Justin Cascio is pleased that the company who owns Rush Limbaugh’s show, AOL, has suspended advertising on his radio program.
In response to Limbaugh’s recent loss of touch with reality, advertisers have fled: the lists of companies that have been happy to be associated with his particular brand of mean-crazy has dwindled. Women have called on men to stand up against Limbaugh (and worse, members of Congress who have used similar shaming and depersonalizing tactics) and attempts to shut down access to birth control and reproductive health.
Today’s Rush Limbaugh news is that his show’s own parent company, AOL (which also owns The Huffington Post) has suspended advertising on the show, announcing the following:
AOL announced on Monday that it is pulling its money from Limbaugh’s radio program. “At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity,” said Maureen Sullivan, an AOL spokeswoman. “We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh’s comments are not in line with our values. As a result we have made the decision to suspend advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Radio show.”
The problem with Rush’s most recent attack went beyond discourtesy to reliance on the assumption that women exist for Limbaugh’s sexual satisfaction. She never says she has to get paid to have sex. Limbaugh thinks he deserves to get to enjoy the sex of every woman who uses birth control, by saying that he wishes to see videos of all the sex the women are having using the birth control. It’s beyond slut-shaming. As Mark Greene has already pointed out here, Rush has gone around the bend, and the move was a business decision that has blown up in his face.
“The problem with Rush’s most recent attack went beyond discourtesy to reliance on the assumption that women exist for Limbaugh’s sexual satisfaction. She never says she has to get paid to have sex. Limbaugh thinks he deserves to get to enjoy the sex of every woman who uses birth control, by saying that he wishes to see videos of all the sex the women are having using the birth control.”
I don’t agree with him by any means, but I’m pretty sure that was satire.
I’m more comfortable reading Limbaugh’s entire life as a kind of performance art, but I don’t think he’s that creative.
Ha! 😀
In case I wasn’t clear, I meant that I don’t think he was actually advocating that he should get free porn from pill users. He was objecting to the proposal by conflating exta-marital sex with prostitution.
There is good research that regular masturbation improves prostate health and decreases cancer risk.
Can you guys force that healthcare companies pay for my PornSite subscriptions? Thanks.
Boohoohoo, these MEANIE Republicans are trying to ban birth control … Not. >>> All this fuss is because a tiny number of women, in a tiny number of cases, regarding a tiny number of privileges, might be treated just as badly as all men are treated, in all cases, all the time. <<< Under Obamacare: Female birth control (including tubal ligation) is paid for, male birth control (including vasectomy) is not Female smoking cessation is paid for, male smoking cessation is not Anti-cancer vaccines for girls are paid for, anti-cancer vaccines for boys are not Breast health is paid for,… Read more »
Christ… I don’t run this place, but would you consider writing an article? I’m sure Lisa would run it if you sent it to her. If you can’t contact her send it to me and I’ll pass it on: [email protected]
I’m not an editor or anything, I just have a feeling she’d be interested in this perspective.
Wow. Good stuff. You would think that a black president would know better than to cut real health issues like prostrate cancer specifically since it affects African American men disproportionately. Go figure.
The focus of this debate is nothing but a trojan horse, (no pun intended). Recent polls showed that Obama has been losing the support of women. This is all about creating an issue that ought not exist, for the purpose of acquiring the female vote. To hell with men. The administration may be giving up on the white male (non union) blue collar vote anyway. Don’t hold your breath for equal treatment. There is no political capital there. Women have been masterful at portraying themselves as victims in every way possible, even when they have power. You want to talk… Read more »
Women have called on men to stand up against Limbaugh (and worse, members of Congress who have used similar shaming and depersonalizing tactics) and attempts to shut down access to birth control and reproductive health.
Oh do they now?
I’m all for women having access to those things but I recall the often quoted, “If you don’t ovulate stay out of the debate.”
Which is it?
I don’t talk to the women who use biological determinations of who can participate in the debate. We all need to recognize that reproductive health is for everybody. The burden has unfairly fallen on women, by nature, and we don’t do anything much with our society to mitigate that inequality. Limbaugh would enshrine it.
I’m all for promoting that reproductive health is important for everyone and I would also agree that the burden has fallen on women to the point of unfairness (and also reproductive rights for men have been lessened to the point of unfairness as well). And even if you don’t talk to the women who use biological determinations of who can participate they still exist. So are we folks that should have a stake in the debate because reproductive health is important to everyone or are we genies to be summoned only if its certain that we will agree with them?… Read more »
Seeing as i (a men) have no reproductive rights, i don’t see where i fit in.
I’m never going to be foolish enough to put the responsiblity of protection on my partner.
If you believe that everyone should have access to birth control and other things associated with reproductive rights then I’ll say you have a place to fit in. But one the hard parts is getting people to recognize that “everyone” doesn’t just mean women.
The only way we fit in is becoming a soulless soldier to society.
“Women have called on men to stand up against Limbaugh”
Rush insults woman and MEN are the ones who are called upon to strike back, that’s all they see us as.
woman get pity, men get responsiblity.
What will happen if there’s a male birth control pill? I support such an invention. And it doesn’t seem like male birth control is all that far away. It’s being researched and tested now. A pill will help you control your own reproductive rights.
We don’t? Women have choices, men don’t really. If anything its swung the other way.