In addition to Bill O'Reilly, Greg Gutfeld also takes on the role of Fox News male arbiter of all that is good and holy and in so doing, gives us a moral compass with which we can live our lives. Like O'Reilly, Gutfeld is concerned about moral degeneracy in contemporary America. His discourses on morality include slut shaming women who have abortions and who engage in "irresponsible sex." He has also preached on how the culture of the African-American community as corrosive. He (no, I'm not kidding) has promoted abstinence. Last week, he lectured on "moral decay" which, in Greg's twisted mind, is connected to sex. Yep, this is the same guy whose Fox "Red Eye" program is full of sophomoric sexual innuendo and whose career included stints at "lad" magazines Maxim and Stuff. Yet, today's sexually liberated college students, in Gutfeld's twisted mind, are contributing to a culture of "moral decay." Excuse me?
Last week, the springboard for Greg's little rant was a recent Bill Cosby speech during which he spoke against "vulgarity" in our culture. After playing some video of Cosby, Gutfeld praised his message because "all the other messages on campus suck." Attempting to sound profound, Gutfeld pontificated that "moral decay is disguised as empowerment, degradation as destiny. So, when Cosby talks, it's like tuning into some forgotten AM radio station from Pluto."
He whined about a sex columnist's speech at an Oregon college. He didn't mention that the speaker, gay activist Dan Savage (reviled by the Christian right) was helping to launch a smartphone app as well as helping to "educate students about sex and sexuality." (ewww, dirty, dirty). Gutfeld was appalled that students got class credit.
Like his sexually skewed pal, Bill O'Reilly, Gutfeld demonstrated his fascination with college sex weeks, particularly those at Ivy schools. His voice dripped with contempt as he told his audience about a Harvard class, during sex week, on how to lose your virginity. His next bit of wannabe edgy snark advanced the popular right wing/Fox meme about, as they classify it on Fox & Friends, the trouble with schools: "Imagine talking to students about sex and thinking you're edgy. You're as edgy as a hula-hoop. On campus, sex talk has replaced Ramen noodles as a diet staple. It's not education, it's air. It's part of the slop fed every day, along with the usual anti-West crud spewing from pudgy professors."
Gutfeld administered the piece's coup de grace: "So, yes, Cosby knows what needs to be heard: Values are valuable and there's no great achievement in taking off your pants. Anyone can do it. Ask the police officers who drove me home last night."
If anybody is a walking poster child for the necessity of open and frank discussion of sex, it's Greg Gutfeld, who, like Bill O'Reilly, appears to have some serious issues. But while Gutfeld tries to present himself as a paragon of purity, it wasn't always necessarily so. Back in 2007 he was the subject of an article in the NY Observer. The author describes Gutfeld: "Mr. Gutfeld had been drinking beer since 3 p.m. and had moved on to vodka. Behind his black-framed glasses, his blue eyes were bloodshot. Soon he’d be going home to his two-bedroom co-op and his wife, Elena Moussa, a 25-year-old Russian beauty he met in London."
Oh well, perhaps like St. Augustine of Hippo, Gutfeld has abandoned his libertine life in favor of chaste rectitude. As a Catholic, perhaps Gutfeld should take heed of the Pope's admonition not to judge. But for Gutfeld, who is "ignorant and proud of it," judging is much more fun and oh, so "edgy."
Noticing that it says, “We watch Fox News so you don’t have to!” I read this anyway. The exclamation point should have tipped me off. Why would anyone want to read a skewed account of something that could easily be viewed in context?
Priscilla NO LAST NAME — apparently like Rihanna, although Rihanna really has one — takes Gutfeld far more seriously than Gutfeld takes himself. I’ve heard him mention people watching Fox just to find things they dislike. I thought he was exaggerating for comedic effect.
I can’t think of anything sadder than someone fueling her feigned rage by watching a network she hates, only to end a statement with an exclamation point!
Ten years ago the Right complained that colleges were enacting sexual consent codes and punishing students and faculty for sexual harassment. Now, they bitch that campuses are too libertine.
Perfect!
Thank you, ez!
:-)