What Buffoonery Looks Like

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It looks like Brit Hume:

For those who are video challenged, Hume said this about Tiger Woods:

“The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith,” said Hume. “He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of redemption and forgiveness offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger is, ‘Tiger turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

I wrote a response to Mr. Hume on the other blog. See also Steve Benen.

Update: The righties immediately went on the offensive and complained that liberal criticism of Brit Hume is bias against Christianity. They don’t notice that Hume insulted Buddhism. See, for example, La Shawn Barber and the Gateway Pundit.

In other words, when a national news personality insults Buddhism, that’s OK; when a blogger calls out the national news personality for insulting Buddhism, that’s an attack on Christianity, and unforgivable.

23 thoughts on “What Buffoonery Looks Like”

  1. On the one hand, this is so ridiculous that it is funny, but on the other hand, a large portion of the population of the planet still thinks in these terms. Only (insert random faith) can save you!

  4. I didn’t realize Christian proselytizing was part of this show. Of course, I don’t watch TV much, as so much is so idiotic.

  5. Maybe Rev. Hume is auditioning for the Trinity Broadcast Network in case he needs another job. Ot, at least a part time job on the 700 Club.
    And just think, he’s considered one of the sane ones on FOX…

  6. The belief in the sky wizard cannot always prevent men from dropping their zippers (see Ted Haggard). Hume is a certifiable idiot.

  7. A spiritual mulligan? Play the Jesus card because it’s the only game in town. Look at Ted Haggard..He got all washed up in the blood via a crash course in redemption and sexual regeneration and now he’s back on the circuit raking in more bucks then ever before.
    The only caveat I’d extend to Tiger is play it close to the vest. The efficacy of the Jesus card is not 100%..It didn’t work for Ted Bundy or John Cooey, but for Chuck Colson, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim( I’ve been with a whore) Bakker and countless other political and religious figures it worked like a charm.

    And may the blessing of the Lord fall mightily upon Brother Hume. Wisdom incarnate!

  9. All I can say is if a Jesus-like-figure were to be walking the earth today spewing his message of tolerance for all, he would be hauled off to Gitmo – or its substitute – as a dangerous subversive. (He EVEN accepted tax collectors into his fold – take note Republicans.)

  10. From what sins is Brit Hume a-hidin’? They must be pretty awful. In addition to blinding stupidity, that is.

  13. I like how LaShawn states he doesn’t have a problem with Hume proselytizing Christianity but he would have a problem with an anchor proselytizing the Muslim faith? What a fucking hypocrite. Talk about missing the point, what a moron.

    Organized religion – the greatest form of crowd control ever invented.

  15. It’s not surprising that Brit Hume would openly proselytize. Fox News exists to present current events through a Christian Fundamentalist filter to it’s Christian Fundamentalist audience. You can learn that from reading this report or simply by spending 20 minutes with my fundie neighbor.

    What is surprising is when Jews like Bill Kristol subject them themselves to the humiliation of appearing there. Seeing his embarrassed giggling rejoinder at the end of the video, I actually felt some compassion for him.

    I’m also continually surprised when the main stream stations give Fox News more credence than the other Christian cable stations.

  16. Double Down on the Crazy – those independents will swing back your way & that’ll win you those seats come November. Onward towards victory in 2012!!!
    “My fellow Americans. As a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball, but tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!” – Sorry, bit of wingnut overload there.

    http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/04/gop-liberals-battle-terrorists/

  18. There’s a bigger issue here than what Brit said. Look at the Stupek amendment, which reflects the Christian fundies attempt to withhold abortion access in the Health Care bill. The Stupek mess wass inspired by Catholic bishops teamed up with the Protestant wingnuts. Did you know that the Vatican is opposed in Italy to the living will, an agreement between a patient and physicians what to do if he’s terminally ill.

    This ties in with the fuss about ‘death panels’ that weren’t. But the provision that inspired Palin’s protest would have allowed Medicare to pay doctors for end-of-life consulatations that would have included advice about the living will. My guess is that Palin finds the living will morally objectionable because, like abortion, it thwarts the will of God, substituting the patients decision for God’s intent.

    Think I’m reaching here? Look at Palins reaction to the Copenhagen summit on global warming. She tweeeted –

    “Copenhgen=arrogance of man2think we can change nature’s ways.”
    Switch the word ‘God’ for ‘Nature’ read again –

    “Copenhagen is the arrogance of man to think we can change God’s ways.”

    Brit is guilty of saying out loud about Woods what’s an underlying issue in a lot of MAJOR politics. Christian fundamentalists want to translate into civil law the precepts of their peculiar faith and impose it on ALL society. Any citizen not subverted or converted must ‘turn to the Christian faith and make a total recovery’.

    This is an old argument. Thomas Jefferson wrote about the Christian clergy –
    “..they believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: & enough too in their opinion, & this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me, forging conversations… which are absolute falsehoods without a circumstance of truth”

    Two hundred and nine years later we are having the same fight with the same tyrants on a variety of fronts, usually separate battles which ,even in the blogosphere, aren’t identified as different facets of a central goal – to establish a tyrany over the mind of man.

  19. Just reading Britt’s recommendation (the effect is less when seeing the video) gave me the impression that Brit has speaking more as a public relations man rather than a spiritual counselor. Woods can use the Christian themes of sin and redemption to make a dramatic comeback — the sins themselves became advantageous to the narrative one is creating for the public. In other words, a public conversion to Christianity may not only save your soul, but could salvage your million dollar endorsement deals. Wrestling with Buddhist concepts and beliefs — that just doesn’t sell as well in corporate America. Speaking as a (nonRepublican) Christian, I reacted thinking that Christianity as preached by Jesus was the religion being insulted, but perhaps I am biased.

  20. “Speaking as a (nonRepublican) Christian, I reacted thinking that Christianity as preached by Jesus was the religion being insulted, but perhaps I am biased.”

    I would say anyone with half a brain religious or not would be insulted by what Hume said. It was just a ridiculous statement on so many levels.

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

  21. The belief in the sky wizard cannot always prevent men from dropping their zippers

    What Hume is saying is that his version of Christianity provides you with an no-obligation, no-guilt, get-into-heaven-free card regardless of what a lying, cheating, bullying, bigoted asshole you are. Which is what makes it so appealing to right-wing Republicans.

  22. If they are really Christian then what’s so hard about forgiving others? …being more Christ-like. They must have discovered a new book in the bible that states the exceptions.

    I use that one quite often for the fundi hard-cases. First ask “are you Christian?” to get a beaming, strident affirmation of their faith then say “Then forgive me!” It rarely works but it gets the point across.

    I doubt Hume is as earnestly indignant as the persona he’s cultivating in order to to stay a member in good standing with his employers. He’s an actor. They are paid to stir things up, keep people talking about them and to keep that fear of the other going.

  23. Pingback: Brit Hume Speaks out Against the Buddhist Faith « Buddhism

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