Foul mouths abound
Sadly, harsh language is becoming more and more commonplace.
Intemperate outbursts can get you noticed. Apologies soon follow. That鈥檚 become the American way.
Kanye West, that renowned rapper, who鈥檚 changed his name to just 鈥測e,鈥� knows how to generate headlines.
Recently, a couple of 鈥測e鈥� tweets got him in the Twitter and Instagram doghouse.
鈥淚鈥檓 a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I鈥檓 going to death con 3 (sic) On JEWISH PEOPLE,鈥� he tweeted.
Not good.
First, he probably meant DEFON 3 鈥� a designation for high U.S. military readiness.
Second, he went way out of bounds by seeming to attack Jewish people.
He鈥檇 been tweeting back and forth with fellow billionaire rapper Sean (鈥淒iddy,鈥� 鈥淧. Diddy,鈥� 鈥淧uff Daddy鈥�) Combs, and he was claiming that Mr. 鈥淒iddy鈥� was being controlled by Jews.
Kanye West, er 鈥淵e,鈥� is an avowed Trump loyalist these days. So, after word got out that he was being throttled by Twitter, the folks on Fox & Friends Weekend jumped to his defense.
鈥淭his idea you have to just shut down his account is just, it鈥檚 totally totalitarian, totally anti-American,鈥� said one of the co-hosts, Rachel Campos-Duffy.
That鈥檚 until they fully digested 鈥淵e鈥檚鈥� exact sentiments.
The show鈥檚 hosts each softened their support for him after that.
Will Cain, another co-host, called the comments 鈥渃ondemnable.鈥�
Oh really?
Our most recent ex-president, Donald Trump, is always good for a couple of mentions on cable TV newscasts.
He鈥檚 a pro when it comes to finding just the right words that鈥檒l turn heads, and stomachs 鈥� depending on who hears them.
The source of Trump鈥檚 indignities happened to be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, to blast McConnell because he thinks he鈥檚 sought to join forces with Democrats on several pieces of legislation.
Trump wrote McConnell 鈥渉as a DEATH WISH.鈥�
Trump has never stopped at one insult. He鈥檚 a well-known insult machine.
McConnell is married to the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan. That provided Trump with an opportunity to plow the depths of his racist playbook, by telling saying that McConnell 鈥淢ust immediately seek help and advice from his China-loving wife, Coco Chow!鈥�
There probably won鈥檛 be a Republican who鈥檒l disclaim Trump鈥檚 nonsense. Not without paying a price the next time Trump gets on Truth Social.
That鈥檚 just the way it is.
In California, there are members of the Los Angeles City Council who are mired in a controversy of their own making.
Democrat Nury Martinez, the city council president, is a Latina, who was heard on an audio recording making some mighty racially insensitive statements.
Among them was Martinez describing a Black child as acting 鈥渓ike a monkey.鈥�
She was in a room with two of her fellow council members who went along as she made several racist statements.
Shortly after the Los Angeles Times reported on the recording, Martinez resigned from her position as city council president. But initially, she, and her fellow council members refused to step down from the council.
They thought that there were people in Los Angeles who supported them.
But not enough. Last Wednesday, Martinez announced she will step down from her city council seat.
The worst incident of foul-mouthed indignities goes to the junior U.S. senator from Alabama 鈥� Tommy Tuberville.
Tuberville must鈥檝e felt unassailable when he took the stage at a Trump rally in Nevada last week, and he let fly with a racially charged tirade about crime, and the people who want it 鈥� because, he says, they want reparations.
鈥溾�ecause they think the people that do the crime are owed that. Bull鈥�-! They are not owed that,鈥� said Tuberville to the cheers of people who agreed with him.
Tuberville has held seven college football coaching jobs. College football is a sport that has a high percentage of Black players.
Tuberville made money because of them.
In effect, he鈥檚 the one who got a form of reparations.
He鈥檚 not smart enough to recognize that.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.