terrshee's Diaryland Diary

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Cut Pat Robertson Some Slack?

Educaitlin points out that Pat Robertson is getting old and his mind may not be what it was. This is an absolutely valid point, and may well be true. We should always be kind to those who cannot help themselves. Were it my neighbor, I'd merely tsk and shake my head over the whole sad incident.

I do pity the man, in a way, because to humiliate himself time after time in front of a television audience without learning any better probably means he doesn't really know what he is doing any more.

But there does need to be some sort of public outcry against these insensitive and downright cruel comments. As Americans, we cannot by our silence let the rest of the world think that public figures who have access to the airwaves speak for us. Whatever the personal pain to Pat Robertson (if he actually cares about anyone's disapproval), we should not quietly pass over what is potentially damaging to us all. We live in a country where the press is free, and most of the world doesn't. There when a program hits the TV, it is usually government approved or sponsored. This leaves the impression that somehow what the U.S. broadcasts is official policy. Scary, no? The OC as U.S. propganda to debase the peoples of the world rather than the pandering to an overfed and indulged domestic population.

If Pat has truly lost it, then it is time for the message to reach him and his people that he's gone too far and needs to be reined in. Pat Robertson does not speak for most of us, and I'd like him and the world to know that. If a small jesture like sending a bracelet gets that across, then I'm for it.

You can't have it both ways, as Rush Limbaugh has learned. You can't claim to be nothing but a private individual and still take the pulpit every day in front of hundreds of thousands of people. If you are setting yourself up as a leader and opinion maker, then you'd better be ready to take the heat when you goof.

And you will, as every single one of us humans do. There's always a price to pay, and the best admit their mistakes, apologize and get on with it rather than trying to bull their way into righteousness.

6:10 a.m. - 2006-01-07
1 comments

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past tense - always tense - future tense