Don’t you cringe whenever you hear a politician or celebrity say “I was taken out of context”. It is a phrase that is the public relations kiss of death.
Whenever you hear it, you don’t even have to know what the statement was. You automatically know it was something that made the person look like a complete idiot, bigot, pervert or just plain asshole…
It is the second desperation line of defense right after complete denial. It is a statement of public relations or political survival. In its simplistic form, it is a person trying to do his or her best spin to recover from looking like a complete moron. This got me thinking about my favorite “taken out of context” claims by celebrities and political candidates. Here are some of my favorites.
1. ” I didn’t have sexual relations with that woman”
How can this not be tops on anyones list. Former President Bill Clinton’s first stated that he was taken out of context then lobbied for a new definition of sexual relations to be added to Miriam-Webster. I saw a recent photo of Monica Lewinsky the other day. The context just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
2. “Knappy Headed Hoes”
Am I the only one who had never heard of Don Imus before he was “taken out of context” with his(video) “knappy headed hoes” remark? Until this story broke, I had never heard the phrase before so I had no context to take his statement of out context. We are all still waiting for Don to give us context where such a statement would not be derogatory and insulting to whoever it was said… I wont hold my breath… In any event, someone who looks like a “knappy headed Frankenstein” shouldn’t be throwing stones.
3. ‘I remember landing under sniper fire”
When CBS news first broke that the closest sniper to Hillary was probably in Serbia, Hillary first stated that she was “taken out of context”. She went to a “misspeak” and settled on “fatigue induced delirium” Based on her presidential campaign to date, I think she may have in fact taken a stray sniper shot to the brain…. She has been “out of context” ever since…
Speaking of Hillary how we can not include her stating she was “taken out of context’ when she claimed she was related to Sir Edmund Hillary.
4. Who out there has seen the video Tom Cruise made for the Church Of Scientology? Regardless of your views on Scientology you would have to admit that Tom’s behavior and statement’s on the tape run the gamut of simply strange, to outright bizarre to full fledged “Martian status”. In Tom’s most recent Oprah love fest’ he stated that the video was made specifically for the church of Scientology and has been….. yes you guessed it…. “taken out of context” Tom does not enlighten us with exactly what context we should be putting it in… I guess the only way to have context is to be a member of the Church of Scientology. That leaves 99 9/10 of the world with no context at alI. I have watched the video and even with the “Scientology” context I have come to the conclusion that even if not all “Men Are From Mars” I am very suspicious about Tom’s origins…..
5. “We should take him out”
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez should be glad evangelist Pat Robertson is not running the CIA. In 2005 when speaking about the Chavez regime he stated that our special forces should (video) “take him out.” When confronted with the fact that it is not a good idea for a public figure to publicly call for the assassination of a sitting head of state, especially one that sends us a lot of oil, Robertson stated that “he was taken out of context” He went on to state:
“I didn’t say ‘assassination.’ I said our special forces should ‘take him out.’ And ‘take him out’ can be a number of things, including kidnapping; there are a number of ways to take out a dictator from power besides killing him”
Its ok Pat. No context needed….. I agree with you. Lets “take him out”……
Fox’s Bill O’reilly Says His Stereotypes “taken out of context”
I am no fan of Bill O’Reilly so it always gives me pleasure to be able to point out his pinhead true “colors”
During a(video) 35-minute discussion about race relations on his syndicated “Radio Factor,” O’Reilly repeatedly spoke of “demeaning” portrayals of African Americans, particularly in hip-hop videos. To illustrate his contention that such images provide a false impression of black culture, he recalled having dinner with the Reverend Al Sharpton at Sylvia’s, a famous soul-food restaurant in Harlem:
“I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City,” he said. “It was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks [and has a] primarily black patronship. It was the same. And that’s really what this society is really all about now here in the U.S.A. There’s no difference.”
Bill must have been expecting to see American Gangster’s Frank Lucas selling “blue magic heroin” out of his wheelchair in the restaurant.
Ok Bill, what context should we put it in? I listened to the entire interview and I still think you are a racially insensitive idiot. That is my context….
The list could go on and on. These things happen in politics by the thousands…. These are just some of my favorites. What are some of your favorite “taken out of context” statements?
