Ah, the classic variation: but my wife's best friend is black!

Scott Baio? This guy is even below Kirk Cameron on the celebrity food chain.

TOTALLY CONVINCING, HELLO

Chachi Loves Romney?

Wow, a C list celebrity for a change. The GOP are certainly moving up in the world.

+1 to submitter for the headline.

Jake Havechek: Ah, the classic variation: but my wife's best friend is black!

Oblig

What did he say?

Scott Baio is the anti-Christ.

Baio was on Diagnosis Murder?

Weren't he and his wife going on crazy ignorant internet-based rants long before Twitter and Facebook were even a thing? Or am I thinking of another D-list celeb?

I heard he's got a big 'ole dick. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice.

Jake Havechek: Ah, the classic variation: but my wife's best friend is black!

My baby moms is black, so I'm getting a kick and TOTALLY NOT RACIST, HELLO.

In fact I'm colorblind. I didn't realize she was black for the longest, not until I noticed that my girl only ate dark meat and that I can never fit all my beer in the fridge because there's a goddamned watermelon taking up a whole shelf.

Join us for a trip through Scott Baio not being racist, where it says "read more."

Well, at least (most) sites have stopped using the "read the rest of story after the jump" but there wasn't even a "read more" link. Nor any more to read. *sighs*

/you know who else loved Nazis?

None of that seems particularly damning. Seems like unwarranted and presumptive use of the race card. Some on the left are too quick to play it. Dilutes it for when it's actually justified and often really 'isn't helping' in that it's an heavily emotionally and culturally laden issue that tends to make people feel instantly defensive and derails meaningful debate (not that there's any to be had on the question of Michelle Obama's relative attractiveness).

I wonder what Bob Loblaw's Law Blog has to say about this

Well ... calling Michelle Obama "ugly" is not really racist. Depending on the photo, he may be blind. She can look hot or not depending on the shot.

/I'm a poet and I know it.

Scott Baio doesn't understand currency exchange rates.

Is Scott Baio Sancho?

I'd be embarrassed if people knew I followed Scott Baio's Twitter feed.

Rashnu: None of that seems particularly damning.

His actual tweet about Michelle Obama being ugly wasn't necessarily racist, just mundanely trashy and dumb. But it also falls undeniably into the "not racist but #1 with racists" category. His overreaction, however, is truly sad and pathetic. 'How could I be a racist, I've worked with lots of black people?' Really?

Mandapants: Scott Baio doesn't understand currency exchange rates.

[img101.imageshack.us image 500x289]

Sometimes I worry about the lack of attention that mental health care gets in this country.

Welcome to "being accused of racism" club.

Rule #1: Do not talk about being accused of racism.

Rule #2: DO NOT TALK ABOUT BEING ACCUSED OF RACISM.


Seriously. You can't win. You can't break even. Let it go. Like proverbial quicksand, every attempt to free yourself will only bring you closer to your doom.

If you're lucky, maybe your fans will come to your defense. Maybe your publicist can control the damage (probably not). Maybe you'll score the lead in an Oscar Winning film and people will stop caring about your personal views for a while (good luck with that one, Scotty). Maybe someone more famous than you who happens to be of the ethnicity in question will voluntarily step up and save your ass (on the plus side, "more famous than Scott Baio" is a significant portion of the populace, so that helps the odds).

But you can't --you absolutely CAN NOT-- talk your way out.

Don't. Try.

/Unless you're a racist. In that case, try. Try all day long. It's fun to watch.

Well, in the end being "ugly " will beat being "Scott Baio" every time I expect.

Derp on! Herp Off!

/Hot like Baio's not.

This explains a few things about Charles in Charge.

Washed-up actors are often Republicans, because they could *really* use all that money they paid in taxes back when they were millionaires. They could also use all that money they spent on cocaine, but no, it's taxes that ate up their fortunes.

Also, most actors are really, really dumb. Even actors that you think are probably pretty smart? Yeah, they're idiots.

Charles in Denial

Scott Baio of "Joanie Loves Chachi"? Really?

[seth-myers.jpg]

No "Happy Days", no "Charles in Charge" (he was only the farking STAR of that one), no "Arrested Development" (admittedly, he was in like 4 episodes of 53)? You had to go with the lamest thing ever committed to celluloid and shown on network TV?

I guess it makes sense - you don't want people associating "racism" with a show about a group of lily-white 1950s teenagers, right?

GameSprocket: Well ... calling Michelle Obama "ugly" is not really racist. Depending on the photo, he may be blind. She can look hot or not depending on the shot.

/I'm a poet and I know it.

Your feet are Longfellows?

someonelse: His overreaction, however, is truly sad and pathetic. 'How could I be a racist, I've worked with lots of black people?' Really?

Sure, it's laughably stereotypical. Like I said though, it makes people defensive (and eventually angry). How do you prove you're not racist, especially as a conservative? As a liberal I at least have the outlet of occasionally being ironically and satirically racist absent accusations.

Scott Baio is either functionally retarded, or a better troll than I give him credit for.

Adam Baldwin is another "conservative" actor whose Twitter feed is largely political, but at least he comes off as well-educated.

What does Tony Danza think of all this? That's the important question.

This is stupid.

**** BREAKING NEWS ****

This just off the wire..... reports now confirm that Papa, does indeed, love Mambo. More news on this development as we get it.

Mandapants: Scott Baio doesn't understand currency exchange rates.

[img101.imageshack.us image 500x289]

His Twitter name is RealScottBaio? Are there others he's being confused with?

I'm Scott Baio yes I'm the real Baio
All you other Scott Baios are just imitating
So won't the real Scott Baio please stand up
Please stand up
Please stand up

Could someone explain the whold Nazi reference?

Brick-House: Could someone explain the whold Nazi reference?

Chachi..... Nazi.... No?

/Mr. Magina....MAgina....VAgina.....

Shut up and collect residuals!

Mandapants: Scott Baio doesn't understand currency exchange rates.

[img101.imageshack.us image 500x289]

*facepalm*

He managed to display so much ignorance in just 2 sentences.

/Canada's government already pays less per capita for healthcare than the US government.

None of what he said was racist.

A little naive, but not racist.

"Some of my best friends are black" is funny because its almost always an inflation of superficial associations into "friendship", not because social associations are irrelevant. A person's voluntary social circle IS actually very relevant to the likelihood that they have racist views, and increase the likelihood that racists will change their perspectives over time. Having a diverse social circle also has a general mitigation effect on the tendency of racism to flourish as it does in largely homogeneous social groups.

If every joke is at least a little bit true, then its also substantially a lie. Don't mistake the joke for the truth that underlies the joke

Killer Cars: Adam Baldwin is another "conservative" actor whose Twitter feed is largely political, but at least he comes off as well-educated.

For a second, I thought you were talking about the crazy Christian Baldwin brother, Stephen (who is a complete moron).

Had to look up Adam (only to find he's not related to those other Hollywood Baldwins at all).

Also, I don't understand why people say Michelle Obama is ugly.

I mean, she's not a beauty queen...but, she's the most physically attractive First Lady we've had since Jacqueline Kennedy. I mean, the two Bush women were hideous, Nancy Reagan looked like a dried carrot, etc. Sure, some of them were lovely people (e.g. Lady Bird Johnson), but lookers they were not.

Rashnu: How do you prove you're not racist, especially as a conservative?

Finesse the conversation into the differences between the words racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Most people use racist when they should use use bigot. I'm not sure why they started using the former in place of the latter, except perhaps to tie it somehow to Hitler.

Old fashioned 19th century european racism had a large chunk of paternalism to it. "White Man's Burden" didn't manifest as hatred of other ethnic groups. It was more pity and condescension.

If you can get the argument bogged down in semantics, the original claim will be blunted.

eraser8: For a second, I thought you were talking about the crazy Christian Baldwin brother, Stephen (who is a complete moron).

Oh God no....

While I never especially cared for Firefly, Adam Baldwin gets a pass on anything because he was Animal Mother, after all.

/"You'd better flush out your head, new guy. This isn't about freedom; this is a slaughter. If I'm gonna get my balls blown off for a word, my word is 'poontang'"

My thought process on this whole thing:

Scott Baio: Michelle Obama, U UGLY LOL
Random Tweeter: You're a racist!!!
Me: Oh come on now. Tasteless asshat perhaps, but you can't say he's racist.
Scott Baio: Yeah! I'm not racist! My wife's best friend is black!
Me: Nevermind. I take that back.

eraser8:
Also, I don't understand why people say Michelle Obama is ugly.

I mean, she's not a beauty queen...but, she's the youngest First Lady we've had since Jacqueline Kennedy. I mean, the two Bush women were old, Nancy Reagan was old, etc. Sure, some of them were lovely people (e.g. Lady Bird Johnson), but youngsters they were not.

FTFY

/though in absolute terms, I agree with you... just doesn't seem like a fair comparison
//when 63 years old you are, look sexy you will not
///my looks started fading around 23

Lyonid: Rule #1: Do not talk about being accused of racism... ... Like proverbial quicksand, every attempt to free yourself will only bring you closer to your doom.

"...every attempt to free yourself will only bring you closer to your doom" Hmm... There ought to be be an expression to describe this phenomenon, perhaps even one with subtle racial undertones.

Lyonid: /though in absolute terms, I agree with you... just doesn't seem like a fair comparison

I've seen pics of these broads when they were young. And, I still have to say that Michelle Obama is, physically, the hottest First Lady we've had since Jacqueline Kennedy.

Killer Cars: While I never especially cared for Firefly, Adam Baldwin gets a pass on anything because he was Animal Mother, after all.

Love that movie.

Especially love the prostitute scene (with the Alabama black snake).

eraser8: I've seen pics of these broads when they were young. And, I still have to say that Michelle Obama is, physically, the hottest First Lady we've had since Jacqueline Kennedy.

She looks like James Brown in drag.

Conversely, I really don't have any close friends that are black. Does that make me racist?