This week, my fellow Observers, we are being asked for forgiveness, yet again, by another celebrity for letting his racism slip. The next superstar up to the racial slur apology podium is none other than Hulk Hogan. Yes, my loyal reader, Terry Bollea, aka "The Hulkster", got caught secretly on tape making racial remarks about his daughter's boyfriend. When his not so diversity friendly comments came into public light, the WWE, which has made millions with the wrestling icon's image over the past thirty plus years, dropped him like a hot bigoted rock. I suppose with all the negative press swirling around their organization, either for their company drug policy (or lack there of) or Linda's two failed senate campaigns, they didn't need anymore controversy or criticism. Besides, what are all he little "Hulkamaniacs" going to think when they find out that their hero let them down? Especially the ones who are turning 40 this year. This is a very critical time for them developmentally. Their almost at the age of reason, you know.
Bollea has issued a public apology along with appearing in a five minute or so soul searching segment on Nightline this week. One of his public attempts at atonement contained the statement, "I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs. It's not who I am.". Well, I hate to break it to you Hulky, but it is exactly who you are. You just don't want anyone to know it. He also offered up an explanation to his prejudicial references by playing them down to the way he greeted his friends growing up in Florida. Claiming it was the way they all said hello to each other. Sorry Thunderlips. Not buying it. The tape I heard you on didn't sound at all like a greeting to me and probably not to many other people either. Nice try though. He also stated (on the secret recording) that "I'm a racist to a point" and "I guess we're all a little racist". You know who else is trying to make us believe they're not racist by using feeble excuses and crocodile tear laced apologies?
* Mel Gibson, who thinks "Jews" are the culprits behind every war. I wonder if they wore blue face paint.
* Paula Dean, who was accused by a former employee of racial harassment and admitted in court to using racial slurs. Busted, Y'all!
* Michael Richards came sliding through the racial door by using lynching references to black hecklers at a stand up show.
* Alec Baldwin's personal opinion about Kanye and Jay-Z on twitter.... in between plane rides.
* Jay-Z can't call Alec's kettle black though, as he allegedly banned "white people" from the VIP section of his Brit Award after party.
* Dog the bounty hunter who got apprehended by his loose lipped voicemail to his son whose girlfriend, at the time, was black.
All of the above have let their intolerance show in one way or another and most have apologized publicly for their poor choice of descriptive language. Some have been restored to popular status within their own right. Some, however, have suffered a career end game fate. Among those who never recovered from this type of scandal include:
* Jesse James ( Mr. Sandra Bullock) - Goose stepping in a Nazi hat.
* Joe Jonas - Making "slanted eyes" in a photo. (everyone forgave Miley though).
* Tila Tequila - Racial Tweets.
* Asher Roth - Racial Tweets 2.
But the winner in the "Racial Tweets" category has to be....
* Kreayshawn - By denying she Tweeted "Sometimes I wish slavery was still going on." and " I don't need black fans anyway.", claiming her account was hacked. She did confirm she Tweeted an apology that stated "I'm sorry. I Love Fried Chicken!".
Then we have celebrities who attempt to show us all how much they are not racist by dragging out and climbing up on their unbiased soapbox and immediately falling off it by putting their bigoted foot in their prejudiced mouth. A good current example would be Kelly Osbourne's latest social faux pas by saying, "If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Mr. Trump?". I guess we know whose cleaning hers. But, I could be wrong....
Writing of which, on the other side of the racial spectrum, we have more celebrities (of a sort) who are doing the exact same thing and not only are they not being publicly crucified for their views, they are shockingly (to me anyway) being praised for them. Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina.....have all made statements regarding immigration reform that have either heavily flirted with or have just been flat out racist comments. I realize that illegal immigrants are, in fact, engaged in a criminal act, but derogatory comments or stereotypical assumptions about ones ethnic background have nothing to do with the criminal act they are committing. Trump is not only leading in the polls but he also leads in the party's demeaning outspokenness on everything from immigrants to PMS. And it appears to be contagious. One Trump supporter outside of a recent press conference actually told Jorge Ramos, Univision's lead news anchor and American citizen who had just been forcibly escorted out of the forum because Trump didn't like the questions he was asking about his views on immigration reform, to "Get out of my country.". This after Trump himself told Ramos to "Go back to Univision.".
Not only have his remarks gotten his name rolling off the voters tongues while getting their fingers ready to push the "R" button, he's also caught the attention of his colleagues. Almost every other GOP candidate, like all professional politicians, know a good idea when they steal one and have hopped onto the Trumpster's coattails like the good little conservatives they are. So much so, that immigration has become the main focus issue on the Republican presidential candidate's platform. Like our country doesn't have any other problems to address. Things like education, affordable health care (which still has quite a few bugs in it that need to be worked out) welfare reform, Social Security, our failing foreign policy, our national deficit, the Iran deal on the table... All these issues seem so trivial when put up against our immigration problem, don't they? Most of the frontrunners are incessantly wagging their "All American" tongues about illegal immigration, but don't seem to have a viable solution for it. The majority of them have a problem with birthright citizenship, although that's how most of us citizens became... citizens... including them. They support building a border wall (some of them want one on both the Mexican and the Canadian border). They oppose sanctuary cities (I have to admit that I do too). And although none of them seem to support the "Path to Citizenship" policy, none have offered a plan of their own..... hmmm... I wonder why? If the issue is just illegal immigration, why don't any of them have a plan to help people immigrate to this country legally? The only plan I've heard from any of them is deportation, deportation and... what was it?.... oh yeah.... deportation. Maybe I'm reading into the issue too much. Besides, Chris Christie is way ahead of the curve with a gem of a solution to the problem by tracking immigrants like Fed Ex tracks packages. So everything is gonna be OK, folks. By the way, José will be in Georgia by Friday.
What's worse than their position on critical issues (or the fact they have not commented on critical issues) is that all the GOP rants about Larry Latino have us all seeing red, white and green as a national threat and sitting at the helm of the Hispanic hysteria ship is Trump telling us all how "smart" he is. And you know something?.... He is. Like any good manipulator, he plays to our fears, exploits them and uses that against us to push his own agenda. Think about it for a minute. He's not even a career politician and already he has practically the entire Republican party falling in line behind him with the issues that he is addressing. Pretty cool what a few million can buy, huh? And this is what makes him very dangerous. He has already showed us how he can mold and shape our fears. Our fear that this country isn't great anymore. Our fear that immigrants are taking our jobs, our welfare, our neighborhoods. That our country isn't ours anymore. Our fear that we have no more faith in our leaders. Our fear that America is slipping from the ranks of a first world power due to our affluence. You have to ask yourself what else will he be able to convince us of? Before I go any further, I wish to tell those of you that are thinking that my loyalties lean toward a more liberal point of view, I submit to you all that the Democrats are just as bad. They have decided, however, to take the higher road of political propaganda, paved with good intentions and denounce what Republicans are using as their format to the issues. Hillary's and The Don's Twitter war is an example of the St. George and the Elephant approach the Donkeys (I prefer the term Asses) are using in this particular case. Claiming that their outrageous, degrading statements don't merit a comment from their party, buuuuuut.....since you guys brought it up.... we'll answer a few questions about immigration and put our own spin on it.
As usual, most of us watching this unravel in front of us are taking sides, blaming each other for the problems we all created by allowing our leaders to "guide" our consciences, decide what's best for us, provide moral structure and tell us the correct way to think, speak, and teach our children. We have allowed our government to be our nursemaid for so long we no longer know how it happened or who is to blame. All we do know is that we've had enough of it and that's what opens the door for people like Trump and his maniacal minions. Our citizens are so fed up with our government's politically correct attitude that we are forgoing our own common sense by not seeing these hucksters, no matter what party they belong to, for what they really are. Racist, bigoted, selfish, chauvinistic, self righteous, greedy, opinionated, misdirection masters that have fooled us into not seeing their true motives by placing all the blame for our country's problems on society itself. And maybe it's true. After all, we did put these people in office, didn't we? Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, Friday Night Smackdown is on in five minutes.
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