Flibbertigibbet

Kathy Griffin Offends the Almighty, Gets Applause

I'm slow on the uptake on this one, folks, but I have to get it out there.

Yahoo! News: Griffin's Emmy remarks to be censored

LOS ANGELES - Before Kathy Griffin won a creative arts Emmy last weekend for her reality show, "My Life on the D-List," she joked that an award would move her to the C-list.

She was right: "C" as in censored. The TV academy said her raucous acceptance speech will be edited when the event, which was taped, is shown Saturday on the E! channel. The main prime-time Emmy Awards air the next night on Fox.

"Kathy Griffin's offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night," the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement Monday.

Her exact quote according to Towleroad was:

A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus...Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now.

Griffin is a self-described militant atheist and she has built her reputation on being offensive and edgy, so these remarks aren't really a surprise.

I disagree with Yahoo!'s use of the word "censored" to describe the actions of private concerns because it calls to mind and confuses the action with that of the government to suppress free speech. Let's do be clear: Kathy Griffin's right to free speech has not been violated. E! and the TV Academy are within their rights to not air her comment.

In response to Miss Griffin's remarks, Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, has demanded an apology and threatened her with the scarlet letter B for Bigotry if she doesn't comply.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences reacted responsibly to our criticism of Kathy Griffin’s verbal assault on 85 percent of the U.S. population. The ball is now in Griffin’s court. The self-described ‘complete militant atheist’ needs to make a swift and unequivocal apology to Christians. If she does, she will get this issue behind her. If she does not, she will be remembered as a foul-mouthed bigot for the rest of her life.

Since the word is bandied about so, I took the liberty of looking up "bigot" to see if it is something I should be worried about.

big·ot (bĭg'ət)
n. One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.

Sweet baby Jebus' dirty Huggies! I'm a bigot!

I love how Bill Donahue appeals to the mob in his threat. 85% of Americans, huh? What about the other 15%? What about those, like myself, who are offended by his demand for apology? I think he's a bigot!

BILL DONAHUE IS A BIGOT!

I hope Kathy Griffin doesn't apologize to those people.

The simple fact of the matter is that you can't have any beliefs about anything without implying that the opposite belief is wrong and incompatible with [insert your epistemological method of choice here.].

Theism and belief in the supernatural in general is incompatible with reason. Reason and scientific thought in general is incompatible with faith.

Mysticism in general, and Christianity in particular, is an arbitrary assertion for something that has no supporting ever been presented and none can ever be presented. It's patently absurd, regardless of how many people subscribe to them, no one owes them the least bit of respect, admiration, or even silence when the opportunity for a funny joke is presented.

If mysticism weren't so pervasive, I would even say that the only proper way to address those ideas is with derision, mockery, and open, laughing disdain.

So, Jesus-freaks, get over yourselves already. Blasphemy is the new Thanks to the Academy.