It's nice to have a well-spoken President

[YOhio]

It's about time somebody made fun of the handicapped.

Towards the end of his approximately 40-minute appearance, the president talked about how he's gotten better at bowling and has been practicing in the White House bowling alley.

He bowled a 129, the president said.

"That's very good, Mr. President," Leno said sarcastically.

It's "like the Special Olympics or something," the president said.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...ent-ob-15.html

[TripletDaddy]

Quit being retarded. You know what he meant.

[myboynoah]

It is refreshing to see The President unfettered by his teleprompter; kind of a "Real World" Obama. This is how he talks when behind closed doors, with his friends, in front of his children. Is there any doubt that Obama has used the "like the Special Olympics" quip before when describing his or someone else's lack of grace or skill in performing some act of physical or mental dexterity? Apparently those with mental and intellectual disabilities are fair game in the Obama household.

[LA Ute]

Is there any doubt that Obama has used the "like the Special Olympics" quip before when describing his or someone else's lack of grace or skill in performing some act of physical or mental dexterity? Apparently those with mental and intellectual disabilities are fair game in the Obama household.

Hope and change.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Apology issued:

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705292108,00.html

[Hallelujah]

Apology issued:

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705292108,00.html

Caught. Apology issued. Apparently he didn't see anything wrong in the humor but it was his staff that pointed it out?

Kind of like the guns and religion quip?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Caught. Apology issued. Apparently he didn't see anything wrong in the humor but it was his staff that pointed it out?

Kind of like the guns and religion quip?

That tickles me that you would chime in on a thread about someone making a verbal gaffe/offensive statement. Are you really that obtuse?

Never mind. We know the answer.

[RobinFinderson]

I think that Obama, like a lot of us, probably grew up around a lot of inappropriate language. When I was growing up I was inundated with abusive language. It fell into two categories:

Abusive language that I adopted as my own:
Fag
Faggot
Gay
Gay rod
Sir Gaylord of the Homo Rectums
Bitch
Queer
Dike
*Jew
*Jewish (*to describe being 'cheap')
'tard
Retard
'tarded
Pussy
Pussy-whipped
*woman
*girl
*girlie man (*all to describe males unable to act alike 'males')
Fat
Fatty
Lardass
Every kind of fat joke imaginable
White Trash
Indian giving
Yard ape (I didn't realize the racial connection until later)
Wet back (and lots of Mexican jokes)
*rag-head
*towel-head(*these words entered our lexicon at the time of the first Gulf War)

Abusive language that was all around, but I didn't adopt:

All of the more obviously racist stuff, with a lot of it having to do with native Americans, because they constituted the greatest racial diversity in the region.

My point:

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who grew up around this kind of stuff, and had to deprogram in order to join the civilized world. Not saying these words isn't a struggle for me. Avoiding bigoted language comes pretty naturally, because I'm not all that bigoted. But every once in a while something slips, and I catch myself (usually in the moment), and I apologize, and I'm left wondering who the hell I am, and why that bit of history resurfaced.

We are all works in progress. Obama slipped up for sure. He apologized before the show aired. If that kind of language becomes a pattern, it will tarnish his image to me. Until then I'll give him the same benefit of the doubt that I would like to receive myself.

[FMCoug]

I think that Obama, like a lot of us, probably grew up around a lot of inappropriate language. When I was growing up I was inundated with abusive language. It fell into two categories:

Abusive language that I adopted as my own:
Fag
Faggot
Gay
Gay rod
Sir Gaylord of the Homo Rectums
Bitch
Queer
Dike
*Jew
*Jewish (*to describe being 'cheap')
'tard
Retard
'tarded
Pussy
Pussy-whipped
*woman
*girl
*girlie man (*all to describe males unable to act alike 'males')
Fat
Fatty
Lardass
Every kind of fat joke imaginable
White Trash
Indian giving
Yard ape (I didn't realize the racial connection until later)
Wet back (and lots of Mexican jokes)
*rag-head
*towel-head(*these words entered our lexicon at the time of the first Gulf War)

Abusive language that was all around, but I didn't adopt:

All of the more obviously racist stuff, with a lot of it having to do with native Americans, because they constituted the greatest racial diversity in the region.

My point:

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who grew up around this kind of stuff, and had to deprogram in order to join the civilized world. Not saying these words isn't a struggle for me. Avoiding bigoted language comes pretty naturally, because I'm not all that bigoted. But every once in a while something slips, and I catch myself (usually in the moment), and I apologize, and I'm left wondering who the hell I am, and why that bit of history resurfaced.

We are all works in progress. Obama slipped up for sure. He apologized before the show aired. If that kind of language becomes a pattern, it will tarnish his image to me. Until then I'll give him the same benefit of the doubt that I would like to receive myself.

Wow. So that's what it was like to grow up next door to Ted Kazinsky? Crazy place. Myself, I grew up about 20 miles from where you live now ... much different environment.

[ERCougar]

I think that Obama, like a lot of us, probably grew up around a lot of inappropriate language. When I was growing up I was inundated with abusive language. It fell into two categories:

Abusive language that I adopted as my own:
Fag
Faggot
Gay
Gay rod
Sir Gaylord of the Homo Rectums
Bitch
Queer
Dike
*Jew
*Jewish (*to describe being 'cheap')
'tard
Retard
'tarded
Pussy
Pussy-whipped
*woman
*girl
*girlie man (*all to describe males unable to act alike 'males')
Fat
Fatty
Lardass
Every kind of fat joke imaginable
White Trash
Indian giving
Yard ape (I didn't realize the racial connection until later)
Wet back (and lots of Mexican jokes)
*rag-head
*towel-head(*these words entered our lexicon at the time of the first Gulf War)

Abusive language that was all around, but I didn't adopt:

All of the more obviously racist stuff, with a lot of it having to do with native Americans, because they constituted the greatest racial diversity in the region.

My point:

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who grew up around this kind of stuff, and had to deprogram in order to join the civilized world. Not saying these words isn't a struggle for me. Avoiding bigoted language comes pretty naturally, because I'm not all that bigoted. But every once in a while something slips, and I catch myself (usually in the moment), and I apologize, and I'm left wondering who the hell I am, and why that bit of history resurfaced.

We are all works in progress. Obama slipped up for sure. He apologized before the show aired. If that kind of language becomes a pattern, it will tarnish his image to me. Until then I'll give him the same benefit of the doubt that I would like to receive myself.

Of course, you're not the President of the United States...maybe there's a little higher standard?

I get your point though. Obama's played a few sports growing up and there's plenty of trash-talk and inappropriate stuff that's said, and like anyone, he's probably participated in it. Not in any mean-spirited way--just to fit in. When he relaxes, these things can slip out. I'm glad he apologized.

[TripletDaddy]

If we are getting technical, how many people here still use the word "lame" to describe something? Isn't that a slur against the handicapped?

[il Padrino Ute]

If we are getting technical, how many people here still use the word "lame" to describe something? Isn't that a slur against the handicapped?

What a lame post.

[RobinFinderson]

Wow. So that's what it was like to grow up next door to Ted Kazinsky? Crazy place. Myself, I grew up about 20 miles from where you live now ... much different environment.

I lived about thirty minutes away from Ted's cabin.

Faith tells me that her students use terribly bigoted language often, and that the focus of the language hasn't changed much. The targets are still gay people, overweight people, males who don't fit a typical male mold, females who aren't typically feminine, and the mentally disabled. The more things change the more they stay the same.

[RobinFinderson]

If we are getting technical, how many people here still use the word "lame" to describe something? Isn't that a slur against the handicapped?

Maybe. But 'lame' could also refer to an animal, or a wounded person/creature. It is more of an adjective then a reference to a broad category of people.

[YOhio]

If we are getting technical, how many people here still use the word "lame" to describe something? Isn't that a slur against the handicapped?

That's a crippled comparison. This latest Obama gaffe highlights something interesting. It's impossible for Obama to live up to the hype. For the past year we were told that he was the great communicator, the one we've been waiting for, etc. But he's just a very talented guy who flubs up. I have no problem with that. But I do have a problem with people who butchered Bush for the past eight years for every little slip up, which happened all too often, now making excuses for Obama.