Pop-Ed: Kathy Griffin Is Not a 'Bully,' but Sarah Palin Needs To Learn the Meaning of the Word

By John Mitchell Posted Mar 7th 2011 11:45PM

Pop-ed: Recently, likely Republican presidential candidate and FOX News contributor Sarah Palin lashed out at comedienne Kathy Griffin over her guest appearance as a "recent Tea Party candidate and home schooler -- a Sarah Palin type" on an upcoming episode of 'Glee.'

Of Griffin, Palin said, "You know, Kathy Griffin can do anything to me or say anything about me, because you know, she's kind of this -- she's a 50-year-old adult bully is really what she is ... She's kind of a has-been comedienne."

It has become commonplace for Palin to use the language of disenfranchised, ridiculed and attacked communities to cast herself as some sort of conservative martyr, and frankly, it's bull. Here's why:

Sarah Palin is a public figure and has, with her countless TV appearances, books and reality show, become a celebrity, and by accepting the fame and money that comes with her higher profile, she opens herself up to scrutiny and parody.

Just as Palin herself is entitled to joke that First Lady Michelle Obama's seemingly benign anti-obesity campaign, with its push for new mothers to breast-feed, is a means to compensate for high milk prices and criticize 'Family Guy' for making light of Down syndrome, Kathy Griffin and the writers of 'Glee' are entitled to poke fun at Palin's politics, and Oscar-winning 'Social Network' writer Aaron Sorkin is free to call her a "witless bully" and assert that an animal shot during a hunting segment on the former Alaska governor's reality show, 'Sarah Palin's Alaska,' was "the first moose ever murdered for political gain."

None of the above is bullying because all of these people have knowingly entered an arena -- be it politics or entertainment -- that brings with it the propensity for criticism. A major facet of both politics and the arts is debating their merits, and criticism and parody are not the same thing as bullying.

Interestingly enough, during an interview late last year with Chelsea Handler, while discussing criticism Griffin received after making statements about Bristol Palin's (another public figure after her star turn on 'Dancing With The Stars') weight, Handler smartly noted, "Bullying ... is being a bully to someone who's defenseless, a poor little person who's done nothing wrong."

Griffin is no more bullying Palin by parodying her on 'Glee' than Palin is bullying Michelle Obama for, well, very frequently simply for being Michelle Obama, and any time she includes the term in her rhetoric, she minimizes it, and that is dangerous.

And, as is often the case, it seems Palin probably should have gotten her facts straight before opening her mouth. Without wanting to seem like we are rushing to the comedienne's defense, though we freely admit to being a longtime fan of Griffin, it should not go unmentioned that this particular "has-been" scored her third Grammy nomination in a row this year, had a recent New York Times best-seller with 'Official Book Club Selection,' has been nominated for six Emmys (and won two) in the past five years and this week will open a limited-engagement run of her stand-up at Broadway's Belasco Theater. She will also tape four stand-up specials for Bravo, five-year home to her now defunct reality program 'Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,' this year alone.

Objectively, Griffin is far from a "has-been" or a "bully," and Palin's use of the term falls squarely within the rhetoric she so often employs. She routinely attempts to minimize the importance of anyone who criticizes her, turns them into the bad guy and aims to inspire sympathy for herself by making it seem like she is being unfairly picked on.

Her famous deriding of the media and many democratic politicians as "elitist" is perhaps the strongest example of this. During her now notorious 2008 interview with Katie Couric, Palin talked circles around Couric's pointed questions about economic recovery and foreign policy without really answering any of them. But when the media called her on it, she pulled the "liberal media elite" card; the media was bullying her then, too, because it was for some reason inappropriate to ask a political candidate direct questions applicable to the office she was running for and expect specific and informed answers.

She was being victimized. Questioning her appropriateness for the office of vice president was tantamount to pushing her down on the playground.

In her recent comments to FOX, Palin also mentions a statement Griffin made on CNN's New Year's Eve telecast about Willow Palin, saying, "As she had stated on CNN that her New Year's resolution was to destroy my 16-year-old daughter." Here again, Palin uses attack and victimization language to amplify what Griffin actually said -- "I've already gone for Sarah, Todd and Bristol obviously, but I think it's Willow's year to go down."

Bullying has been a hot topic for the last several months following the suicides of several bullied gay teens. These teens were emotionally tortured and in many cases physically abused because of who they were, and every time Palin uses bullying language to describe media criticism of herself, she further displays her ignorance to the impact of real emotional abuse and the psychological distress caused by bullying.

Maybe if Palin conducted herself like a real politician and used her national platform to present solutions to the problems facing the United States, offering specifics on how to create more jobs and lower the deficit, instead of taking to the airwaves to issue snarky comments about comediennes and others who disagree with her political ideology, the big bad media would stop "bullying" her and listen to what she has to say for a change.

Tags: kathy griffin, Sarah Palin

Comments

(128)

Monday 07 March

By Candyce

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Fantastic! You said it all!

By walkingman50

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Okay Griffin is not a bully. She is ,however, a nasty, ugly, little foul mouthed troll.

Tuesday 08 March

By dan

Kathy Griffith should learn to shut her mouth about anybody's kids. The military boo'd her when she mocked Sarah's daughter Bristol about her weight. Some loser on Entertainment Tonight said Sarah put her kids in front of the camera for her Alaska reality show so they are now open to be targeted. If this is the thougt I guess Obama's kids are now ripe to be ridiculed because he has his kids on the biggest reality show in the world. Leave the kids alone, go after the parents but leave the kids alone you low life hurtful creep.

By Sunder

I'm not a Sarah Palin fan... but I can't say I wouldn't lash out at someone who had lashed out against my children. Kathy Griffin should just crawl past he D list and under a rock where she belongs.

By Carlton West

Gov. Sarah Palin is chic, charming, charismatic, and courageous. Kathy Griffin is...none of the above.

Thursday 10 March

By Bob

I thought that this Sarah Palin was some kind of hockey mom/rootin' tootin' not scared of anything kinda coward. If she can't handle Kathy Griffin then its all been a lie. Just like I always knew it was. What happened to reload Sarah ? Run out of bullets ?

By Delilah

Kathy Griffin is pathetic for targeting kids. I wont watch anything with her in it or her hosting it. Shes a pig.

By tori

Kathy Griffin is to a bully, she's absolutely bottom of the barrel disgusting!!!

By flutterby

This article was poorly written. Not in its grammar, but content. When you open go after someone's kid's, it IS bullying. Sarah Palin has taken in great stride many jokes (SNL) and attacks, but can you blame her for getting angry when someone attacks her kids? I am a mom; you can criticize me, but NO ONE hurts my kids. I admire her for that, if for nothing else.

By Ted

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Kathy Griffin needs to shut up and go away. She's never been funny.

By jvansellsr

Well kathy don't have to make up bare face lies like Palin Kathy just states facts. Bristol was to lazy to really try dancing, The only time she ever really moved or got a responce from the crowd was when she would try and shake her breast like a stripper. All Bristol did was take mom's lead and say all people that did not like her performance was haiters rather than admit she was to lazy to dance. Sarah calls perople haiters because she is to stupid to answer even a simple questions.

By Lissy

It took a lot of courage for 19 year old Bristol to go on that show. It doesn't take much courage at all for that heinously ugly, 50 year old ginger troll to bash the kid. Is there anything LOWER than the D List, because that is where Griffin belongs.

By XSoldier56

Really? Kathy Griffin is an idiot. Not the least bit funny and using the Palins to keep her name in the headlines. The Daily News is falling for her BS hook line and sinker. Of course anything Sarah Palin says has got to be wrong. This is the Daily News after all. I repeat, Kathy Griffin is not the least bit funny and only left wing rags like this one afford her any credibility. Not much though considering this is the Daily News.

By Tanahy

Sarah Palin said that Kathy Griffin can go after her with no problem. She called Griffin a bully, because Griffin INSISTS on going after Sarah Palin's children. An adult that is going after innocent CHILDREN is a BULLY!!!!!

Kathy Griffin said it herself, "I think it's Willow's year to go down." That is what Kathy has said. So tell me, how does this NOT make Kathy Griffin a bully.

If Kathy wants to go after Sarah, go right ahead but leave the Palin children out of it. She already got booed when she was talking about Bristol, does she need more incentive to leave kids alone?

By sbsachs

Kathy Griffin didn't put a bull eyes on people and get them shot. Kathy Griffin doesn't have to write on her hand. Kathy Griffin doesn't quit in the middle of things. Kathy Griffin goes to Irag to visit the troops. Sarah Palin goes to the bank to cash more checks.
Palin supporters are like sheep. Develope your own brain, educate yourselves. Palin has takne women back a 100 years. Whinning and quitting that is Palin. Oh and getting a paycheck from the sheep that follow her.

By Veronica

Just goes to show you that Palin can't even get her facts straight about the definition of what a has-been actually is. I'm really not a fan of Kathy Griffin but I really wish this 1/2 term governor would go away. I never understood how Katie Couric's question of what Palin reads was bullying. Not a tough question, unless you don't read.

By Katy

So true Rosie...the article is spot on! Palin is the fall guy and she is living up to the job. A joke was needed in the Macain camp and whoops there it is!!

By jdo52tex

Who the hell let Griffen out of her dog pen?

By Bonbon

aahh Lib aol, no wonder u are going down the tubes, the only reason i am even on AOL is this is all we get at work, AOL is a lib joke always will be. No one likes Griffin.

By MattyP

The first thing I am curious about is why so many "conservatives" are sitting around reading gossip sites on the internet.... I thought that was beneath you? The second thing is how can so many vehemently defend Sarah Palin when she has been proven as a moron and as totally underqualified for politics? Does it make you conservatives feel good to talk down to others? (taking a page out of Palin's book) Or are you truly this dense?

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