HEY DONALD: SCORE THIS ROUND FOR ROSIE!

Did any of you catch what happened last week when America’s favorite TV show made a stop at the beautiful Pacific Northwest? I did. As some of you know from reading one of my earlier posts, I live in an American Idol family. This time of year, the TV is always occupied whenever Simon, Randy, and Ms. Foster Brooks (or whatever the other judge’s name is) show up on the idiot box.

I can almost understand why people watch the show when each season winds down and the final four or five participants duke it out for the big record contract. I don’t happen to care for a cappella country, gospel, or pop music. But that’s just me. Taste in music is subjective and varied. Apparently, however, taste in humor is pretty universal.

By humor, I’m referring to American Idol during the first few weeks of the season. That’s where they film John and Jane Q public auditioning for a chance to be on the big stage. No doubt, the judges see a wide range of talent, ranging from fine singers to the tone deaf. But almost invariably, the telecast is devoted to the losers. And I don’t just mean those who don’t win the competition. I mean those who the judges (and the bazillions of homo sapiens in TV land) recognize readily as Losers with a capital L. The bad. And yes, the ugly.

In Seattle, the judges were at their visceral best. Simon – the only polysyllabic judge -- termed one tall, black female contestant a “giraffe.” He tastefully described another contestant as “fat.” And he reserved the piece de resistance for a young man with odd eyes, whose appearance prompted Simon to call him a “bush baby.” The other judges sat in silence as the contestants were humiliated before a national TV audience. But when the contestants left the room, the other judges had a big laugh of their own.

So who should come to the rescue of the fatties, the giants, and the bush babies? That’s right. A woman who, according to Donald Trump, is a “fat … unattractive …loser” in her own right. Ms. Rosie O’Donnell.

Tell me, do you have to have your appearance publicly ridiculed before you’re able to empathize with the American Idol’s road kill? If not, where were the other TV critics when, year after year, Idol devoted one episode after another to humiliating people? I’m not talking about humiliating celebrities. I’m talking about mocking unknowns who came to a tryout because they dared to dream that others would like the sound of their voice.

I went on another website to see if Rosie (and I) were alone in finding Idol so offensive. Fortunately, we’re not. Some of the comments were equally critical. Then again, I also saw the following responses to the issue of whether the judges were too harsh:

“No not at all most of those people couldn't sing a tune to save their life and they have no business being on American Idol...so they should be ready to hear what the judges have to say and besides we all want good looking people who do have talent, not ugly monkey looking like fools who can't sing...sorry just calling it like i see it.” Posted by Billie Pugliese

“NO, NOT AT ALL. THEY ARE A LOT NICER THAN WHAT I WOULD BE. HOW IN THE H--- CAN YOU GO ON NATIONAL TV KNOWING YOU CAN'T SING AND THINK YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITHOUT HAVING YOUR FEELINGS HURT. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY " IF YOU CAN'T HANG WITH THE BIG DOGS THEN, WELL YOU KNOW WHERE YOU NEED TO STAY.” LUV
NIKKIBLU

There you have it, America. Social Darwinism is alive and well. Ugly people should know their place. Stupid people should know their place. Losers should know that they’re … well, Losers.

That’s the ethos of American Idol.

Should we not boycott this trash?