Freeman: anti-Obama sentiment ’a racist thing’
In a CNN interview with Piers Morgan that aired Friday, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman claimed the tea party movement is racist.
Asked whether President Obama’s presidency has made racism better or worse, Mr. Freeman responded by saying his 2008 election made it worse — because of Republicans.
“Their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term,” he said. “What does that, what underlines that? ’Screw the country. We’re going to whatever we do to get this black man … outta here.’”
When Mr. Morgan insisted that race doesn’t play a role, Mr. Freeman shot back that “it is a racist thing.”
The actor also said it unnerved him to see the tea party gaining traction because it shows the hatred that exists in the United States.
“It just shows the weak, dark, underside of America,” Mr. Freeman said. “We’re supposed to be better than that. We really are. That’s why all those people were in tears when Obama was elected president. ’Ah, look at what we are. Look at how this is America.’ You know? And then it just sort of started turning because these people surfaced like stirring up muddy water.”
Lady Gaga: Bullying must be made illegal
Performance artist Lady Gaga is calling on the government to make bullying a federal offense.
Reacting to the recent suicide of bullied gay Buffalo teen Jamey Rodemeyer, the 25-year-old New Yorker tweeted Wednesday, “Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. Bullying must … be illegal. It is a hate crime.”
Linking to the late boy’s “It Gets Better” YouTube video, which encourages viewers to love themselves and ignore the haters, Lady Gaga said she’s been sobbing, musing and shouting since the tormented 14-year-old’s Sept. 18 death.
“The past days I’ve spent reflecting, crying, and yelling,” Lady Gaga tweeted. “I have so much anger. It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someones life.”
Before taking his life at the beginning of last week, Jamey blogged about wanting to see his deceased great-grandmother and thanked Lady Gaga, to whom he’d referred in his summer YouTube clip. The “Born This Way” singer tweeted that she will meet with the president about the issue of bullying and try to create a law as a tribute to Jamey.
“I am meeting with our President,” Lady Gaga wrote. “I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey.”
During his short time on earth, Jamey made no secret of the harassment he endured. Earlier this month, he wrote on his blog, “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”
According to the Buffalo News, his friends and family members knew that the teenager was an easy target for bullies and known to talk about suicide. A year ago, Jamey made a Formspring account and received anonymous cyberbully posts from rotten kids.
One misspelled swipe against him read in all capital letters, “Jamie is stupid, gay, fat annd ugly. He must die!” An equally callous, twisted message read, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it :) It would make everyone way more happier!”
Read more: https://dailycaller.com/2011/09/22/lady-gaga-bullying-must-become-illegal/#ixzz1YzdbVYo4
Groups offer alternatives to ’dumb girl’ T-shirts
The New Agenda (TNA) and Girl Talk have teamed up to release a line of “girls empowering T-shirts,” in honor of Day of the Girl.
Though intending to “empower and improve the lives of teenage girls,” TNA began selling these shirts in part to fire back at retailers J.C. Penney and Forever 21 for producing and selling apparel it considered sexist.
On its blog Thursday, TNA expressed disgust at Forever 21’s highly criticized “Allergic to Algebra” and J.C. Penney’s “I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me” tops and offered up a few alternative buys. A clear swipe at the “Algebra” shirt, one of TNA’s shirts reads, “I can have my pi, and eat it too.” Another shirt bears the words, “Some girls chase boys, I pass ’em.”
TNA founder Amy Siskind said her organization’s new articles of clothing are meant to remind women that they don’t deserve to be demeaned or objectified by society.
“The media and popular culture are waging a war to define women and girls as sexual objects,” Ms. Siskind said. “We think it’s time to tell the truth.”
Upon seeing the “Too pretty” shirt earlier this month, which was swiftly taken off the market, Ms. Siskind pointed out, “This offensive T-shirt is 60-percent off. Apparently, parents don’t buy into celebrating limiting the importance of their daughters’ intellectually capabilities. The consumer, thankfully, has spoken.”
Though the “Too pretty” and “Algebra” shirts sparked a media firestorm, they weren’t the first girl-demeaning garments to hit the market. J.C. Penney has another shirt that lists “Boys, shopping, music, dancing” under “my best subjects.” And David & Goliath sells a discounted “I’m too pretty to do math” top along with a shirt that reads, “I’m here for my looks, not my brains.”
• Compiled by Laura Donovan and Michelle Fields © 2011 the Daily Caller.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.