Savage Calls Autistic Children 'Brats-

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 2:36 pm

Yes, the point isn't at all what he said, but about freedom of speech. If anyone, even politically conservative people object, let's all point at the left-wing people, who only want freedom of speech for themselves! Say whatever you want on the radio, because if we don't like it, it's those annoying lefties to blame. The worst part is that the lefties are apparently in cahoots with the morons, putzes and brats who either have autism or claim to have children with autism.

mama-star

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 2:37 pm

he's jewish, comes from a hard working jewish family. the first time I heard him was motsei yom kippur, many years ago. I lived in NY and had my radio tuned to wabc (white angry broadcasting conservatives...lol). I turned on the radio and heard this raspy voiced guy making fun of all the "al cheits" in the machzor. I have to admit, I found it perversely amusing. anyway, since then I've found out more about him. he actually had a brother who was severely mentally ill, he wrote about him in one of his books (leafed through it at costco). he also has his phd in ethnobotany or something like that. he's very conservative in many areas but he's also very into the legalization of marijuana, etc. so he's a character. I rarely get to hear him (don't get to listen to talk radio at all actually these days)

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 2:43 pm

In case you want to hear it:

http://autismparents.net/micha.....aire/

I'm posting it because I believe in freedom of speech. Now I hope he gets fired and is never allowed to open his mouth again. I don't care if half the people in his family are disabled, this is just offensive.

-Left-handed Lefty

eta: If one ignorant parent listens to this and lays a hand on his or her autistic child, believing him or her to be a slacker, I hope this guy Savage comes back in his next life as a fruitfly.

mama-star

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 3:03 pm

I hear what everybody is saying. it's freedom of speech to talk as he does, and freedom of speech to bash him if you don't like what he says. I heard that clip (thanks for posting the link, clarissa) and I just blew it off. it sounds like typical michael savage schtick to me. this reminds me of a great quote from colin powell;

"Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection."

well, we could never define savage as "mundane!"

octopus

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 3:13 pm

I didn't hear the show so I don't know the context exactly.
GR- I really liked your comments.
Savage is a character, and the left wing liberals want him off the air. His comments on Israel and Islam are right on the money.

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 3:27 pm

Just did some Googling to find out about this guy, as I don't listen to the radio. All I have to say is, ick. And believe me, my sources weren't just my fellow anti-free-speech-liberal-lefty-lesbian-abortionists. Ick and double ick.

For some reason, this reminds me of this kid I knew in the fifth grade, who went marching around the playground, shouting offensive things. The fifth graders were too smart to take her seriously or even listen to her. I wonder if she has a job in radio.

gryp

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 4:13 pm

Thanks, happy2beamommy. I know there are others who agree too but have decided to keep it quiet.

If I had only read the article, I'd be quick to condemn too. I see the full picture here though, so I can see through this "news story." If you know Savage, you know they're purposely taking his words out of context to get him fired. Which isn't happening anytime soon.

chany1

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 4:15 pm

I did not hear the show. But I do know that my son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. He is currently 13 years old and he is a genuis. Yes, he got lots of help. Yes, he's a bit interesting. But not aspergers.
In addition, I would like to add, that yelling at him would make things lot worse.

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 4:21 pm

My son's speech therapist was just here. She works in a public school for autistic children. She just shook her head and said, "I wish that guy would just spend ten minutes with me, in our school."

gryp

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 4:33 pm

I just read this off michaelsavage.com:

Quote:

The Autism Controversy

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as "autistic."

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing "autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an "illness" which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York "snake-pit" of a "mental hospital," I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 4:40 pm

I read the same tripe on his website. And then, once again, I listened to what he actually said. Here it is, once again:

I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.'

Yes, this is clearly a man who understands the nature of autism and is seeking to educate others about the possibility, as he sees it, of over-diagnosis. I don't believe it's over-diagnosed, but I see that this is a scientist who wishes to educate others, with his compassion and superior scientific expertise.

I was about to tick off a list of some of the misunderstood, very opinionated people who have only wanted to shed some light on issues through their rhetoric, but decided it wasn't the best idea.

mimivan

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 5:14 pm

GR wrote:

I just read this off michaelsavage.com:

Quote:

Then why didn 't he say this in the first place..? (that he is talking about so-called misdiagnosed cases)

Clarissa....my son has something related to autism and I didn't blow a gasket reading his remarks, because I know what to expect from shock jocks (whom I don't listen to, esp since I"m in E.y.)

BTW, some of these children, at least ones with PDD are NOT on medication (mine is not)..

gryp

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 5:45 pm

Mimivan, how many times did I write that they are purposely taking what he said out of context to rile people up? They are trying to turn public opinion against him to get him off the air. It has nothing to do with Savage as a person, it has to do with him being a conservative. He isn't the first to be threatened this way but he might just be the last. Dr. Laura, Rush and the other WABC talk show hosts, and other conservative journalists who are less known, are all under the same pressure.

They find his most inflammatory statement and try and turn the whole thing into a chicken yard. Savage is not a jerk, a menuval, or an idiot. He can be a bit gruff and a bit full of himself, but if you know his message you get what he's saying.

Come to think of it, mimivan, you would probably like the same things about him that I do. Since you're a Democrat turned Conservative, he'd give you a lot of food for thought.
Did you know that he is close to the shluchim in his area? He barely ever talks about it, but when he does in a way that you'd have to guess what he is really referring to, it's pretty neat to hear him talk about his experiences with them.

mimivan

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 5:56 pm

'gr:

I have no doubt they might have twisted his words...I am not a big fan of these guys though, although they warm my heart when they talk about shleimus haAaretz (and it is hard for me to swallow the fact that Rush Limbaugh has ever warmed my heart, given the fact my favorite book once upon a time was "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, by Al Franken)

Okay, so he might have some good points and respect Orthodox Jews...but a talk radio figure should be careful about his words.

BTW I can't believe you mention Dr. Laura, GR...don't you know she converted to Judaism and then trashed Judaism on her show when she went off the derech? I consider her a complete traitor...

cassandra

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:03 pm

mimivan wrote:

BTW I can't believe you mention Dr. Laura, GR...don't you know she converted to Judaism and then trashed Judaism on her show when she went off the derech? I consider her a complete traitor...

She actually still speaks very highly of Judaism and calls herself Jewish. A few months ago there was a call from a mother worried about her daughter who had been "brainwashed" by a "cult" called Chabad and Dr. Laura did nothing but sing their praises and tell the mother she was making a big mistake treating her daughter that way. I have been listening to her consistently for about two years now since I am strengthened by her views on being a stay at home mom, something that I do because I think it's right but isn't easy for me. She is very outspoken against anyone who calls with any kind of racism or homophobia and her values are very similar to mine. I really don't like Michael Savage, I can't stomach him, but I do believe that things get taken out of context. Don't believe everything you hear.

mama-star

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:09 pm

I don't always agree with what michael savage says, and I don't get to listen to him so much. but from what I have heard I find him sharp, funny, and daring. that said, he speaks with an angry tone and I can't deal with that energy.

mimivan

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:13 pm

cassandra wrote:

mimivan wrote:

BTW I can't believe you mention Dr. Laura, GR...don't you know she converted to Judaism and then trashed Judaism on her show when she went off the derech? I consider her a complete traitor...

I am glad to hear her positive remarks about Chabad and Orthodox Judaism...

She might have had a change of heart since 2003...this article from the Forward from then..

Quote:

With 12 million Americans tuning in daily, controversial syndicated radio-show host Laura Schlessinger — known to all as “Dr. Laura” — is arguably the best-known Orthodox Jew in the United States.

Rather, she was.

In a shocking if little-noticed revelation, Schlessinger — who very publicly converted to Judaism five years ago — opened “The Dr. Laura Schlessinger Program” on August 5 with the confession that she will no longer practice Judaism. Although Schlessinger said she still “considers” herself Jewish, “My identifying with this entity and my fulfilling the rituals, etc., of the entity — that has ended.”

And with that, Orthodox Judaism lost its loudest mouthpiece and its most prominent “rabbi,” as it were, with the largest American pulpit — with the exception of, perhaps, presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman.

Syndicated nationally since 1994, Schlessinger has won over listeners with her hard-edged advice and razor-sharp tongue. Yet her brash style, not to mention her espousal of a strict “moral health” code — including controversial condemnations of homosexuality as “a biological error” — put her at odds with wide swaths of the Jewish community. Many found her moralist, black-and-white, you’re-with-me-or- against-me stance to be more representative of Evangelical Christians than of Jews, who were often among her most outspoken critics.

Nonetheless, even Schlessinger’s detractors were shocked by the news. “I can’t tell you how significant this is,” said fellow Jewish media star and “Kosher relations” author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who has sparred with Schlessinger over her comments on homosexuality. “Dr. Laura always equated her morals and ethics with Jewish morals and ethics. That placed the American Jewish community in a real fix; on the one hand, she made Judaism very popular, on the other, she made it vilified and hated by many people.”

“I think Judaism is better off not being saddled and directly associated with Dr. Laura’s means,” he said, adding, “although she is still a Jew.”

Schlessinger’s office said she was unavailable for comment.

Schlessinger began her August 5 program by noting that, prior to each broadcast, she spends an hour reading faxes from fans and listeners. “By and large the faxes from Christians have been very loving, very supportive,” she said. “From my own religion, I have either gotten nothing, which is 99% of it, or two of the nastiest letters I have gotten in a long time. I guess that’s my point — I don’t get much back. Not much warmth coming back.”

Schlessinger even hinted at a possible turn to Christianity — a move that, radio insiders say, would elevate her career far beyond the 300 stations that currently syndicate her show. “I have envied all my Christian friends who really, universally, deeply feel loved by God,” she said. “They use the name Yoshke when they refer to God… that was a mystery, being connected to God.”

In her 25 years on radio, Schlessinger said she was moved “time and time again” by listeners who wrote and described that they had “joined a church, felt loved by God and that was my anchor.”

Michael Medved, a conservative, nationally syndicated, radio talk-show host, celebrated the Sabbath with Schlessinger about a year ago. “We had talked about having Shabbat again,” he said. When he heard of Schlessinger’s defection, “My first response was to pick up the phone and try and expedite [the visit].”

“I think it’s a shame,” he said. “Though, of course, she was controversial in some eyes, she is one of the most admired women in America. Having the most admired woman in America speak joyously about Passover, Shabbat and Jewish lifestyle events — all of that was quite wonderful.”

Quote:

Of her conversion to Judaism, Schlessinger said, “I felt that I was putting out a tremendous amount toward that mission, that end, and not feeling return, not feeling connected, not feeling that inspired. Trust me, I’ve talked to rabbis, I’ve read, I’ve prayed, I’ve agonized and I came to this place anyway — which is not exactly back to the beginning, but more in that direction than not.”

(my note: a convert should not be thinking "whats in this for me!" Rolling Eyes

“Was Laura naive to think, ‘gosh, I’ll be the queen of the Jews’? Yes, she was naive,” said Medved. “Part of that comes from not growing up in the Jewish community. It’s so rare to find a celebrity embrace of Jewish religiosity of any kind, I can see why Laura would think her very public embrace would have led to a more enthusiastic reaction. But given all the crosscurrents and controversies that divide our community, I can see why that expectation was wrong.”

In 2001, despite the controversy surrounding her, the National Council of Young Israel honored Schlessinger for her “traditional American values.” Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the executive director of Young Israel, was surprised by Schlessinger’s defection but declined to comment on it.

Born to a Jewish father and an Italian Catholic mother, Schlessinger was raised in Brooklyn in a home that was without religion. Approximately 10 years ago, prompted by a question from her son during a viewing of a Holocaust documentary, Schlessinger, 56, began exploring her Jewish roots.

Yet last week’s revelation was far from the first time Schlessinger has been wracked with religious doubts. Lacking a religious background, she has spent a lifetime searching for that missing something, and “each thing I tried left me feeling empty,” she told Philadelphia’s Inside magazine in 1998. Having already undergone a Conservative conversion in 1997, after a debacle with the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas — a now-legendary affair in which she allegedly rejected three hotel suites, wouldn’t ride in taxis and offended the entire audience at a $500 plate fundraiser — Schlessinger was tempted to give up on Judaism completely, but decided to undergo an Orthodox conversion instead.

“A large part of me wanted to make a statement after that experience, to stand even taller about Jewish values,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2001. “Besides, if you don’t have an Orthodox conversion, you can’t get buried in Israel. I want to be close to ground zero.”

Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a fellow radio host who presided over Schlessinger’s Orthodox conversion, said he was “stunned” by his friend’s 180-degree turn. “It didn’t make my day, shall we say.”

“She obviously has a tremendous impact,” said the congregational rabbi from Ottawa, Ont. “When she went through the evolutionary stage of her journey, a lot of people were inspired by her own excitement about it. I can’t tell you I know 100 people who became Sabbath observant because of it, but certainly it was a feel-good message for a lot of people. That these feel-good messages won’t be coming anymore is certainly a loss.”

Other Jews within earshot are far from sad to see her go. “I don’t think this is any great loss to the Jewish universe,” said Susan Weidman Schneider, the executive editor of Lilith magazine. “I don’t think she was a particularly effective or useful spokesperson. She doubtless alienated more people than she drew toward Judaism.”

“So, let her say she’s no longer a practicing Jew,” she added. “Let her be just a garden variety, anti-choice conservative.”

“I still see myself as a Jew,” Schlessinger said on the air last week. “But the spiritual journey and that direction, as hardcore as I was at it, just didn’t fulfill something in me that I needed.”

“All I know is, in my experiences with her — which have been considerable — I haven’t known her to do anything less than 100%,” Bulka said. “Anything she did, she did fully. The scary thing is if she said she’s leaving, it’s very forboding.”

“I thought she was a tough little lady — I didn’t think she’d chicken out so easily,” said Rabbi Isaac Levy, the chairman of Jews for Morality, who has staunchly supported Schlessinger’s conservative agenda. “She’s gotten a couple of kicks in the chin and she’s succumbed to it.”

“It seems incredible that an ethicist and moralist of her standing would invoke such shallow arguments,” said Boteach, who was en route to an appearance on the titillating syndicated television show “Blind Date.” “I never got great applause for my work from the Jewish community — but my people are my people, whether they love or hate me.”

gryp

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:42 pm

mimivan wrote:

Shleimus Ha'aretz is a big one. But there's more about Savage that the others are missing. Savage will stand up to any anti-semite and call him out on it. He has said thing no other public figure would say about supporting religious life. He reads from the Old Testament in English and instead of people turning him off, they're craving more. He has opened up the siddur and read the morning blessings in English and begged people out there to start their day off on the right foot with prayer at the 100 mark and not with a lower activity at the 50 or 20 mark. He tells stories he definitely could have only heard at a farbrengen such as a story from the Freidiker Rebbe in prison. And more. He writes in one of his books of his experience in 770 and seeing the Rebbe. The description is awesome and breathtaking.

I obviously don't look to him for religious inspiration, he is mistaken many times when he starts philosophizing about creation, etc. But I admire the type of message he is putting out there. The same for Dr. Laura. It's obviously not the religious aspect (or lack of) I like about her, but the message she is sending, and her affect on the world out there, making it a better place by encouraging people to live moral lives.

I just turned him on and he has dedicated his show to his handicapped brother who died at 21. It's bound to be an interesting show.

I don't have time to listen to him every day, nor do I need to, because I've heard him so much I've basically heard what he has to say. He still has nice new tidbits I enjoy but I don't get to listen often. When he starts talking about how great he is or when he makes fun of the immoral behavior out there, I turn him off because I don't need to hear it and he can get a bit too descriptive for my liking. And I turn him off when he starts some of his Bible/philosophy talk because I consider it apikorsus.

It seems he is now interviewing parents of autistic children and professionals who agree with him on the overdiagnosing.

octopus

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:42 pm

GR, again, I think you have written rather eloquently on this topic.

I don't always agree with savage, but I have to say, there are those that say much, much, worse in public forums. I remember a saturday night live piece that once really made fun of jewish ppl (sure the writers are jewish- but there audience isn't all jewish).
Much worse things are on tv that make fun of ppl.
so michael savage says s/t derogatory. as usual.
why should he get taken off the air?
it's the left wing liberal agenda. again.

Clarissa

Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:47 pm

happy2BaMommy wrote:

I don't always agree with savage, but I have to say, there are those that say much, much, worse in public forums. I remember a saturday night live piece that once really made fun of jewish ppl (sure the writers are jewish- but there audience isn't all jewish).

You do know that they're a comedy show, right? So they make fun of Jews, they make fun of Blacks, they make fun of Christians (in fact, the funniest sketch they ever had, imo, made fun of Christians), they make fun of Muslims, they make fun of mothers, they mock politicians, etc. Live sketch comedy is about mockery. Do you think that Jewish comedy writers are under some kind of obligation not to mock their own? So much for Jews having a good sense of humor. Or are you calling for more political correctness? I thought you guys thought being PC was baloney. I'm confused.

happy2BaMommy wrote:

Much worse things are on tv that make fun of ppl.

I think much of tv is garbage, but how do you know that it's worse than radio? Do you monitor both for content?

happy2BaMommy wrote:

so michael savage says s/t derogatory. as usual.
why should he get taken off the air?
it's the left wing liberal agenda. again.

Yes, anybody who is offended is part of the left wing liberal agenda. again. Now where is that rolly-eyed emoticon?

I seriously wonder whether, if this man was not pro-Israel, you'd be supporting him in this latest brouhaha. I doubt it.

Oh, here it is: Rolling Eyes

Last edited by Clarissa on Mon, Jul 21 2008, 6:49 pm; edited 2 times in total