Over the past few months, I've been watching Morning Joe almost everyday. I almost always appreciate the tone of the show, and the humor they go through the news with is a refreshing bit of wit. Also, I hardly ever agree with Joe Scarborough on anything of substance politically, but almost always agree with him on social things.
Mika Brzezinski is usually a moderating voice, and while I do appreciate how she tries to stick to the issues, it's good to see a fun side to her on-screen persona. I laughed a lot at the black and red shoes she got on Friday's show. Now, I have to bring up my biggest problem with the way she plays devil's advocate at the table.
The way she reacts to women's issues is completely opposite the way she views everything else. It's nice to have a calm head when you aren't directly involved, when you have never experienced it yourself and cannot relate to the group of victims. In some ways, it's even more admirable to be a level headed commentator when you are in the group of victims, or have so many common experiences that their pain is your own.
On the flip side, it's nice to see someone be passionate about things that affect them, but even more inspiring when people are passionate about their fellow humans regardless of background, socail class, or any other defining feature.
On this, she fails miserably in my opinion. She is irrationally passionate on issues she can relate to, and skeptical on any she has never experienced. I'm only talking now of social ills facing the country. On things like the Afghan war, the economy, or political races around the country, I think she strikes the perfect tone. But on social issues, Mika Brzezinski has straddled the fence whenever she sees fit. I'm not sure if it's her, or producers, or whatever, and I am not in the habit of questioning motives. I have no idea what she's thinking, but can only go on what she says.
I have two examples of each sticking in my proverbial craw, the later topic resurfacing just this morning.
For dispassionate indifference, see the way she responded to issues of race with 1.) Henry Gates and James Crowley issue and 2.) Rush vs The World(or at least the part of it he's been attacking for years).
For irrational passion, see the way she reacts to the 1.) Letterman scandal and 2.) payment for breast implants for California's biggest advocate of 'opposite marraige,' which resurfaced on the show this morning as they briefly covered the state wanting the money back.
Where was the sense of 'wait and see' from the Gates/Crowley affair when she was slamming CBS for not investigating and having solved this question just hours after everyone found out about David Letterman's indiscretions? Why should some have to keep quiet on their opinions of Rush Limbaugh joining a league he's insulted so often, in a position of AUTHORITY over the very people he's been slandering, when she doesn't have to shut up about people in a beauty contest trying to look 'better,' whether their definition is correct or not? Why can't David Letterman get the same distinction of crime vs. controversy that Rush Limbaugh got from her?
Unlike those, which I guess are rhetorical, there are some others that just don't have a simple answer, or an answer at all sometimes. Is sexism more or less offensive than racism? Is sexual infidelity more or less harmful than race baiting? Should we let the answer be based on whether we are black or female? What would a black woman say? The outrage, real or fake, righteous or not, isn't helping us find the answer to any of those.
I have been searching for video clips online. I'm not sure the best way to do that, so it will have to wait. I suggest any reading this do the youtube, huffpost, or any other online video crawl.
I have, to date, agreed with only two things Pat Buchanan has ever said on air, but they came in rapid succession. Roman Polanski and David Letterman broke at nearly the same time, and Pat's clear answers to the two situations couldn't have agreed more with mine had they come from my own voicebox. In my opinion, Polanski should be 'under the jail,' and Letterman may be a jerk, but last I checked, plenty of jerks still have jobs. No one is saying he did anything illegal. We should all wait and see, while internal investigations and criminal investigations play themselves out.
Mika's reactions to Pat Buchanan's responses only served to highlight the disparity between her responses to these very similar situations. For anyone who doesn't think they are similar, take a look at how affirmative action affects women and blacks. See how civil rights legistlation continues to improve the way both blacks AND women interact with the majority of America's population.
Just as a side note, I have other stuff I'd like to write about. So much of this blog seems to be about things I don't like these days. I have other posts that I wrote and never posted, many about stuff I found funny or uplifting. Maybe I will one day, but they are handwritten and need to be typed out.
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