Whoopi Goldberg defends Michael Vick in her debut today on The View - Page 7 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Ireneparalegal · 09-05-2007, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikado

So, no one wants to place a bet? C'mon, i'm giving 8-5 odds here!

If Whoopi ever leaves, it will be because of "other offers" she receives.

Remember this post!!!!

Even Barbara said today that yesterday was "THE FIRST DAY!!!"

Mikado · 09-05-2007, 07:37 PM

"Whoopi Goldberg", the newest reason why i'd never watch the View!

TVFactFan · 09-05-2007, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikado

"Whoopi Goldberg", the newest reason why i'd never watch the View!

Today Whoopi forgot to go to a commercial break by saying we will be right back and Barbara was leaning on the table saying are we off camera yet???-lol

Mikado · 09-05-2007, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

Today Whoopi forgot to go to a commercial break by saying we will be right back and Barbara was leaning on the table saying are we off camera yet???-lol

TVFactFan · 09-06-2007, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikado

When Barbara asked the question, Whoopi was looking at her like-"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??-lol WHY WOULDN"T WE BE ON CAMERA??-lol

This is defintely in the running for the TV Lowlight of the week

catlover79 · 09-06-2007, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

When Barbara asked the question, Whoopi was looking at her like-"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??-lol WHY WOULDN"T WE BE ON CAMERA??-lol

This is defintely in the running for the TV Lowlight of the week

Forget the week - how about Lowlight of the SEASON?

TVFactFan · 09-06-2007, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Forget the week - how about Lowlight of the SEASON?

I'm referring to the Commercial break boo-boo.-lol

catlover79 · 09-06-2007, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnalyzer

I'm referring to the Commercial break boo-boo.-lol

OK...

Mikado · 09-06-2007, 12:27 AM

The lowlight of the season is hiring Whoopi in the first place

hehe

OH Nuts! · 09-06-2007, 12:38 AM

Well as for my feelings toward Vick there aren't adjectives foul enough to do him justice. I just wish Leslie Crocker-Snyder was still a judge & he went before her. She was a tough-as-nails kick-ass judge who sentenced drug lords to 232 years in prison and actually had someone before her try to take out a contract on her. She was notorious for her sentences. If Vick went before her he'd get 4+ years easy. He should get that, and they should hit him where he lives, FINE HIS ASS FOR MUCHO BUCKS (at least half a mil) and make him do community service--like 1000 hours of it--in a dog pound cleaning up after pit bulls.There is clearly something sociopathic about wanting to maim and kill animals in this fashion--When historical studies have been done of criminals who have commited violent acts like murder and rape, it was often found that as children they abused/killed animals.

As for Whoopi, her remarks and behavior in situations such as this is going to come back and haunt her and bite her in the ass. BIG TIME.

ThomasE · 09-06-2007, 01:16 AM

I will give Whoopi the benefit of a doubt. She was stating where the problem stemmed from which was culture. I have no problem with that. My problem is when a person gets older and they neglect to exercise wisdom and forget points such as "although things were one way, those things may not necessarily be the right way now". When you become a man, you put away childish things. You should mature and clearly tell the difference between right and wrong.

TVFactFan · 09-06-2007, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThomasE

I will give Whoopi the benefit of a doubt. She was stating where the problem stemmed from which was culture. I have no problem with that. My problem is when a person gets older and they neglect to exercise wisdom and forget points such as "although things were one way, those things may not necessarily be the right way now". When you become a man, you put away childish things. You should mature and clearly tell the difference between right and wrong.

correct, she just identified why he was doing what he was but never said he should be excused because of his upbringing and does deserve to be punished.

Janice · 09-06-2007, 12:47 PM

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=131851&ran=123121

Goldberg 'view' of south shows ignorance, not cultural insight

Gotta hurry here. I'm about to head on over to another dog fight.

Y'all know what I'm talking about. Here in the South - the Deep South, that is - there's nothing we like more than watching pit bulls rip each other to shreds.

Yup, we ain't nothin' but tobacco -chewing, 'shine-swilling, dog fightin' fools in these parts.

Welcome to Whoopi Goldberg's world of sweeping stereotypes.

Perhaps you saw her embarrassing inaugural appearance on ABC's "The View" Tuesday. Most of us caught clips of Goldberg's observations when they surfaced later on cable news.

The ladies of "The View" were discussing the Michael Vick case when Whoopi leapt to the defense of the disgraced quarterback. She excused his involvement in dog fighting because, well, he grew up in Hampton Roads.

"Instead of just saying (Vick) is a beast and he's a monster, this is a kid who comes from a culture where this is not questioned," she said.

Kid? This guy is a 27-year-old millionaire. He came from "a culture where this is not questioned"?

"He's from the South," Whoopi declared. "From the Deep South."

News flash: Michael Vick is from Newport News, Va. (So was Ella Fitzgerald. Does that mean the First Lady of Song was a dog fight fan, too?)

Someone give this dreadlocked diva a map.

While there's no official gateway to the Deep South and no passport required once you get there, the term is generally reserved for states nestled deep in Dixie: Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana come to mind.

Virginia is not the Deep South. The Old South? Yes. Deep? Never. Even I know it, and I grew up in Jersey.

As if that wasn't enough misinformation for one outing, the comedian also opined that Southerners accept dog fighting the way Puerto Ricans accept **** fighting.

This goes way beyond geographical ignorance.

"I never heard of dog fighting around here in nearly 65 years," countered Newport News Mayor - and native - Joe Frank on Wednesday.

"... To suggest it's socially acceptable or culturally acceptable is absolutely untrue."

The mayor pointed out that Vick's hometown is a city of roughly 187,000, with a splendid university and several museums.

Sure, it's great sport to make fun of those who live in the South. And frankly, if there's one stereotype that's true, it's that those on this side of the Mason-Dixon Line know how to take a joke.

But no one's laughing about dog fighting.

On the contrary, there's widespread revulsion in these parts to the ghastly accounts of dogs that were beaten and electrocuted on Vick's property in Surry County.

If dog fighting were a local underground sport, you'd expect to find strong support for Michael Vick. That isn't the case.

Mayor Frank said he was reluctant to fuel a spat with a celebrity, but he noted that Whoopi Goldberg clearly didn't know much about Vick's town.

As a - dare I say it - Southern gentleman, the mayor politely suggested that Goldberg refrain from cultural stereotyping.

"I think comedians should stick with comedy."

Nicely put.

TVFactFan · 09-06-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senior

http://www.unboundedition.com/content/view/2262/50/

Whoopi Goldberg’s Racist Logic

Today, during her premiere on ABC’s “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg came to the defense of Michael Vick. Whether publicity stunt for ratings, genuinely held opinion, or spontaneous outpouring of stupidity, there’s a fundamental problem with Goldberg’s logic. It’s racist, at its core.
Like all Americans, she is entitled to her view and her voice. But the reasoning behind what she said has historic and current weight of which Goldberg should be more than aware. Whoopi excuses Michael Vick’s torture of animals by saying, "You know from his background this is not an unusual thing for where he comes from…There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country.” Co-host Joy Behar challenged Goldberg, asking if dog torture and murder were OK. Goldberg replied, "Unfortunately it's part of the thing.” In short, Ms. Goldberg indicated that because Vick is from “the South” he has a different moral center. She said dog killing was mere “sport.”

In defending Vick’s universally reprehensible actions, Goldberg engaged in precisely the racist rhetoric that justified slavery for years. It is in the hearts of many who still live in the South. Too often we hear, “He doesn’t mean to be a racist, it’s just how he was brought up.” Or, “She’s from Alabama, and there is a different view of the world down there.” Excuses are made for the worst views and behaviors possible, all based on “they don’t know better” arguments. Goldberg excuses Vick, saying, "This is part of his cultural upbringing...This is a kid who comes from a culture when this is not questioned." This is a flimsy, weak-minded excuse for moral failing, in whatever form. I am from the South. I work in Atlanta. Should I have lower moral expectations for myself or my neighbors? Should I excuse any and all form of violence and hatred because of cultural geography?

Regardless of where we are from, regardless of how we were brought up, regardless of the lessons – good and bad – we are taught along the way, at some point each adult is responsible for his or her own mind. To vacate one’s morality because we are from “the South” doesn’t apply to any of us, black or white. And it doesn’t apply to dog fighting any more than it applies to racism. Cruelty is cruelty, in any form, and immoral in all of them. Ms. Goldberg surely knows this – or should know better.

Whoopi Goldberg owes the American people – especially African Americans – an apology for giving weight to the historically racist logic she used to defend the indefensible Michael Vick.

This story is starting to reach a ******** level and I have lost interest in discussing it any further.

Janice · 09-06-2007, 08:52 PM

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/?pid=230194

Michael Vick Doesn't Need Your Help
Lakshmi Chaudhryvar

Watching the Michael Vick saga unfold over the past month has been a typically frustrating experience, as a woman, a person of color, and dog owner (or rather "pet guardian," as they insist upon in my oh-so PC hometown, San Francisco).

The entire nasty affair points to the ways in which any national "debate" – usually conducted by talking heads, lawyers, and a couple of celebrities on TV -- on race or gender in popular culture ends up mired in arguments that can at best be described as absurd, and at worst, damaging.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we can't seem to bring ourselves to talk about, say an important issue like racism unless there is a low-life like O. J. Simpson or Michael Vick facing charges for some reprehensible crime. Is this really the ideal context for a conversation that requires open minds, compassion, awareness, and a strong desire to do right?

Then again, this is the kind of foolishness that pays for a cultural critic's supper. Here's my critique of the race-related interpretations made directly or indirectly in support of Michael Vick. One, his case is yet another example of a racist white media "lynching" a young black man for sins that would be more easily forgiven – or at least, less stridently covered and condemned -- in a white person. This version of the Vick defense was offered up by civil rights groups such as the NAACP.

Umm, I don't think so. I can't imagine PETA or any of the other animal rights groups being any less outraged if Tom Brady was involved. Whatever one's reservations about their politics, we can safely say these folks have shown little love for privileged white folks. And yes, Americans in general love their dogs, and they wouldn't be any less appalled at their torture just because the QB in question was white.

If there is anything racist about the response to Vick, it's the lack of surprise, as though we simply don't expect any better from a black man. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning had been caught doing something similar, all of America would have been shocked, shocked, shocked. How could our golden white boy ever do something like this, and so on. It's the difference between our reaction to an inner-city school shooting and Columbine.

If that wasn't enough, this week brought us Whoopi Goldberg, who claimed on The View that this kind of depraved behavior is part of Vick's "cultural conditioning" is not doing any service to her community, or the rest of us. Sure, she meant the culture of the rural South, but that's not how it's going to be interpreted in a culture already weighed down with stereotypes about brutal, violent black men.

If a white commentator had made that comment, many of us would be rightly offended at its suggestion – intended or otherwise -- that electrocuting dogs is somehow "normal" for some black folks. According to this Kansas City columnist, a number of observers are already blaming Vick's crime on black ghetto/hip hop culture. I don't see anyone arguing that a white athlete is a "wonderful guy" who just didn't know using a "rape pole" to breed a dog was a bad thing. This again, should tell us something about cultural expectations.

Some of the best writing on the race angle in the Vick case comes from Atlanta-Journal Constitution columnist, Cynthia Tucker. Here is her take on why it's a wrong-headed for black civil rights organizations to rally around the Michael Vick. And here is Tucker's far more nuanced argument about how media coverage of the Vick case does indeed point to a racial bias of a different kind.

Finally, there's the "unfair scrutiny" argument that deflects the issue from race to gender, as in: we get worked up about a little animal cruelty, but don't give a damn when the same men are accused of beating the crap out of their wives. The critique about NFL's wink-nudge attitude toward domestic violence is well-founded, but it is only undermined by any comparison to dog-fighting. I don't know of a single athlete accused of brutally torturing and killing a number of women for fun playing professional sports.

Certainly, colleagues of any player accused of beating up his wife would hardly be eager to get on TV and sing his praises – as so many of his team-mates did before Vick pleaded guilty. NFL"s locker-room culture is infamous for its misogyny and homophobia, but even athletes (or their PR reps) know where to draw the line in public. And would Whoopi declare Vick a "wonderful guy" or blaming it on his cultural upbringing if he'd been beating his wife? I doubt it.

Bottomline, Whoopi herself is evidence that we have no problems distinguishing between animals and human beings: it is okay to kill one for food (and in many cases, even sport) and not the other. Besides, no one wins in this bizarre game of one upmanship between two equally repulsive crimes. What's the logic: if we only would turn a blind eye to dog-fighting, we'd be cracking down harder on domestic violence? I don't think so. And that goes for racism too. No reasonable person can think that treating Vick with greater clemency would mark a victory for race relations in this country.

To rephrase Freud, sometimes a jerk is just a jerk.

09-06-2007, 12:38 AM	#100
OH Nuts! Member Forum King Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 133,383	Well as for my feelings toward Vick there aren't adjectives foul enough to do him justice. I just wish Leslie Crocker-Snyder was still a judge & he went before her. She was a tough-as-nails kick-ass judge who sentenced drug lords to 232 years in prison and actually had someone before her try to take out a contract on her. She was notorious for her sentences. If Vick went before her he'd get 4+ years easy. He should get that, and they should hit him where he lives, FINE HIS ASS FOR MUCHO BUCKS (at least half a mil) and make him do community service--like 1000 hours of it--in a dog pound cleaning up after pit bulls.There is clearly something sociopathic about wanting to maim and kill animals in this fashion--When historical studies have been done of criminals who have commited violent acts like murder and rape, it was often found that as children they abused/killed animals. As for Whoopi, her remarks and behavior in situations such as this is going to come back and haunt her and bite her in the ass. BIG TIME.
	Last edited by OH Nuts!; 09-06-2007 at 12:53 AM.

09-06-2007, 01:16 AM	#101
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	I will give Whoopi the benefit of a doubt. She was stating where the problem stemmed from which was culture. I have no problem with that. My problem is when a person gets older and they neglect to exercise wisdom and forget points such as "although things were one way, those things may not necessarily be the right way now". When you become a man, you put away childish things. You should mature and clearly tell the difference between right and wrong.
	__________________ Check out my my "It's A Living" Facebook Fanpage!!! https://m.facebook.com/groups/107208...&source=result

09-05-2007, 07:37 PM	#92
Mikado Main st bridge Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 06, 2005 Posts: 25,892	"Whoopi Goldberg", the newest reason why i'd never watch the View!

09-06-2007, 12:27 AM	#99
Mikado Main st bridge Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 06, 2005 Posts: 25,892	The lowlight of the season is hiring Whoopi in the first place hehe

09-06-2007, 12:47 PM	#103
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=131851&ran=123121 Goldberg 'view' of south shows ignorance, not cultural insight Gotta hurry here. I'm about to head on over to another dog fight. Y'all know what I'm talking about. Here in the South - the Deep South, that is - there's nothing we like more than watching pit bulls rip each other to shreds. Yup, we ain't nothin' but tobacco -chewing, 'shine-swilling, dog fightin' fools in these parts. Welcome to Whoopi Goldberg's world of sweeping stereotypes. Perhaps you saw her embarrassing inaugural appearance on ABC's "The View" Tuesday. Most of us caught clips of Goldberg's observations when they surfaced later on cable news. The ladies of "The View" were discussing the Michael Vick case when Whoopi leapt to the defense of the disgraced quarterback. She excused his involvement in dog fighting because, well, he grew up in Hampton Roads. "Instead of just saying (Vick) is a beast and he's a monster, this is a kid who comes from a culture where this is not questioned," she said. Kid? This guy is a 27-year-old millionaire. He came from "a culture where this is not questioned"? "He's from the South," Whoopi declared. "From the Deep South." News flash: Michael Vick is from Newport News, Va. (So was Ella Fitzgerald. Does that mean the First Lady of Song was a dog fight fan, too?) Someone give this dreadlocked diva a map. While there's no official gateway to the Deep South and no passport required once you get there, the term is generally reserved for states nestled deep in Dixie: Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana come to mind. Virginia is not the Deep South. The Old South? Yes. Deep? Never. Even I know it, and I grew up in Jersey. As if that wasn't enough misinformation for one outing, the comedian also opined that Southerners accept dog fighting the way Puerto Ricans accept **** fighting. This goes way beyond geographical ignorance. "I never heard of dog fighting around here in nearly 65 years," countered Newport News Mayor - and native - Joe Frank on Wednesday. "... To suggest it's socially acceptable or culturally acceptable is absolutely untrue." The mayor pointed out that Vick's hometown is a city of roughly 187,000, with a splendid university and several museums. Sure, it's great sport to make fun of those who live in the South. And frankly, if there's one stereotype that's true, it's that those on this side of the Mason-Dixon Line know how to take a joke. But no one's laughing about dog fighting. On the contrary, there's widespread revulsion in these parts to the ghastly accounts of dogs that were beaten and electrocuted on Vick's property in Surry County. If dog fighting were a local underground sport, you'd expect to find strong support for Michael Vick. That isn't the case. Mayor Frank said he was reluctant to fuel a spat with a celebrity, but he noted that Whoopi Goldberg clearly didn't know much about Vick's town. As a - dare I say it - Southern gentleman, the mayor politely suggested that Goldberg refrain from cultural stereotyping. "I think comedians should stick with comedy." Nicely put.

09-06-2007, 08:52 PM	#105
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/?pid=230194 Michael Vick Doesn't Need Your Help Lakshmi Chaudhryvar Watching the Michael Vick saga unfold over the past month has been a typically frustrating experience, as a woman, a person of color, and dog owner (or rather "pet guardian," as they insist upon in my oh-so PC hometown, San Francisco). The entire nasty affair points to the ways in which any national "debate" – usually conducted by talking heads, lawyers, and a couple of celebrities on TV -- on race or gender in popular culture ends up mired in arguments that can at best be described as absurd, and at worst, damaging. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we can't seem to bring ourselves to talk about, say an important issue like racism unless there is a low-life like O. J. Simpson or Michael Vick facing charges for some reprehensible crime. Is this really the ideal context for a conversation that requires open minds, compassion, awareness, and a strong desire to do right? Then again, this is the kind of foolishness that pays for a cultural critic's supper. Here's my critique of the race-related interpretations made directly or indirectly in support of Michael Vick. One, his case is yet another example of a racist white media "lynching" a young black man for sins that would be more easily forgiven – or at least, less stridently covered and condemned -- in a white person. This version of the Vick defense was offered up by civil rights groups such as the NAACP. Umm, I don't think so. I can't imagine PETA or any of the other animal rights groups being any less outraged if Tom Brady was involved. Whatever one's reservations about their politics, we can safely say these folks have shown little love for privileged white folks. And yes, Americans in general love their dogs, and they wouldn't be any less appalled at their torture just because the QB in question was white. If there is anything racist about the response to Vick, it's the lack of surprise, as though we simply don't expect any better from a black man. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning had been caught doing something similar, all of America would have been shocked, shocked, shocked. How could our golden white boy ever do something like this, and so on. It's the difference between our reaction to an inner-city school shooting and Columbine. If that wasn't enough, this week brought us Whoopi Goldberg, who claimed on The View that this kind of depraved behavior is part of Vick's "cultural conditioning" is not doing any service to her community, or the rest of us. Sure, she meant the culture of the rural South, but that's not how it's going to be interpreted in a culture already weighed down with stereotypes about brutal, violent black men. If a white commentator had made that comment, many of us would be rightly offended at its suggestion – intended or otherwise -- that electrocuting dogs is somehow "normal" for some black folks. According to this Kansas City columnist, a number of observers are already blaming Vick's crime on black ghetto/hip hop culture. I don't see anyone arguing that a white athlete is a "wonderful guy" who just didn't know using a "rape pole" to breed a dog was a bad thing. This again, should tell us something about cultural expectations. Some of the best writing on the race angle in the Vick case comes from Atlanta-Journal Constitution columnist, Cynthia Tucker. Here is her take on why it's a wrong-headed for black civil rights organizations to rally around the Michael Vick. And here is Tucker's far more nuanced argument about how media coverage of the Vick case does indeed point to a racial bias of a different kind. Finally, there's the "unfair scrutiny" argument that deflects the issue from race to gender, as in: we get worked up about a little animal cruelty, but don't give a damn when the same men are accused of beating the crap out of their wives. The critique about NFL's wink-nudge attitude toward domestic violence is well-founded, but it is only undermined by any comparison to dog-fighting. I don't know of a single athlete accused of brutally torturing and killing a number of women for fun playing professional sports. Certainly, colleagues of any player accused of beating up his wife would hardly be eager to get on TV and sing his praises – as so many of his team-mates did before Vick pleaded guilty. NFL"s locker-room culture is infamous for its misogyny and homophobia, but even athletes (or their PR reps) know where to draw the line in public. And would Whoopi declare Vick a "wonderful guy" or blaming it on his cultural upbringing if he'd been beating his wife? I doubt it. Bottomline, Whoopi herself is evidence that we have no problems distinguishing between animals and human beings: it is okay to kill one for food (and in many cases, even sport) and not the other. Besides, no one wins in this bizarre game of one upmanship between two equally repulsive crimes. What's the logic: if we only would turn a blind eye to dog-fighting, we'd be cracking down harder on domestic violence? I don't think so. And that goes for racism too. No reasonable person can think that treating Vick with greater clemency would mark a victory for race relations in this country. To rephrase Freud, sometimes a jerk is just a jerk.