In defense of Roseanne Barr

Racism, just like religion, is the result of childhood indoctrination.

Most of the members of this site are non-belivers of some sort. Many of us understand that when religious concepts are pounded into children by those they must trust for their survival and approval, those children grow to be become adult believers of fairy tales, and adherents to dangerous doctrines and practices to varying degrees. Racism is the same. It is taught. And like religion it is extremely difficult to unlearn.

Humans have a propensity for ideas that explain the world and how to behave. Religious ideas have been promulgated, often by violence, as explanations of what is and should be. So do humans have propensity for us/them, protecting the tribe, and hence suspicion of strangers. This bigotry, and racism.

What many have done is to ameliorate their learned images with current reinforcement of those ideas, and prohibitions of their overt demonstration, by developing the habit to not say aloud what they are thinking.

This means, we learn what circumstances would result in adverse consequences.

What surprised me most is that Roseanne had not internalized the prohibition of announcing her inner most thoughts. No doubt a reflection of the Trump factor.

Trump has no such filters. And many who voted for him said, "He is saying what we are thinking." Yes, but some of those thoughts should not be heard by others.

I am still not sure how I feel about how she was treated. When Kathy Griffin was criticized for replicating a cover of Der Spiegel magazine, by holding a replica of Trumps head, I was concerned. Her right to free speech was being public ally, and privately, threatened by the acting President of the United States, and his minions. This was, and is, more dangerous than anything she, or Roseanne Barr, has said.

Roseanne Barr is not the only crazy celebrity. Mel Gibson is an amazing example of the true looniness that can result from being forced fed shit during a child's formative years.

Yet, no matter how annoying a person's speech and/or behavior, we have to be careful how we censure their speech and actions.