You did hear, I take it, what that right-wing radio clod Michael Savage said last week about autism?:
I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
Writing in National Review Online, John J. Pitney, whose son is autistic, kicks the ridiculous Savage to the curb. Good. Excerpt:
Once in a while, parents take the approach that Savage recommends. It never works. Screaming insults at a handicapped kid is not child-rearing. It's child abuse.Conservatives need to speak out against Savage. Many news stories label him as "conservative" or "right-wing," which may prompt some people to think that we agree with him. Savage has a long history of disgusting comments, which has led David Klinghoffer to speculate that his act is a giant liberal put-on, a "lefty's cartoon mental picture of a ranting right-wing caveman."
What an embarrassment this troglodyte Savage is. But an appropriately named one. Poking fun at autistic children and their parents -- good grief! An old friend and reader of this blog is living with three young sons who are all autistic. It's either going to make him and his wife into saints, or drive them insane. The comments of a Michael Savage really are beneath contempt -- and I encourage all conservatives to say so.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
As a fairly regular Savage listener, I really like him. He's like a grumpy old uncle who says things that are politically incorrect but often need to be said. If you listen to Uncle Mike regularly, you'll find that he's quite kind and understanding to people who have real problems. Of course the autism comment sounded harsh (I heard it live), but his point is simply that we live in an age of irresponsibility in which parents don't discipline their children but look for "diseases" as explanation for unacceptable behavior. I do not say I agree with Savage's comment about autism, but a regular listenr to Doctor Savage would understand his message, communicated with typical hyperbole. I must say I find Michael Savage strong medicine for a very sick age.
Savage has a great sense of humor. Also unlike just about all the other "conservative" talk radio broadcasters, Michael isn't a promoter of the Republican Party.
I've also noticed that others will tell flat out lies about him. One very well-known TV and radio personality said that Savage wished ill to Senator Kennedy when it was announced that Kennedy had a brain tumor. Again, I was listening that night and Savage said nothing of the kind. He wished for Kennedy's personal well-being and recovery, though he did blast Kennedy's ideas and political views--as would any true conservative.
Listening to Savage reminds me how our entire culture has succumbed to a therapeutic view of life. No doubt reality will bring it all crashing down.
I agree with Micheal. I know several people who have chosen to blame bad behavior or stress of life, on their child's state of mind. I think that every parent needs to STAND up and BE A REAL PARENT!! You know in the 60's-80's everyone has ADD or ADHD.. And no one was on drugs! And now you cant even get through on day without hearing a pathetic mother go on about how awful her life is because of "autism". When I know that it is because of lack of parenting. If these parents to their roll seriously and punished their kids accordingly, there would be no problems. I deal with a mother on a day to day basis who has a child with autism. And for 8 years, she has used it to blame all her life's problems for it. She is pathetic to do that. And then she passes it on to the rest of the family and they all think that ALL their kids have problems. Give ME A BREAK!!!! I think Michel is RIGHT!!! I think if there was a dad, or mother who actually taught their children discipline and manners, autism wouldn't even be considered.
GROW UP AND BE A REAL PARENT!
Iam responding to the last comment posted.To say that you don't know what your talking about when it comes to autism and I venture to guess so many other subjects also,is an understatment.You are an uneducated ignoramus to whom I can only hope will chose never to procreate.God forbid if you were to and had a disabled child,I cringe at the thought of what that child would have to endure having you as a parent.You probably make it a habit to speak directly through your anus and are used to being dismissed and ignored so in closing I'll just say to you, you are indeed dismissed.
Iam responding to the last comment posted.To say that you don't know what your talking about when it comes to autism and I venture to guess so many other subjects also,is an understatment.You are an uneducated ignoramus to whom I can only hope will chose never to procreate.God forbid if you were to and had a disabled child,I cringe at the thought of what that child would have to endure having you as a parent.You probably make it a habit to speak directly through your anus and are used to being dismissed and ignored so in closing I'll just say to you, you are indeed dismissed.
michael savage is a phony. he's not a conservative. he's a caricature of a conservative being portrayed by a liberal... much like Carol O'Connor (liberal) portrayed Archie Bunker on TV years ago. michael weiner is a SF liberal. he portrays the "michael savage" character on radio. for purposes of fame & fortune, after deciding that talk radio was a good place to make a quick buck, he created this "michael savage" persona. this persona is a caricature of what real conservatives think & believe and how they act. in fact, if you listen to his show with this fact in mind, you'll see much how the behavior and opinions of "michael savage" are right in line with what a typical leftist perceives a conservative to think & believe, and how a conservative would act. were he only doing this for fame & fortune, it would be bad enough. however, he is also seeking to subvert real conservatism by leading his listeners astray. he attacks every true conservative talk show host at every chance he gets. he attacks Bush. he is now even attacking Palin. the real goal of "michael savage" is to convince conservative voters to stay home on election day, or vote for a 3rd party candidate and waste their votes. his on-air antics are also useful to enemies of the conservative movement because they use his behavior to paint/discredit all conservatives with a broad brush. what he said about autism is just one of many examples of him choosing to say something offensive and outrageous, with the hope that his listeners (many of them real conservatives) would be considered guilty of the same beliefs by association. meanwhile, he'll happily make millions selling his books to anybody who will buy them. he's a fraud, a fake, and a phony and it's time for real conservatives to stand up and say so!
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.