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169 Comments
- t3hbagel, on 04/01/2008, -16/+58Are you serious? Lou Dobbs almost saying "cotton pickin'" is worthy of the front page AND people's outrage?
What a crock. I've been more offended driving down the road and reading license plates.
So what. - ClancyBoy, on 04/01/2008, -9/+47My whole life I never knew that "cotton pickin'" was a racial epithet.
Bugs Bunny says it all the time. - Tex, on 07/28/2008, -2/+36I'm sure Lou was just going to say "cotton candy."
- PseudoThink, on 04/01/2008, -3/+26Similarly, I had honestly never thought about the possible racial connotations to "cotton pickin". The only time I'd ever heard it used like that was in Looney Tunes, and I thought it was just a "random" choice of words that sounded good for emphasizing something. Granted, if there actually are racial connotations to the phrase, pundits, newspeople, and media should probably be aware of them.
- luet, on 04/01/2008, -6/+27Okay, as much as I think the term "cotton pickin" is quite a racist term (even though I just realized it now), I sincerely think Lou Dobbs or whatever his name is really did not mean it as a racial slur. He is kind of an old guy so he uses old terms. What I remember from my childhood is Bugs Bunny saying "cotton pickin" quite often, and those cartoons are quite old. As bad a term it is, it's quite hard to rid yourself of muscle memory you have been prone to using for a while. Imagine you say "*****" instead of "holy *****" or another term to describe your surprise for your entire life. But ***** turns out to be racist against the people of Dicknipplia. It would be hard for you to stop, especially when it's accepted in everyday conversation except where the conversation has the context of the Dicknipplese.
This guy on CNN sounded to me like he was about to say cotton pickin' as just an empowering adjective, but then halfway through he thought "HOLY ***** ***** I CAN'T SAY THAT IN THIS CONVERSATION" and tried to cover his mistake up, which could be taken as extremely racist. The way he recuperates from saying "cotton" is very telling. He gets quite flustered, says "I just- I don't know". Don't tell me none of you have ever responded to a speech accident in that fashion.
Honestly I think this is being blown out of proportion. - mateo60, on 04/01/2008, -3/+23Up until just now, I never even had thought about the origins of the phrase "cotton picking", and that it had racial connotations. I would've never thought twice about using that phrase in front of a black friend. I'd always just thought of it as a folksy phrase that people don't use much anymore. Often times, Lou tries to come off as folksy. I doubt that he was intending to use "cotton picking" in a racial way.
I don't really have a lot of love for Lou Dobbs, and when it comes to someone saying something that offends people racially,I usually am on the side of the people who were offended, but in this case I really think that too much is being made of this remark. - LegalSatire, on 04/01/2008, -9/+26Wow... the summary provided on Digg set me up to see some fireworks. Instead, a saw a guy choke on a single word, and had to go back to Digg just to see what he was supposedly so "agitated" about. Sure - it does seem like he was about to say something inappropriate, but at the same time, isn't that the cherry-picking he spent the rest of his soundbite talking about?
- rhinopig, on 04/01/2008, -4/+16The problem with the summary is that it implies he said ‘cotton pickin’ black leaders. He didn't and I doubt he was going to. He was going to say 'cotton picking politicians'. While it's true what the post above says, that cotton picking is evidence of the very 'birth defect' rice was talking about, he wasn't intentionally using it in a racial sense, but just as a negative modifier for all politicians, and not just 'black leaders' as the summary says. I'm gonna have to mark this submission inaccurate.
- mateo60, on 04/01/2008, -2/+13Same here. It makes sense though, and now that I know, I'll stop using the phrase when I'm outsmarted by a rabbit. From now on, use "*****" instead.
- budser, on 04/01/2008, -4/+14You have to admit that context of his slip of the tongue is pretty ironic. Come to think of it, Lou Dobbs has basically defined the word irony.
- NoStoppingUs, on 04/01/2008, -10/+20you know, at what point are we going to stand up to the political correct crowd in this country and tell them to ***** off. this is insanity guys. really. now we're going after people for saying words that they didn't even say? i hate don imus, but calling someone a nappy headed ho and getting fired for it is just absurd. i truly don't understand everyone's outrage. words are just words unless you give them meaning.
i understand you people want to feel important so you allow yourselves to be offended as much as possible so your asses will be kissed, but come the ***** on. this is nuts. i hate cnn. i dont like lou dobbs, but this country is heading down a dangerous path, and the train doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. - Acewrap, on 04/01/2008, -0/+9What?
- inactive, on 04/01/2008, -5/+13Lou Dobbs is not a racist. He has run afoul of left-wing haters because he wants us protected on the borders. "Cotton picking" has become a term that is substituted for profanity that is not to be used in polite society or on TV. Not only black people picked cotton. The term "red neck" that elitist liberals gleefully use to express their contempt for poor, southern people originated from the sunburns that white people got on their necks as they picked cotton.
- Kautylia, on 04/01/2008, -9/+17Because he isn't as racist as digg would have you believe. He wasn't talking about "black leaders." He was talking about, as he said "politicians, whoever they may be..." . Followed by a poor choice of words; not racially motivated ones. Buried as inaccurate.
- Digg90210, on 04/01/2008, -4/+12He also made this statement:
→ "This is the most socially, ethnically, religiously, racially diverse society on the face of the earth."
Is this true? Sounded good. - shiv68, on 04/01/2008, -0/+8
I'm taking it back! Cotton picker 4 life! - noself, on 04/01/2008, -6/+14This is kind of stupid. Anyone blowing this out of proportion is doing exactly what he describes in his little monolog. Yes, it is an interesting piece of propaganda, with the flag waving in the background and the talking head pridefully speaking of how progressive and racially mixed America is. It does seem ironic that he almost fouls up his entire speech with a phrase informed by the racist paradigm from which his generation stems.
- covaks, on 04/01/2008, -0/+7You know, my grandmother used to call me a cotton picker call the time and she wasn't racist... Then again, she did once refer to a broken bottle as a ***** knife... hmm....
- jmg703, on 04/01/2008, -0/+7I actually never fully thought out or realized what "cotton-pickin" really meant. When taken into context of slavery and racism it's obvious, but back when I was a child hearing these words in movies, cartoons, and TV shows, it was a simple colorful expression. I almost dismissed it as another phrase that had little logical sense to me like "it's raining cats and dogs". It pretty much stayed buried there in my subconscious memories.
I'm NOT saying that Dobbs ISN'T a racist, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was an honest slip of the tongue a an attempt at emotional outburst that accessed an old phrase that in this situation was the absolute wrong phrase to use.
Ironically, not only did he open the door to questioning his own racism, but he is a living example of what he was talking about.. the fear of talking about racism, which for many is an emotional subject, can be attributed to the backlash he is about to receive. Slips of the tongue, whether indicative of racism or mere misrepresentations of true opinion like this are bound to happen, with both sides looking to point fingers at the other to support their arguments. I bet you Dobbs will a bit stung with fear next time he is asked to talk about racism. - Lomstradamus, on 04/01/2008, -3/+10"Just a cotton picking minute" Is that a racially charged phrase also? Come on and get over yourselves here. I've Heard Dobbs use the same phrase before and no one jumped all over him for it.
- rolf, on 04/01/2008, -6/+12I heard it's because he does a real good job going 'south of the border' on her.
- ReadItAndWeep, on 04/01/2008, -4/+10The fact that some are trying to make a controversy out of this is just proving his point. If you can't see the irony in this situation, you are blind.
- SantaClauz, on 04/01/2008, -4/+10Wow, you guys are looking into this way too much.
If you listen closely you can hear someone saying "Hey Lou, whats that shirt made of?" right before he says cotton. - lostarchitect, on 04/01/2008, -0/+6i dunno, you seem to be raging over there. maybe you've got a problem, too. i agree with mateo totally.
- jmunjr, on 04/01/2008, -3/+9"Dobbs explained “how he’s sick of ‘cotton pickin’ black leaders telling him"
NO NO NO, Dobbs did not say "black leaders".. He said "politicians" - talk about twisting the truth.. Ugh, you guys ought to listen to Dobbs more, he makes sense, his message in this video makes sense. Regardless of the "cotton", he is right. - Foxcow, on 04/01/2008, -3/+9He did not use it in the same context that the title suggests.
- ilves7, on 04/01/2008, -0/+6wow, talk about going off on a tangent completely unrelated to the comment... get a job, go back to school, and a lazy *****? lol... where the hell in his comments did any of that stuff come up?
- bearsandbulls, on 04/01/2008, -0/+6You need to check the demographics , US is way more religiously, ethinically, racially diverse.Compared to the US this is not diversity at all.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=954
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=455 - FF9999, on 04/01/2008, -2/+7White people can't talk about race because other white people will attack them.
- gwolf001, on 04/01/2008, -5/+10He was talking about the Secretary of State, and a Presidential candidate. These are highly respectable people and the first thing that came into his head is "cotton-pickin".
Loads of people have lived though different times. Doesn't mean they go about throwing disgusting terms like that. (Incidentally he was born in 1945. So he was in the middle of the Civil Rights movement when he was in his late teens. He isn't *that* old) - inactive, on 04/01/2008, -4/+9All of the times I have heard "cotton pickin'" used, it has never had anything to do with race. This is ***** lame. BURIED.
- gorgalor, on 04/01/2008, -2/+7Dobbs isn't a "cotton-picking" liberal. He has described himself as a "lifelong Republican", to quote wikipedia, that has since renounced any party affiliation. He's a pissed off Barry Goldwater conservative that is crazy about immigration, and takes every opportunity to rail against it. And, he probably is a bit annoyed that right wing loons -- like you appear to be if we were to read into your comment correctly -- has destroyed his party. Bill O'Reilly pretends to be independent, but has gone the Jerry Springer route and searches for controversy at every turn. His mindless, Rush Limbaugh-esque low-brow, flawed logic persona is the anti-thesis of Dobbs. I respect Dobbs for being a thinker, even if I don't agree with what he has to say. O'Reilly is just an idiot.
- FF9999, on 04/01/2008, -7/+12The vast majority of white people are always ready to jump down another white person's throat for any slight insult to another race. Even if they have to build it up out of almost nothing. Death to Political Correctness!
- bearsandbulls, on 04/01/2008, -4/+8I saw this live, and as a Dobbs fan truly disheartened(the only guy i like in the MSM). Before this anything you've heard about Dobbs being racist was completely bs, pushed by pro-illegal immigration idiots. But I am afraid this was racist.
Without the "cottonpickin" part Dobbs is right that everyone should be able to talk about race.
His wife probably doesn't have a problem because only stupid people or people with unamerican interests think his immigration stance is racists. You are stupid if you think more people in this country is going to be prosperous, overpopulated countries are always one thing, poor. The when you take into account the extra people are sending money out of the country, turning some of the best educated parts of the country into some of the worst, driving down American wages, costing billions in health care costs............
God forbid he preaches an immigration stance used by all other first world countries. - N3M3515, on 04/01/2008, -3/+7Again Lou Dobbs is right on the money, lets not make this presidency race about ethnicity or gender, but lets make it about the most qualified best candidate for the position.
- skealoha86, on 04/01/2008, -13/+17are you ***** serious? because he almost falls back on a term used during segregation that he LIVED through and was exposed to daily? I can't believe you chose to make it personal.
- StanleyKoolPrik, on 04/01/2008, -0/+4Three cheers for manufactured outrage!
He shoulda just said,"I'm so blah blah blah Mutha *****' black leaders...." - IllBeBack, on 04/01/2008, -3/+7Sounds like some people are scratching around to find something to feel angry about for no reason.
- staticneuron, on 04/01/2008, -5/+9He tried to say that america is the most diverse (englands nowhere close huh?) and tries to change the focus on the race issues that have gotten more exposure recently. While he is trying to refocus on how great our melting pot is he ends up slipping out "cotton pickers" in reference to our nations black politicians?
He just proved their arguement. While america is a very diverse nation that speaks nothing about how well we get along with each other and the deep rooted feelings that lie underneath the surface. - burnblue, on 04/01/2008, -0/+4I was pretty impressed with that too. Since many people here are saying they've never thought of the words in a racial context, it's good that he realized what it would mean before he got done saying it.
- nova6868, on 04/01/2008, -1/+5Seriously, I never thought much about cotton-picking being a racial word. I'm from Missouri, and it's just a part of the natural vocabulary there. And I'm pretty sure I never heard it used towards blacks, since there were no blacks in my town.
I think it's ironic that Dobbs is being criticized for saying something which I didn't really find offensive... in a speech where he's talking about people being hypersensitive towards racial issues. Maybe we're being a little hypersensitive in this case? - jameskong15, on 04/01/2008, -0/+4Can't compare the two since ***** simply has no other meaning that excludes racial overtones. Cotton picking has been a phrase with no racial overtone for many years, but you could also use it as a racial slur. So when someone says *****, you don't have that second potential meaning to assess. When someone says cotton picking, you do have to assess the comment in context.
- TriTech, on 04/01/2008, -2/+5Not a racial remark. I notice that earlier in the clip he used the word heck instead of hell. The phrase 'cotton pickin' is sometimes substituted for god damn. I think that is what he was going for then realized it wouldn't be appropriate to refer to a black woman that way.
- pintomp3, on 04/01/2008, -4/+7he better, because he seems to be a minuteman.
- Reese268, on 04/01/2008, -0/+3Wow, you're right, he does say politicians. I thought people saying he was racist were retarded before.... now I'm quite certain of it.
- solid12345, on 04/01/2008, -0/+3The fact that he stopped himself means he is NOT racist. It was a Freudian slip. Isn't that what ending racism is about really, watching what we say? Everyone has fragments of bigoted statements in their head, you can't erase that. Until humans evolve to where we notice no racial difference there will always be times where people slip up or judge hastily.
- Reese268, on 04/01/2008, -0/+3Chances are, if he was talking about white people at the time, he would have still used the phrase, but actually finished it. The only reason he didn't is because right when he said it he realized that people would take it that way. Stupid people, I might add.
- Reese268, on 04/01/2008, -2/+5seriously? he uses a slang term that is probably fairly common among people his age, and it happens that it could in fact be construed as 'racist', never mind the fact that none of the black leaders he was talking about ever has or ever will "pick cotton". You would do well to listen to the rest of what he was saying, his entire point was that you dumbasses need to stop making such a big deal out of race. Seriously, anyone who thinks that was racist is a freaking idiot... the ONLY reason he stopped himself and CNN removed the word from the transcript is BECAUSE of idiots like you.
- jameskong15, on 04/01/2008, -0/+3I love when minorities tell whites to talk about or “admit” the problems facing minorities, but then complain that we would “marginalize” their struggles and attempt to absolve ourselves of any guilt. Way to be prejudice there bud.
- anarcurt, on 04/01/2008, -0/+3From Miriam Webster Online:
cotton-picking
Main Entry:
cot·ton–pick·ing Listen to the pronunciation of cotton–picking
Pronunciation:
ˈkä-tən-ˌpi-kiŋ, -ˌpi-kən
Function:
adjective
Date:
circa 1952
1 : damned —used as a generalized expression of disapproval 2 : damned —used as an intensive -
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