Poor Richard's News: Hey remember when SNL made fun of Rush Limbaugh for losing advertisers?
Do you remember when advertisers began pulling out of Rush Limbaugh’s show because of a remark he made about Sandra Fluke? SNL immediately used it as an opportunity to make fun of the conservative host. Well now SNL is losing advertisers because of a terribly offensive sketch they did about Jesus. I wonder if they’ll make fun of themselves now. I doubt it.
From Fox News:
“Saturday Night Live” is known for pushing the limits, but the NBC spoof show may have gone too far with a recent skit that mocked Jesus.
The inflammatory Feb. 16 skit, inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s excessively violent “Django Unchained,” was titled “DJesus Uncrossed” and depicted a post-resurrection Jesus (played by host Christoph Waltz) slaughtering Roman soldiers with a sword.
“He’s risen from the dead,” the narrator announced. “And he’s preaching anything but forgiveness.”
The skit didn’t go over well with two of America’s oldest and largest retailers—JCPenney and Sears. Both stores decided to pull their advertising from “Saturday Night Live,” according to a press release issued Tuesday by the American Family Association (AFA), an organization which focuses on the social implications of television and media.
Look, I’m generally not one to get offended easily (although this bit did it), NBC and SNL can air whatever they like. But it’s the blatant hypocrisy that is so frustrating. SNL would never portray Muhammad like this. But such is the world in which we live.
Why Rush Limbaugh apologized: capitalism
Rush Limbaugh is a big fan of capitalism and frequently touts his “obscene profit time outs” (commercial breaks) on his show. Historically, his listeners have been extremely loyal to the the brands he endorses, and advertisers pay top dollar for his stamp of approval.
This week, however, Rush found himself the recipient of the painful side of how a capitalist economy works as advertisers voiced their displeasure at his remarks regarding far-left abortion activist Sandra Fluke and pulled their funds from his show.
from The Hollywood Gossip:
The hashtag #BoycottRush has spread around Twitter and two Facebook pages calling for a boycott have garnered more than 18,000 and 6,000 Likes by this morning. Moreover, nine companies - including Legal Zoom, Citrix Success, Heart and Body Extract, AutoZone and Quicken Loans - have pulled ads from Limbaugh’s show.
These companies were some of Rush’s main sponsors, and today yet another big sponsor joined the fray and left, even after Rush apologized for his choice of words.
From David Friend, CEO of Carbonite:
No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.
I’ve read of a lot of criticism from the right in the last 24 hours regarding Rush’s decision to apologize, but in the end Rush and other business leaders like him will follow the money. This is how capitalism works. There was no need for congress to draft a bill banning “incendiary, hateful speech.” His advertisers voted with their feet and Rush changed his tune.
Take note, conservatives: boycotts work. Capitalism works. We have Rush Limbaugh to prove it.
