“Comedienne” Sandra Bernhard Says that Sarah Palin Will Be Gang Raped by Bernhard’s “Big Black Brothers” If She Shows Up in New York, Explains It Was Part of a More “Nuanced” Piece
Oct 2nd, 2008 by admin
Here is a clip of Sandra Bernhard’s new “routine” featuring no-holds barred attacks on Sarah Palin. The “she’ll be gang raped if she shows up here” statements aren’t in this clip, but I’ve posted the clip so readers can see for themselves what kind of routine this is.
BOSTON — A women’s shelter on Wednesday cut headliner Sandra Bernhard from its annual benefit after she said Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin would be gang-raped if she ever visited New York.
Bernhard’s made the remarks last month during her one-woman show in Washington D.C., before Palin visited New York to campaign. Bernhard said Palin would be “gang-raped by my big black brothers” during a diatribe in which she also criticized Palin for opposing abortion rights.
Many guests at Rosie’s Place, a Boston shelter, have been victims of violence, public relations director Leemarie Mosca said.
“In light of our mission, we don’t think violence against women is a laughing matter,” she said.
Mosca said the shelter expected to book a replacement before the Oct. 16 luncheon “Funny Women … Serious Business.”
“Right now, our main focus is our event and making sure the event is a success,” Mosca said. “And for us, that means not including Sandra Bernhard at this time.”
A representative for Bernhard had no immediate comment on the cancellation.
In a statement on her Web site, Bernhard said the gang rape comment was part of a larger piece from her show about “racism, freedom, women’s rights, and the extreme views of Governor Sarah Palin — a woman who doesn’t believe that other women should have the right to choose.”
“I certainly wish Governor Palin no harm — I’d just like her to explain to me how she can hold such outrageous views … and then go back to Alaska,” she said.
With women like these in the world, men’s work is made much, much easier. With white people like this in the world, racists’ work is made much, much easier. “Raped by my big black brothers?” This is supposed to be part of her political campaigning, like, for Obama?
H/T Donna Hughes DIGNITY Listserv.
Sarah Bernhard has always been too obnoxious for my taste. She relies almost entirely on hyper-sexualized and/or hateful irony–*lacking creativity*, comes to mind.
OTkinda: And so I’m out with a bunch of people last night and someone brings up Sarah Palin and how they can’t stand her politics so I listen in (I live in a strongly Republican state so this was interesting). Immediately it flies :”she is such a stupid b*tch.” “Someone shut her up.” “Can’t stand that b*tch.” “*something,something* b*tch!” yadayadayada on and on… All out the mouths of women and gay men, mind us. Loud as can be!
And here I was so excited to run into some people who weren’t voting McCain/Palin. F that! Can’t keep sexist attacks out of it for a minute can they? The public loves them a good woman to scorch.
We tell men that as long as they share and laugh at rape jokes, they’re no friend to women, that they hurt women when they even condone rape humor (an oxymoron, I know) with their silence. We’re right when we tell men those things. And you’re right when you say that women like her make men’s jobs much easier. And they make feminists’ jobs much harder. How can men be convinced that rape isn’t funny and that rape humor helps perpetuate harm to women when women comediennes who identify themselves as feminists tell rape jokes?
Bernhard doesn’t get a pass on this one, not because she’s a woman, not because Palin is a conservative, and most definitely not because she’s a comedienne. My hat’s off to Rosie’s Place and to all feminists like yourself, Heart, who won’t let Bernhard’s rape humor go without comment.
To Bernhard, all I have to say is: Shame on you. Women who identify as feminists expect more of ourselves than that and you know it. Sucking up to Teh Menz by using rape humor isn’t funny; it is, in fact, pathetic.
Excellent that Rosie’s Place have refused to accept Sandra Bernhard’s crass excuse and justification for her claim that her ‘black brothers will group rape Sarah Palin’ if she so much as dared to step foot in New York, was just a way of challenging Ms. Palin’s so-called outrageous views. Male sexual and physical violence against women and children has for centuries been used against women who have dared to challenge male-dominant beliefs and systems. Bernhard knew precisely what she was saying and that is claiming such male violence is acceptable, if a woman holds differing views to her. Rosie’s Place were right to withdraw their invitation to Sarah Bernhard because the women survivors living at this shelter do not need to hear such claims justifying male sexual violence against women. These women hear enough excuses, denials and justifications as it is from the legal system and culture in general, without being forced to listen to Bernhard promoting male violence and racism. No woman irrespective of her political views, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation etc. supposedly ‘deserves’ to be threatened with multiple males of whatever race, ethnicity etc. group raping her.
This is precisely what feminism is about - challenging and refusing to accept male on female rape is acceptable punishment in certain circumstances. No excuses accepted Sarah Bernhard is condoning male sexual violence against women and I’m so glad Rosie’s Place did not see the pseudo ‘humour’ in Bernhard’s racist and woman-hating statement.
No, I have not forgotten the deliberate racism Bernhard makes wherein she is deliberately feeding on racist stereotypes that claim ‘all black men are rapists.’ Men of all ethnicities, races and class commit rape against women of all ethnicities, races and class, but in saying this I do not say ‘all men of all ethnicities are rapists.’ Furthermore the claim ‘black men are rapists’ reinforces racist lies that ‘all black men are rapists.’ Proponents of this racial hatred are primarily those white men who believe white women are white men’s sexual property.
Bernhard made these statements September 19, two weeks ago tomorrow. I’m just hearing about it now? I read three newspapers every day and read the blogosphere and the news that pops up on AOL and so on, nothing.
No biggie I guess.
Actually, this was performed on September 13, almost three weeks ago.
If you want to donate money to Rosie’s Place to help offset the costs of their integrity here’s the link.
https://www.rosies.org/cultures/en-US/Giving/Online+Giving.htm
Here’s another one that may have flown under your radar, Heart, but Shakes caught. http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-sexism-watch-16.html
It’s about Margaret Cho saying she’d like to have sex with Palin and then going on to say that Palin is probably frigid.
Here’s Cho’s response to Shakes’ critique: http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/09/cho-responds.html
And here’s one, also from Shakes, about Bernard defending her “joke.” http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/10/update.html
It appears pisaquari’s right when she says that the public loves ‘em a good woman to scorch. I’ll only add that the sexuality and sexual habits of our sex are never off limits, not even to other women.
Well, the only feminist blog I found this on was Feministing, and it went up three hours ago. HuffPo put it up yesterday.
I swear the Left/progressives/liberals/many feminists have completely lost their political minds. If the election campaigns have revealed anything, it is THAT.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_en_ot/people_bernhard_palin_8
Honestly, I’m glad to hear she’s backpeddling. It was hideous to read that she was originally defending this as part of some more “nuanced” piece. Evidently it was so nuanced, she can’t recall the nuances herself.
The fact that she calls Palin a b*tch so many times, over and over again, in that clip suggests that she is not as woman centred as she’d like to believe. And why so angry with Palin? Why not be angry with male politicians who oppose abortion and ignore women’s experiences of male violence? Sure, she’s the VP candidate… but shouldn’t the ‘commedienne’ be concentrating on attacking McCain? Why isn’t he a wanker, prick, dick or whatever?
Wow. I heard about this a while back and I was so appalled by the rape joke, I didn’t even notice the racism.
I’m glad you pointed it out. Damn. That’s doubly offensive, isn’t it?
Good for Rosie’s Place!
As far as I’m concerned she’s digging herself in deeper.
No kidding, Laurelin and everyone. Not only does she call Palin a b****, she calls her a wh*** at least twice and maybe more. The glee with which both men and women attack Sarah Palin on account of her sex is revolting and so ugly.
It’s so ungodly sick, too– on some of the sites that had written about Bernhard’s attacks, people, of course, jumped in to immediately trash Bernhard on account of her looks and because she is a lesbian! When in the h e double toothpicks will women EVER figure out who our friends and allies are?
The 53-year-old comedian, in criticizing Palin for opposing abortion rights, challenged whether she would keep the baby if she became pregnant after being violated by a group of black men in New York.
Sis, yeah, she is, isn’t she.
<i>It’s so ungodly sick, too– on some of the sites that had written about Bernhard’s attacks, people, of course, jumped in to immediately trash Bernhard on account of her looks and because she is a lesbian! When in the h e double toothpicks will women EVER figure out who our friends and allies are? </i>
Ahh, now I understand why you didn’t post the links I shared. For the record, I seldom read the comments at that site and many other sites, too, because they tend to be so nasty, especially toward women but also toward anyone perceived to be conservative, correctly or not. Looking at it that way, I’m glad you didn’t share the links.
Cool Aunt, actually your comment went into the spam queue for some reason, but I’ve retrieved it, approved it, and will check it out. So depressing.
The story made the New York Daily News Gossip page two weeks ago. http://www.nydailynews.com/...
Apparently Republican fans of Gov. Palin picked up on it, but I had not heard about it either.
I messed up the link. This should work: Sandra Bernhard issues ‘gang rape’ warning to Sarah Palin
The Margaret Cho piece was just… there are no words for my disgust. What the hell. Comments thread? Sick.
I am just so thoroughly disgusted.
Link to Margaret Cho revolting comedy routine.
God.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=30965431&blogID=434054382
And also Palin’s husband is part Native so Bernhard is doubly clueless.
At some point hate all merges into one thing. Why does someone like this feign to care about women or blacks, with this kind of thing coming out of her mouth? Outright woman-hate. Yes, rape is funny, and “b******” like Palin deserve it, and worse yet (!), –rape by *black* men. Talk about layers of racism and misogyny masqerading as righteous liberal critique. You expect something like this to come out of Larry Flynt’s mouth, *maybe*. (Probably not even him which is saying ALOT!)
I agree that her clueless explanation is worse than the original mess she said. Also, chances are Palin *would* keep a black baby, I’d be willing to bet even one from a rape attack. (Just saying.) I grew up in Christian fundamentalism and know that no. 1 women in these circles rarely abort and no. 2, there is generally *much* less prejudice , taboo, or fuss re having a baby of color (by birth, marriage, adoption, however) in the Christian fundie world than there is in the secular world. Ugh, she is so clueless. SHE is the one saying a racist thing-a horrifically racist thing. Yes, pander to the myth of blacks as animalistic raping beasts who want to rape white women. We need more of that propoganda in this world.
Fundie Christians of Palin’s stripe are not progressive and are clueless in their own ways but they are generally not racists and usually *try* to be racially sensitive. It is a touching thing about them in fact, and a good thing.
I (a mixed kid) dealt little with racism in the fundie Christian world, but I did in the secular world. People don’t realize how much “red and yellow black and white they are precious in his sight” seeps into Christian fundies. It’s a simpleness that is actually pretty refreshing. So anyway, she is clueless about Christian fundies (at least Palin’s kind).
I can’t believe that Bernhard, seeing as she thinks of blacks as raping beasts there to call upon as her minions to rape women she despises, would want a black baby herself, however progressive she thinks she is. And women who call other women *whores* are pathetic.
“Bernhard is the typical clueless, self-righteous leftist who is no better than an extreme right wing religious fundamentalist. At some point hate all merges into one thing.”
Jeyoani, I’m glad you said this because I’ve been thinking the same thing, not so much about Bernhard in particular, but about self-righteous leftists in general. My observations have been that there is so much hate coming from that side, as much or more hate than comes from the other side. But then, I don’t know if my observations are based on limited exposure to the far right and/or poking around in the “wrong” places to the left. At least now I know that I’m not the only one who sees the hatred of the far left, those who preach constantly about tolerance and denounce the intolerance of the right, the hatred from those tolerant leftists, those I’d expect hatred from the least.
Reclusive Leftist posted something very wise at her blog that I think applies here. http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/2008/09/05/real-feminism/ .
I don’t think that this is a spoof, but it looks as though Hustler has also got in on this misogyny circus.
http:// http://www. avn.com/video/articles/32638.html
(I’ve broke the link up Heart)
It’s hard to say why comics say these things. I don’t think most of what “passes” for comedy these days could be called anything but belittling to women overall.
We live in a time where women think shock value is the thing, and perhaps it might be because feminism succeeded beyond its wildest dreams, and so now a lot of leftist women don’t know what to do.
Sad.
Jeyoani, good points you raise. I have never found Bernhart funny and I tried listening to Margaret Cho a few times but I don’t think she’s funny, either. Something happened in the last 25 years ; it used to be that comedians had more creativity and did not need subjects to tear apart to be funny. I remember the brilliance of Lily Tomlin and Gilda Radner when I was growing up.
Whoopi Goldberg is outstanding in her one woman performance
‘Live from Carneige Hall’ which was made pre-Hollywood.
If I had to summarize, I’d say it’s tied in to the dumbing down of America and people’s (supposed) short attention spans. I think if you tell a good, funny story you will captivate your audience. You don’t ever have to resort to this sexist and racist junk.
I think it’s because Cho and Bernhard don’t know they are women.
Heart, I can’t thank you enough for your continuous posts re: the ad-nausum HATRED directed towards Sarah Palin. I think it’s ridiculous Heart, that you even felt the need to state that you weren’t planning to vote for her in one of the threads shortly after her nomination was announced; I mean, anyone who reads your blog *knows* your politics, not to mention that you are running for President.
If women, “progressives” (as if there’s anything progressive about sending out cartoons where Palin is referred to as “mommy”–as if Obama or Biden would be called “daddy” to be mocked, or even McCain, to refer to Palin as a “thing”, to send out mass e-mails mocking everything this one woman said)…honestly, what is going to have a bigger effect on our lives: the outcome of a two-party election, or how we treat one another, how WE as women, as feminists respect ourselves and one another?
Whoever gets into office, we’re still going to be left with the sexism in our lives…and if it’s also coming from our “sisters”, it’s going to be that much harder.
BTW, there is an article that came out today on counterpunch by Alexander Cockburn that discussed Sarah Palin’s nomination pretty decently, IMHO.
Biden is an imperialist. Let’s talk about THAT.
Or McCain’s rampant misogyny (touched upon at the end of the column).
“Whoever gets into office, we’re still going to be left with the sexism in our lives…and if it’s also coming from our “sisters”, it’s going to be that much harder.”-Laur
!! I like Lucille Ball too.
Shoot aint it the truth! Great point. *The* point, actually, imo.
Cool Aunt I love that piece by Reclusive Leftist. I went there and the comments are great and some really funny too :)
Yeah Julia I love Lily Tomlin and Gilda Radner too–also Carol Burnett and my fave of all time is Andrea Martin
Yeah I like the old comics better too, in general. I like Monique though, and Wanda, and some of the SNL-ers and MadTV comics. But I know what you mean about how it seems like alot of comics nowadays are 75 percent mean and cynical.
Cho I actually personally used to love. I still like some of her schtick but in many cases she is totally misguided re sisters, yeah. Her response (non-response) to Shakespeare’s Sister’s *great* blog was totally pathetic and really horrendous form. I used to like Bernhard about 15 years ago. ”Bust” has had them both on their mag covers and both are so-called feminists. To me they’re the kind of easy-to-be feminist. Like to appear edgy but never say anything that messes with or God forbid challenges their male fan base. Especially as female comics they need male audience to remain halfway in the spotlight and with good food on the table.
Which makes them similar to Palin in a way they refuse to see.
And this is an aside but I swear Cho’s saying Palin is frigid is full on hater-STUPID! She’s got five kids (hint–not always, but in her case- hint) and a cute husband (hint) supporting her (hint) as a Gov. and as VP–aka shut up. Women like cute, supportive men like that so shut the heck up. Tons of men couldn’t deal if they were with a woman like Palin, having kids, career, being called “First Dude”, etc. Seriously it just strikes me as jealousy from women who know their own husbands wouldn’t be able to deal or support them the way Palin’s husband is doing. In the blogosphere there are self-professing feminists snarkily/condescendingly asking “do you think your marriage will hold up, how does your husband really feel about all this what with five kids and you being so successful and yadda, don’t you think you’re gonna tank trying to manage all this, yadda, and you are not thinking of your husband’s needs, yadda, your marriage is gonna fall apart, yadda, crap, crap, more sexist crap, yadda, sexist crap.” Etc/ad nauseam. With feminists like these who needs patriarchy. They get to all just cool their jets because the “feminists” are doing their job for them.
When I saw Palin in the Couric interview I liked how she just blatantly came out saying women are right to try to have it all! It’s so much more than what alot of self-professed feminists are saying these days. Palin is doing it and saying it’s right to do it and I love that. People can’t stand successful people, especially successful women. But the more people hate on her the more endeared I am to her. Not on a political level just human to human, woman to woman.
He is cute isn’t he? (Probably, there’s stuff I don’t want to know.)
These days, the only female comics I can stand are Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders.
Jeyoani: To me [Bernhard and Cho] are the kind of easy-to-be feminist. Like to appear edgy but never say anything that messes with or God forbid challenges their male fan base. Especially as female comics they need male audience to remain halfway in the spotlight and with good food on the table.
Which makes them similar to Palin in a way they refuse to see.
Exactly! That is so right on!
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I think there’s a rule that, because only men are funny, women comedians (or comediennes, to use their sexist terminology), have to be “one of the guys.” They’ve got to use the same comic shtick that men use. That, of course, includes demeaning women. No, “includes” is too weak. Comedy as we know it under the patriarchy often relies heavily on demeaning women and many times is based squarely on demeaning, dehumanizing and belittling women.
Sure, women comedians will sometimes make jokes about men, which is known as male bashing (as opposed to woman-bashing, which is known simply as comedy). Male-bashing is only tolerated to a certain limit and any woman comedian who exceeds that limit loses her status as one of the guys, is deemed not funny, and, ironically, almost always becomes the subject of men comedian’s jokes. Example: Rosanne, who took it too far when she made fun of baseball players’ spitting and crotch-grabbing while singing the national anthem on the pitcher’s mound. She immediately became fodder for men comedians, the butt of their jokes. She’s since been paying penance (read: trying to get back in the good favor of men) by being especially vicious toward other women (she’s said some really sexist things about Palin, for one). All she’s accomplished by that is alienating other woman as the men comedians didn’t like her to begin with, are glad to be rid of her and don’t want her back
As for women using sexist language regarding Palin, I doubt that it’s due to jealousy, at least not most of it. That woman are naturally competition to one another (in our race to snag us some MENZ, of course) and jealous of one another is something the patriarchy has taught us. I suppose the patriarchy teaches us to actually be jealous of one another, too, along with assuming jealousy on the part of other women. But I don’t know how much of the Palin bashing is jealousy, really. I think most of it is women trying to behave and sound like “one of the guys,” which we’ve been taught is a compliment, one of the best ones at that, something to aspire to. (During my teens, through my 20s and even in my 30s, I was often told I was like “one of the guys” and actually believed it to be a good thing. Urgh! I wish I could go back in time and kick my younger ass.)
Anyway, I think that most women, especially those who identify as feminists, who bash Palin with sexism, foolishly believe as I did, that behaving and sounding like “one of the guys” is what makes them equal to men and will prove their equality to men, too. They most likely believe (as I did) that with their equality thus proven, the playing field is suddenly equal, as if being like “one of the guys” isn’t just lip service. (LIKE one of the guys, they say, not simply “one of the guys.” You can cluck like a chicken, too, but don’t expect to lay any eggs.)
If their experiences as “one of the guys” play out anything like mine did, any discrepancies won’t be seen as the sexism that it is, but instead will be reasoned away as men and woman being inherently “different.” (”Equal but different” … kinda’ like “separate but equal,” don’t you think? How slick is that? “One of the guys” is actually justification for misogyny disguised as compliment and proclamation of equality. Slicker’n snot, as the rednecks say.) Then one day they’ll wake up and realize that “one of the guys” is no compliment at all, that they were being duped. They may even want to go back in time and kick their own, younger asses.
Wow! What a ramble this one is.
I don’t know Andrea Martin, but I will look for her. Not having a TV makes it a little more challenging. Also, because I lived outside of the US for so many years, I missed a lot of popular culture. I know who Roseanne is but I never saw her show, same with Bertice Berry, who is one of my favorite fiction writers.
It makes me mad that Rosanne is saying sexist stuff about Palin and in the same breath supports Cynthia McKinney because she’s a feminist. She’s quoted saying that on McKinney’s website.
I can’t stand to open any newspaper right now to the editorials or letters to the editor. Not the Oregonian or the NYT, nothing! The political ‘comics’ at the top of the letters column is the absolute worst. That’s where they tear women apart. I wish we could do some kind of boycott.
I really had a good laugh when I read that post by Vi at Reclusive Leftist, with the video of Palin reading from the side of her morning Starbuck’s cup. Starbuck’s Quote of the Day: “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women”.
Madeline Albright’s famous quote was good enough, but the topper for me is that Starbucks is Progressive Left Central.