Not only is she one of America's wealthier citizens, she used to be beloved. Sort of like Ellen Degeneres and Whoopi. Covid and the elections of Trump exposed their true selves. They hate the people who helped make them wealthy.
What is ironic is that the very framework they despise as oppressive allows them to create arguments that they are oppressed. The dignity of the individual arose from Christian concepts with Kant further elucidating them. In an interview with Catholic Bishop Barron, Ro Khanna said that the US is very bible based and this should be taught and not hidden. I admired him during the Biden censorship regime for standing for the First Amendment and now I admire him more. To deny we are based on Judeo-Christian precepts would be like trying to deny India is based on Hinduism and China on confucianism. Every culture is contained within a vessel. We are cracking ours with great risk.
Great commentary Adam on a problem that crosses all racial and ethnic boundaries. This is not just a black issue, as the example of white leftist democrats like Joy Behar illustrates. And there are many others. This description of the problem is both brilliant and succinct. I'll be using it in the future, although I promise to give you full credit:
"Goldberg is one of those upper-class comfortable complainers who uses the perceived problems of others as a form of social currency."
"When convenient, she’ll use my race as either a tool to grab attention for herself, or a weapon to bludgeon the people she despises."
There has never been a more accurate description of Goldberg given and other than the part about your race, it applies to every leftist democrat elitist in the country, perhaps the world. I especially think "upper-class comfortable complainers who use the perceived problems of others as a form of social currency" is brilliant and fits, among others, the Hollywood lib elites very well. Think Affleck or De Niro or the annoying whiner who plays the Hulk...can't remember his name right now, which is, of course, a reflection of how important he really is. Mark something, right? ;-)
It is pathetic for someone likely worth tens of millions of dollar to play the victim. And for all the Oppression against her, she still chooses to live in the USA. Perhaps because no other country would give her the opportunity to make that kind of money.
The narrative on the View is always the oppressor and the oppressed. America is the former. Things are always very black and white. It's mostly one view except for the token Republican they have on. They are a bunch of limousine liberals living in a bubble on the island of Manhattan. I hope Whoopi will read your article--it's great!
👏👏👏 A well-written and on-point article, Adam! Being black in America is in no way similar to living in Iran under the Ayatollahs. Black Americans have full equal rights under the law. They have all the same freedoms we all do. This isn’t the 19th or 20th Century anymore and Whoopi Goldberg needs to stop all the race baiting. Black Americans are lynched anymore. The KKK has zero power and is considered a group of fringe extremists. George Wallace, Lester Maddox, Ross Barnett, and James Eastland are all long dead now. The Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Fair Housing Bill, and Equal Credit Opportunity Act are all the law of the land. A black President has been elected twice.
Meanwhile, Iranians don’t have basic freedoms like freedom of speech, the press or religion, have no civil liberties, can’t hold public gatherings, can’t listen to western music, can’t drink alcohol, and can’t visit many popular social media outlets and websites. If your a woman you live under a gender apartheid. LGBTQ+ must stay in the closet or be thrown in prison or even executed. Sunni and Sufi Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahai’i are all persecuted. Arabs, Kurds, Azerbaijani Turks, Azeri, Balochi, and black people face systemic discrimination. Do you see any of that happening in America? No.
Whoopi is an out of touch multimillionaire who has no idea what the real world is actually like. Her opinions are totally uninformed and idiotic. Does anybody even watch The View anymore. I have a feeling if they didn’t make outrageous statements that are so stupid as to be laughable no one would. Joy Behar also doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about. They are both privileged prima donnas who live in gated communities and are driven around all day by chauffeurs. Whoopi is also a washed-up has been who hasn’t been an A-list star in 30 years. Here’s some of Whoopi’s greatest hits on the view:
• Saying that Roman Polanski’s sexual assault of an underage girl “wasn’t rape rape.”
• Claiming the Holocaust wasn’t about race.
• Claiming a family-owned bakery discriminated against her for her political views, it later turned out she made the whole thing up.
• Defended Michael Vick for running a dog fighting ring.
• Saying that only black people should be able to use the n-word because it was used against them.
Thank you for this great opinion piece! Like you (and many other Americans), I personally know many Iranians who fled the regime, for diverse reasons (most of them for being persecuted as Christians). It is beyond sad to see ignorance elevated to the rang of truth, especially coming from a wealthy celebrity who, at this point, has embraced virtue signaling as a badge of honor. I have admired Whoopi's talents as an actress for a long time, but her insistence on displaying ignorance and prejudice on TV is starting to get on my nerves. At this point, I think she just pretends to be stupid, in order to normalize intolerance and chauvinism.
She’s clearly a person steeped in the ideology of her generation. It’s always Jim Crow with some people, even if we have worked to make things better for black people in our country. (Just like the feminist movement never happened to make things better for women) It’s always 1960 and there’s more to do, as if we never elected Barack Obama and marginalized hate groups. Gen X was fed a steady diet of MLK, so I find her tirades sad and washed up.
I get there are still issues (50 years just doesn’t erase history or ‘everything’), but sadly, a lot of ‘hate crimes’ these days tend to be perpetrated by ‘the victims’ themselves. WTAH. That’s just messed up.
In Iran, society operates much differently than it does here. Church and state are fully merged. Just try being an open Christian there and see how your life goes. As I said, she’s so steeped in her generational story that she can’t see anything outside of that.
While, as usual, I agree with you, I hoped you would put some meat on the bones of your argument. This reads like one of Behar's rants: personal and insulting but little other than opinion. What is happening in Iran that puts the lie to Goldberg's comments? How would side by side comparisons of the US and Iran look? When I read your commentaries I do so hoping that you will be convincing enough to sway opinions, and you seldom disappoint. This one does, sad to say.
I gave an example in there and it's probably the biggest example of all:
"She can’t even see the irony of crying 'oppression' as a public commentator who unabashedly ridicules and disrespects the president — a role that could simply not exist in truly oppressive Iran."
She has a job where she can criticize the most powerful man in the country and nothing happens to her. That's not something that could happen in Iran. We can mock powerful people, publicly and we are not taken away. We can protest and nothing happens to us.
They are run by Islamic fundamentalists, the list goes on as to the polar differences.
Lastly, every article is word count limited. If something isn't explained to the degree you'd like, it's because they're edited down or word count is highly considered.
Certain points are being emphasized and others may not be due to space. It's not for lack of having a point but lots of considerations are being made.
For me and most people, it's obvious that it's no where close to being the same. So, I'm not out to convince people of something they already understand or spend lots of word space on it.
Not only is she one of America's wealthier citizens, she used to be beloved. Sort of like Ellen Degeneres and Whoopi. Covid and the elections of Trump exposed their true selves. They hate the people who helped make them wealthy.
What is ironic is that the very framework they despise as oppressive allows them to create arguments that they are oppressed. The dignity of the individual arose from Christian concepts with Kant further elucidating them. In an interview with Catholic Bishop Barron, Ro Khanna said that the US is very bible based and this should be taught and not hidden. I admired him during the Biden censorship regime for standing for the First Amendment and now I admire him more. To deny we are based on Judeo-Christian precepts would be like trying to deny India is based on Hinduism and China on confucianism. Every culture is contained within a vessel. We are cracking ours with great risk.
Great commentary Adam on a problem that crosses all racial and ethnic boundaries. This is not just a black issue, as the example of white leftist democrats like Joy Behar illustrates. And there are many others. This description of the problem is both brilliant and succinct. I'll be using it in the future, although I promise to give you full credit:
"Goldberg is one of those upper-class comfortable complainers who uses the perceived problems of others as a form of social currency."
"When convenient, she’ll use my race as either a tool to grab attention for herself, or a weapon to bludgeon the people she despises."
There has never been a more accurate description of Goldberg given and other than the part about your race, it applies to every leftist democrat elitist in the country, perhaps the world. I especially think "upper-class comfortable complainers who use the perceived problems of others as a form of social currency" is brilliant and fits, among others, the Hollywood lib elites very well. Think Affleck or De Niro or the annoying whiner who plays the Hulk...can't remember his name right now, which is, of course, a reflection of how important he really is. Mark something, right? ;-)
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the article.
I agree with you as well.
It is pathetic for someone likely worth tens of millions of dollar to play the victim. And for all the Oppression against her, she still chooses to live in the USA. Perhaps because no other country would give her the opportunity to make that kind of money.
Her actions speak louder than her words.
The narrative on the View is always the oppressor and the oppressed. America is the former. Things are always very black and white. It's mostly one view except for the token Republican they have on. They are a bunch of limousine liberals living in a bubble on the island of Manhattan. I hope Whoopi will read your article--it's great!
Thank you!
Is it irony? Or just arrogant blind stupidity?
👏👏👏 A well-written and on-point article, Adam! Being black in America is in no way similar to living in Iran under the Ayatollahs. Black Americans have full equal rights under the law. They have all the same freedoms we all do. This isn’t the 19th or 20th Century anymore and Whoopi Goldberg needs to stop all the race baiting. Black Americans are lynched anymore. The KKK has zero power and is considered a group of fringe extremists. George Wallace, Lester Maddox, Ross Barnett, and James Eastland are all long dead now. The Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Fair Housing Bill, and Equal Credit Opportunity Act are all the law of the land. A black President has been elected twice.
Meanwhile, Iranians don’t have basic freedoms like freedom of speech, the press or religion, have no civil liberties, can’t hold public gatherings, can’t listen to western music, can’t drink alcohol, and can’t visit many popular social media outlets and websites. If your a woman you live under a gender apartheid. LGBTQ+ must stay in the closet or be thrown in prison or even executed. Sunni and Sufi Muslims, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahai’i are all persecuted. Arabs, Kurds, Azerbaijani Turks, Azeri, Balochi, and black people face systemic discrimination. Do you see any of that happening in America? No.
Whoopi is an out of touch multimillionaire who has no idea what the real world is actually like. Her opinions are totally uninformed and idiotic. Does anybody even watch The View anymore. I have a feeling if they didn’t make outrageous statements that are so stupid as to be laughable no one would. Joy Behar also doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about. They are both privileged prima donnas who live in gated communities and are driven around all day by chauffeurs. Whoopi is also a washed-up has been who hasn’t been an A-list star in 30 years. Here’s some of Whoopi’s greatest hits on the view:
• Saying that Roman Polanski’s sexual assault of an underage girl “wasn’t rape rape.”
• Claiming the Holocaust wasn’t about race.
• Claiming a family-owned bakery discriminated against her for her political views, it later turned out she made the whole thing up.
• Defended Michael Vick for running a dog fighting ring.
• Saying that only black people should be able to use the n-word because it was used against them.
Enjoy your oppression, Whoopi…um…Karen!
Asinine is a perfect word to describe her comment. Disgusting.
Thank you for this great opinion piece! Like you (and many other Americans), I personally know many Iranians who fled the regime, for diverse reasons (most of them for being persecuted as Christians). It is beyond sad to see ignorance elevated to the rang of truth, especially coming from a wealthy celebrity who, at this point, has embraced virtue signaling as a badge of honor. I have admired Whoopi's talents as an actress for a long time, but her insistence on displaying ignorance and prejudice on TV is starting to get on my nerves. At this point, I think she just pretends to be stupid, in order to normalize intolerance and chauvinism.
It's my pleasure. I'm glad you enjoyed the article.
She’s clearly a person steeped in the ideology of her generation. It’s always Jim Crow with some people, even if we have worked to make things better for black people in our country. (Just like the feminist movement never happened to make things better for women) It’s always 1960 and there’s more to do, as if we never elected Barack Obama and marginalized hate groups. Gen X was fed a steady diet of MLK, so I find her tirades sad and washed up.
I get there are still issues (50 years just doesn’t erase history or ‘everything’), but sadly, a lot of ‘hate crimes’ these days tend to be perpetrated by ‘the victims’ themselves. WTAH. That’s just messed up.
In Iran, society operates much differently than it does here. Church and state are fully merged. Just try being an open Christian there and see how your life goes. As I said, she’s so steeped in her generational story that she can’t see anything outside of that.
I can’t wait until the View is finally canceled.
That's actually a great description...generational ideology. I was just talking about that privately and I think you perfectly described it.
While, as usual, I agree with you, I hoped you would put some meat on the bones of your argument. This reads like one of Behar's rants: personal and insulting but little other than opinion. What is happening in Iran that puts the lie to Goldberg's comments? How would side by side comparisons of the US and Iran look? When I read your commentaries I do so hoping that you will be convincing enough to sway opinions, and you seldom disappoint. This one does, sad to say.
I gave an example in there and it's probably the biggest example of all:
"She can’t even see the irony of crying 'oppression' as a public commentator who unabashedly ridicules and disrespects the president — a role that could simply not exist in truly oppressive Iran."
She has a job where she can criticize the most powerful man in the country and nothing happens to her. That's not something that could happen in Iran. We can mock powerful people, publicly and we are not taken away. We can protest and nothing happens to us.
They are run by Islamic fundamentalists, the list goes on as to the polar differences.
Lastly, every article is word count limited. If something isn't explained to the degree you'd like, it's because they're edited down or word count is highly considered.
Certain points are being emphasized and others may not be due to space. It's not for lack of having a point but lots of considerations are being made.
For me and most people, it's obvious that it's no where close to being the same. So, I'm not out to convince people of something they already understand or spend lots of word space on it.