Author Topic: Richard Roeper Column (Read 4500 times)

SRIV94 · « **on:** July 27, 2004, 11:00:46 AM »

For those unaware, Roeper writes columns for the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES which are far removed from his other role as a movie reviewer on EBERT & ROEPER. Today's column focuses on a subject that we're pretty familiar with:

Even Super Brains Can Be Made To Look Like Airheads

Doug

CaseyAbell · « **Reply #1 on:** July 27, 2004, 03:29:24 PM »

Interesting how ready Mr. Roeper is to give away other people's money. Wonder if ten percent of his own income goes to pediatric cancer? Maybe it does, at least in a generous year.

I'm not a Mormon and I don't play one on teevee. But it's odd how often Ken's religion pops up in these articles, usually in a disapproving way. Roeper at least keeps the frown under control. That ESPN idiot went outright bigoted with his remark about a "Mormon assassin."

Yes, Ken has announced his intention to tithe a tenth of his winnings to the church. So I guess the topic is fair game for comment. But if he were, say, Catholic or mainline Protestant or Jewish or non-religious, would the subject keep coming up?

Off-topic note: the "Mormon assassin" slur from the ESPN jerk is a painful reminder for me of the oddly similar slur expanded to enormous length in the very first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. I'm a devout Sherlockian (though I don't tithe) and the ugly religious bigotry in Conan Doyle's first Holmes saga has always been an embarrassment.

There is a silver lining. Conan Doyle visited Salt Lake City late in life and was generally well-received. By then he was getting untold grief for his own spiritualist beliefs, so maybe he had learned the virtues of religious tolerance. A Mormon account of the visit:

http://www.adherents.com/lit/article_Doyle.html

I doubt that the ESPN goof was aware of any of this when he tossed off his nasty phrase. I doubt he's aware of much of anything except the size of his paycheck, and how it compares unfavorably to Ken's winnings.

sshuffield70 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 27, 2004, 05:10:38 PM »

I saw the article but didn't see it as condescending as far as Mormons go.

As far as any general condescending tone towards the Mormons, two possibilities come to mind: either 1) the writer, in general, is quite condescending against all religions (though most notably against any Christian denomination) or 2) the writer is a "mainline Protestant or Catholic" and sees the Mormons as a cult.

I'm just explaining, not giving an opinion.

Lemonjello · « **Reply #3 on:** July 27, 2004, 05:16:26 PM »

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 03:29 PM\'] That ESPN idiot went outright bigoted with his remark about a "Mormon assassin." [/quote]
Well, Ken is Mormon and he is "murdering" his fellow contestants. So, what's the problem? How is that a slur?

BTW, here's the exact quote...
"I'm obsessed with the Jeopardy Guy. Watching this Mormon assassin emerge as the MJ of nerds has been the highlight of my summer."

If he was a bigot, I seriously doubt he'd ENJOY watching him every night.

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 27, 2004, 05:30:38 PM »

[quote name=\'Lemonjello\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 04:16 PM\'] [quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 03:29 PM\'] That ESPN idiot went outright bigoted with his remark about a "Mormon assassin." [/quote]
Well, Ken is Mormon and he is "murdering" his fellow contestants. So, what's the problem? How is that a slur?

BTW, here's the exact quote...
"I'm obsessed with the Jeopardy Guy. Watching this Mormon assassin emerge as the MJ of nerds has been the highlight of my summer."

If he was a bigot, I seriously doubt he'd ENJOY watching him every night. [/quote]
As far as I'm concerned, "ESPN" and "idiot" go hand-in-hand anymore. The writer probably should have chosen his paradox [probably not the right word form] slightly more carefully.

CaseyAbell · « **Reply #5 on:** July 27, 2004, 06:45:03 PM »

Among other things the Sports Jerk writes:

"Yes, he's a smarmy know-it-all with the personality of a hall monitor, the kind of guy everyone hides from at a Christmas party."

"...the JG stared into the camera like Stephen A. Smith, playing up the drama before breaking into an exaggerated Dr. Evil smile when the correct response was revealed. As always, the Sports Gal summed up everyone's feelings: 'I hope he gets eaten by a tiger.'"

"Will the JG ever lose? I see it ending like Gagne's save streak -- a close game, then some sort of fluke and everyone standing around in disbelief. Either that, or one of the other contestants pummels him to death. 'I can't even look at him anymore,' the Sports Gal hissed last week. 'His face is so punchable.' But isn't that the point? We need villains, even if they come in the form of a wispy computer geek."

It was a real love letter to Ken. The "Mormon assassin" phrase was meant exactly as it sounded, a slur. Now Sports Jerk would have thought very, very long and very, very hard about writing "black assassin" or "Jewish assassin" in a column that trashed and trashed and trashed a black or Jewish contestant. He knows what happened to Limbaugh in Disneyland.

But it was a free shot at the Mormons. Sports Jerk likes nothing better than a free shot at somebody, as anyone who's glanced at his columns will agree.

clemon79 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 27, 2004, 07:03:07 PM »

Thank God, Casey. I was starting to worry that we were beginning to agree with each other on these last couple threads, and then you post this tripe about Bill Simmons and put my mind at ease that maybe Hell isn't freezing over after all.

chris319 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 27, 2004, 09:22:47 PM »

Quote

Think of all the college professors and researchers and trivia nuts who have waited all their lives to be a contestant on "Jeopardy!" -- only to find themselves facing off against a phenom who makes them feel as outmatched as Danny DeVito in a height contest.

Does THAT strike close to home!

MyCapableAssistant · « **Reply #8 on:** July 27, 2004, 09:36:17 PM »

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 01:29 PM\'] But it's odd how often Ken's religion pops up in these articles, usually in a disapproving way. [/quote]
What I'd like to know is how is one's religion fair game
to ANY topic in game shows?

And it's funny that so many folks have said his religion
isn't one of the "mainstream" religions... Mormonism
ISN'T Christian? Do folks have any clue what they're talking
about? Take a look at the name of his church (for those that
DON'T know, it's The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

I challenge ANYONE on this board to show me a religion
that has the very words: JESUS CHRIST in the title and
further tell me that religion ISN'T Christian!

CaseyAbell · « **Reply #9 on:** July 27, 2004, 10:16:50 PM »

Makes my day (although it's no surprise) that clemon79 agrees with Sports Jerk. He says he was worried? I was downright petrified about agreeing with him too much.

And no, I wasn't reading Mormonism out of mainstream anything, and I'm honestly sorry if my comments sounded that way.

Final remark on the subject: it's not surprising that losers like Sammons rip winners like Ken Jennings. Losers have been known to say nasty things about winners since there was losing and winning.

MyCapableAssistant · « **Reply #10 on:** July 27, 2004, 10:47:49 PM »

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 08:16 PM\'] I wasn't reading Mormonism out of mainstream anything, and I'm honestly sorry if my comments sounded that way.

Final remark on the subject: it's not surprising that losers like Sammons rip winners like Ken Jennings. Losers have been known to say nasty things about winners since there was losing and winning. [/quote]
Casey,

I wasn't directing my previous thoughts to you or anyone
on the board. I hope you didn't take it that way. It's the
MEDIA I'm disgusted with...

I was just wondering WHY we hear the SAME
report and familiar "newsflashes" about Ken and
his religion ALL the time. I mean, hasn't the press
gone over Ken's religion 1,000x already? Or do they
have some wild desire to make sure we ALL have it
etched into our memory?

On a similar note, it's interesting to note that Ray
Combs was a Mormon as well. Now, how many times
did the public dwell on THAT aspect of his life ... OVER and
OVER and OVER?

??

sshuffield70 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 27, 2004, 11:27:37 PM »

[quote name=\'MyCapableAssistant\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 08:36 PM\'] [quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 01:29 PM\'] But it's odd how often Ken's religion pops up in these articles, usually in a disapproving way. [/quote]
What I'd like to know is how is one's religion fair game
to ANY topic in game shows?

And it's funny that so many folks have said his religion
isn't one of the "mainstream" religions... Mormonism
ISN'T Christian? Do folks have any clue what they're talking
about? Take a look at the name of his church (for those that
DON'T know, it's The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

I challenge ANYONE on this board to show me a religion
that has the very words: JESUS CHRIST in the title and
further tell me that religion ISN'T Christian! [/quote]
Sadly, even though it does indeed say that in the name, it is not considered part of the Christian religion. The Mormon beliefs are actually different than Christians. And the addition of The Book Of Mormon doesn't exactly help their cause either.

Two New Testament passages bear this out. One, where Jesus says that many will come in His name claiming to be from Him, when in fact they're not. And two, in the last few verses of Revelation, it talks about if you add to this Book (in this case, The Bible) you will add to your curses in Heaven, and if you subtract, God will erase your name from the Lamb's Book Of Life.

Then again, Islam claims "Abrahamic" roots, but their religion is run about the same way as the Mormons, except by some accounts, they promote violence where Mormons don't.

clemon79 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 27, 2004, 11:36:49 PM »

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 07:16 PM\'] Final remark on the subject: it's not surprising that losers like Sammons rip winners like Ken Jennings. Losers have been known to say nasty things about winners since there was losing and winning. [/quote]
Yeah, Simmons is a real loser. He makes a fine living writing three columns a week out of his home.

What do you do for a living?

CaseyAbell · « **Reply #13 on:** July 27, 2004, 11:54:33 PM »

Quote

Casey, I wasn't directing my previous thoughts to you or anyone on the board. I hope you didn't take it that way. It's the MEDIA I'm disgusted with...

No problem. I just made a comment about "mainline" Protestantism and thought you might have taken it wrong. Nice to know there was nothing to worry about.

Let's see, what else...oh, I'm an actuary, in case anybody's really interested. It's been a good living for 25+ years now. Well, studying for the tests wasn't fun but I lived to tell the story.

Before that I was a Peace Corps volunteer. Before that I was a college student. Before that...aw, forget about it.

MyCapableAssistant · « **Reply #14 on:** July 28, 2004, 12:15:42 AM »

[quote name=\'sshuffield70\' date=\'Jul 27 2004, 09:27 PM\'][/quote]

Quote

The Mormon beliefs are actually different than Christians.

Truer words were never spoken! I agree with you 1,000%!!

Let's see, I believe Mormons DO have different beliefs than most
"Christians..."

For starters, I don't believe they drink, smoke, do drugs, and MOST
of them never curse... (mostly!)

To comment on your Two New Testament passages, I appreciate
the Sunday School lesson ;-) If I may ask, can you please direct
me to the one which tells of Jesus and His Apostles heading off to the
nearest bar on a Friday evening after work? ;-)

Chris, please forgive me for bringing this subject SO OFF topic. I'm
done with it now, let them talk amongst themselves.