No words. He actually said that it makes him uncomfortable to call our fallen brave heroes, because doing so is “rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war.”
Newsbusters has more, with video at the link:
CHRIS HAYES: Thinking today and observing Memorial Day, that’ll be happening tomorrow. Just talked with Lt. Col. Steve Burke [sic, actually Beck], who was a casualty officer with the Marines and had to tell people [inaudible]. Um, I, I, ah, back sorry, um, I think it’s interesting because I think it is very difficult to talk about the war dead and the fallen without invoking valor, without invoking the words “heroes.” Um, and, ah, ah, why do I feel so comfortable [sic] about the word “hero”? I feel comfortable, ah, uncomfortable, about the word because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. Um, and, I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism: hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that.
You are wrong, indeed. Apparently he is the arbiter of what acts actually equal heroism. And, oh, his comfort. As long as he’s “comfortable.” That is what is important! We wonder if he said it while chewing contemplatively on his hipster glasses? We also wonder if he’d like to tell the children of the fallen that calling their mommies and daddies heroes makes him “uncomfortable.”
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Newsbusters also correctly described it as almost a parody of the conflicted intellectual. The Smarty Pantsers are once again not so smart; they’ve now added heartless to it. Can they not walk and chew gum at the same time? Because even if one doesn’t think war itself is “worthy” in his or her Ivory Tower opinion, the fallen soldier still is.
The soldier who fought and died with valor is a hero. The greatest force for good that earth has ever known was powered by those men and women. Men and women who gave up not only his or her young adulthood and the innocence of that age to fight for us all, but sacrificed his or her very life, cut short in its prime. They are heroes to be honored. Without them, this world would be a very different place.
They are not to be used for creepy mental self-stroking for the oh-so-intellectual who believe war is icky and who want to pat themselves on their smug backs for being so “enlightened.” Did Mr. Hayes also forget that many of our fallen heroes died in struggles against tyranny, genocide and other atrocities?
These very same fallen heroes enable Mr. Hayes to spew garbage out of his mouth constantly on MSNBC. They fought for his freedom to speak and to be stupid. Everyone does have the right to be stupid, but Chris Hayes really abuses the privilege.
Of course, he is now backpedaling.
@francesmartel i know it's futile, but really wish people would watch that whole hour, including the interviews and opening monologue.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 27, 2012
Perhaps in response to the appropriate and correct scolding he received on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jeffemanuel/status/206809264361193472
https://twitter.com/Capit0lism/status/206777502973165568
I'm uncomfortable calling him a man. MT @FoolishReporter: MSNBC's @chrislhayes says he's uncomfortable calling fallen soldiers "heroes"
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) May 27, 2012
#YouMightBeALiberal if you can't call our fallen military "heroes," but honor cop-car crapping OWS protesters. http://t.co/xo5BleHV #tcot
— Razor (@hale_razor) May 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/dangainor/status/206775073514864640
To @chrislhayes I'm sure your comfort was the last thing those men and women worried about as they fell in battle.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 27, 2012
@dmataconis But that doesn't mean we shouldn't condemn it as one of the stupidest things @chrislhayes has ever said. http://t.co/SU8XjNMa
— Jazz Shaw (@JazzShaw) May 27, 2012
@chrislhayes You can understand why that single quote is terribly alienating to people with normal human emotions, yes?
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 27, 2012
@dmataconis There are no politics when it comes to the honored dead. @chrislhayes
— Jazz Shaw (@JazzShaw) May 27, 2012
@ChrislHayes @MSNBC is "uncomfortable" calling fallen military "heroes". I am not "uncomfortable" calling Chris Hayes an idiot.
— Pouncing Coder Brad (@bradcundiff) May 27, 2012
Mr. Hayes, we are uncomfortable calling you a journalist. Or a feeling human being.
Time for a little reflection, Chris Hayes. Instead of dismissing the sacrifices of true heroes to stroke your own ego, try a little General Patton: Thank God that such men lived.
Update: Hayes continues to backpedal. And fails.
Sure this won't stop the twitter hate, but ask people to watch this and see if we were being insufficiently respectful http://t.co/Guy33524
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/unraptured/status/206872500020326400
.@chrislhayes I recommend that you stop while you're behind, Chris.
— (((Ken Brown))) (@K_P_Brown) May 27, 2012
MSNBC's @ChrislHayes Stop begging us to watch whole hour; admit you spoke inappropriately. My husband &son willing to die for YOUR freedom.
— Hooah ⭐⭐⭐ (@SFCArmyWifeMN) May 27, 2012
I love when @chrislhayes, or any leftist at MSNBC who uses the fascistic propaganda of @mmfa, complains about being taken out of context.
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) May 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/adamsbaldwin/status/206875980902572032
He does get some support from these classy fellows.
@chrislhayes Haven't even seen clip in question, but please don't let faux outrage from serial assholes affect what you do.
— His Dudeness (@ATLGreg1) May 27, 2012
https://twitter.com/barbamagnifico/status/206874342494179328
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