Hypocrisy Anyone?

MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry set the internet on fire this week with her comments about Mitt Romney having an adopted African American grandchild. Unsurprisingly Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere erupted with myriad versions of convervatives crying "See! You liberals are racist too! It's not just us".  

Of course there aren't very many liberals coming to the defense of Melissa Harris-Perry for her comments. And rightfully so, not only were they not funny, they were beyond inappropriate. Proof positive the world would be a more civil place without the din of 24/7 cable news. 

But then something weird happened.   

Conservatives outraged at Harris-Perry's comments started demanding that Harris-Perry apologize (which she did). Sean Spicer, Communications Director for none other than the Republican National Committee, called for her immediate suspension from MSNBC. Now this wouldn't be weird - liberals after all are quick to insist on apologies and suspensions and boycots the minute anybody crosses the ever-changing boundary of political correctness - if many of the same conservatives weren't just days ago decrying A&E's suspension of Duck Dynasty patriarch (and long lost ZZ Top rhythm guitarist) Phil Robertson for his recent homophobic comments in GQ.

See here's the thing, you can't bang the drum of the first amendment when it's politically convenient to support a redneck's right to speak freely, and seriously, about how gays are disgusting sinners and men should marry 15 year old girls, but then stop banging the same drum when a black woman recklessly and humourlessly points out the irony of perhaps the whitest family in America adopting an African child.   

Or maybe you can. After all, it isn't civil discourse that pays the bills for the 24/7 cable news machine. Keep watching America.