MSNBC Blue
The mainstream press attempted to dismiss yesterday's Tax Day Tea Party protests across the country by engaging in name calling and crude humor:So when the anti-tax "tea party" protests were held Wednesday across the country, cable anchors and guests -- who for weeks had all but ignored the story -- covered the protests by cracking a litany of barely concealed sexual references.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interspersed "teabagging" references with analyst David Gergen's more staid commentary on how Republicans are still "searching for their voice."
"It's hard to talk when you're teabagging," Cooper explained. Gergen laughed, but Cooper kept a straight face.
If anyone thinks the orally charged remarks on mainstream cable were just a coincidence, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow's segments over the past week with guest, Air America's Ana Marie Cox, would dissolve all doubt. Their on-air gymnastics, dancing around the double entendre of the week, looked like live-action Beavis and Butthead.
By one count, the two of them used the word "teabag" more than 50 times on one show. And on Monday, Cox even let the viewers in on their joke -- referencing Urbandictionary.com, a site which offers a number of colorful definitions for the term "teabagging."
The World will not further dignify these on-air shenanigans by explaining this kind of toilet news coverage any further, as we trust that our readers either get it or can discover the meaning of this kind of humor independent of any further direction. The reason why FOX News remains the number one cable news network-a reality that goads the other networks at their very core-is not because FOX is more conservative, but because FOX actually has respect for the people who may watch their programming.
It is not lightly that I levy criticism on MSNBC, because for a very long time I believed that the cable arm of NBC News was by far the most fair of the other news channels, owing in part to the work of Brian Williams, Lester Holt, and especially the late Tim Russert (I am also a huge fan of Joe Scarborough). It became clear as I watched yesterday's coverage both on MSNBC and CNN that these networks have an agenda far deeper than anything they may accuse FOX News of possessing. The attempt by personalities on these networks to demean the protestors and, when possible, ignore the protests shows that the message of the Tea Parties was hitting home with a press that is entirely too closely aligned with the White House. The protests were having an impact, and the mainstream press is scared to death by what could happen to their Golden Boy's administration as a result.
After yesterday, FOX News will likely continue in its number one position for a very long time to come.
Labels: Conservatism, Federal politics, News Media
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 1:27 PM
6 Comments:
Personally, I'm all in favor of Fox's full-throated support of tea-bagging. Although the average viewer finds such coverage hard to swallow, Fox certainly licked all of its competitors!
Dave, I know you are nuts for the tea-baggers, but the status quo needs a little prick every now and then. tell them where to stick it and remember, whenever you talk about tea-bagging, you've said a mouth full!
Dave,
I'm shocked. I figured this kind of humor would be right up your alley seeing how much you enjoy watching the "finger in butts" sketch and discussing penis size all under the umbrella of "...Christ,the teachings of His Holy Church, and of the basic vision of a Christian social morality." Something about stones and glass houses comes to mind...
I went to the tea-bag rally in Knoxville yesterday and was very disappointed. Nothing like I thought it would be.
Here's my picture: http://static.crooksandliars.com/files/uploads/2009/04/IShavedMyBallsForThis_71fe7.JPG
David,
What made the "Tea Bag" jokes funny was that the UrbanDictionary.com definition has been out there for a long, long time. Whoever set up/come up with the "Tea Bag" protests didn't do their homework correctly.
I thought the whole thing was hysterically funny ever since this got started.
SteveMule
David,
I wanted to add that it's a little late to be getting all uppity about the humor.
The Conservatives should have a ready reply for this, but the ad men working on this didn't do due diligence. So, ya, you loose the message inititive and have to (are you ready for this?) SUCK it and live with it. You'll be living with it for a while. Have you noticed the demographics in the pictures of the "Tea Bag" rallies? Middle aged white people! Guess what the under 30 crowd thinks of "Tea Bagging"?? I don't think it has much to do with taxes.
SteveMule
I can't believe I shaved my balls for that!
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