Ridiculously Maddening Quote of the Day: Rush Limbaugh Blames Indians for Tobacco-related deaths

In Genocide, Ridiculously Maddening Quote of the Day, Rush Limbaugh, Stupidity, Thanksgiving, Tobacco by Adrienne K.9 Comments

 
Rush Limbaugh saying ridiculous things is kinda par for the course at this point, but this one definitely takes insensitivity and stupidity to a whole other level. It’s a little old, but I thought it was still worth it.

He begins by talking about the “un-Thanksgiving” and “Day of Mourning” that Native activist groups celebrate rather than “traditional, American” Thanksgiving, and that they “claim” it is their response to the democide (a new vocabulary word for me! it means any person or people killed by the government, including genocide) of Native peoples in the Americas. Then he goes on to this:

“Let’s check the scoreboard. How many Native Americans were killed by the arrival of the white man through disease and war…how many people have died since the white man arrived due to lung cancer, thanks to the Indian custom of smoking? Who are the real killers here?…Where are our reparations? I’m just saying.”

um, really? Yes, Natives introduced tobacco to the greater world. But Indians did not introduce Philip Morris and the other Big Tobacco companies, blend tobacco with a ton of toxic chemicals, pour millions of dollars into marketing to kids and adults, and deny the links to lung cancer. Shoot, if Indians had control of the multi-billion dollar tobacco industry, then things would be different in many ways.

Traditional tobacco use in Native tribes is also not the 2 pack-a-day western model. Tobacco is sacred to many communities, a gift from the creator, and used in ceremony and to commemorate important events, not to smoke back to back cigarettes.

Then to compare the outright genocide of millions upon millions of Native peoples to tobacco deaths? He wants someone to “do the math.” I’ll do the math for you, Rush:

White Privilege+Arrogance+Stupidity=Rush Limbaugh

Here’s the clip. Listen for yourself. Be prepared to roll your eyes.

The blog Pharyngula offers a great critique, definitely check it out.

I would also like to point out that in about 60% of his pictures on Google image search, Rush is smoking a cigar. I’m just saying. 

Pharyngula: Rush Limbaugh, racist pig and sterling representative of the modern Republican

Earlier:
Ridiculously Maddening Quote of the Day: Avatar Edition 

Comments

  1. redstar

    Ridiculousness on all fronts. I like the label “stupidity” that you attached to this.. hahaha – pretty apt in my opinion.

  2. Michael Galban

    He is so right. I mean haven’t you seen the images of forced-smoking camps that Natives built for Whites? The laws that were enacted to force people to smoke?
    Geez louise. What a moron. And the people who listen and believehim and love him are twice as ignorant.

  3. silvii tron

    In England, a lot of people like to blame Sir Walter Raleigh for introducing the country to tobacco. Yet it’s really the tobacco companies that are to blame like you said but it doesn’t stop the politicians taking donations from Philip Morris. When it comes to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck et al, their comments have to be taken with a grain of salt.

  4. uzza

    Whenever I think there’s hope for this country, I remind myself that this pustule gets paid 28 million dollars/year.

  5. FirstNationsFirst

    Don’t just sit around bitching about him! Contact his sponsors and organize a boycott. Natives aren’t the only group that are pissed at this scum bag!
    Daily Kos has a list of Limbaugh’s sponsors from 1/15/2010
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/15/825644/-Rush-Limbaughs-Sponsor-List
    Rush gives a form to contact his sponsors here:
    http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/email_advertiser.guest.html
    It doesn’t do any good to be outraged about it, we need to DO SOMETHING about it!

  6. clowderheart

    I knew Rush was bad, but Fucking Christ, this is probably the most insulting thing I’ve heard all year. I guess the only bright side is that there’s no way he can top himself now.

    Actually, I’d better not say that. He might try.

  7. Reema B.

    I think he is also forgetting that some of my people (Middle Easterners) smoke some form of tobacco too which is the hookah (shisha) LOL!!!

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