Last week, Media Matters caught right-wing radio talker Michael Savage claiming that autism is a "fraud" and "a racket" where "99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out." Parents of autistic children are outraged, saying Savage's comments were "way, way, way over the line and cruel." But Savage refuses to apologize. On Larry King Live last night, he told guest host Glenn Beck that he had simply been "taken out of context" by "men who specialize in hating families and children, namely Media Matters."
The beautiful thing about being Michael Savage, I suppose, is not just the absolute certainty of conviction that makes him one smug son of a bitch. It's not just the complete lack of class and compassion he displays in just about every manner imaginable...and a few that aren't. It's not just the bile and unadulterated hatred he spews in the direction of those with the temerity to disagree with him. No, it's so much more than all of that. It's the willingness to display his overarching ignorance and venality in a manner both highly offensive and just plain mean-spirited. Michael Savage has unrepentantly built a career on vitriol, ignorance, and bombast. How the man can look himself in the mirror without being ashamed is beyond me. Then again, when you're a dick....
Most people would at least have the decency to apologize for causing offense. Then again, most people wouldn't egregiously and gratuitously insult and demean children suffering from an insidious, poorly understood, and currently incurable disease. Were he to walk a mile in the shoes of the parent of an autistic child, he's understand the 24/7 commitment required to care for and love that child, while simultaneously sacrificing most of their own dreams, desires, and aspirations. No, it's far easier to destroy something than to find a way to build it up. Savage could have chosen to use his position and his soapbox to build awareness and raise money for autism research. He could have chose to take positive steps towards furthering our understanding of autism. When you're a dick, though, it's all about you and your outsized ego. If you happen to trample some sensibilities along the way...well, as long as ratings and advertsing rates are up....
Of course, it's so much easier to tear something down than to build something up...and if there's one things that Michael Savage excels at, it's tearing things down. I detest the term "shock jock", because there's nothing positive or redeemable about gratuitous, mean-spirited insults and harangues against people, lifestyles, and beliefs one knows little- and cares even less- about. At best, Michael Savage is a miserable excuse for a human being, who should be thanking his lucky stars that he lives in a country that values free speech. At worst, Savage is the lowest example of hateful human scum, someone who adds nothing to the human condition and frankly deserves to be slapped down. Of course, given that Savage is engaging constitutionally-guaranteed free speech, even I have to recognize a sad reality. As I've often said before, free speech can be, and quite often is, objectionable and offensive speech. Frankly, human scum don't come much more objectionable and offensive than Michael Savage.
And then he has the audacity to blame his hateful diatribe, and the reaction to it, on Media Matters? How about taking some responsibility for your own shortcomings here?? Yeah, when you're a dick....
I can only hope that I live long enough to piss on Savage's grave.
