Reactions to Laura Schlessinger's 'N-Word' Radio Rant

(Aug. 13) -- Excuse me, Dr. Laura ... we are on the air.

Conservative radio commentator Dr. Laura Schlessinger, 63, has received harsh criticism after going on a race-relations tirade in response to a black caller seeking advice on interracial tensions with her white husband on Thursday.

The caller, named Jade, expressed that she was becoming "resentful" of her husband, who seemed comfortable with a neighbor continually making racist remarks about her. When Jade provided an example, at Dr. Laura's request, of the neighbor continually using the "N-word" around her, Dr. Laura told the caller that her feelings are hypersensitive, ranting about oversensitivity in race relations and repeatedly using the "N-word."

"If you're that hypersensitive about color, and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race," Dr. Laura said on the air.

This isn't the first time that Dr. Laura has come under fire for comments she made on the air. The folks at MediaMatters dug up a series of controversial remarks from Dr. Laura regarding her thoughts on homosexuality.

Dr. Laura has apologized for her outburst, saying that, "I didn't intend to hurt people, but I did. And that makes it the wrong thing to have done." (Read the full apology here.)

In case you missed it, here's Dr. Laura's rant in two parts:




Just how out of line was Dr. Laura? The Web has spoken:

Blogosphere

"When racial slurs are the least racist thing about your rant, it's a pretty racist rant." -- Jamelle Bouie, The American Prospect

"Her racist tirade was so over the top, so devoid of decency, a simple acknowledgment of wrongdoing seems wholly inadequate." -- Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

"Dr. Laura's exchange with a listener created an opportunity for the famous radio expert on interpersonal relations to clearly demonstrate her understanding of cross-cultural communications. Instead, she exhibited a distant disconnect with African Americans akin to the reputations of fellow radio cohorts Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck." -- Mike Green, The Huffington Post

"Even on the logic of Schlessinger's argument, she seemed to not understand the basic premise that among one's own racial, ethnic or religious group, certain derogatory words are accepted because they often have precisely the opposite meaning of when uttered by someone outside that blood line: They are often an ironic compliment or said with wry humor. But if someone outside the racial, ethnic or religious group uses the word, it is most often derogatory and pejorative. That's simply the way it is." -- BuzzFlash.com

"It was really weird to use the word on the radio, and I suspect her of doing what Rush Limbaugh calls the 'Media Tweak of the Day,' a remark designed to get his adversaries talking about him." -- Anne Althouse, Althouse Blog

"That is absolutely despicable. ... This is not someone who used an example one time, and even that I think those of us who do radio ... shouldn't do. Here is somebody who continually throughout the show kept going back to that word, almost like she wanted to have a platform in order to do that." -- The Rev. Al Sharpton, CNN

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