Saturday, October 02, 2010

Rick Sanchez Fired From CNN.



I find this really sad. Rick Sanchez has simply destroyed his credibility with an astonishing attack on Jon Stewart, by calling him "a bigot" and implying that CNN and other networks are run by Jews.

CNN have now fired him.

Clearly Jon Stewart has got under his skin, but this outburst is astonishing. It's obvious that he feels, as an American of Cuban background, that he is in some way being persecuted.

PD: Stewart's a minority as much as you are.

RS: Yeah, a very powerless people.


PD: Whoa.


RS: He's such a minority. You know, please. Are you kidding me? I’m telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority?
Yeah.
Later in the conversation he backed off these claims, saying that Stewart was merely "prejudicial" and stating:
"I grew up in Miami. Every one of my best friends was Jewish!"
But, by that point, the damage had been done.

I can understand why coming under the scrutiny of Jon Stewart would be embarrassing and infuriating. None of us would like to be subjected to that guy's laser-like comedic scrutiny. But to imply that he does so because he is "a bigot" and a member of some Jewish cabal which runs the networks?

Oh dear.... Sanchez is ignoring that fact that there are an awful lot of very successful Cuban Americans in the entertainment industry. He's not the only one.

He would have had more credibility if he had claimed that the US entertainment industry was run by Scientologists.

Clearly it is his perception of being singled out as a minority which has led to him feeling, in some way, persecuted. But it is his own sense of persecution which has brought about his downfall. That's sad.

2 comments:

Steel Phoenix said...

I'll support his firing because CNN tries to keep up an image of neutrality. Had he been one of the shock jocks, I don't think it would have even made the news.

I think he's off base with Stewart as well. Stewart pulls his punches when he says something critical about Israel, but he does it. He gets on his high horse once in a while when talking about other points of view, but in the end, I think he's one of the best forces for equality and justice the news profession has, and he isn't even part of that particular profession.

Kel said...

I agree that he had to go, I simply felt sorry for him as it was his own persecution complex which brought about his firing.

And I agree with you totally when it comes to Jon Stewart.