An angry Pete Davidson tells student audience they're "f*cking retarded"

[Brainspore]

@SqualusAcanthias

Second, the thing he accuses the students of is them not having developed mentally to the point that one could reasonably expect them to, namely the point where you are able to follow clear and basic requests, even if they require you to suppress a momentary impulse. So by definition of the word, „retarded“ seems actually fitting in this context.

No. He wasn’t offering a medical diagnosis, he was very using the word as an insult. Using the word that way demeans all people with mental retardation. I won’t get into the question of “is this as bad as the N-word” but suffice to say it’s not a socially acceptable response.

[MalevolentPixy]

@SqualusAcanthias

First, I understand that „retarded“, while not a nice thing to say, used to be a pretty common insult with no special connotation about the political or societal views of the person saying it. Correct me if I’m wrong since I’m not a native English speaker.

I am correcting you. It has always been used in the context of harrassing or demeaning special needs and autistic people.

[SqualusAcanthias]

@Brainspore

I won’t get into the question of “is this as bad as the N-word”

Well, you are the one who compared it to the Michael Richards incident.

And yes, not socially acceptable.

[Brainspore]

@SqualusAcanthias

Well, you are the one who compared it to the Michael Richards incident.

I didn’t say they were equal. I’m saying the situation is similar. A comedian doesn’t get free reign to spout offensive, discriminatory language just because some members of the audience did something that pissed him off.

[tigerberry]

@MalevolentPixy

I have an attention deficit. Would you prefer if I fidgeted, or muttered to myself with a stream of consciousness dialogue through your entire speech, or if I quietly used my phone to distract myself just enough to have some clue what you are saying.

Again: sit in a back row, then. And dim your screen.

@MalevolentPixy

That’s your ego that’s the problem.

If by “ego” you mean “ability to focus and stay confident while speaking to an audience” then yes, it’s my ego. If someone is writing something in a notebook I’ll never know if they’re just taking notes or writing the next great American novel. It’s pretty easy to tell when someone is just fiddling with their phone.

[SqualusAcanthias]

@Brainspore

I didn’t say they were equal. I’m saying the situation is similar.

I’m saying the situation is not that similar, as one was a career ending mistake with pretty much no chance of recovery and the other, i.m.o., isn’t.

I have been called and have called people the equivalent of retarded in my language as a kid and young teenager without thinking much of it, without bad intention towards disabled people. Depending on your age, probably so have you. When I got to understand the implications of the word, I made a conscious effort to stop using it.

There was never any such ambiguity to me about the use of racist and xenophobic slurs, so I always saw them for what they are and never used them because they didn’t fit with my world view. I would argue that the same understanding can be assumed for most people and that hardly anyone would use a racist slur without bad intention.

[MalevolentPixy]

He was not making a medical diagnosis two generations ago. He was using the term as an insult in the here and now.

@SqualusAcanthias

I have been called and have called people the equivalent of retarded in my language as a kid and young teenager without thinking much of it, without bad intention towards disabled people.

Intentions don’t matter. Whether or not your playground buddies called you that is irrelevant. You are not part of the community being harmed.

You asked for someone who speaks English to correct you. I am doing so. And, yes, people do use racist slurs “without bad intention” all the time. That doesn’t make the words any less racist. Doubling down and denying it when someone points out the error of what you say does make it more obvious that the individual saying them is quite willing to do so intentionally.

[acidrain69]

Pete Davidson has no room to tell anyone to grow up.

[Red_85]

Now, if they could just get people to do the same thing with their firearms…

[semiotix]

I’m not excusing this outburst, or for that matter any moderately-to-severely shitty behavior any comedian has ever indulged in. Really, I’m not.

That said, there’s a reason that comedians and meltdowns correlate as well as they do. Humor is a coping mechanism for a whole host of mental health issues, and for some people it’s outright self-medication.* The Laugh Factory hired an in-house therapist for its performers, for crying out loud.

Davidson is open about having been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. It’s not a license to act out, but it’s a better explanation for this happening than that he’s a spoiled celebrity brat with poor moral character.

* Yes, every single time you liked one of my posts here you were enabling me, you monster.

[prh99]

Well that’s a reasonable reaction. *sarcasm

Some people are being rude so just completely ruin the show for the rest of them and slip in an ableist slur for good measure cause that will go over well. bravo now he looks like an asshole too. I don’t know 25K for an hours work I think I could learn to suck it up until after the show.

Going to have to find a better way to deal with phones. Insulting an audience is likely to affect your career more than discourage these people filming cause they obviously don’t care either.

[NativeSpeaker]

There is a service where they seal your phone in a bag, you get to keep the bag during the show, and they then unseal it for you upon leaving.

Sounds reasonable.

Then again, I don’t record or photograph during shows, even if it’s my kid at the front. Did once, realized that this ruins a single moment that either will become memorable on its own or pointless to have a photo about it.

Poor parents, who see their kids first days at school only through a tiny screen.

[jonboy_nemo]

i think i went to a king crimson concert where they said if people took pictures they would stop the music. nobody needed to be scolded, if i recall.

[Auld_Lang_Syne]

@tigerberry

… every now and then I have to speak in front of people, and the only thing worse than people recording me are the people who don’t even try to hide that they’re on their phones scrolling through social media feeds or chatting or playing or whatever. There I am, trying to share information and knowledge, trying to engage my audience, and some people are just blatantly ignoring me.

How does these people “ignoring” you pick your pocket? If they’re not disturbing the rest of the audience, what harm is there? In addition, you seem to be making an assumption that they are ignoring you. When i am absorbing information that’s coming to me via the spoken word, e.g. in a lecture, i find it easier to concentrate on the speaker if i have something vague to occupy my eyes’ attention as well. So my fiddling on my phone would increase the attention i’m paying to the speaker.
Remember, not everyone works the same way.

@tigerberry

If someone is writing something in a notebook I’ll never know if they’re just taking notes or writing the next great American novel. It’s pretty easy to tell when someone is just fiddling with their phone.

With the familiarity that the younger cohort has with their phones and innovations like swipe keyboards there’s no reason to think that people “fiddling with their phone[s]” isn’t taking notes.

[Auld_Lang_Syne]

@joey_bladb

The only thing worse than half the audience recording you on their phones, is NONE of the audience recording you on their phones.

Is that an Oscar Wilde quote?

[spetrovits]

I mean, I didn’t need another reason to never listen to anything this guy says, but I’ll take it.

[NativeSpeaker]

@Auld_Lang_Syne

keyboards there’s no reason to think that people “fiddling with their phone[s]” isn’t taking notes.

“I’m candy”
“Of course you are”

[joey_bladb]

@Auld_Lang_Syne

Is that an Oscar Wilde quote?

Oscar, James and George in the company of Bertie

[Retrac]

[Joey_Chickenkin]

Saw the misfits who did the phone pouches and even though people STILL snuck in one here or there, it was one of the most pleasant experiences.

Ha Ha Ha. I’m not mocking this but it’s one million miles away from playing shitholes at Halloween to rooms full of punk kids.

OK, I’m mocking but only out of love for Glen, Jerry and Doyle and how funny they are.

Don’t get me started on Dave Lombardo in the Misfits…etc