I do not think Shuster should be fired over the 'pimping out' comment .................

[Stinky The Clown]

............. or at least not yet.

First off, I am not a Hillary supporter, so that has nothing to do with what I'm about to say. Second. I was one of the first (if not the first) on DU to post about this comment when it happened. I also sent an alert to Media Matters within a few minutes of it being said.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4466917&mesg_id=4466917

I think it was a horrible turn of a phrase, one that is offensive, not only to women, but to anyone who places value on other people.

I also think it was said without any forethought by a young man for whom such language is likely not uncommon or unheard of. After all, Media Whore is in the common lexicon. And when one thinks about the context (which actually does matter), the point of his question was valid and the meaning implicit in the use of the phrase was clearly non sexual in its immediate intent. It was an unfortunate but not uncommon vulgar colloquialism

None of that is to excuse it, particularly in a man who is working as a serious journalist, not a pundit or an opinion maker. There *is* a double standard - one for professionals and one for people like you and me.

If Shuster is to be fired, it ought not happen until NBC's far more egregious chauvinists and misogynists are dealt with equally. Tucker Carlson's remark about crossing his legs whenever he hears Hilary Clinton's voice is an example of far worse intent than was Shuster's in his remark. Scarborough's threatening Mika Bryzynsky with "the back of my hand" may have been said as a joke, but what does it say about Scarborough's mindset and comfort level with demeaning violence toward women? What about Matthew's asking Erin Burnett to "lean forward" toward the camera and then tell her how pretty she is? Was that because of what he says was a fisheye effect of the camera or because he wanted to peek into her brassiere? And how many times has Matthews gone off about Hillary Clinton? Or when he told laura Ingram, as a guest on his show, how pretty she is. What does **that** have to do with political commentary? Or his speaking over female guests while swooning over the 'tough-guy' male guests? And then there's Russert, who runs the singularly most white male dominated talk show on all of teevee. And then there's the guests these bozos have on all the time. Like Mike Barnicle (godfather to one of Russert's spawn), the penultimate beltway insider and good old boy.

And then there's the king of them all, NBC Newz president Steve Capus. He allows this shit to go on until the offended become a deafening chorus. Imus, with his lifelong pattern of 'nappy headed ho' type humor, was fired, hopefully, **because** of that lifelong pattern.

No ...... I don't want to hear about Shuster getting canned for this. At least not until I hear all the others who are far, far, FAR worse get theirs first.

You wanna do something about this? Keep watching MSNBC and NBC and fire off e-mails to them every time they do something that offends or pisses you off.

Face it, MSNBC in particular sees the value in keeping us watching. Look at how much they gave Olbermann and how they have raised his profile. Shuster is actually one of the few other truth tellers on that network. Rachel Maddow has an ever increasing profile there. So does Mika. Just keep the pressure on to get rid of the more egregious assholes.

I suspect the Carlson boy will the next to leave ...... his contract is up very shortly.