January 1, 2010 09:46 PM If economic equality is the only value, then there's nothing wrong with wishing death on those who don't fetishize it or, indeed, with killing them outright to the extent that they are in the way of its realization. Jim Ryan · January 1, 2010 11:14 PM As others have pointed out elsewhere online, the folks who are wishing death upon Limbaugh are the same folk that want to have control over your health care. Think about it. Alexander · January 2, 2010 01:12 AM It is actually pretty frightening to see how completely oblivious some people are to their own blinding irony. I go to a lot a "righty" blogs (as well as "lefty" blogs), and anyone who believes for an instant that the "right" is more hateful than the "left" simply isn't paying attention. My own rough estimate is that the lefty blogs are about four times as likely to be filled with vicious hate-filled comments than the righty blogs, and the profanity and illiteracy is more like 20 times as prevalent. It's easy to let yourself spew venom when you've convinced yourself that you are morally superior to your targets. I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better. It's gonna be an ugly decade I think. CosmicConservative · January 2, 2010 01:19 AM I may be old-fashioned, but I still believe in that Voltaire-credited saying, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." And wishing someone dead because of what he says is hardly consistent with defending his right to say it.So...are you defending to the death their right to wish Rush dies? Bill Quick · January 2, 2010 01:45 AM EVERYTHING about the left is projection. EVERYTHING. Once you realize this, their actions make total sense. Toads · January 2, 2010 01:56 AM Wishing someone dead doesn't seem very liberal to me at all. It also doesn't look favorable to your argument when you insult the opposition in consistently, boring, "feeble minded" ways. No true Liberal would say anything like that and I'm not so sure there are any true Liberals left. Certainly not on the far left. Crevek · January 2, 2010 03:10 AM Rush rocks! Nick Reynolds · January 2, 2010 03:50 AM "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death my right to say I wish you were dead." BTW, you ought to fix the tab order in the comment section anyway, it is very disconcerting, or at least as disconcerting as a tab order problem can get :) moptop · January 2, 2010 06:33 AM They say you can't legislate morality, but here is a perfect counterexample. The legality of saying something doesn't say much about its morality. Yet here they are saying someone should die sooner rather than later, and justifying themselves with "Free Speech, right?" -- as if the legality of it were the question. Or perhaps this example is merely the rule in disguise. Loren Heal · January 2, 2010 07:42 AM If Rush himself would not defend to the death the right to wish him dead I wouldn't listen to him again. But I am certain he would. Live free or die. dr kill · January 2, 2010 08:34 AM Yeah, there's a certain irony in saying You shut up, I'm exercising my first amendment rights! john b · January 2, 2010 09:05 AM The left wishing the death of Rush is entirely consistent with the history of their mentality. There is always a death wish at hand and when they have the upper-hand they act on that wish. Think of the death-talley for Stalin, Mao, Kim Il, Pol Pot, Castro... willis · January 2, 2010 10:06 AM A happy "ha ha", to liberals opressives and socialists. Limbaugh is the god of "hate speach" He speaks and Hahahahahahahahaha Ha ha liberal bedwetters · January 2, 2010 11:11 AM The oh-so-civilized Harlan Ellison, self-proclaimed defender of freedom, free speech, etc, also wished death on all Republicans. (Seen on a You Tube video, I think.) pst314 · January 2, 2010 11:27 AM Nice job, Eric. Bleepless · January 2, 2010 02:30 PM As much as liberals hate Rush, conservatives hate Olbermann wayyy more. Sorry but most conservatives barely know that Olberman's alive. bandit · January 2, 2010 05:28 PM There's something intensely brain-hurty about expressing hateful desires about someone because you think he's hateful. What has Limbaugh said in his most uncharitable moment that comes close to wishing someone a slow, painful death? S. Weasel · January 2, 2010 07:03 PM It strikes me that, when a person wishes someone dead, what he's really wishing is that he had the guts to go try to actually kill the person and the smarts to elude justice afterwards. But it's hard to beat God's take on this, from Matthew 5: 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I suppose folks wishing Limbaugh dead are nothing if not in possession of what they suppose to be a great cause. Or vice versa. Vader · January 3, 2010 01:44 AM What's really funny about Rush Limbaugh is he took the MSM left-liberal bias (mostly a self-selection problem) and used it to make himself a billionaire. Shine on, you crazy star. TallDave · January 3, 2010 12:36 PM I have linked this and added a small new wrinkle. Lynne · January 4, 2010 10:14 AM Post a comment
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"It doesn't matter that we conservatives jumped for joy at the word of Ted Kennedy's death and berated him mercilessly in the days and weeks after."
Did conservatives jump for joy when Kennedy died? I was watching pretty closely for something like that, because I was afraid it would create more sympathy for Kennedy's health-care positions, and I don't remember seeing it, at least not in mainstream commentary. That conservatives didn't "honor" Kennedy's memory by helping to enact all his statist policy proposals does not constitute joy at his death, to my mind, but maybe it's close enough, for some people?