Althouse: "Dear Howard Stern, Stop Pretending Like You Care About Gabourey Sidibe's Health."

March 10, 2010

"Dear Howard Stern, Stop Pretending Like You Care About Gabourey Sidibe's Health."

The controversy continues.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/10/10, 11:23 PM
Wince said...: Precious

I was feeling kind of ethereal 'cause I'm precious

I had my eye on your imperial you're so precious

Now Howard the Duck and mr stress both stayed

Trapped in a world that they never made

But not me baby I'm too precious I had to fuck off

Made me wanna, made me wanna, you made me make it

Oh, you're so mean; 3/10/10, 11:29 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: .. she has a great personality..

at the risk of getting burned by Trooper.. Stern is right.; 3/10/10, 11:30 PM
Beth said...: Stern doesn't give a shit about Sidibe. He doesn't know anything about her, or her health. If the Gawker link is accurate, Givens is probably in more danger, if she has a habit of following fad diets in cycles of losing and gaining weight.

Shouldn't Stern be busy on American Idol?; 3/10/10, 11:44 PM
Cousin Bob said...: Jesus, Lady, didn't you feed off of this enough the first time around?

Looking for a little midnight snack and there's no spleen and venom around the house?

Last time, it was the Beef Trust vs. Adele Davis. These food fights usually are.

This time around, why don't y'all do Lord of the Flies, and Palladian can be Piggy?; 3/11/10, 12:06 AM
Unknown said...: exactly. i dont think anyone was fooled. stern doesnt care about gabby's health. he just likes to be an ass ... but what's new ?; 3/11/10, 12:07 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: When Al Franken titled his book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" he didnt do it because he cared about Rush's health either.

Franken wrote that 'insult' to make money.. same as Stern and the same as Gawker. Who is Gawker kidding pretending to care more than Stern.

Everybody pretending to care about someone who is only known for her pretending.; 3/11/10, 12:20 AM
Joe M. said...: It seems Mr. Stern wants a career back.; 3/11/10, 12:21 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Whats more important?

Caring or "keeping it real"?; 3/11/10, 12:28 AM
Cousin Bob said...: Maybe Lucky will stop by, and I can invite him to a real Mexican dinner Friday night. Ever count the calories in a chile relleno? How's about a blue Margarita? And the salt. Don't forget the salt on the glass. A couple of Dos XX won't hurt, either.

Then Lorraine'll fix him huevos rancheros with real chorizo for breakfast Saturday. Mmm..mmm. Mexicans know how to eat!

Trouble is, Lucky is skinny as a rail, and Lorraine is getting to be a fatass. Not as Bad as Gabby Sideabeef, but it's getting harder and harder to stay hard, if you know what I mean.

You see, that's the problem with people arguing that lardass women are attractive. My peter meter says no, and he's been my sure guide to female hotness my whole life. If I can't believe my dick, who can I believe? Trooper York? Seems like a dick, too, but I don't want to even think about going there.

No, I don't like skinny women, either. I live in Crystal City, if you get my drift, and we've got plenty of skinny women around here. Yecch! Tweaker skanks. *Shudder*

No, I like normal-looking ladies--not too fat, not too skinny. I do like chunky asses, though. Think R. Crumb. That's just me. Your milage may vary. But I'll be damned if anyone can convince me they'd have a real hard-on for Gabby Sideboard.

Now, if she becomes a really big star and makes tons of money and is looking for a husband, that may be as good a reason as any for that 8 inch boner you've got.; 3/11/10, 12:48 AM
rhhardin said...: Stern's point is she's really fat.

They were called "people of size" in 1999.

What Stern can't do, that Imus can, is be entertaining rather than tedious about it.; 3/11/10, 1:26 AM
reader_iam said...: From the piece Althouse linked in this post:

It is a requirement of both Howard's profession and mine to invade celebrities' privacy and speculate about their personal lives. We do it because we enjoy gawking at the beautiful, the strange, and the viscerally disgusting human offerings of show biz. And when Howard and Robin gape at Gabourey, they are reveling in their disgust at the spectacle of a "fat black chick." Don't pretend like it's anything else.

What strikes me as most germane is the whole ". ...we enjoy gawking at...human offerings... . ..." thing.

I still love identifying the nut in the nut-graf thing, even after all this time.

wv: gristr; 3/11/10, 2:29 AM
Aridog said...: Yee Gawd. Are there really any serious, even if also humorous, people out there who actually listen to (or watch when he was a cable TV thing)Stern with any regularity? I don't think I personally know evern one. He's a piece of work if ever the term applied.

He's a dipwad from git go, right down to his "mini-me" dwarf that he exploits. Call me unsophisticated.; 3/11/10, 3:13 AM
CrankyNugget said...: Stern must be incredibly happy that he's actually getting some headlines again after so many years of self exile in a satellite.; 3/11/10, 3:44 AM
Andrea said...: So now we have to "care" about someone before talking about them? What?

And it's really hilarious that Gawker of all sites is saying this. Shyeah, right, they care.; 3/11/10, 5:46 AM
Dave said...: First off, Don Imus just isn't funny. Period. And he's not much of an interviewer, either, because he wants to be everyone's friend.

Outside of perhaps Oprah (maybe), Howard Stern conducts the best interviews. He can make the most minor people sound interesting.

Second, as listeners of Howard Stern would know, he is very health conscious. He's a disciplined eater and regular exerciser. So, I'm not sure he if he really cares about this Sidibe's health, but he cares about health in general and his point about the actress is a valid one.

And, anyway, I think his original point was more a critique of those around Sidibe who appear to be coddling her and are not being straight with her. Someone should be straight with her. Someone should tell her the health risks she faces.; 3/11/10, 6:17 AM
Greg said...: I read Stern's rant more as a rant against the hollyweird hypocrites saying how great she is and will then dump the fat chick as soon as her movie hits the back shelf at blockbuster. He's right, chances are this will be her only role in a movie anyone sees. If I'm wrong that's great.; 3/11/10, 6:20 AM
KCFleming said...: Dear Gawker, Stop Pretending Like You Care About Gabourey Sidibe Or Howard Stern or Anyone At All.

reader iam is right.

Both admit to invading privacy because they enjoy gawking at "human offerings", nothing more.

Gawker is just being a concern troll.; 3/11/10, 6:50 AM
Republican said...: For Stern, prick that he is: It's only about her color and gender.; 3/11/10, 6:51 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Howard Stern cares about engaging in conversation that his viewers want to hear, but that doesn't mean he isn't right on this issue.; 3/11/10, 6:59 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: Whatever the motivation behind them, the points he is making are valid. That should be the focus of the discussion.; 3/11/10, 7:01 AM
KCFleming said...: The real problem will come when the NY State legislature starts "caring" about Gabourey Sidibe's health.; 3/11/10, 7:11 AM
Rialby said...: Beth - But Howard is now a good member in standing of the Upper West Side and South Hampton Liberal elite. He holds all of the right opinions - Bloomberg's Nanny State - good, Hillary Clinton - great, all Republicans - bad. Shouldn't we give him some space to say the controversial things that all Progressives believe - one of the most important thing all Progressives can agree on is that fat people are a scurge on the planet.; 3/11/10, 7:13 AM
Martha said...: Yes Gabourey Sidibe is morbidly obese. But she was nominated for an Academy Award because of her acting skills.

It is insulting to all those who are physically impaired/disabled and who do not meet society's dictate of "beautiful" to minimize this young woman's achievement by discussing her physical condition.

Gabourey Sidibe is more than her gigantic size. In some ways she transcended her physical dimensions. That is what physically disabled people have to do every day. They have to go out into the world and function knowing that they "look different" and the Howard Sterns of the world look at them with disgust, maybe pity, but not with acceptance as a fellow human being with the right to succeed and even excel in that world.; 3/11/10, 7:32 AM
KCFleming said...: Martha, true, but since the Democrats have ruled that health care is the government's business, her size is a legislative issue, and a drag on medical costs.

So it's every good citizen's duty to report her illegal fatness, just like they would call the cops on a meth user.

Because we care. =); 3/11/10, 7:37 AM
MadisonMan said...: Manufactured controversy, I believe, is what you should have written.; 3/11/10, 7:38 AM
Anonymous said...: Greg said: "I read Stern's rant more as a rant against the hollyweird hypocrites saying how great she is and will then dump the fat chick as soon as her movie hits the back shelf at blockbuster."

I don't want to try to get inside Stern's head (*shudder*), but that's the way I'm reading it, too, just as a general Hollywood is stupid and superficial but can lead people to believe that they're great sort of thing.

If people were just all "hey, you were really good in that one movie, now lets go do lunch" that'd be one thing, but it's the whole "she's so beautiful" that is obnoxious.

As Trooper pointed out yesterday, she'll probably have at least a few more roles, and maybe she'll make a great living out of being a charactor actor, but she's still unlikely to be a star. (But so are thousands other aspiring actresses of all shapes and sizes who try to make it in Hollywood).

But then, Trooper also pointed out that I look like Carrot Top, so what do I know? (:

-Lyssa (who's gonna have to start adding smily faces to everything to make sure that no one thinks I have "weight issues" or is "making things personal")

(:; 3/11/10, 7:44 AM
AllenS said...: I'll bet that Gabourey Sidibe eats a lot of salt.; 3/11/10, 7:52 AM
Republican said...: No need for you fat asses to fret.

We're from the Only-Concerned-About-Your-Size-and-Health Department. We're only here to "help". It's for your own good, you know.

Sit back and have a salad, while we decide how worthy you are.

OCAYS&H Dept.; 3/11/10, 7:55 AM
HKatz said...: Manufactured controversy, I believe, is what you should have written.

Thank you, yes. Who cares what Howard Stern cares about. What does it matter if he's sincerely concerned about her health, or what his innermost intentions are?; 3/11/10, 8:01 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: What we need is some "Sensitivity Training" ;); 3/11/10, 8:10 AM
Danny said...: She needs to go and join the cast of The biggest Loser, lose a bunch of weight, and make a lot of money writing books like "how I lost hundreds of lbs of fat weight and was transformed into a beautiful Nubian princess". With TV shows, movies, to follow. Milk the situation and your fat, ugly body for all you can, Gaby!!!!! More power to you!!! :):); 3/11/10, 8:34 AM
TWM said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/11/10, 8:35 AM
MadisonMan said...: I read Stern's rant more as a rant against the hollyweird hypocrites saying how great she is and will then dump the fat chick as soon as her movie hits the back shelf at blockbuster

If this is actually what Stern means, then he should state it more straightforwardly. It's a completely valid point and spot-on analysis. Why say it a way that leads to misinterpretation?

I know the answer: Because that way, more people talk about it. Hence my manufactured comment.; 3/11/10, 8:40 AM
knox said...: Whats more important?

Caring or "keeping it real"?

Sadly, thanks to PC, the *appearance* of caring is what matters ... whether you actually do or not.; 3/11/10, 9:29 AM
knox said...: It is insulting to all those who are physically impaired/disabled and who do not meet society's dictate of "beautiful" to minimize this young woman's achievement by discussing her physical condition.

Unless you have one of those "gland" problems, you get fat by overeating. It's a very conscious choice.

That's quite different from people who are born or are stricken by debilitating conditions. I'm sure a lot of those people would do anything they could to reverse their disability. They can't. That's a big, big difference.

Please don't describe this girl as if she's helpless to do anything about her appearance.

If she wants an acting career, she has a better chance, at least, if she loses weight. She has the power to do it.; 3/11/10, 9:38 AM
William said...: Achilles observed that, although the prudent get a few extra years, in the end we all die. He therefore declined prudence and led his own life. Overeating does not have the glamour of charging Trojan lances, but it's all the same.....I'm a compulsive jogger. That's the way I handle my confusion and angers. I don't understand the psychic mechanisms that cause this compulsion, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with superior morality.....Gabourey is fat, and it will kill her sooner rather than later. Even so, she got to the red carpet, and it appears that she is having a fine time. That's what bothers the calorie Calvinists.; 3/11/10, 11:01 AM
John said...: You mean Howard Stern is still alive? Wow. Learn something new every day.; 3/11/10, 3:37 PM
Kensington said...: It was weird seeing this woman being interviewed on the red carpet last Sunday. The dimwit interviewing her said, and I quote, "the whole world is hanging on your every thought."

That's what a lot of them really think.; 3/11/10, 5:05 PM
Lincolntf said...: Has Michelle Obama gotten a load of this chick yet? The First Lady calls out eight year olds for being fat, I bet she'd be snatching Ding Dongs right out of Gabby's maw.; 3/12/10, 8:47 AM
Meade said...: Why is it so hard for doctors to talk to their patients about weight?; 3/19/10, 7:00 AM