A Disingenuous Apology

By now, everyone is aware of Rush Limbaugh’s referring to Georgetown Law 3L Sandra Fluke a “slut” for advocating in favor of birth control.

Everyone is probably aware that his sponsors are avoiding him like the Plague, with many of them dropping him within the past few days.

Well today, the King of the Dittoheads issued a statement, which he would like to call an “apology,” but I sure as hell am not:

For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke… My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.

Let’s parse this statement a little, shall we?

Rush is correct in saying that he has “illustrated the absurd with absurdity,” although he would have you think that he is engaging in parody while I would posit it is demagoguery.  But frankly, even that’s beside the point.  The real point is that Rushie thinks that what he did was pose an “analogy,” not a “personal attack.”

There are some words out there that are not okay to use against anyone, especially in a public setting.  “Slut,” “faggot,” and “nigger,” just to name a few.  So if someone uses those words against someone, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take it other than a personal attack.  Now to be sure the latter two terms are derogatory because they refer to long-maligned groups of people, and are intended to be used in an insulting sense.  But, worse yet, a term like “slut” has a much more powerful connotation and intent to its use.

I believe that in modern society, an adult’s choice to have sex is their own, and not one to be judged by others.  If a woman (or a man) wishes to engage in acts with different sexual partners, that is their choice.  I would implore him or her to be safe, but hey, it’s their choice.  But there is a real social stigma attached to people who commonly have sex.  “Slut shaming” has become a serious problem in our society, with people passing judgment against others without even attempting to know the whole situation.

And that, my friends, brings us back to Ol’ Limbaugh.  Apparently, he sees no issue with publicly deriding Ms. Fluke as a “slut.”  In fact, he thinks that the word is “humorous.”  So, obviously, what he might want us to believe is a Freudian slip is deserving of our forgiveness.  I call bullshit.  I can take the time now to get into the fact that, just because a woman is on birth control, it doesn’t mean that she is engaging in any sexual activity, much less frequent sexual activity.  I may not be any expert on women’s health, but I understand that birth control can help regulate painful periods, inhibit unwanted weight gain, and even prevent unsightly acne, all simple biological facts that Rush has forgotten.  But that’s beside the point.  Let’s just assume for a second that Sandra Fluke has sex with a different man every night.  Let’s say she is sexually promiscuous.  I would have no idea if she is, but let’s pretend for a second.

Why the hell is that any of your business, Limbaugh, and how the hell dare you deride a person who you have never met publicly, on national radio, as a “slut?”

Apology not accepted.