The hysterical headline on the Fox News website screams out “John Cusack Calls for ‘Satanic Death’ of Fox News, GOP Leaders.”
Huh? Really?
John Cusack, star of “Say Anything” and “Hot Tub Time Machine ,” responded to a question on Twitter about the proposed, highly controversial Islamic center to be built in New York near Ground Zero.
Cusack affirmed that he was in favor of building the mosque, then followed up with this tweet;
“I AM FOR A SATANIC DEATH CULT CENTER AT FOX NEWS HQ AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICES (OF DICK) ARMEY AND NEWT GINGRICH – and all the GOP WELFARE FREAKS.”
To my eye, the only thing Cusack is guilty of here is a clumsily executed, over-the-top joke. The “Satanic Death Cult Center” is obviously a reference to building a house of worship, extremist or otherwise, on grounds where it would be unwanted.
A mosque at Ground Zero. A Satanic Death Cult Center at Fox News.
Although it should come as no big surprise, Fox is positively apoplectic over what they’re calling a death threat. They’ve even called in terrorism experts to help them debrief over the impending crisis.
This from Foxnews.com:
“Cusack has long been outspoken about politics. He supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election and has contributed to The Huffington Post, but this is the first known time he has stooped to the level of making threats.”
And then they consult with Dr. Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills-based psychiatrist and author of “Coping With Terrorism: Dreams Interrupted.”
And before we get to her words, let’s all be mindful that this a terrorism expert who hails from the brutal war zone of Beverly Hills.
“His provocative tweets could easily incite a rabid fan to commit violent acts against Fox News Headquarters and others he names,” Lieberman breathlessly warns us all, probably while getting a pedicure and talking on her iPhone. “Fans could not only be influenced because of their devotion to Cusack, the man, but also because of their love for one of the character he plays.”
Sounds about right, Dr. Lieberman. Some 45-year-old woman who dreams of Lloyd Dobler holding a boom box above his head outside her bedroom window is definitely going to go blow up Fox News.
And next we turn to Cooper Lawrence, the author of “Cult of Celebrity” who makes similarly dire predictions, “The fear is that someone who is already vulnerable,” says Lawrence, “mentally disturbed, already considering something dangerous, may be encouraged to do so if it is advocated by their favorite star.”
Like when Sarah Palin put rifle site targets on the offices of politicians in favor of health care reform?
Fox News concludes their chilling, ominous (and oh-so immeasurably fair and balanced) report with this terrifying prospect.
“Ironically, Cusack has just been signed to play Edgar Allen Poe in ‘The Raven,’ a movie about a serial killer who uses Poe’s stories as inspiration for his killing spree.”
Eeek! Now Cusack is going to slice Gingrich in half using the pit and the pendulum! Somebody stop him before it’s too late.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Apparently, neither John Cusack or the author see this big joke as being wrong.
If either did their homework, they would realize that the Discovery Channel HQ was attacked by a eco-idiot this week.
^FAIL.
Oh, get over it. Fox News is getting as much mileage as they can out of playing the victim this time–must be a refreshing role reversal after all the witch-hunts they’ve instigated.
definitely a case of “fox can dish it out, but they can’t take it”… if only….
They are like a bunch of whiney kids esp that idiot OReiley. It wasn’t a funny joke, but obviously, it was a joke. They so need to get over themselves.
On another note, odd how they don’t get the sarcasm of this, but they eat up Sarah Palin’s sarcastic bile she loves to spew.
His tweet was obviously an over the top joke. I found it hilarious that anyone would be stupid enough to think he was serious. Most Fox news watchers either don’t have a sense of humor, or they are too stupid to get the joke.
” “RB September 3, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Apparently, neither John Cusack or the author see this big joke as being wrong.
If either did their homework, they would realize that the Discovery Channel HQ was attacked by a eco-idiot this week.””
Apparently RB know’s nothing about the Discovery Channel attacker.
Gunman Carefully Planned Attack on Discovery Channel
Maybe RB doesn’t remember how much crap Fox news has inspired amongst gun nuts?
“Three Pittsburgh police officers killed by gun-loving maniac; afraid Obama would limit gun rights”
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Saturday, April 4th 2009, 4:36 PM”
Lee also allegedly underwent a mental health evaluation in 2008. “I told [the psychiatrist] my idea of saving the planet,” Exactly as I said ….an eco-idiot.
Oh it was a joke….like screaming fire in a theater or we need a bomb on that plane?
Sorry, making a statements like this after the incident at the Discovery Channel is at least insensitive and any author who does not realize this timely link is not much of a journalist. Note; I generally like a fellow Cub Fan Cusack and don’t watch Fox. I only heard of this here at the first place for news…OB RAG.
RB…..You are making about as much sense as John Cusak’s joke. Just stop dude….just stop. You failed. It’s over. go home.
Funny how many of you support the rant of Mr. Cusack, but FOX News is the only channel that supports those that support many of you! To call a FOX News watcher stupid is to be oblivious to the fact that most FOX News watchers are the only ones supporting the USA (financially, in the military, or morally).
“To call a FOX News watcher stupid is to be oblivious to the fact that most FOX News watchers are the only ones supporting the USA”
stupid
What Shane said…
Hmm, not all Fox news watchers are stupid. Some of them benefit financially from the lies. I know exactly how much Fox news brainwashing goes on on the bases, I’ve seen it. Feel sorry for the kids that fall for it, but it sure as hell ain’t all of them.
Cusack was JOKING, something right wingers have to pull the corncob out of their asses, and the blinders off of their eyes to do.
Jaclyn probably doesn’t have the guts to investigate just how much misinformation is on Fox, but just in case she does, the debunking is here.
Oh God, I can’t believe I’m going to say this because I know I’m going to get cruci-fried but this question is un-ignorable: what’s the difference between Cusack’s joke and the “Don’t feed the homeless” bumper sticker joke? Both are failed attempts at humor, both are over-the-top, and both COULD be misused to incite violence. Seems like a double standard here.
Alright Edwin, I’ll take a stab at it….
True, the sticker and Cusak’s joke are both completely lame. The difference is, the people who made the sticker did not star in movies like Say Anything, Better Off Dead, Gross Point Blank, Being John Malkovich, etc…, therefore, they don’t get the same forgiving sentiments… Now, I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. Just that it is the difference. Another difference being that Cusak was attempting to put down an extremely right wing network, whereas the sticker seems to support a more right wing point of view and ruffles the feathers of the lefties. I think we all know where this blog and the editor of this blog fall on that spectrum. Double Standard? Maybe.
Again, they are both completely lame and should have just been ignored.
By the way….has anyone else noticed that the majority of guys wearing the “don’t feed the bums” t-shirts & hats around town all sorta look like bums? If you’re gonna wear that hat guys…at least shave and wear a shirt for cryin’ out loud.
LMFAO! Jon, quit it! You’re spilling me coffee!
Ed – hmmm, really don’t see the bum sticker as any kind of joke despite what those responsible for it said. The people making money off it – the Black and the butts who produced it (and a whole bunch of others tailor made for different cities) certainly don’t see it as a joke. The homeless don’t see it as a joke. And a whole lot of OBceans and San Diegans don’t see it as a joke. So, your first premise is faulty, dude. Perhaps those who see the bum sticker as a joke should do some self-reflection and do a little meditation.
But Frank, you, me and others may not see the sticker as a joke, but there’s no doubt that humor was the INTENT of the sticker’s creators. Just as it was the intention of the John Cusack to make a joke about destroying Fox News–despite the fact that Fox themselves did not see it as a joke. It’s completely analogous, and a clear double standard.
And Jon, the fact that this forum is an obviously liberal one, does not mean we should not obey, or at least recognize, the laws of hypocrisy.
Either something is a joke and everyone needs to chill, or it’s wrong to joke at the expense of others. We can’t have it both ways. Just saying.
Ed, there is no doubt money can be made with humor. Ask Jon Stewart and Steven Cobert (some would even say you’re a humorist). However, books have been written about the hidden passive aggression that is in some humor. So, just because something may be funny to one person doesn’t mean it is funny to another, especially if that other is the object of the joke. And sometimes, people will hide their anger, frustration, hatred in trying to make a funny. And if the object of that humor is a material thing (or pet or animal), all is well. Yet if the object of the attempt at humor is a human or a group of humans, and the humor is based on a condition of theirs that is unintentional or the way they look, speak, etc, then we enter a new area. For example, say you made a joke about a disabled person because they talk or walk “funny.” Your intent was to make a joke, and maybe even someone laughed – but is it funny? We’d all agree it’s not.
(I still have to ask how do you know the original “intent” of the guys who ordered and produced the sticker was one of “humor”?)
Now take Cusack. He made fun of FOX news people – not because of something about them that is unintentional or part of their conditions, but exactly because of what they say and do intentionally. Big dif.
hmmm…I hope I didn’t come across as trying to make excuses for hypocrisy. I think both sides are equally dumb for making a mountain out of a molehill. I never really came out in favor of or against the bum sticker, I’m playing Switzerland on that one. I don’t really care. I think both sides overreacted and made asses of themselves on multiple occassions. What I did do was come to the defense of Frank when the sticker-mob was trying to attack him personally, without really having a clue what they were talking about. The Cusak joke was dumb, the sticker joke was dumb, the koran burning pastor is dumb, and we would all do well to ignore their shennanigans. Of course, here we are paying them attention. Sheesh.
Geeezz! Are we rehashing the whole bum sticker discussion again???
Really don’t see this in such terms, Jon and Ed. One side is/was carrying on an anti-homeless campaign that burst into the open with the sticker, and the OB Rag shined a spotlight on the sticker to expose it and the campaign itself. The sticker was preceded – do you recall? – with a series of anti-troll fliers. Should we have ignored those too?
Do we deal with problems by ignoring them? I think not, and I know Jon jumped on the anti-graffiti bandwagon like a banshee from hell and led the community in wiping out some ugliness.
By exposing the ugliness and bigotry displayed with the promotion of the bum sticker we galvanized a principled force – the churches – to step forward and try to coordinate community discussions about homelessness and the homeless. By exposing the sticker – yes, we made the Black money – we got OB to the table to talk – in a sense. We’re now talking with each other. (Although to be honest, I don’t think the community forums included people from the Bl*ck, or those who threw their words of hate at us that day in front of that store.) But at least some are talking about community solutions now. This would not have happened if we had followed the counsel of those who said ‘ignore it’.
So, do we really want to rehash the smarts in the sticker itself and our exposure of it more than it has already? meh
eek I hope not! What I probably should have said, rather than focus on the sticker thing, is that I was not saying hypocrisy is ok because this is a liberal blog. Rather, I was just attempting to give a direct response to his question while attempting a lame joke or two of my own. I realize his question did not really need an answer.
p.s. Edwin, didn’t you do a piece recently about being a fence-sitter?? I hope you understand where I’m coming from in this “debate?”
Okay, while we’re disclosing our fence sittin sides, we need to acknowledge that good jokes are hard to come by. So, if you’ve got’em, let em rip!
well, these are all good points, and exactly the reason I wanted to open up this debate – because there is definitely room for introspection here. I’m always on the lookout for hypocrisy, in myself, and others, and when I find it, I like to analyze it down to the bare bones. I tend to agree with Jon, that we do often overreact to things and if ever there was an example of that it is the overreaction to building a Muslim cultural center near ground zero. Thanks for airing this one out with me guys. I enjoyed it.
Oh, most definitely, Jon, I see and appreciate your point. I’m a fence sitter to be sure.
I love the fence on which I sit
The company is grand
But should the fence begin to fall
On which side will I stand?
I’ll take a sec and look around
As I know I should
Then I’ll jump and join the folks
who err upon the side of good.
Whew! I need a beer after all that!
;)
FENCE POEM CONTINUED…
But if the side of good’s not known
Nor the righteous very clear
I’ll gladly hold my head up high
And pick the side that has the beer.
And should the keg go dry too soon
Or if the tap gets broke
I’ll firmly exercise my right
To step aside and have a toke.
The fence is fun and mighty purty
It’s planks are good and strong
So if if falls let’s burn the wood
And party all night long.
I love my Sarah. :D