[leighton]Recently Charley forwarded me an email concerning the offense I’ve given to some of our listeners concerning things I’ve said with the latest offense coming from my using the word “retard” to describe the real retards in the world. Now, I ain’t going to apologize for my actions because that would be much like apologizing for the man I am, but I am going to tell all those out there who find me offensive to take me as a grain of salt. Understand this, while Charley was going through years and years of schooling I was getting a different sort of education by hopping from one country to the next. My time was spent not only in the beauties of a country, but in the rough patches. I’ve been stabbed four times, shot at, hid behind the skirts of a woman while those hunting me passed by, fled countries, etc. Hell, I can’t smell much of anything because I’ve been punched so many times in the face(probably the biggest reason I’m not that pretty to look on but I have a very special spirit). You crawl in the dirt long enough and that “son of a bitch” part of life has a tendency of clinging to you.
Take it or leave it I’m an old dog. Only in Christ will my tricks ever change and that’s about as possible as my shitting out a golden idol, which when that occurs you all should worship. Obviously the fecal leakage that comes out of my mouth ain’t where my thoughts are at, but if you feel you must, go ahead and hate me for this. I’m sure I can find another woman’s skirts to scurry behind when the pitchforks come out.
5 Responses to “Gruff Son of a Bitch”
Take you “as” a grain of salt? You really shouldn’t be tossing the word “retard” around.
You’re not the only person to ever use the word ‘retard’ to describe people who display a total lack of foresight and common-sense.
I could be wrong, but I believe Louis C.K. uses the word in the same sense you do, and I know he also uses the word fag to describe people who are faggy in the adolescent meaning of the word. Chris Rock talks about the disparity betweeen niggers and black men (point still being valid despite Rock’s lamentation at using the joke because it gives racists cover in calling black people niggers).
That people have issue with any of this shows a lack of working knowledge of the principal at work. They lack the ability to link the meaning or essence of the word to the very thing you are trying to express and take offense at the shallowest possible understanding of the word. That is, the phonemes themselves, not the expressed meaning of the grunt being made.
Like Louis CK tries to explain, paraphrased: I have nothing against gays, but I hate fags. If you’re gay and offended, I’m sorry, meet me at the door and I will suck your cock.
It is truely a sad state of affairs when intelligent people censor themselves with Orwellian principals of news peak and not even understand the fundamental disconnect from reality they, themselves express at such moments when they articulate their own ignorance.
Would Twain be any better or less had he avoided the word ‘nigger’ in his writing? I know there are a lot of people who clamoured to have Twain taken out of libraries and off school reading lists just because of that word and the grunt that goes with it.
Honestly, this reminds of a college class where one of the students objected to the use of the word niggardly because she thought it was referring to someone showing the traits of a nigger and was offended.
Being offended is essentially the only right you can expect to have, and if you think being offended is justification enough for censorship or the censure of a person in public, then you really don’t deserve the freedoms granted to you in a republic where freedom of expression is as sacred as right as you can possibly have in a secular state.
You know, when I was about thirteen or fourteen a brother of mine was coming home from his mission. This was back when you could meet them at the gate and I remember my youngest adopted brother, Skye, went running off down the terminal and my mother sent me to go get him. I went racing off after him and since he was so far ahead of me I hollered out, “Hey black boy, mom says you have to come back.” Skye stopped and started making his way back to me and it was about then that a grown man confronted me with fists balled up at his side, eyes bulging in rage, etc. He began to scream at me concerning racism, how wrong my upbringing was, and on and on before he began to shake so badly that he shut up in mid-sentence and marched away. This entire time Skye was standing there looking up at him in complete bewilderment with probably the same expression of confusion that was on my face.
I thought about that instance for a long time. I was old enough to realize how my words were misconstrued, how this man could never know our family dynamics looking in from the outside. It was this one occurrence that started the diarrhea falling from my tongue because I decided people could find offense even if you were doing your best to be politically correct. I’m the type that if you ask me to do something I’ll gladly do it, but if you ever tell me to do something it’ll take the hand of god himself to make me do it. I’m not saying my behavior is right or wrong, just that it’s been cultivated by sheer stubbornness for years.
I’m not changing any time soon, and it’s pretty easy to see that I’m not meaning what I’m saying when I’m making fun of things. If there ever is a question though, just ask me instead of getting offended. That’s what I’m saying where take me as a grain of salt is concerned. Gotta go. Lunch time with a mexican awaits.
I got no issues. The moment you become gruff but unlovable I’ll stop listening to the podcast and submit my receipts for a refund on what I paid for your podcast.
Podcasting is a bit of a balance. Some people didn’t like the swearing in my podcast and I tried to remove it. Others don’t like the new interview format I have but meh. We carve out hours in our lives, pay hosting fees etc and try to turn out something free for people. In return, we do get “standing”. A good podcast raises your profile, your name recognition in some circles. Someone might offer you a couch to sleep on should you turn up in their city.
Anyway, it’s always a bit of a balance in terms of what you want and what you’re willing to give to get it.
Don’t worry about it man. For me, the blacker the comedy, the better. Now if you were to call a mentally retarded person a retard with disdain and that would be different. Comedy is great but a lot of people are incapable of laughing at themselves and like to project. Oh well, I’ll keep listening.