That very clearly means “I’m not sorry, I don’t want to be sorry, but hey, since you’re too small-minded to get past it, here’s a small token of my fake sincerity.”

I agree with MKH, up to a point. When we first heard the comments, the context of the previous conversation wasn’t available, and it seemed incredibly vulgar. Once we knew that the pole exercizing concept was an existing discussion on the show, it brought the level of offense down to just tastelessly offensive. Well, we don’t have the right not to be offended, and in this case it doesn’t rise to “he should be fired”. But that half-baked apology is just stupid.

I forget which comedienne or TV personality commented on this years ago, but she noted that men can make anything sound dirty:

“I’d sure like to change HER tires.”
“I’d like to paint HER fence.”
“I’d like to fill out HER 1040.”

Joe wasn’t talking about exercise.

geoff on June 11, 2007 at 3:43 PM

For what it’s worth, it was Jeff Foxworthy.

Maybe, I’m wrong, but adding the “works” or “working” really slides it more into the inappropriate comment section.

For instance, someone can work out by jogging on the street, but if their “working” the street, they’re certainly not jogging.

That said, I think people want to give him the benefit of doubt because of all the bs that’s been going over our airwaves lately. I think we’re sick of caring about people who can’t think before opening their insipid mouths.

On the other hand, he is probably just as proficient.

I’m not saying Joe should be fired or suspended, I’m just saying you know that he probably would be.

geoff on June 11, 2007 at 3:43 PM

Bingo.

thirteen28 on June 11, 2007 at 3:33 PM

That’s it right there.

A while back Glenn Beck put his foot in his mouth talking to some female athlete, I think. It was a weird and creepy little aside that fell absolutely flat. I don’t know whether he apologized for it, but on balance I still like Beck.

Neither Beck nor Scarborough are making a career of outraging public decency the way Imus was. I’m willing to take Scarborough’s half-hearted apology and go back to ignoring him.

“I’d sure like to change HER tires.”
“I’d like to paint HER fence.”
“I’d like to fill out HER 1040.”

Joe wasn’t talking about exercise.

It’s nice to have the saga finally end, though, as it was beginning to test friendships. Mary Katharine and I ended up in an IM argument a few days ago over whether what he said was really as bad as all that. She thinks it wasn’t once you have the full context about the exercise routine. Fine by me: I look forward to the next time bananas come up in conversation so that I can leer at the nearest female and inquire archly as to whether she “eats the banana.” Context, you see, my friends. Context.

Perhaps she can be forgiven for believing so, given what she perceives as the full context. But I think she might be missing a little bit of insight into the male psyche, which is also part of the full context. Someone needs to let her be a fly on the wall at an all-male poker night sometime.

At best, I think Joe was uttering a double entendre, one where he could technically be bailed out by the ever-present fallback of “context” while winking and nodding to those guys out there that knew what he really meant.

http://minx.cc/?post=229022

That one should work.

I bet the apology is “I’m sorry if anyone was offended by their misunderstanding of my comments” if he decides an apology is warranted.

Over at Ace’s http://minx.cc/?post=229022, yeah I’m the Gekkobear over there too.