If Bill O’Reilly were a comedian, his comments about Sylvia’s restaurant wouldn’t be been an issue. Because he isn’t a comedian, his comments and the reactions to his comments reflect the worst of two worlds: O’Reilly’s small head, and those ready to pounce on anyone who doesn’t say, “Black is Beautiful.”
If D.L Hughley or Robin Williams’s review of the crowd at Sylvia’s had been, “M-fer, I want more iced tea,” we’d all still be rolling. Comedians have a knack for turning tension into comedy when experiencing new things, presenting it in a way in which we can all relate.
That O’Really Is He a Commentator wouldn’t know a joke from a poke has many judging his comment in a very different light. Unfortunately, that light also reveals just how much some wear their hearts on their sleeves, how big a chip some carry around on their shoulder, and how unwilling some are to see humor even when it isn’t deliberate.
Yes, Bill is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot. He’s also a guy who, for once, pulled a funny when everyone least expected it. In fact, everyone expected him to be — of all things — on his best behavior. Why? We know who he is, we know what he thinks, and we know what he’s said before, so why is anyone surprised?
This is not to suggest a racist comment is acceptable on any level. It is to say that just because one speaks of or refers to race doesn’t mean the comment is necessarily racist, and it doesn’t mean the comment is automatically unfunny.
Hughley’s comment about white people getting fired* is stereotyping if ever there was stereotyping. Williams’ comments about people in the south**, gay burglars***, and women**** go straight to the core of our prejudices. They’re funny because we can relate to what is being said – about our own misguided beliefs about others.
Article comments
1 - texas our texas secede
Yes, Bill is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot. personal attacks are not allowed on this post? say what? its ok for the lead then? just no one else. to get respect you have to give it as well or didnt your mother and father teach you that? apparently not.
2 - daryl d
Diana-
Once again-intelligent, thought provoking, and partially true. Bill O'Reilly just gets under my skin so much that it's tough for me to be objective about him. I guess the fact that he wasn't joking is what offends me because he makes all white people look bad. The Imus thing, givin its context, didn't bug me a bit.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
Diana, while I can't refute anything you say about O'Reilly, I wonder why you care about what O'Reilly thinks or says.
4 - diana hartman
matthew, it isn't what bill said, it was what i perceived as a misperception of what he said...
5 - plainavy
I appreciate your politically incorrect point: O'Reilly's critics look like "asses" when taking up arms on his Sylvia's restaurant comment. NPR commentator Juan Williams was in full agreement with O'Reilly while being interviewed by him that day and came out subsequently in O'Reilly's defense.
If people would bother to listen to his radio show where the comments were made (posted in its entirety at billoreilly.com), they'd know that the whole point of that show segment was to ATTACK racist stereotypes by celebrating and acknowledging the NORMALCY of Sylvia's.
Of course, people intent on attacking him over this twist his comments out of context: Isn't he racist to ASSUME that normalcy would not be a given? The missed point however in this putative "analyis", for O'Reilly, was that yes, there is still racism in America and too many Americans are not past their worst stereotypes of Blacks in America.
Yet his experience of dining with Rev. Sharpton at Sylvia's was an example of having a great time and a great meal at a Black restaurant that belied all the gangsta rap images circulating in the media and misinforming white America about an ethnic minority in its midst.
Williams was and is completely on board with O'Reilly's take on this circulation of harmful stereotypes. And it's a point that other Black commentators like Clarence Page have made as well: White corporate music executives and entertainment moguls feed a hyper-criminal image of Black America to the rest of the country and it's hurting all of us.
I suspect that if more people were a little less ideologically defensive, and engaged O'Reilly, and took his point of view with an ounce of tolerance, they'd recognize that despite his flaws, he has much to teach them: His assumptions are different from many in liberal secular society, but that doesn't make him the Devil, it makes him a populist Irish Catholic who is heavily invested in traditional American virtues.
6 - bliffle
O'reilly is an entertainer and he sure knows how to fill the seats. But why would anyone pay attention to what he says?
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
Perceiving a misperception -- is that like the root of a square?