Rush Limbaugh's slumdog remark
Rush Limbaugh's slumdog remark
Date: Monday, April 20, 2009 6:40 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 2007 -- 4/20/2009 >>>>>
Rush Limbaugh recently raised the hackles of many Indians with his remark
about outsourcing. The brouhaha began when Limbaugh told a caller that it is
futile to wait for outsourced jobs to come back if the job is being done by a
slumdog in India.
Not only is the Indian media assailing Limbaugh for saying this, the Indian
community in the U.S. is also at Limbaugh's throat. Take for instance the
Indian American Republican Council (IARC). Their vice chairman Dr Sambhu Banik
described Limbaugh as a leader of millions of loyal right wing conservatives
and as a "demagogue" for making "outright insulting"
statements about Indian workers. An article making the rounds of Indian
websites is even shriller -- it claims that the Limbaugh statement could
trigger violence against Indians by right wing extremists.
Of course this newsletter prefers to take the high road by remaining neutral
in controversies of this type, but after looking at the facts it's not obvious
why the Indian's are raising such a stink about this. For one thing, the movie
Slumdog Millionaire is now considered to the pride of India. Take this
statement for example:
"They have done India proud," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in a message congratulating the "entire Slumdog Millionaire
team."
Rush Limbaugh would get the impression that it's an honor to be called a
slumdog if he saw that statement by the Prime Minister but that probably isn't
what caused Limbaugh's confusion. More likely Rush Limbaugh is a closet PBS
viewer (ROFL!). He probably saw this Frontline story:
In an arrangement that is apparently fairly common in Delhi, NIIT's
corporate offices are located next to a fetid slum, where people
live in what can only charitably be called shacks, with little
access to sanitation and health care. A high, thick boundary wall
separates the two worlds. It's the wall -- or more precisely,
what's inside it -- that has brought me to NIIT.
Addendum: I saw Slumdog Millionaire and enjoyed it. The first half of the
movie was the best part because it so accurately portrayed what living in the
slums of India is like. The second half of the movie got progressively sillier
until it was more like a farce. Americans should watch this movie to see what
the future of the U.S. will be like if we continue our insane free trade
policies with India.
Overall the movie had a preposterous plot, and at its core it was a rather
corny Bollywood "love conquers all" and "rags to riches" theme. There is no
question in my mind that the movie would win all of those awards like the
Golden Globe and the 8 Academies, and I was certain of this despite the rather
low quality of the movie and despite its competition with American movies that
were better in every way conceivable. It was quite a sight to watch the
Academies being handed out for the movie by a bunch of politically correct
Hollywood dunderheads that are too stupid to understand that they were
rewarding the demise of their own home grown movie industry.
Their livelihoods are being outsourced to Bollywood but they were probably too
busy snorting coke to realize that giving out those undeserved rewards will
legitimize and accelerate the drive to shove aside American movie production.
Slumdog Millionaire was one of the most offshored movies ever, and it was very
cheap to make -- and therefore very profitable. Bye! Bye! to Hollywood's latte
sipping billionaires, and hello to curry slurping Bollywood millionaires!
REFERENCES:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifestyle/Specials/Stories/India-takes-pride-in-Slumdog-glory/articleshow/4175870.cms
India takes pride in 'Slumdog' glory
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041009/content/01125112.guest.html
Rush Limbaugh show transcript
http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/17/limbaugh-denigrated-indian-citizens.htm
'Limbaugh denigrated Indian citizens by calling them slumdogs'
http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/14/us-radio-host-indians-are-slumdogs.htm
US radio host: Indians are 'slumdogs'
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/connection.html
India -- "Hole in the Wall", 2002
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Rise_of_Obama_India_and_China_could_trigger_violence_in_US_-nid-55423.html
'Rise of India can trigger violence in U.S.'
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041009/content/01125112.guest.html
RUSH: Terry in Dublin, Ohio, I'm glad you waited. You're next on the EIB
Network. Hello.
CALLER: Ah, I feel like I hit the lottery, I've been trying for two weeks to
get through.
RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much.
CALLER: Perseverance. America, you have to persevere, you have to be patient.
Just because your web page doesn't load as fast as you want it, the economy
isn't going to be as fast as the web page. What really irks me is with
corporate America, people saying, "Rush, can I get my job back? Are you going
to be able to get my job back from something that's been outsourced and the
corporations are going all over, out of the country."
Why don't these people invest in America, invest in corporate America, become
stockholders. The CEOs and the boards of directors pay lip service to their
shareholders. Invest in America and invest in yourself by investing in
corporate America. Wouldn't that help?
RUSH: It might. No question about it. But the whole thing about outsourcing,
even President Obama slipped up. I love this, 'cause the teleprompter, that
teleprompter sometimes sneaks things in there that are not in Obama's best
interests to say, but the teleprompter nevertheless makes him say them. Obama
got a call during his virtual town meeting about outsourcing jobs, he said,
"Look, those jobs aren't coming back." There's a reason they aren't coming
back. They're outsourced for a reason, an economic reason, and they're not
coming back. If you're sitting out waiting for a job that's now being done by
a slumdog in India, and you're waiting for that job to be canceled, for the
slumdog to be thrown out of work, and you to get the job, it ain't going to
happen. It's not the way economics works. Even Obama's teleprompter got him to
admit that. Now, as for slow loading web pages, I haven't had that problem in
I don't know how long. I use Safari Beta 4 with a T3. I mean it's just there.
If your web page is loading slow, and it bothers you that much, go get a T3,
or band a bunch of cable modems together or what have you. There's no reason
to sit up there and tolerate a slow-loading web page.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/17/limbaugh-denigrated-indian-citizens.htm
'Limbaugh denigrated Indian citizens by calling them slumdogs'
Aziz Haniffa in Washington D.C | April 17, 2009 | 01:16 IST
The new Indian American Republican Council chairman Dino Teppara and its long-
time board member and strategist Suhail Khan -- a former senior Bush
Administration official -- contacted by India Abroad / rediff.com for a
reaction to the garrulous conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who
insulted Indian workers who undertake outsourced jobs by American companies as
'slumdogs,' issued a carefully worded, restrained and cautious statement.
But the new vice chairman of the IARC, long-time community activist Dr Sambhu
Banik, had no such qualms, describing Limbaugh -- who has a following of
millions of loyal right wing conservatives -- as a "demagogue"
for what he called his "outright insulting" statements about Indian workers.
Meanwhile, as expected, Indian American Democratic activists like Toby
Chaudhuri slammed Limbaugh and also took the opportunity to take a swipe at
Limbaugh's favorite politician, Louisiana Governor Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal, whom
Limbaugh,?believes?is the reincarnation of former President Ronald Reagan
and?strongly pushed for as a running mate of Republican presidential candidate
Senator John McCain, during the 2008 elections, and since has said would be
the best GOP presidential contender to take on President Barack Obama during
the 2012 presidential elections.
Even though other conservatives panned Jindal for his lukewarm response to
Obama's recent address to a joint session of the Congress, Limbaugh was the
only leading conservative to praise Jindal's rebuttal.
Teppara and Khan, in issuing the IARC's statement, said, "Rush Limbaugh made
an inappropriate comment and denigrated citizens of India."
"More jobs have been created in the US by Indian investments than jobs
allegedly outsourced to India," they said in their statement and added,
"Business processing is utilised by many Indian American information
technology firms, allowing job creation in both countries, leading to increase
productivity and mutual economic growth."
The statement said, "Furthermore, Americans of Indian origin are well
educated, industrious, and entrepreneurial. We are proud to be a job-creating
business community in America."
Teppara and Khan argued in the IARC statement that "since the 2004
presidential campaign, labour unions and their backers in the Democrat Party
have constantly singled out India and maligned its workforce regarding
outsourcing."
They lamented that "it is disappointing for us to see an intelligent
conservative like Rush Limbaugh take this propaganda bait."
"As Americans of Indian origin and proud conservatives, we believe in creating
jobs right here at home, keeping the tax base low, reforming legal immigration
laws, and maintaining a strong national defence. We support a strategic
alliance between the US and India," the statement said. "We hope that in the
future, Rush Limbaugh will continue to promote these values and maintain a
civil dialogue at the same time."
But Banik, did not pull his punches and told India Abroad / rediff.com that
Limbaugh was "a demagogue" and his comments were "utter demagoguery" and said
"they are not only inappropriate and insensitive, but it is also outright
insulting to the highly accomplished Indians and Indian Americans."
He argued that "outsourcing has helped America more than it has done India,"
and said, "India's economy is strong and it is heartening to note that car
sales have increased in India whereas car sales have plummeted in the US."
"Rush Limbaugh, as his name implies tends to 'rush' his comments and judgments
without proper facts or information," Banik said.
"He wants to get cheap publicity. He needs more education about India and
outsourcing. It appears that some Democrats and persons like Rush Limbaugh
will use India as a scapegoat for America's economic and moral decline,"
Banik added.
Limbaugh, who fashions himself as the new 'face' of the Republican Party has
been known for his misogynist comments, prejudiced opinion on African
Americans, insensitive remarks about the physically disabled and incendiary
comments on homosexuals, and this is only the tip of the iceberg in a long
list of his obnoxious behaviour and insulting rhetoric.
On April 10, Limbaugh viciously insulted India and her citizens, inanely
referencing the Danny Boyle smash-hit film Slumdog Millionaire to make his
point. "There's a reason (these jobs) aren't coming back," he said.
"They're outsourced for a reason, an economic reason, and they're not coming
back," he told a caller named Terry from Ohio. "If you're sitting out waiting
for a job that's now being done by a slumdog in India, and you're waiting for
that job to be cancelled, for the slumdog to be thrown out of work, and you to
get the job, it ain't going to happen. It's not the way economics work,"
Limbaugh said.
Chaudhuri, communications director of Campaign for America's Future, told
India Abroad / rediff.com, "The foolishness of such diatribes, on the part of
someone recognized as the leading voice of the modern Republican party, points
to the party's dire intellectual straits."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/14/us-radio-host-indians-are-slumdogs.htm
US radio host: Indians are 'slumdogs'
April 14, 2009 | 10:26 IST
American talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who fashions himself as the new 'face'
of the US Republican Party, has been accused of a lot of things:
misogynist comments, prejudiced opinion on African Americans, insensitive
remarks about the physically disabled and incendiary comments about
homosexuals, to name a few.
Now, he's insulting India.
On April 10, while discussing the outsourcing of jobs from America, Limbaugh
viciously insulted India and her citizens, inanely referencing the Danny Boyle
smash-hit film?Slumdog Millionaire to make his point.
"There's a reason [these jobs] aren't coming back. They're outsourced for a
reason, an economic reason, and they're not coming back," Limbaugh said, while
speaking to a caller named Terry from Ohio. "If you're sitting out waiting for
a job that's now being done by a slumdog in India, and you're waiting for that
job to be cancelled, for the slumdog to be thrown out of work, and you to get
the job, it ain't going to happen. It's not the way economics works."
Apparently Rush missed India's near double-digit annual growth over the last
decade.?Or that India is?being mentioned as a potential viable member of the
permanent UN Security Council. Or that India assumed a position of much
importance at the recently concluded G20 Summit in London.
Just in case Limbaugh missed the memo: Globalisation is here to stay and India
is a rapidly emerging economic superpower. Slumdogs we are not.?Deal with it.
But, actually,?this rash, unprovoked insult should come as no surprise. The
garrulous Limbaugh's long career has been littered with sordid, controversial
remarks. Yet, somehow, two decades have seen him develop from fringe shock
jock to a mainstream political commentator, all without toning down his
rhetoric or compromising on his extreme right-wing views.
Whereas he was once considered a jester in the Conservatives' Court, today he
wields tremendous influence inside the mainstream Republican Party. Even
national politicians, such as Republican Party leader Michael Steele, have
backed down from Rush Limbaugh, rather than face his wrath.
Finally, he's been criticised in the past for his hyper-partisanship and
blatant hypocrisy, ie, whatever Republicans do is right and whatever Democrats
do is wrong, a critique which came to light again earlier this year. In
January, as US President Barack Obama prepared to be sworn in to office,
Limbaugh famously uttered, "I hope he fails," setting off a firestorm of
controversy. Many in the media pointed out that only two years ago, in 2006,
Limbaugh was chastising 'American liberals' for rooting for the failure of
George W Bush, calling them traitors.
We can see it?already, the 2012 US Presidential Election: Sarah Palin for
President and Rush Limbaugh as her running mate.
Oh, Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln,?what's become of you?!?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Rise_of_Obama_India_and_China_could_trigger_violence_in_US_-nid-55423.html
'Rise of India can trigger violence in U.S.'
By IANS
Friday,17 April 2009, 01:38 hrs
New York: After protests against Indian steel and a right-wing radio show host
calling Indians "slumdogs" for doing outsourced American jobs, India's rise
could be a factor in triggering radical violence in the US, warns an
intelligence report.
Prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, the report says that Barack
Obama's election as the first black president, rising unemployment because of
the economic crisis, and resentment against rising India and China could
revive right-wing radical extremism in the US.
Granite City in Obama's home state of Illinois had witnessed protests this
week over the use of Indian steel to build 1,600-mile (about 2570 km) pipeline
from Canada to Oklahoma.
Earlier this week, right-wing radio show host Rush Limbaugh called Indians
handling outsourced jobs "slumdogs". The pugnacious conservative talk show
host outraged Americans some time ago by saying that he wanted President Obama
to fail.
The latest intelligence report, circulated among state authorities, warns that
various factors could lead to a violent backlash by conservative groups.
Citing the case of 1995 Oklahoma City bomber and Gulf War hero Timothy
McVeigh, who killed 165 people to avenge government clampdown on a right-wing
religious sect in Texas and rural militias, the report warns that some
disgruntled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan could join
conservatives to "boost the capabilities of extremists... to carry out
violence".
Citing a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report, the intelligence
document warns that some troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq had
already joined extremist groups.
Like McVeigh, any trained US military veteran could carry out independent
attacks or help form terrorist cells, thus posing "the most dangerous domestic
terrorism threat in the United States", according to the report quoted in the
US media.
It says the current situation has "similarities to the 1990s, when right-wing
extremism experienced a resurgence fuelled largely by an economic recession,
criticism about the outsourcing of jobs, and the perceived threat to US power
and sovereignty by other foreign powers".
Obama's election as the first black president and his proposed legislation for
tighter gun controls have not gone down well with conservative groups.
"The economic downturn and the election of the first African American
president present unique drivers for right-wing radicalisation and
recruitment," according to the report.
Apart from these domestic factors, the rising economic clout of China, India
and Russia could also trigger right-wing radicalisation in the US, the
intelligence report cautions.
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