In Defense of Mr. Emmanuel
OK … I need to brace myself for this one. I am going to defend Rahm Emmanuel. We all know the man is obnoxious and doesn’t really have a tongue that you want to introduce to your mama. (And, by “tongue,” I mean that his language is crude, not that he would literally place his tongue on your mama … although you never know.)
Yes, he determined in a vocal fashion that liberal Democrats who were planning some advertised in-fighting to be “f______ retarded.” Was it a silly comment by a man whose vocabulary is apparently so limited that he is reduced to stupid slurs in an attempt to make a point? Sure. But, let’s all please stop being so hypersensitive. And, even worse, let’s put an end to the faux sensitivity. I’m talking to you, Palin. Were you really crushed on behalf of your son when you discovered some off-hand comment that Emmanuel made several months ago? Did you feel the need to scoop young Trig out of his crib, hold him to your bosom, and protect him from the evil intentions of the Chief of Staff? I doubt it. Instead, it probably seemed like a neat-o PR move.
Would I brush it off if Emmanuel went to the local schoolyard and proceeded to point and laugh at the special needs students? How about if he took a large bag of donations to the local Goodwill donation spot, threw the bag at the nearest worker, and made some derogatory comment about the intelligence of the young man who helped him. Of course not. And, in that instance, termination would certainly be in order. But, we all know (right?) that back-room political talk is ugly and often inappropriate for public consumption. The phrase being criticized was not on the man’s teleprompter as prepared remarks that were intended to represent an official stand on a policy issue. If that had been the case, absolutely fire him … and do it before he even has a chance to finish the speech.
I think that Senator Harry Reid published comments, in which he called then-Senator Obama “light-skinned” with no “Negro dialect” are much more offensive, and his statements were widely forgotten after 48 hours. I guess Reid must find Obama to be one of those rare, “articulate” black men. (definition of “articulate” — decribes a member of a racial minority who shocks white people by speaking in complete and coherent sentences. Used in a sentence: “I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean” — courtesy of then-Senator Joe Biden) I wonder if Senator Reid calls Obama “that uppity boy” when he thinks no one is listening.
Was Rahm Emmanuel’s choice of words a poor one? Yep. Is he a crass loudmouth who has the sensitivity of a tooth that has been the recipient of a thorough root canal? Absolutely. But, let’s not make this more than it is.
As the mother of a special needs child (one who happens to have Down syndrome and is about the same age as Trig), I agree with you Sarah (Moore, not Palin)! Since becoming the mother to a child with special needs a mere year and a half ago, I can tell you I have learned a lot about the way the world perceives people with special needs. There is an entire “campaign to end the “R” word” out there and while I think the people who started it had good intentions, I just feel like it’s really not a battle worth fighting. There will always be people out there who are ignorant and will call my child names. It will never be okay. But making an off handed comment about something “being retarded” just isn’t worth getting upset about. Let’s put our efforts into showing the world that our children are valuable members of society and giving them all the tools they need to reach their full potential instead of telling every 15 year old kid (or adult who acts like a 15 year old kid) who uses the “r” word that he is offending someone. Really, it’s not going to sink in. I do think it’s a shame that grown adults resort to using these terms, but we’ve all done it and there is really no reason to take it personally.
Thanks, Kristi! I was thinking about you and adorable Aaron when writing that post. I agree with you that people getting so upset about a stupid comment takes away from the important issues that we should be discussing regarding our special needs population.