A few days ago, I wrote about the disgusting display on an MSNBC show hosted by Melissa Harris Perry during which she and her guests made fun of the Romney family because one of Mitt Romney's sons and his wife adopted a child who is African American. It was the sort of bizarre segment that could only appear on a network like MSNBC; nowhere else would the panelists actually believe that they could get away with mocking a white family because it had adopted a black baby. Only on MSNBC would the guests believe that because the whites in question were prominent Republicans, they must be racists who can be derided for adopting a black baby.
My disgust at the segment was not unique. There was a major outcry in the responsible media and across the internet which castigated Melissa Harris Perry and her guests for their obvious and disgusting racism. It is no excuse for racism that one is a liberal criticizing a conservative.
Well now, Melissa Harris Perry has apologized on her show. She apologized to Mitt Romney for involving his children and grandchildren in the discussion. Then she apologized to other families which have adopted children of a race different from their own. As apologies go, this one seemed sincere and honest. Considering the recent actions of MSNBC hosts who have been fired, a sincere and honest apology goes a long way. After all, Alec Baldwin just denied shouting anti-gay slurs despite there being video which recorded the entire event. Martin Bashir issued one of those tepid non-apology apologies to Sarah Palin and was then allowed to "resign" so that he could avoid (at least in his own mind) the stigma of being fired.
I think we should all accept today's apology. Hopefully, Melissa Harris Perry learned from the experience that the limits of decency, good taste, and propriety apply to liberals just the same way that they apply to conservatives. It would stand her in good stead to watch the apology first thing every morning for the next month so that she does not forget its true message.
I guess now we need only wait for MSNBC to apologize. Something tells me it is going to be a long wait.
My disgust at the segment was not unique. There was a major outcry in the responsible media and across the internet which castigated Melissa Harris Perry and her guests for their obvious and disgusting racism. It is no excuse for racism that one is a liberal criticizing a conservative.
Well now, Melissa Harris Perry has apologized on her show. She apologized to Mitt Romney for involving his children and grandchildren in the discussion. Then she apologized to other families which have adopted children of a race different from their own. As apologies go, this one seemed sincere and honest. Considering the recent actions of MSNBC hosts who have been fired, a sincere and honest apology goes a long way. After all, Alec Baldwin just denied shouting anti-gay slurs despite there being video which recorded the entire event. Martin Bashir issued one of those tepid non-apology apologies to Sarah Palin and was then allowed to "resign" so that he could avoid (at least in his own mind) the stigma of being fired.
I think we should all accept today's apology. Hopefully, Melissa Harris Perry learned from the experience that the limits of decency, good taste, and propriety apply to liberals just the same way that they apply to conservatives. It would stand her in good stead to watch the apology first thing every morning for the next month so that she does not forget its true message.
I guess now we need only wait for MSNBC to apologize. Something tells me it is going to be a long wait.
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