Sun, Nov 22, 2009
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Name:
bigheadbull2
Comment: Here we go....
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Name:
ChocolateBrownGal
Comment: *Sigh* I'm not a fan of Al Roker, but please! The media watchdogs are going after every and anything. Too bad they aren't as vigilant about the rest of trash that's actually aired on a weekly/daily basis. JMO
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: Al, just get back on your blog and tell them to get a life!
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: I listened to his comments and he had me up until he said: "call when you can get up off the floor" or something to that affect. I did not take too kindly to the comment. My brother suffers of epilepsy and the toll that it takes on the brain and body is exhausting and no laughing matter. Some folk on the tape were laughing and that was wrong. So his apology was not a sincere one. He stated that he was not making fun of the disease but of the logo. I disagree..his last sentence on the tape suggested that he was making fun of the disease by laughing and providing everyone with a visual of how the ailment afflects a person. His comments were in poor taste.
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Name:
huey
Comment: i like al roker, seems like a stand-up guy, he and his fine azz wife debra roberts....but one question....who is this "WE" that al keeps referring to...does he mean his lips??
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Name:
B00TANEB00TUS
Comment: ....Wait-a-minute are they calling for him to get the axe?...WTF?, WTF?, You mean to tell me that there's a group of folks with epilepsy calling for his dismissal?...Who's the spokesman for this group?...Will he have to go into re-hab? Will he have to do a series of PSA's?....Dayum, will he have to befriend a few folks with epilespsy?...Look, I'm not making lite of this but what can a muthafuccer say without some group calling for him to get fired?...You mean we now have a epileptic mafia running 'round?
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Name:
NueNue
Comment: OH MY GOD! its not that serious... everyone is just mad cause he called out racist %*$ imus. get over it and laugh. jokes are suppose to be funny.
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Name:
CrazzeeGyrl
Comment: Although his joke was in poor taste, I wouldn't compare it to the Imus situation.
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Name:
TGen
Comment: And the slippery slope begins...all those "Fire Don Imus" folks (I was not one of them, I thought the producer should have been canned, but I digress) should take note. This is what you have started...
That said, I agree with leeneepoo. At first glance of this story's headline, my instinct was "oh brother, get over it." But as I read the comments, they were indeed in poor taste, and to keep it real, his level of joking was not that much unlike that of Don Imus and his producer with the Rutgers players. Really, the only difference is that Imus and co.'s "joke" carried a lot of weight in a historical sense. But even with the insensitive epilepsy comment, FIRING someone, causing them to lose his livliehood over a cras but not malicious joke is a bit much, wouldn't ya say? Let's use COMMON SENSE people...
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Name:
McNasty
Comment: This is ridiculous and shows the mentality of don imus' fans. He wasn't making fun of anyone, and it wasn't derogatory toward anyone it was plainly a reference to the illness itself and cannot be compared with what imus and his sidekick said.
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Name:
YLawdY
Comment: *picking self up off floor after seizure induced by that retarded looking logo* Wonder if these same people laughed when it was all over the 'net that Bouncy's song caused seizures? And Al wasn't the first on air personality to say this. I don't watch Al, but I heard the same comment made on ESPN on either PTI or SportsCenter. Should those guys be fired? People keep getting it twisted. This type of joke, while distasteful to some, is not directed at particular individuals.
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Name:
butterpecanrican
Comment: To me, the joke was in bad taste but maybe because I don't have epilepsy, I didn't find it offensive. One thing is for sure, public personas will have to be very careful in what they say from here on out.
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Name:
whatdat
Comment: Can someone tell me how Roker could do something so asinine especially after his strong opinion on igmus? Yes, he should be fired. Why? Well, substitute epiletic with Black folk. In other words, if Scott Willard (the white weatherman he replaced) had said, "Remember that controversial Olympic logo [...] Some folks have complained that the campaign actually caused them to dance like a Black person [...] those of you who could get up off the floor after shaking your booty like a Black person." Actually, getting rid of him would be a good thing. All radio and television personalities will see that the issue of what they say is now very serious and they will start reigning themselves in or the network executives will pull their chain. That having been said, what i would say to any white person that might mention the Roker episode to me is the same thing they love sying to us, "Don't be a hypocrite. Just move on." You want to see them turn beet red? Any time one of them mention the ex-football player tell them, "Like yall tell us just move on."
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Name:
RealGAPeach
Comment: tsk**tsk**
so much anger in our society. I was reading the vent (Atl journal newspaper) and someone earlier had said that Paris Hilton was the poster child for spoiled and rich averting justice. Someone wrote back and said that title was claimed by OJ. I am so tired of those cleer people screaming foul-play. You invented the game and change the rules wheneva you get ready...yet you scream foul when someone (read AA) does what you do? It makes me such an angry black woman!!!!
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Name:
ez3372
Comment: Lawd...white folks sure are on "get back" after Imus got fired for talking about black folks. This is rediculous! He wasn't making fun of people with epilepsy, he was making a reference to something giving people epileptic seizures. They need to find something else to talk about.
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Name:
MOTHERSHIP
Comment: RealGa, you are so on point.
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Name:
SeriousBrother69
Comment: I have to agree with TGen - "thus the slippery slope" begins. It would be unfortunate if Al Roker loses his job over this type of thing, but he and EVERYONE else needs to understand that no one should be above reaping the ramification of making such comments. So many of us wanted IMUS gone for his insensitive comments; I wanted his azz gone; he's gone now. Our voices was finally heard... A new tone has been set now and in my opinion EVERYONE should adhere to it. White America in general (and some black folks) didn't like what happened to Don Imus and this would be just the payback they seek - and they're not wrong! We've been hyprocrites for too long. That said, there's going to be a learning curve for many public personalities who are so use to flying off the handle with crazy comments and the price may be their employment, low tickets sales, public boycotts, etc. Personally, I think this is a good thing. I just hope it continues and spill over into other areas of pop culture because the Lord knows this country is morally corrupt. In the interim, Mr. Roker needs to pray that grace and mercy prevails on his behalf. I will be praying with him.
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Name:
gingerg
Comment: They need to leave Roker alone.
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Name:
mseffy
Comment: This is a clear case of tit-for-tat. The reference about the logo causing epileptic seizures was first mentioned in the London newspapers, who will host the 2012 olympics and took it upon themselves to change it. Al was merely quoting that article. BTW: the article went on to say the logo was juvenile and ill-concieved. It was...it looks like a poor attempt to be 'hip' and it ain't...
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Name:
mseffy
Comment: To Serious>>>>You make some valid points and despite what I said about tit-for-tat, we AA's need to understand that there will always be a backlash for out outcries and we won't always like it, especially when the backlash exposes OUR reluctance to admit that we (AA) often supply the bullets by with others are able to shoot us in the foot!!!
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Name:
mseffy
Comment: Typos should say ...for OUR; and....by which
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Name:
MOTHERSHIP
Comment: ez3372, please say it again.
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Name:
leokev
Comment: I heard this as it happened. At time, I thought Al was joking about what seemed obvious: If this animated logo is causing seizures, what can NBC expect by showing this on television? Thus the comment about being on the floor was not perceived about people who have the medical condition of epilepsy, but rather about having an unexpected seizure from seeing this animated logo. Where Al made his mistake was associating "epilepsy" with "seizure". Had he just limited his joke to a seizure caused by NBC showing this logo, the Imus lovers would not have had much to stand on.
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: Apparently remarks being made on-air is not just local..............BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- A Lebanese television anchor's comments and laughter regarding the %*$assination of Lebanese anti-Syrian parliamentarian Walid Eido have caused a furor and resulted in her firing.
The NBN anchor, who has not been identified, did not realize her microphone was on.
"So, why did it take them so long to kill him?" the anchor asked a colleague on live television Wednesday, the same day as Eido's death. She begins laughing, and the colleague joins in. Then she says, referring to anti-Syrian parliament member Ahmad Fatfat, "Fatfat should be next. I'm counting them down."
"We don't glee in someone else's misfortune," the colleague replies.
"It's not gloating," the anchor replied, "but we've had enough of them."
NBN is owned by Nabih Berry, a pro-Syrian politician who is speaker of Lebanon's parliament.
In a statement, the station said it had fired the anchor and colleague and apologized for "an unintentional mistake." The statement said, "the comments made do not represent the station in any way."
Leading anti-Syrian Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar wrote a story on the incident without naming the station or anchor. But other media picked up the exchange, which eventually made its way to the Web site YouTube.
Fatfat meanwhile told the Al-Arabiya network he is concerned for his life. He said he had hired an attorney and is prepared to sue the station for comments he interpreted as a direct threat.
Al-Arabiya continued to air the exchange Thursday, followed by interviews with officials representing and defending NBN, saying the firing of the anchor should be enough to quell any outrage her comments caused.
Syria has denied any involvement in Eido's killing.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: I was watching the show when he said it, and it was obvious that he was "trying" to poke fun at the logo being dangerous. How is that the same as calling somebody "nappy headed hos?" I don't get the correlation. Was Fred Sanford insentive to folks with heart disease by holding his chest faking a heart attack on every episode?!? Give me a break.
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Name:
katgrrrl
Comment: Whatdat: Thanks for flippin' the script and doin' an "A Time To Kill". "...Now imagine she's white", lol. I imagined Scott Willard actually saying that mess and felt myself getting a little heated. I heard Al's bit on the radio one morning. The part about folks having epiliptic seizures...he shoulda left it at that. What's done is done unfortunately, but I just wish he'd stopped before he let that comment about the ones who were able to stop shaking and get up off the floor... I don't know anyone personally with the disease, but I imagine I'd be much more upset if I did.
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Name:
Southernbelle
Comment: Let the games begin. For every one of theirs we took down be prepared to lose at least three of our own. This ain't nothing but payback.
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Name:
ccognac
Comment: This is dumb!
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Name:
OneDropMelanin
Comment: Oh, come on now! Let this go! There really are more important things going on in the world.
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Name:
leeneepoo
Comment: My point exactly Katgrrrl. In this instance I am not looking at this as a black-white issue or even racism because it does not have anything to do with it. At some point in life you have to have a level of sympathy and empathy. Where was Al's? Whether he knows of someone with the ailment or not where was his sense "that's awful for a person to go through". As I mentioned early my love one suffers of epilepsy and even if it was not close to home I would have a sense of "that's awful for a person to go through"....any type of mental illness is devasting to the individual and the family and I have a sense of "that's awful for a person to go through" whether I know someone personally with it or not. Katgrrrl you said it best "he should have stopped before he let that comment about the ones who were able to stop shaking and get up off the floor"......I still say that was in poor taste...Should Al be fired? Should IW needed to be fired? It's just a thin line to all this media madness.....
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: *Looking down Mt. Everest's peak* Here we go down the slope! Now everything done is compared to poor ol Imus. I watched it when he said it as well and it was obvious that he was referring to the notion that the logo was causing people seizures. My cousin, uncle, and childhood friend suffers from epilepsy and two w/the grand mal forms. I laughed at the joke even though I was in the car that my uncle almost crashed when he begin to lose consciouness. It was a bad joke but in no way compares to Imus. If Matt Lauer had a seizure and he made a joke about it then I would see the comparison. Sometimes I think we are just ridiculously sensitive. The big joke in DC and around the country is about the ALJ who is suing a dry cleaners for 54 mil because he says they lost his pants and has suffered emotional distress and depression behind it. Is this now a case for people who suffer from depression to sue or demand someone is fired for joking about it? Give me a break.
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Name:
Dovelyone
Comment: Whew... I'm all biblical today. Reading this story and you all's comments reminded me of the beatitude "blessed are the merciful, for they sall obtain mercy". Now, the BIGGEST reason that Al's job is under serious thread is because of the way he went after Don Imus, right or wrong. Right meaning that Imus needed to be held accountable for his words (both historical and present-day). Wrong in that how strong Al came across.... It's just like WOW in that it is true that we reap what we sow.... and if Al had been more prudent in his word choices, this conversation might not be happening. Maybe if Al had shown mercy to Imus, then maybe mercy might be shown to Al at this time.... The climate is too delicate and sensitive right now to tolerate any kind of offense (and offense is in the eye of the beholder). And we need to just deal with the fact that it will NEVER be like it was when people could say racist, classist, sexist, homophobic words and nothing be done. It's not that kind of world anymore.
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Name:
Dovelyone
Comment: TYPO ALERT! ***excuse me... that's meant to say "serious THREAT"***
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: Whatdat..I have one even better. Rush Limbaugh did a skit on Barack the Magic Negro. Neal Boortz referred to Cynthia McKinney as a ghetto slut. Ann Coulter referred to John Kerry as a faggot. All of them have suffered no consequences, didn't apologize and they are still on-air. Those are real life examples. Not hypotheticals.
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: What is Al being? Medically insensitive? Imus sexist and racially insensitive. Sorry but they are different for a reason.
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Name:
Dovelyone
Comment: Y'all keep harping on the "difference" and while I understand and to some extent, agree based on pervasive historical context.... But what is not being considered is the pattern of protest amongst the so-called offended groups. And as hard as it is to hear, Black folk are not united on what is offensive and on what is not offensive, which is why there's NO CREDIBILITY when it comes to protesting an offense and protecting an offender.
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Name:
jess
Comment: Don Imus' racist comment about those young women was the straw that broke the camels back. People were sick of his azz for years and he got even more arrogant and crossed the line and they fired him, appropriately. Al Roker does not have this kind of a history. An apology is all that's needed in this case. Those Imus fans can go take a flying leap!
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Name:
DOne
Comment: Personal I think its less about what you say and more about what medium you say it and who's the target audience. Let's take the Fox News Network, its target audience is basically angry, white male neo-cons so they could care less about blacks, women, gays, etc getting upset over what one of its on aire personalities says. ABC, CBS, NBC are busy trying to appeal across the board to everyone so they are going to be much more sensitive about not offending anyone. Al could have made the same comment on Fox News and no one would have said a word.
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Name:
Peekiebear
Comment: I have never been a fan of Al Roker's and I'm certainly aware that Don Imus is a titan of radio simply because he has always been a bitter racist man. He's been spewing the same racist rantings for decades. However, Roker was wrong and he should have owned up to it. It was wrong of him to make light of such a serious illness. However, Imus and Co have been looking for a Black person to target and say, "See? See? Let's get him/her fired." Imus hasn't changed at all and never will. Still, can we all try to be better people and stop scapegoating each other. Hey, I'm guilty of that, too. But mostly, I do a lot better than that. Do some kindness for somebody today- even yourself. Let love rock the world instead of hate.
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Name:
DCGG
Comment: You have got to be fuvkin kidding?!?!?
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Name:
SpecialK
Comment: Ignorance, racism and pure evil will be the destruction of this country yet. Damn people, think before you speak!!
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Name:
ricki
Comment: Whatdat, sorry, but I agree with your logic at all. Al was not poking fun at epileptics; he was poking at the claim that the LOGO caused epileptic seizures. I that the claim was ridiculous even before al brought it up on "Today". My mom had has epilepsy and SHE saw right throught the joke; she wasn't offended at all. I agree that there shouldn't be hypocrisy when it comes to making offensive comments on the air, but honey please! Did he take the joke too far? In hindsight, maybe. But some of us knew that he wasn't taking about epileptics, he was talking the people who claimed the logo MADE them epileptic. How in the HELL can this be compared to the Imus comment?
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Name:
ricki
Comment: Meant to say I DON'T agree...
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Name:
HustleKnocker27
Comment: Hold up, wait a minute... I work in the marketing industry--designers, art directors and brand folks alike have been complaining about that logo from Day One for the same 2 reasons: One: It's a FUGLY-azz poorly concepted logo. Two: Doctors and others have actually claimed that crazy cribbly designs have/can trigger epileptic seizures in some cases, enough to ask the question about the impact of this logo. Now anyone who watches AL Roker knows this guy is about as politically incorrect as Carlton from Fresh Prince was. He loves everybody. And with his family being descendents of slaves (he did a show where he traced his roots a few years back), he knows about genuine hate, etc. As for the Imus supporters, this is what happens when black folks allow everyone else to define what offends us. as long as others define us, our speech will be at the mercy of the real hypocrits and real bigots. leave AL alone.
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Name:
queeniebunz
Comment: I look at it like this - Jay Leno makes outrageous comments all the time about everyone - and he gets a pass because the stuff is funny and because we all know they are jokes and that he means no real harm to whoever. He cracks on gays, diseases, races, etc. but the stuff is FUNNY. When I just read the comment Roker made, I laughed. I have a serious chronic illness myself and have heard countless jokes about it and I laugh too because you can't take this stuff too seriously or you'll cry!...I have seen seizures and they are S-C-A-R-Y but I still laughed at the comment because I know he meant it in jest. We know Roker is a big ole teddy bear and that he has a good heart. Let it go at that. We need to relax a little, folks. Exhale...
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Name:
Victornator
Comment: Playing the devil's advocate here, but Isn't obesity and drug addiction considered diseases? Yea some of you are going to say that people willingly overeat and take drugs, but no one ever complains about comedians or anyone else in the media who make cruel fat or crackhead jokes. Never hear a peep from the association who came down on Jordan Sparks for being obese. Be careful what you wish for.
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Name:
ForrestGump
Comment: There's a BIG difference in making an escalating series of derogatory remarks about a SPECIFIC group of women athletes being evaluated about their on-camera appearance and Al Roker's little joke. Gimme a break.
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Name:
nightshift
Comment: It wasn't all that..funny or otherwise.
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Name:
mzdoone
Comment: Well ALL I can say is...I called up my man and told him he was on suspension for remarking this morning on our way out that "I looked like a model" HOW DARE HE??? Associate me with a thosE wafer thin anorexic mannequins (forget that I'm a size 14 & J-Lo is in competition with me) Then I get on the bus and the lady next to me asked me to sign a petition to get our driver fired because he said "Have a Blessed day" and she being an atheist was offended! To top that off I made a scene at the food court because the of Indian descent food server suggested a BLT and I went off " Just because I'm Black doesnt mean I eat pork. I want you fired. No...no apology!!! Everyone needs to get a GRIP!!!! In other words each offense should be weighed and judged by its severity. PEACE Y'ALL!!
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: LMAO@Mzdoone. YEah I feel the same way. Hustle..this is also what happens when black people allow yt folk a pass on discriminatory behavior based on our own actions. Imus: Well I said this because rappers say it. Instead of pointing out that ridiculous notion. Response from black folk: Yep, he right. I guess anyone can say anything as long as the precedent has been established by someone else. Lawd help us.
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Name:
beegirl
Comment: People are always telling us that we are too sensitive. Now, with this, they are daring us to tell them they are being too sensitive. I don't think they really care if Roker is fired or not. They are just looking for something, anything to spin to call us hypocrites. Jokes are always offensive. Jokes always go a bit too far. But was Don Imus joking or was he seriously giving a "description" at the time? I think he was being serious, no matter what they say. Roker was joking (even though, after a previous poster's story, I can now see how it was offensive). But did he immediately understand his mistake and apologize during the same show? Imus's fans will keep holding a witch hunt until they have an eye for an eye, no matter how many eyes they have to try to poke out.
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Name:
Train
Comment: How in the hell can looking at a sign cause you to have a seizure?? You got to be kdding me. Everybody needs to calm the hell down and just chill. I guess every week somebody from the media in either race will get fired until there's no one left in the media. This country is just too dayum sensitive nowadays.
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Name:
Angel
Comment: Train - It blinks like a strobe like which can trigger folks susceptible to seizures, due to a certain type of brain malfunction, to have one. It sounds crazy, but it must be true, of course, because I saw it on CSI or L and O. LOL
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Name:
ladybyrd
Comment: Let's see, "Nappy Headed Ho's" vs. "epileptic seizures", nope I don't see the comparison. I think Don Imus fans need to move on.
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Name:
SweetieDarlin
Comment: Essentially anyone can call for your termination if they get angry, deem what you said was insensative etc. it's a territory that comes with certain jobs (jeez think how many times people have asked EUR to fire Darryl James with the get pizzed with his column) heck the field staff regularly asks my bosses to fire me when I make a good decision they don't like 'boomp WHATEVER'. Comparing this issue to Don Imus is way over the top, I sincerely doubt Al Roker is going to be fired just cause someone asked him to be fired. Check his track record, he doesn't have a history of being insensative or even rude so it was an ill conceived attempt at humor, he apologized, accept it and perhaps move on.
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Name:
katgrrrl
Comment: LEENEEPOO: Thanks. I meant to say "before he let that comment...fly out his mouth." I also agree with JESS's comment, Al is not known for being a controversial personality as Imus is. On that note, personally, I don't think Al should be fired. MZDOONE: LMAO!
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Name:
katgrrrl
Comment: QUESTION: Were people actually writing in saying that this logo was causing them to have epileptic seizures? If that's the case, then Al just being sarcastic in response to OTHERS who were making light of epilepsy, yes?
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Name:
Angel
Comment: katgrrrl - They were reporting that the folks in London responsible for the ad pulled it and were redoing it because there were claims from viewers that the strobe-like affect in the ad induced seizures. They were doing a poll to see what folks thought of the ad, so since it was supposed to cause seizures, that is where Roker's joke comment came in (i.e. to make a comment about the ad, you would have to view it subjecting yourself to the risk of a possible seizure). So that is why he wanted to make it clear that he wasn't making fun of the disease, but instead he was poking fun at the irony for the poll.
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Name:
MissE
Comment: I haven't been on here for a while so I've missed a lot. I've just got one question, WHERE'S KUFHU?
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Name:
Train
Comment: I hope that they don't fire Al because his good in the media far outweighs Don Imus. I know that some white folks are salivating at the mouth for him to get fired but I know that al will stay strong.
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Name:
Dovelyone
Comment: FYI: NPR Interview today: Arts & Culture "Debating Dr. Burke: The 'Grey's Anatomy' Fallout" (June 14, 2007) ABC television network executives recently announced that actor Isaiah Washington would not be invited to return for another season as Dr. Preston Burke on the hit television drama Grey's Anatomy. This, after Washington reportedly used an anti-gay slur toward one of his cast-mates. Two Black gay activists, along with Entertainment Weekly writer Paul Katz, discuss whether it was the right move to fire Washington. They also talk about a petition circulating to save his job.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1 1044108
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Name:
YLawdY
Comment: MissE ...heard khufu can't get on anymore.
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Name:
katgrrrl
Comment: ANGEL: Thanks for clearing that up. Okay, now I get it. Al wasn't being insensitive at all.
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Name:
MissE
Comment: I would ask why lawdy, why? But it's not my busisness. I did miss seeing his post, though. As for Al saying what he said, I think everyone knows he meant no harm. I mean, it's Al Roker, for goodness sakes!
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Name:
TesticAl
Comment: Al looks like he is takin' a shyt in that pic.
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Name:
Babygurl
Comment: That joke was so not on the same level or done with the same intent as Don Imus.
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Name:
fairydust777
Comment: Why isn't Khufu allowed to get on?
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Name:
MissBee
Comment: Just when I think people can't find anything else to whine about, here comes....
Really, I don't care if you or someone in your family has epilepsy or not, a joke is a joke. Whether you thought it was funny or not, how was his joke being directed at you, cause you harm, and then the only resolution is to have the man fired.
Nothing but a bunch of punks! From reading about it, it seems like it was funny to me! And, it seems like he was directing the joke to the people who made the logo instead of the people who have the actual disease.
No wonder the Canadian dollar is almost of equal value as our dollar. We spend too much damn time whines about crap that doesn't make a bit of difference instead of attending to real business.
And btw, Don Imus shouldn't have been fired. Personally, I could care less what he said about those women anyway. If he was black, everyone would have been cracking up. He was basically calling them ugly. And let's face it, they are a bit manly looking. Not the prettiest flowers in the meadow. And it has nothing to do with skin color.
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