Feeds: 
symbol identifies content for paid subscribers only.
WHERE THE HE-MEN MEET. When watching shows like Bill O'Reilly's, or listening to a local radio talk show hosted by Mike Barnicle, I get that uncomfortable, need-to-cross-my-arms-across-my-breasts feeling. Even though I'm at a distance. Well, I have realized the roots of that feeling now. Those places are not intended for me. Here's what O'Reilly said a few days ago on the topic of immigration:
O'REILLY: OK, I think it's a small part, but I think it's there. On the other side, you have people who hate America, and they hate it because it's run primarily by white, Christian men. Let me repeat that. America is run primarily by white, Christian men, and there is a segment of our population who hates that, despises that power structure. So they, under the guise of being compassionate, want to flood the country with foreign nationals, unlimited, unlimited, to change the complexion -- pardon the pun -- of America. Now, that's hatred, too. It's a different kind of hatred, but it's hatred and best exemplified by The New York Times, which today says in its editorial, quote: "Those who want [the immigration] bill to be better are horribly conflicted by it. Their emotions still seem vastly overmatched by the ferocity of the opposition from the restrictionist right, with talk radio lighting up over 'amnesty,' callers spitting out the words with all the hate they can pour into it," unquote.
Pity the poor hated white Christian men. It's very tough to run a country and then get nothing but hatred back. Or so O'Reilly appears to argue.
Then yesterday I happened to listen to Mike Barnicle interviewing Chris Matthews of Hardball fame. Matthews suffers from a Hillary-fixation, but the Barnicle interview revealed something more deeply awry in his psyche. After all the matey-introductions about being alumni from the same university and so on, Barnicle asked Matthews what he thought about the candidacy of Fred Thompson. Matthews was very excited, pointing out that Thompson was the sort of guy who in the 1950s would have come home and said: "Would somebody get my slippers." A perfect "tonal alternative," Matthews continued, to the "screeching fingers on the blackmail--er--blackboard, Hillary." Tonal alternative? As in, feminist vs. putting women back to their "proper places"?
Matthews went on to bemoan how every hour now is the International Year of the Woman. He also implied that it is the less-educated women who like Hillary. The more educated and neurotic (yes, that's the word he used) people don't care for her as much.
The rest of the Matthews interview is fun, too. He goes on for some time about whether Al Gore has had cosmetic surgery or not, making it very clear that he wouldn't be able to tell himself, what with being a he-man, but that his female producers are experts at spotting Botox and such and could tell. He also mentioned that Gore is fat. I thought that only women are supposed to gossip about looks. Hmmm.
--J. Goodrich
COMMENTS (33)
Tell me about it, Goodrich. I imagine your emotions are an analog to the way I feel as a Democratic male when I listen to this or similar shows - my very masculinity itself is called inot question because I'm a "liberal". Some moron on right-wing talk radio (OT: isn't that the most redundent phrase in modern parlance...? Seeing as ALL talk radio is right wing) here in Boston said on the air last night that, if he were to vote democrat, he "might as well go to Sweden and get the operation..." IN-FUCKING-FURIATING. These so-called right wing tough guys are all just a bunch of wimps looking for a big Daddy to protect them. It makes me sick. And Matthews has simply gone completely batshit insane.
Posted by: stteveconga | June 1, 2007 10:53 AM
Chris Matthews on the Mike Barnicle show?!?!? Isn't that a sort of cosmic black hole of confused white males wondering where their privledge went?
Posted by: Col Bat Guano | June 1, 2007 11:04 AM
Chris Matthews has a homoerotic fixation on republican politicians. He had a huge man crush on Bush during the 2000 election. He would get visibly excited talking about him. His crush got worse after 9/11. He was describing Bush as the new Alexander the Great.
Simultaneously with his Bush crush he also had a crush on McCain. And then came Ahnuld. Matthews was like a teeage groupie talking about him. And then came Rudy. He would go on and on about how Rudy was manly. And then came Mitt and his masculine jawline. Now it is Fred Thompson.
His hostility towards Hillary is directly linked to his man crushes on GOP leaders. He clearly feels threatened by her.
Matthews seems to have no self awareness. He doesn't seem to realize that when he is foaming at the mouth about Hillary he is revealing more about himself than about her.
Posted by: Nan | June 1, 2007 11:14 AM
"it is the less-educated women who like Hillary."
Chris Matthews is always ranting and raving about elitist Hillary and liberals in general. Looks like he has been projecting.
Posted by: DonB | June 1, 2007 11:18 AM
Right on, Steve Conga! I'm one o'them Two-Fisted Liberals who has also noticed that more obviously "masculine" a guy is outfitted (shit-stompers, big truck, camo gear, gun-lovin' etc.) the more insecure he is about his woman, his family, his job, and his imagined position in society.
Posted by: David | June 1, 2007 11:25 AM
Can you seriously disagree with what O'Reley said?
There are people in this country (some on this blog) who want to throw open the borders either because they are whores for the dollar (WSJ, Bush) or because they hate western civilization and don't care if its engulfed by a wretched, Third World tidal wave (NYT, Teddy Kennedy)
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 1, 2007 11:36 AM
Guess you must have missed Tweety on his own show the other night going on and on and on, over and over and over again, about Fred Thompson's cigar. Really. He thought that was just about the coolest thing there could be, a pol smoking cigars. Homoerotic tendencies anyone?
What's particularly amusing is that Bill Clinton also smoked cigars, yet that was somehow icky and embarrassing. But Fred Thompson smoking cigars, or Arnold, is hot, hot, hot.
Ew.
Posted by: gyrfalcon | June 1, 2007 12:14 PM
"wretched, Third World tidal wave"?
is that supposed to be a joke or just intentionally repugnant?
"AmericanResistance"? Praise Jeebus, someone's out there holding the line for all us white christian dudes.
I thank you and your country thanks you.
Posted by: mencken | June 1, 2007 12:47 PM
I for one would like to welcome chris matthews out of the closet.
he's been living a lie for far too long.
Posted by: mencken | June 1, 2007 12:50 PM
Yeah mencken, anyone who doesnt want to throw the borders wide open for the billions of third worlders to move here is a racist.
Its you who are the bigot, you are bigoted against native-born americans.
Do you really hate western civilization that much?
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 1, 2007 1:13 PM
I for one would like to welcome chris matthews out of the closet.
That always was my explanation for Matthews' Hilary-hate. He jsut can't stand the fact that Hillary has been up-close and person with the Clenis.
Posted by: Sharon | June 1, 2007 1:18 PM
Right-wing TV is like sports TV in that respect. All those trashy, tasteless beer commercials designed to make men feel adequate ("at least I'm not as bad as that guy"). All the discussions of physique. At least they have good-looking women on the sidelines to provide some eye relief.
Matthews has really reached previously unplumbed depths of self-parody. Just awful.
Posted by: Mimikatz | June 1, 2007 1:51 PM
if he were to vote democrat, he "might as well go to Sweden and get the operation..." IN-FUCKING-FURIATING.
I see something like this in high school all the time. Some time around '94 or '96, the memo went round that if you study, your dick will fall off.
Today: Honors junior English -- 1 guy, 17 girsl. AP Calculus -- Calculus! -- 7 girls, 3 boys. Last seven valedictorians & salutatorians -- 11 girls, three boys. Hell, we had an all-girl math team four years ago.
And to think there was an expensive, foundation-supported aspirations program here 20 years ago to boost female achievement.
All they really had to do was start a rumor that academic success made you Teh Gay...
Posted by: dxmachina | June 1, 2007 2:16 PM
"Can you seriously disagree with what O'Reley said?"
um, yeah. i can.
Posted by: winer | June 1, 2007 2:21 PM
Its you who are the bigot, you are bigoted against native-born americans.
Do you really hate western civilization that much?
Are you really as stupid as you sound?
Posted by: Col Bat Guano | June 1, 2007 3:14 PM
Then explain to me, how we can have open borders and still mantain our culture and democracy?
Since liberals love diversity so much, lets let as many Muslims move here as they want! They can even get their sharia law family courts like they have in Canada.
And once we, like France, have an Infitadah in our cities, it will be a multi-culty brotherly liberal paradise.
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 1, 2007 3:21 PM
Giuliani totally had an eye job. Just saying.
Posted by: Hoyt Pollard | June 1, 2007 4:15 PM
AmericanResistance- what sharia law in Canada? Can you put up a link, cuz I haven't heard of this before
Posted by: your mom | June 1, 2007 6:00 PM
or because they hate western civilization and don't care if its engulfed by a wretched, Third World tidal wave (NYT, Teddy Kennedy)
How come the people saying this stuff are always the ones who aren't intellectually qualified to understand either the New York Times or Kennedy?
Might as well relax, man. Have a Corona.
Posted by: Oscar | June 1, 2007 8:15 PM
You want a link?
here you go! Is the BBC trustworthy enough for you?
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 1, 2007 8:22 PM
As far as I know the proposal about sharia courts lost in Canada.
Posted by: J. Goodrich | June 1, 2007 8:27 PM
Goodrich, the fact that such a proposal is even being made should give us all pause about immigration policy in the United States.
And what of the Islamic riots in France in 2005?
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 1, 2007 8:40 PM
And what of the Islamic riots in France in 2005?
Dude.
France had colonies in Muslim countries up to the 1950s. Fought a whole damn war in Algeria (lost too). The war helped bring down the DeGaulle government.
Many of the "Islamic rioters" are the children and grandchildren of locals who supported the French. Their folks had to leave to avoid getting slaughtered as quislings (look it up).
Exept when they moved to France, they weren't welcomed into society, they were stuck in crappy public housing and left with no access to full participation in society.
Contrast that with the Vietnam/American experience. A lot of Vietnamese supported the American cause and (rightfully) feared for their lives, so they came here. I've worked with the sons and daughters of those people and they are integrated completely into American society. Their parents still maintain a Vietnamese culture (and make a kick ass pho) but the kids are teachers and doctors and engineers.
People can come to America, be Americans, and still honor their roots. The only way your society dies out is if its replaced by a better one.
Just a brief thought
Posted by: ChrisF | June 1, 2007 9:52 PM
Well, J., it's a guy thing.
Remember that book talk ep with Al Franken and Bill O trying to see who could goad the other one into an "Outside! Now!"? You could see Bill boiling, but you could also see him sizing up Franken and recognizing a guy who wrestled in high school--and who has that look of someone with more than one move against a sucker punch. So Bill got pissy but did nothing more, as usual when he isn't in a studio with a goon or two at the door to back him up.
So don't think that any males, white or otherwise, take O'Reilly's bilge as anything more than bilge, even when they agree with it. Or regard Matthews as anything more than the class toady, sucking up to the football players lest they give him another wedgie.
By being cowards on tv, they exocize the inner coward in all men.
Posted by: Steve Paradis | June 1, 2007 9:59 PM
As a Jewish man, I can assure Big Bad Bill O'Reilly that we run the country--and he should be thankful for it.
Posted by: Shein | June 2, 2007 3:19 AM
They "have" Sharia courts in Canada? Then why is there a follow-up story from only a couple of days later on how the proposal was dropped?
Posted by: Andrew | June 2, 2007 6:12 AM
AmericanResistance- the link you posted was to an article from 2005. Googling "Canada and Sharia Law" and clicking on the news link will show that recent news on this issue is about banks potentially being used to bring in Sharia Law, but it has not succeeded. But I guess, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you.
Posted by: your mom | June 2, 2007 9:56 AM
I'll ask all of you open borders people again, what makes you think that all the Latin Americans entering this country won't re-create the same dysfunctional societies and cultures that exist south of the border?
Immigrants CAN assimilate, but not if millions of new ones enter every year. We need a "time out" on immigration for at least 20 years. Zero immigration until 1) the current immigrants are assimilated, and 2) the middle class in this country is taken care of first.
Posted by: AmericanResistance | June 2, 2007 2:32 PM
Yes, O'Reilly is an asshole and a terrible use of our broadcast space, but because he opposes amnesty doesn't mean those of us who detest him are required to be for amnesty. Democrats make a terrible mistake in supporting amnesty for illegal aliens as what they are truly opposing is abiding by the laws of the land and supporting the further destruction of the middle class to the advantage of the corporate class.
By the way while we're on the subject, twelve million people illegally crossing our borders is not immigration, it's invasion.
Posted by: little green | June 2, 2007 8:39 PM
AmericanResistance:
Canada's experiments in "faith-based" law would not (yet) fly in the US, because we (still so far) have a pretty clear Constitutional prohibition against an Establishment of Religion.
This kind of nonsense is exemplary of why the Founders insisted on a strict separation of church and state.
So if you're afraid that all those Mexicans will try to establish some kind of Christian Nation here, it won't happen without a fight.
Posted by: de Selby | June 3, 2007 1:17 AM
"I'll ask all of you open borders people again, what makes you think that all the Latin Americans entering this country won't re-create the same dysfunctional societies and cultures that exist south of the border?"
Um ... is 50 years of past history and experience sufficient? It is for me.
Posted by: PaulB | June 3, 2007 11:08 AM
ymwb gywnrhb gbmkrjl clzuo pkyhvzlnc mngxqo xywbz
Posted by: cmnqx fdatgy | June 11, 2007 8:10 PM
gyhpevojz prqmdsu vfyjzdp rantygzdu trsylx mcun qxaozg http://www.xbmhpe.bznfcr.com
Posted by: izcdpym iawjkzxo | June 11, 2007 8:11 PM