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Etheridge caught in on-camera confrontation

winston53660 said:
Yes it is. I don't see anyone defending and or excusing his actions. Not even the man himself. And he is a politician who as well all know are experts at spinning.
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To be fair, there really have been quite a few people in this thread that defended his actions, or even expressed cheer at his response, called it appropriate, and praised him for it.
 
hazlnut said:
To me, high schoolers running around trying to act like Hannity are pranksters. They're not doing in any type of serious journalistic endeavor.
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Is Etheridge a close family friend? Did one of these kids run over your dog? That's the only way I can explain your furious defense of Etheridge and your hilarious outrage over these kids.

They put their 'school project' up on youtube, DELIBERATELY EDITED (with repeated scenes) to embarrass the Congressman.
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Unless that's James Cameron's kid, you might want to come up with a new rationalization for why you're so amusingly wrong about this situation.
 
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Alastor said:
To be fair, there really have been quite a few people in this thread that defended his actions, or even expressed cheer at his response, called it appropriate, and praised him for it.
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What I have seen mostly is people questioning the journalism of these students, myself included.
 
winston53660 said:
Yes I have read the thread. And I don't even think hazlnut who has gone a bit loony on this one is defending his actions.
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hazlnut said:
He didn't assault them. (unless DC has a different statutory definition)

In fact, it could be argued that they assaulted him.
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hazlnut said:
I'm saying his version of the story could go something like this:

"I was walking ALONE down the street. TWO MEN younger than me approached and DIDN'T IDENTIFY THEMSELVES. There was a LARGE CAMERA shoved in my face and they were BLOCKING MY WAY."

He felt ambushed and tried to move past them.
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hazlnut said:
I'm giving my honest reaction to the video. I think it's funny watching two O'Keef wannabe's get the snot scared out them on their first outing.

I hope the congressman doesn't catch too much flack over this.
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hazlnut said:
But I like the way he handled the little ****s and I hope he doesn't catch too much flack over it.
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And here's my favorite:

hazlnut said:
Grabbing the arm and the the neck is self-defense. Ju-Jitsu! Look how beautifully he rolled the little turd to side, clearing a path for his escape. Well played, old man.
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self defense! lol
 
winston53660 said:
What I have seen mostly is people questioning the journalism of these students, myself included.
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Again, it doesn't matter what these students were doing unless they had assaulted the congressman. However, it was the other way around. There is no excuse for the congressman's behavior.
 
winston53660 said:
What I have seen mostly is people questioning the journalism of these students, myself included.
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I'd say the issue of the assault completely overshadows the journalistic credentials that these kids had.
 
winston53660 said:
What I have seen mostly is people questioning the journalism of these students, myself included.
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There have been instances where people have not simply questioned the integrity or motive of the students however.

I too question those things - a great deal. More with each moment that passes without them coming forward in fact. I'm pretty much convinced this was a set up already actually. The only thing that would change my mind is them coming forward and explaining their actions and roles in the incident.

But that's me.

Some really have gone so far as to defend Etheridge and say he acted correctly. There are several posts to that affect in this thread.

I agree that most people have responded the way you and I have. There have been exceptions, however.



Dr_Patrick said:
I'd say the issue of the assault completely overshadows the journalistic credentials that these kids had.
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I'd say that one person's culpability does not excuse another's.

I believe everyone should be accountable for their actions and held to a standard of integrity. This includes Etheridge, and it also includes the political activists that provoked him - and whomever it was that contrived the circumstance to begin with.
 
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winston53660 said:
Yes I have read the thread. And I don't even think hazlnut who has gone a bit loony on this one is defending his actions.
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Of course he is, as well as making excuses for Etheridge's actions. He was asked a question. Period. Nothing in that question he was asked was justification for his response, nor was the supposed agenda of the student.
 
Alastor said:
I'd say that one person's culpability does not excuse another's.

I believe everyone should be accountable for their actions and held to a standard of integrity. This includes Etheridge, and it also includes the political activists that provoked him - and whomever it was that contrived the circumstance to begin with.
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You are acting like it's equal playing ground. It's not. They asked him a question, whether it was partisan or not doesn't matter. All he had to do was walk away, and instead chose to take it to a completely different level. Even if he would have said "**** off" to the kids I wouldn't have a problem with it. The fact is that he attacked them. It was completely unwarranted, regardless of what they asked him.
 
I can't believe there are some people who are trying to spin this.

There was nothing inappropriate about the young men's behavior. They asked an elected representative a question about the President's agenda in a public place. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, at all.

Possible answers Etheridge could have given:

1. Yes, I support the President's agenda.
2. I only support parts of the President's agenda, such as...
3. No, I don't support the President's agenda.
4. No comment.
5. Leave me alone.
6. Purple-monkey-dishwasher.

There was nothing inappropriate or partisan about the question. Our President does indeed have a political agenda, and there is nothing wrong with asking an elected representative if he or she supports it. The question was broad but entirely relevant and totally innocuous. Only someone with a skewed sense of politics would consider this question inflammatory, partisan, rhetoric, etc.
 
alms said:
I can't believe there are some people who are trying to spin this.

There was nothing inappropriate about the young men's behavior. They asked an elected representative a question about the President's agenda in a public place. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, at all.

Possible answers Etheridge could have given:

1. Yes, I support the President's agenda.
2. I only support parts of the President's agenda, such as...
3. No, I don't support the President's agenda.
4. No comment.
5. Leave me alone.
6. Purple-monkey-dishwasher.

There was nothing inappropriate or partisan about the question. Our President does indeed have a political agenda, and there is nothing wrong with asking an elected representative if he or she supports it. The question was broad but entirely relevant and totally innocuous. Only someone with a skewed sense of politics would consider this question inflammatory, partisan, rhetoric, etc.
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Well, I agree with others that it was a pointed question and was most likely partisan in nature. It's a part of the "gotcha journalism" of our modern age. Regardless of that, there still is no justifiable reason for him to attack them.
 
Dr_Patrick said:
Well, I agree with others that it was a pointed question and was most likely partisan in nature. It's a part of the "gotcha journalism" of our modern age. Regardless of that, there still is no justifiable reason for him to attack them.
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Patrick,

Perhaps you could help me, because I'm not seeing it. What is "partisan" about asking a politician about supporting the President's political agenda? I mean, the President does have a political agenda, and the politician obviously supports it or does not. What would have been the "gotcha" moment? What kind of partisan ammunition could have been acquired from an answer of yes, no, or only part of it.

I honestly don't see how this question automatically implies some nefarious ulterior motive on the part of the students. It's an innocuous and simple question that is relevant to politics. I don't know, perhaps I'm not as sensitive as some...
 
Dr_Patrick said:
Well, I agree with others that it was a pointed question and was most likely partisan in nature. It's a part of the "gotcha journalism" of our modern age. Regardless of that, there still is no justifiable reason for him to attack them.
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This style of journalism is a form of legal harassment.
 
winston53660 said:
This style of journalism is a form of legal harassment.
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You are being ridiculous.

First of all, there is nothing illegal about paparazzi-style journalism or gotcha-style journalism. That is totally false, and I don't know why you would make such a statement.

Secondly, what these kids did was not even close to the tactics you're describing. They asked a simple question about politics in a public place. They didn't ambush Etheridge and they didn't ask him an inflammatory or overly personal question. You're just trying to muddy the waters right now by dishonestly ascribing tactics to these kids that they were never engaged in.
 
alms said:
You are being ridiculous.
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No I'm not. It is a form of legal harassment.
First of all, there is nothing illegal about paparazzi-style journalism or gotcha-style journalism. That is totally false, and I don't know why you would make such a statement.
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I never said it should be illegal. And I have stated previously that it should be be legal

Secondly, what these kids did was not even close to the tactics you're describing.
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I'm sorry but sticking a camera on the street and banging off questions is a form of harassment. I know I have done it.
They asked a simple question about politics in a public place.
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"Do you agree with the Obama agenda?" Is a simple question? I'm all agree with at least one thing he has done
.

They didn't ambush Etheridge
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They ambushed himm with a camera.

And they want to stay anon.
 
Dr_Patrick said:
Well, I agree with others that it was a pointed question and was most likely partisan in nature. It's a part of the "gotcha journalism" of our modern age. Regardless of that, there still is no justifiable reason for him to attack them.
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Would it make a difference for you if the Congressman had been a Republican with the same question?

Would it still have been "Gotcha Journalism"?
 
RightinNYC said:
Is Etheridge a close family friend? Did one of these kids run over your dog? That's the only way I can explain your furious defense of Etheridge and your hilarious outrage over these kids.







Unless that's James Cameron's kid, you might want to come up with a new rationalization for why you're so amusingly wrong about this situation.
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Did I see it right on camera 2 that the Congressman took the camera phone out of the kids hand and didn't give it back?
 
Mason66 said:
Would it make a difference for you if the Congressman had been a Republican with the same question?

Would it still have been "Gotcha Journalism"?
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Yes it would have been.
 
Dr_Patrick said:
You are acting like it's equal playing ground. It's not. They asked him a question, whether it was partisan or not doesn't matter. All he had to do was walk away, and instead chose to take it to a completely different level. Even if he would have said "**** off" to the kids I wouldn't have a problem with it. The fact is that he attacked them. It was completely unwarranted, regardless of what they asked him.
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It matters. Again, and you can ignore this as often as you like, but it won't go away...

Again I'd say that Etheridge should be held fully accountable for what he did.

And so should the other people involved.

One person's mistake does not excuse another's, and yes it does matter why the camera men where there and what they were trying to do.

The only reason I could see for not wanting all parties involved in turning our political structure into a playground romp is pure and blatant partisanship.

No, I will not ignore the mistake Etheridge made; neither will I ignore that it was an instigated, malicious, contrived, and dishonest circumstance to begin with.

I believe in integrity. I believe in accountability. I believe in knowing the reasons behind something that appears to be contrived. I believe in holding all parties to a reasonable standard, not just those that ally with my political adversaries.

What Etheridge did was wrong, but so is what they did.

Etheridge should be held accountable, and so should they.
 
alms said:
I can't believe there are some people who are trying to spin this.

There was nothing inappropriate about the young men's behavior. They asked an elected representative a question about the President's agenda in a public place. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, at all.
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I can't believe some people are denying that it was a dickish, baiting question asked to get a response that would later be used to create a video for Youtube making Dems look bad.... This is obvious.

The response they got was more than they bargained for and certainly now serves their purpose of making the Dems looks bad. Unfortunately, the blurred faces and anonymity about the video raises questions, but they still achieved their goal.

What was inappropriate or unprofessional was approaching the congressman and not introducing themselves, presenting some form of ID (like a letter from their teacher or school ID) and then briefly explaining what their "project" was about. That's how it's done.

In reality, their journalism teacher should have taught them that you should always write or telephone the office first.

Period.
 
winston53660 said:
These "journalists" are anonymous.
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Which is exactly why it reeks of a set up, and why I think all involved parties need to be scrutinized, not just those that suit our political bent.
 
RightinNYC said:
Is Etheridge a close family friend? Did one of these kids run over your dog? That's the only way I can explain your furious defense of Etheridge and your hilarious outrage over these kids.
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#1 Are you denying that the first posting (the one in the OP) of this video had edits? Cuts were shown over and over to hammer home their point of "look what this guy did..." Why didn't they just post the unedited videos?

#2 Does anything in the unedited clips answer the question about who these boys are, what is their "project", and what school do they go to?


Unless that's James Cameron's kid, you might want to come up with a new rationalization for why you're so amusingly wrong about this situation.
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How am I wrong?

And I laugh every time I hear those two twerps beg for Etheridge to "let go of my arm, sir..."

But what do they care, their little video got them on Youtube. Their famous. Sort of.
 
hazlnut said:
I can't believe some people are denying that it was a dickish, baiting question asked to get a response that would later be used to create a video for Youtube making Dems look bad.... This is obvious.
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And now you understand how every other person in this thread, left or right, feels about your frantic attempts to create excuses.
 
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