Brian Williams sparks outcry after saying Obama used 'Richard Pryor delivery' in speech

[jpak]

Source: Boston Herald

During an MSNBC broadcast, Brian Williams compared a President Obama speech to highly lauded and controversial late comedian Richard Pryor, sparking outcry on social media, many calling the comment racist.

Williams, who was suspended from "Nightly News" duties last year for misrepresenting anecdotes from his coverage during the Iraq War in 2003, took aim at Obama's speech during his campaign appearance with Hillary Clinton.

"The president was being urged by one member of the crowd to preach," said Williams during the broadcast. "He seemingly tried to at one point -- borrowing almost a Richard Pryor delivery to deliver the degree of his disgust and disdain for the other side, the comments clearly aimed at Donald Trump."

Twitter exploded with outraged viewers who called the statement racist and labeled Williams as a "bigot." One person said he "proves his white privilege and ineptness" with the recent comments, and others accused him of disrespecting President Obama.


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Read more: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/celebrity_news/2016/07/brian_williams_sparks_outcry_after_saying_obama_used_richard

[loyalsister]

1. Racist?

I think I get what Williams is saying. That emphatic stunted cadence does sound like Richard Pryor, and I see nothing at all wrong with it. The context is obviously different but Richard Pryor was an excellent orator. There is nothing racist about being compared to someone talented.

[George II]

3. I agree. Williams is stupid, boring, and not well informed. But that comment was not...

...the racist comment that it's being portrayed as.

I don't like him, and turn the sound off when he appears on screen, but think this is being blown way out of proportion.

[loyalsister]

13. I wonder who the outraged individuals are

Someone accused me of being racist because I referred to African American people as black. I said that it would only be racist if you think being black is a bad thing. Likewise, this could only be considered racist if a person sees Richard Pryor's style of delivery uniquely race specific and in a bad way. If it's coming from people who see Pryor as a caricature who negatively reflects on African Americans, then the stereotyping and racism is coming from the accusor.
And I agree not being wrong once does not redeem Williams altogether.

[uponit7771]

32. I'm not outraged at Williams just the lack of knowledge of why some folks acts are outright

... dismissed as not racist or racially insensitive reflexively

Random ethnic person conflation is common among people who don't have wide enough swaths of people who are in their sphere of influence.

Obama sounds nothing like Pryor in that speech and his cadence, delivery, annunciation etc couldn't be more different...

Nothing about the speech was Richard Pryor...

[COLGATE4]

2. Williams is and always has been a RW

asshole. I'm sorry MSNBC ever reinstated him. That, plus his platonic 'love affair' with Rachel, along with his "for Christ's sake, spit it out) slow talking drives me bat shit.

[bluestateguy]

4. I doubt Obama would be offended

Richard Pryor was a great comedian.

And you have to be smart as a tack to be good at comedy.

[forest444]

16. Well said.

It's quite possible Williams was told as much by Preisdent Obama himself at some point, and only meant it in that spirit.

That said, he should have realize that to the general public - who, of course, wouldn't be in on the inside joke - this could have come off as insensitive.

[AllTooEasy]

5. How is being compared to America's greatest comedian...

...at a time when Obama was trying get laughs racist?

What if someone compared Obama's jump shot to Jordan's? Or his looks to Tyson Befford's? Would that be rasict? Should Brian have compared his delivery to Carrot Top's? Are We Blacks now ashamed of Pryor now?

[left-of-center2012]

9. "America's greatest comedian"

Seriously?
No.
Not even close.

[NWCorona]

18. That's his opinion and I respect it

But to say that Richard, who's on a lot of people's top 5 list not even close isn't a good look.

I have vivid memories of sneaking a listen to my dad's records and I'm not alone in that I'm sure.

[msanthrope]

21. Yes. He might have written the funniest movie, ever. nt

[oberliner]

33. Jo Jo Dancer?

Or Bustin Loose?

[msanthrope]

36. Blazing Saddles. nt

[oberliner]

37. Pryor had little to nothing to do with writing that script

Andrew Bergman wrote the story outline, and he and Norman Steinberg wrote the majority of the screenplay, along with Mel Brooks and Alan Unger. Brooks thought it would be a good idea to bring Pryor in to write for the black character, but he was disinterested in doing so. Brooks mentioned that Pryor threw in some of the Mongo jokes, but that was it.

[msanthrope]

38. Actually, Pryor wanted the role, but when the studio said no, he suggested

Cleavon Little.....and Pryor wrote more than just Mongo jokes.....you don't get a screenwriting credit for that.

[oberliner]

40. Check this out

MB: Well, you know, one of the writers was a dentist. Al Uger. He was Norman Steinberg’s partner. So he gave us the dental point of view on the Old West, whatever that is. [Laughs.] Steinberg was a young lawyer who wanted to be a comedy writer and not a lawyer, so we got the legal point of view on the Old West. You would think that Richard Pryor would give you the black view. You know, the black guy’s torment and broken heart. But no, he loved Mongo. He wrote, “Mongo only pawn in game of life.” Brilliant. He loved Mongo, so a lot of Mongo was Richard Pryor. And I wrote a lot of the black stuff, always checking with Richard. “Can I say this? Can I say that?” Like, I would do some bad black jokes, and Richard would say, “Good, go with it, fine.” And every once in awhile, he’d say, “Yeah, that’s all right to say that. But that’s not funny.” He was terrific.

http://www.avclub.com/article/mel-brooks-61517

[Gidney N Cloyd]

27. I'd say he's right up there with the best of the best.

[sufrommich]

11. How is being called on to preach equal comparisons to

Richard Pryor? The analogy makes no sense.

[bobGandolf]

42. Totally Agree!

I have always liked Brian Williams. Always did well on the news. He F%$#ed up, and got a harsh punishment for it. Leave the guy alone, he wasn't being racist.

[47of74]

6. Ahem

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Williams is an ass,

but I have a hard time seeing that as racist.

[No Vested Interest]

8. Brian Williams considers himself something of a comedian, and likely thought an

off-the-cuff remark such as this was humorous.

Maybe a stupid remark, but not worth getting our panties in a twist.

[markj757]

10. I agree, there was nothing wrong with his remark, I watched it live....

He was just talking about Obama using humor. I dont think the title of this post is even accurate. I'm sure there is no outrcy, especially from anyone who saw the context in which he used it, but when he said it, I did think it was kinda of interesting which is why I remember the comment.

[Vinca]

12. Oh, good lord. That's not racist, it's comedic.

The POTUS has the same gift of timing that Richard Pryor had. Can't a great black man be compared to another great black man?

[yurbud]

14. now I'm going to watch the speech because of this

[yurbud]

15. like most TV news people he is a spokesmodel nothing more

If he has a thought and a head that is actually a detriment to doing his job

[LuckyLib]

17. Brian reflects many Americans who have no concept of bilingualism and biculturalism,

certainly not the amazing abilities of some folks to move between dialects as English speakers. Obama was speaking in the South, and is able to dip into a preacher cadence at will. Just as he is able to speak as a constitutional scholar when the situation requires it. And to talk with young people, elderly statesmen and stateswomen, across languages and cultures.

And a huge PS -- if anyone merits comedic put-downs, it's the Big Clown -- Donald Trump.

[uponit7771]

31. +1, look at some replies in this thread...

[Yavin4]

19. Why the outrage? Obama does indeed mimic Richard Pryor a lot.

There's nothing the least bit racist about that. Pryor was a great orator. You have to be a great orator in order to be one of the greatest comedians of all time, if not the best.

I hear Pryor in Obama's delivery all of the time, esp. when he's being funny.

Charles Barkley is right. Social media is full of idiots.

[uponit7771]

29. No he does not, not in the slightest in delivery, cadence or inflection. Pryor has a whole different

... annunciation than Obama.

I don't understand Williams comment at all

[Yavin4]

39. Obama does not do it all of the time, but

there are similar speech patterns. Watch Pryor again and compare it to Obama.

[uponit7771]

41. I watched Pryor daily as a kid and listened to his albums daily in college there's no way

... that Obama sounds like Pryor.

In the context he was in Obama breaks into a preacher cadence, Pryor didn't have a preacher act !

I think Williams mispoke though

[Yavin4]

43. We have to agree to disagree then. n/t

[Stellar]

20. I'm sure the President has heard of and enjoyed Richard Pryor jokes before and won't be insulted. nt

[Tom Kitten]

22. things go around in weird circles

[truthisfreedom]

23. Meh.

Yawn.

[Lil Missy]

24. A nothing burger. n/t

[retrowire]

25. He was compared to a talented comedian who happens to be black!?

OH ITS SO RACIST! WOW THE RACISM WHEN WILL IT STOP?!

Please people, please keep panicking about fake racism so we can all ignore the real shit going on. God fucking DAMN IT.

[uponit7771]

30. Random [enter minority ethnicity] person conflation, common among people who don't know

... many [minority ethnicity] outside of associative circles.

Obama's cadence, delivery, inflections etc in now way are similar to Pryors

[chillfactor]

26. that was a very stupid comparison to make.....

but then we are talking brian here and he lost his edge many eons ago.

[awoke_in_2003]

28. He should know

He was on stage with Richard Pryor

[Night Watchman]

34. Brian Williams Did Standup WITH Richard Pryor!

And he was the first person to visit Richard in the hospital after the free-basing accident! And he co-produced Stir Crazy! He was also the technical adviser on Pryor's film Some Kind of Hero, which was loosely based on Williams' own Vietnam experience!

SO LEAVE POOR BRIAN ALONE!!!

[Sunlei]

35. to bad twitter never "explodes with poutrage" at the Republicans twitter king of bigots