On Wanda Sykes Going 'Too Far'

From the outset, it might be more appropriate to confess my love for Wanda Sykes. In my view, she is the most intelligent and witty Comedienne of her time. The preeminent. More than her wit, though, Wanda forces the audience to think deeply about matters rarely heard on Comedy tours. Very few can script a joke like she can. In the words of Rock band, Locksley ("She Does," Don't Make Me Wait), "Nobody does it like she does."

But I'm not convinced that admiration of the iconic Comedienne is what provokes this defense of her act at the annual White House Correspondence Dinner, last Saturday. I'm not quite resolved to that conclusion. The way I see it, common sense is the greater motivation in this instance. As the first Black female lesbian Comedienne to perform at the 89-year-old event, fireworks were guaranteed to splash. And they did.

As expected, Ms. Sykes killed it. Touching on the raunchy and flirting with the dirty, she was able to shake some life into D.C.'s stale Journalism cocoon. But not everyone was pleased with her performance. Hard-Right neo-cons like Christopher Hitchens promptly noted: "The president should be squirming in his seat. Not smiling. The black dyke got it wrong. No one told her the rules." Others, like MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, vented their frustration by accusing her of going "too far," or acting in "poor taste."

What could Ms. Sykes have possibly sown to reap the ire of high-brow snubs like Christopher Hitchens, Keith Olbermann, Richard Wolffe, Sean Hannity and Pat Buchanan?

She, get this, took jabs at Rush Limbaugh. No kidding! The fascistic, racist, insult comic was insulted--by a Black female gay Comedienne! The same guy who coined the term, "Feminazi," and was instrumental in popularizing the infamous "Barack the Magic Negro" song, is who many have arisen to defend and shield from criticism.

Wanda's earth-shattering riff on Limbaugh:

Rush Limbaugh, one of your big critics. Boy, Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails. Yeah. So you're saying I hope America fails. It's like I don't care about people losing their homes, losing their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq. He just wants the country to fail. To me that's treason. He's not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying. You know, you might want to look into this, sir, but I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin, he missed his flight.

Rush Limbaugh: I hope the country fails. I hope his kidneys fail. How 'bout that? He needs a good waterboarding. That's what he needs.

Whoomp! There It Is!

Perhaps it's my slow-wittedness, but I still fail in spotting the offensiveness of her comments. Even the White House's subpar spokesman, Robert Gibbs, joined the fray. Pressured at a briefing yesterday, he lamented Ms. Sykes' choice of joke: "There are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy. I don't think there is any doubt that 9/11 is one of them."

It is intriguing to this writer that such attention is being payed, in deference to a guy with an unparalleled track record of hate crime charges-worthy, prosecution-deserving rhetoric. Day after day, the bully-boy spits enough venom, at whichever target, to turn the skin of the hardest man; and very little complaint is heard--minus the pathetic whines emanating from liberal circles.  

For those unfamiliar with Rush Limbaugh's portfolio, check out a top ten highlight, courtesy of NewsOne:

1. "I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back; I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."

2. "You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed."

3. "Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"

4. "Right. So you go into Darfur and you go into South Africa, you get rid of the white government there. You put sanctions on them. You stand behind Nelson Mandela -- who was bankrolled by communists for a time, had the support of certain communist leaders. You go to Ethiopia. You do the same thing."

5. "Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it."

6. "The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."

7. "They're 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?"

8. "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back(to an African American female caller)."

9. "I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.  They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well.  I think there's a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn't deserve."

10. Limbaugh attacks on Obama. Limbaugh has called Obama a 'halfrican American' has said that Obama was not black but Arab because Kenya is an Arab region, even though Arabs are less than one percent of Kenya. Since mainstream America has become more accepting of African-Americans, Limbaugh has decided to play against its new racial fears, Arabs and Muslims. Despite the fact Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law school, Limbaugh has called him an 'affirmative action candidate.'

So, let me get this straight: Between Wanda Sykes and Rush Limbaugh, these esteemed fellows would rather have Limabugh? Not surprising.