Roseanne Barr ‘s TV comeback has come and gone and maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Most comedians are good at offending people. It’s part of their schtick, from Don Rickles and the comedy days of old to today’s comedians..that’s what they do, make fun of people.
A lot of what comedians say can be harmless and people will laugh. But some of the things comedians will say are not harmless. And few laugh.
So like many other comedians, Roseanne Barr has made a career out of offending people. But she’s now learned that sometimes being offensive can cost you your job.
Her racist tweet about former President Obama’s African American female White House advisor was offensive and costly with ABC and her agent quickly dumping her. They used words like abhorrent to describe what she said in her tweet.
Words like that were also used 28 years ago in 1990 when Roseanne Barr was invited to sing the National Anthem at a San Diego Padres game.
Being the kind of comedian and woman she is, she thought it would be funny to sing the national anthem in a way that would be disgustingly memorable.
Her shrieking and grabbing her crotch in an act of intentional disrespect for the national anthem offended everyone. That included the fans and their kids there that day and those who were watching on TV and those in the military for whom the national anthem represents why they sacrifice the way they do.
Roseanne Barr didn’t learn then, but maybe she will now, that even in a political climate where using mean and bullying words has become too common, sometimes there is a price to pay for the words you say that can reveal your character ..and can determine your destiny.
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