December 20, 2004 6:32 AM

So it's OK to poke fun at Liberals, but Conservatives are off-limits?

BACKSTAGE CONTROVERSY AFTER NBC DEPICTION OF LIMBAUGH

I didn’t see this sketch, so I couldn’t begin to tell you what all the fuss is about. Given that Limbaugh seems to have no boundaries when it comes to ridiculing those he doesn’t agree with, why would he not be fair game?

It’s interesting that Conservatives feel free to poke fun at those they do not agree with- sometimes in horribly personal and mean-spirited ways- and yet they profess to be legitimately offended when the blinding white light of satire is focused on them.

NBC’s comedy depiction of talkradio king Rush Limbaugh passed-out in vomit from drug abuse ignited backstage outrage at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

The animated sketch left one senior production source stunned and outraged, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

“Would we have done this to [John] Belushi? [Chris] Farley?” the source said on Sunday from New York.

The source asked not to be identified fearing retribution from SNL’s executive producer Lorne Michaels.

“We’ve had more fu**ing drug addicts on this show through the years… more tragedy. I have lost count. Did we ever have some laughs about Robert Downey Jr.’s serious drug addiction?”

The crass montage which aired on NBC featured Limbaugh vomiting from drugs on a bathroom floor, in an apparent overdose.

Last year, Limbaugh announced to his radio audience that he was seeking treatment for an addiction to pain medication.

Certainly, on a very basic and very humane level, making fun of someone for an addiction issue is tasteless. Nonetheless, Limbaugh himself observes no boundaries when it comes to ridiculing those whom he finds in his crosshairs. Should we really feel sorry for someone mean-spirited enough to refer to Chelsea Clinton as the “White House dog”? Should Limbaugh not be fair game in the same way that he has ridiculed others?

Limbaugh views the ridiculing of those on the Left as a legitimate political activity…and yet he demands that his private life and personal struggles be off-limits. He holds others to a standard that he would never dream of holding himself to. IF he displayed a modicum of respect for others, I would agree that perhaps this skit was over the top and far enough beyond the bounds of good taste that it should not have been aired. Limbaugh has brought this sort of ridicule upon himself, however. Because of his basic lack of respect for those who may think differently, he sees no conflict in holding these targets up to public ridicule. Well, guess what? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Like I said, I didn’t see the skit, nor do I have any particular desire to. I prefer to waste as few brain cells as possible on a troll of Limbaugh’s ilk. Spare us the faux outrage, though, OK? No one should be surprised or upset that Limbaugh is getting some of what he dishes out. If he or his supporters do not like it, perhaps it’s time to look in the mirror. Eventually, you get what you deserve.

Of course, reflection and self-examination are not traits that Limbaugh and his Dittoheads are renowned for. It’s so much easier and less taxing to react and foam at the mouth against Evil Liberal Scum and their America-hating agenda than actually engaging in a bare minimum of critical thinking.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on December 20, 2004 6:32 AM.

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