Dr. Laura Schlessinger Spews the N-Word on Her Show; Why is This Woman Still Relevant?
An African American woman called into the show Tuesday to discuss the fact that she was upset that her white husband's friends made racial jokes and used racial slurs in her presence.
Dr. Laura questioned whether or not what the woman was describing was racist. In a confusing response, Dr. Laura used the 'n-word' several times within the context of explaining what is often heard "on HBO" and "by comedians".
The woman asked Dr. Laura I she believed the word 'n*ger' was offensive or not and Dr. Laura replied that 'black guys say it all the time' and then proceeded to use it repeatedly.
About halfway through the call, Dr. Laura needed to break for a commercial. When she returned, she asked the caller what she had thought about during the break. The caller said she was very surprised that Dr. Laura would 'spew the word n*gger'. Dr. Laura denied 'spewing' the word, saying that she was making a point. She then became combative with the caller and said at one point, "Don't NACCP me".
Near the conclusion of the call, Dr. Laura said, "If you're that hyper- sensitive about color, then don't marry out of your race."
On her website later on Thursday, Dr. Laura released a statement that read, in part, ""I articulated the N-word all the way out - more than one time," Schlessinger said in comments from the opening of her radio show that she posted on her site. "And that was wrong. I'll say it again - that was wrong."
She said she "realized I had made a horrible mistake, and was so upset, I could not finish the show."
Dr. Laura Schlessinger has built her fame and fortune on hosting a radio show, and a series of books, that espouse strict, low tolerance values. To 'err is human' is not exactly a basic tenet of Dr. Laura's philosophy. She makes a point of being a staunch supporter of a 'zero tolerance' policy when it comes to human interactions and relationships. She doesn't hesitate to admonish her callers to leave their spouses over chronic, yet perhaps solvable, problems.
And yet, Dr. Laura has sinned more egregiously and publicly than most all of her callers. She has failed in many ways in her personal life; today marks the first time when she has failed miserably on her show to live up to a basic sense of human decency and decorum.
During her time on the air, Dr. Laura, who used o lecture her listeners on the importance of a strict adherence to religion, has renounced her Judaism. Certainly, that's her prerogative, but one can only imagine the reaction that she would have had had one of her callers done this years before. She has had naked pornographic pictures of herself show up on the internet, taken years ago by a former lover. Her son, Deryk, had pictures of himself on Myspace with a gun in his mouth and very controversial positions posted on his page. She also has called homosexuals "biological errors".
And now this. To use one of, if not the most, vile world imaginable in an off-handed and confrontational fashion may be considered beyond the pale. The question of why Dr. Laura is still relevant should be asked. As she said 'n*gger' on her show eleven times earlier this week, it is clear that the message of decency and strict adherence to morals on her show is at odds with the way she lives both her professional and personal lives
Source: Staff, "Dr. Laura apologizes for saying N-word on the air", ap.com
Source: Jeremy Holden, "FULL AUDIO: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's N-word rant", mediamatters.org
Published by Ron Hart
Ron Hart lives in New York. His interests are varied and include sports, politics and great Big Apple restaurants. He is a big baseball fan and enjoys discussing, debating and watching sports. He also enj... View profile
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19 Comments
Post a CommentThe n word is the epitome of double standard.
Questions on this case: Why did this Black caller call Dr. Laura in the first place? Doesn’t she have any other Black women friends she could have gone to with this issue?
Why is Dr. Laura talking about her 1st Amendment rights? The government did not arrest her for use of the n-word….why do people like her think the 1st Amendment protects you for the consequences of what you say? It does not. And as a Black businessperson, I cannot use the n-word at work or in social circles just because Black comedians and Black entertainers use it…there would be career, financial and social consequences. And I sure couldn’t use in on the airwaves. So why did Dr. Laura think she could use the word repeatedly and not suffer fallout? Double standard or not, why would anyone even want to use that word just because they hear Black people say it???
Robert O, the N-word issue is just a smokescreen for the real problem. Dr. Laura has one set of standards for her Black callers and another for everyone else. Having listened to the show for years (though not much in the last year ), I have constantly heard Dr. Laura chastise husbands for not standing up for their wives. Yet she had nothing to say about the caller’s wimpy husband, who allows his family and friends to disrespect her in his presence. And also troubling is that he apparently is completely ignoring his wife’s legitimate concerns over his insensitivity and spinelessness. The caller needs to seriously reevaluate her marriage and Dr. Laura needs to take a break and examine her racial hang-ups. Do you allow your family and friends to just direct slurs at and say any vulgar thing they want around your spouse??? I hope not….
Well Jaye, does "all you n-word users" apply to all the black people who use it all the time? If this is so terrible and "the most vile word imaginable", aren't they setting a bad example? Why do I sense a double standard here? Just curious.
She was wrong...lol... that's what she gets and all you spewing N-word users should learn a lesson...
This situation with Dr. Laura should have not even happened. The woman who called in complained about her white spouse's friends making fun of her blackness. She should have not denigrated herself to get on the phone calling a bigoted woman-hater like Dr. Laura in the FIRST PLACE. This woman should have straightened out her husband's friends and then straightened out her husband for not supporting her by drop kicking his racist butt out of the marriage. Where is her sense of self-respect, anyway?
To the commentator "Spot on"
Why the hell do you even want to say the n-word, no matter how many Black people you hear using it? Why do you even desire to say it???
And why don't you have anything to say about spineless husbands men who allow their wives to be disrespected? I guess it's okay if the wife is Black....
Great point, Ida. What kind of man sits around and does nothing as his 'friends' make racial jokes at the expense of his wife?
Is this the same Dr. Laura who always tells men to act like men and for husbands to be a "hero" to their wife? Yet she had nothing to say about the caller's wimp of a husband who sits around and allows his wife to be disrespected by his friends and family? Instead, Dr. Laura goes on some racial/political rant about HBO, Black comedians, Pres. Obama, her Black bodyguards, the N-word and worst of all, attacks the caller. Great job, Dr. Laura...you really helped this poor lady out!
I don't know why people don't get it. What someone calls a loved one or people they know is not the same as some one who is trying to hurt or disrespect you. No word should be abolished, just learn your place.