A letter to the New York Post.

Plus, don't give up on them yet; I'm sure there are new levels of depravity to which this garbage owned by a dingo-diddler can sink.

are you fucking kidding me?

See, domestic violence is funny! (vomit)

I am actually speechless.

Hey Here is the contact info for the post.

customerservice@nypost.com

1-800-940-7678

It's a good thing they put in the quotes or I might not have caught on the double entendre!

I saw this at Shakesville and I'm still speechless.

As a survivor of this kind of abuse I am livid that it is once again being trivialized.

Alexander Hamilton would be sad to see what part of his legacy has turned into. :(

Domestic violence jokes - always good for a chuckle, eh? I'm sure Tina's sides are splitting with mirth as we speak.

holy fucking shit. WTFUUUUUCK??!?

What the hell?!

You know what's awful? The way I interpreted it was that Ike Turner really DID beat Tina to death, and the Post was just, in their typical woman-hating fashion, putting the word "beat" in quotes to dismiss the accusation as a bunch of uppities overreacting. Like if they had said "Rich white man 'rapes' poor black stripper" or something. I had to go read the article to figure out what they actually meant.

Fucking sick. Sick sick sick.

Dear NYP,

This is why you don't win Pulitzers.

Love,
Gretchen

I also thought that the headline was meant literally and that the outrage was over the what happened, not hateful journalism. It really speaks to how sad the situation is that it could have been either one.

My husband told me he died last night. I couldn't understand why he thought I'd care.

That's fucking sick.

No way. That can't be real. Please tell me it's an Onion parody of the New York Post.

This almost makes me hate all puns.

How completely disgusting.

What a stunning display of ignorance and lack of empathy. A-holes. They're not just making light of DV in general, they're making light of an actual woman's private sufferings! How terrible.

I don't understand why that's even the headline. Isn't the focus of the story that he died?

thanks for the customer service link, this is what i wrote:
In today's National news your paper published a disgusting announcement of Ike Turner's death which both made a joke of the fact that he abused Tina Turner and later in the article insinuated that the domestic violence may not have even occurred. Is this supposed to be funny? Since when is Domestic Violence against women funny? Oh! - When it's a pun, perhaps? I'm disgusted that this was printed, it should be pulled from the website with a factual and professional story to replace it along with a letter of apology for the offensive original article. I'm referring to the following article:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12132007/news/nationalnews/ike_beats_tina_to_death_79527.htm

My letter:
To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to tell you my disgust and outrage over the story titled, “Ike ‘Beats’ Tina to Death.� This is not just an innocent pun, but makes light of domestic violence, a very real and dangerous fact of life for so many women (and men). I have volunteered for domestic violence shelters, and despite all of my training in this area, I am constantly horrified by how widespread domestic violence is. It is not just some small, marginalized subsection of society who is subject to this violence. It cuts racial and class barriers, becoming very real and very widespread for so many people. And the perpetrators of domestic violence do kill. The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that about a quarter of the murders in the U.S. were attributed to domestic violence. I do not understand how your writers and editors could possibly find this subject funny and worth trivializing. I am sure that the victims of domestic violence reading this story did not appreciate the joke. Please take down this headline and issue an apology for trivializing the horror faced by victims of domestic violence.

frances,
are you referring to this?

After his and Tina Turner's 1976 divorce, Ike Turner was crippled by a cocaine addiction and was widely vilified in the mid-'80s as Tina Turner mounted a huge comeback and said she had suffered abuse and humiliation at his hand.

poooooor baby.

Har, har, har, I get it! He died first! Domestic violence is just a belly full of chortles in Patree Arch land! Hey, even Jesus would laugh at this headline!

Blegh.

Wow. That's tasteless even for the Post.

...and over , at Holy Candy, Zip made excuses for Ike beating Tina, saying she "was just as wild."

I know so many women who have been beaten and yet people make excuses for the attacker. A man would get arrested if he walked up to another man on the street and hit him. So WTF with all these jokes and excuses?

I have to admit that I was watching The View this morning. It seemed like most of the panelists (Joy included, which made me sad) seemed to think that Ike's music career was unfairly overshadowed by his legacy as an abusive man.
In fact, Joy said something to the effect of, "You have to separate the artist from the person."
My initial reaction was: WTF? Seriously? You're praising him in spite of all that?!
Do you think she has any point, what-so-ever? I'm still weighing it out.

I agree that this demonstrates horrible taste and trivializes the issue of domestic violence. It is worth noting, however that Ike's reputation as a wife-beater is, ultimately, the single most memorable thing about his life - especially to younger generations.

The Post chose to spotlight actions that, as far as the public knows (I think) are over 30 years old. The headline is awful, but the emphasis on his heinous behavior, at least, is not.

I'm sure it is shock-factor and not noble consciousness-raising that makes this headline material to the Post, but at least the "abuse and humiliation" he inflicted has not been forgotten.

Granted, he abused and humiliated a beloved American icon, and his actions were further imprinted into collective memory by the film, but I only wish that wife-battering pro athletes (for example) shared the negative distinctions of Ike Turner.

I agree that this demonstrates horrible taste and trivializes the issue of domestic violence. It is worth noting, however that Ike's reputation as a wife-beater is, ultimately, the single most memorable thing about his life - especially to younger generations.

The Post chose to spotlight actions that, as far as the public knows (I think) are over 30 years old. The headline is awful, but the emphasis on his heinous behavior, at least, is not.

I'm sure it is shock-factor and not noble consciousness-raising that makes this headline material to the Post, but at least the "abuse and humiliation" he inflicted has not been forgotten.

Granted, he abused and humiliated a beloved American icon, and his actions were further imprinted into collective memory by the film, but I only wish that wife-battering pro athletes (for example) shared the negative distinctions of Ike Turner.

Do you think she has any point, what-so-ever? I'm still weighing it out.

Insofar as there are some pieces of art that I find deeply moving despite the fact that their creators were scum, sure. I mean--"River Deep, Mountain High" is a great song. Picasso was a jerk, and "Guernica" is an amazing piece of work. Mel Gibson is scum of the earth, but I can't turn down a chance to watch Road Warrior. Phil Spector is a horrible, horrible, wife-abusing scumbag, but he was a brilliant producer of music.

But in an obituary about a person, no, there's no excuse for making light of or writing out their awfulness. Acknowledge that he created some amazing music, and then acknowledge that doing so in no way excuses his scumminess.

When describing the NY Post to people not familiar with its complete lack of class and journalistic integrity, I'd say: "it's basically one level above the tabloids."

I'm rethinking that assessment.

I agree with Blackbird. I think the joke is on Ike, not on Tina or DV as an issue.

Ug!
I sent in an letter of complaint as well.

Im so sick of topics like this being used as a pun..

Oh...I get it now. I'm slow. Forgive me, it's finals week.

You cannot separate a persons art from their life. This is an argument I've had over Picasso as well. He was a misogynist and therefore, I find whatever he creates to be absolute SHITE. Artists have a responsibility, I believe, to be decent human beings first and foremost.

If they cannot embrace their humanity and choose a good path then why should anything they create be set on a pedestal and cherished?

The headline is (somewhat) amusing. Why look for intolerance in everything, sometimes its just plain funny.

No, Not A Real Man, it isn't funny. It is sick and sad.

http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/feminism-friday-humour-as-a-tool-for-shaming-and-silencing/

For you, YRM.

Marissa: Well done.

frances: Well said.

Blackbird: No shit.

Gretchen: Awesome! (raised to the power of 1000.)

YRM: Run along now, & read your homework assignment like a good little boy.

The Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Thus, I don't have a ton of respect for it as journalism.

I completely disagree that artists have a responsibilty to be good people. They do not, any more than the rest of us do. Celebrities have no responsibilty to be role models to kids, and I do believe that an artist's work can be seperated from their personality. I'll admit I don't know too much of Ike's work- but if he made good music, he made good music. Download it illegally if it bugs you.

and by "a ton" I mean "any"

I can get it for free at school and I still won't touch it. I grab a Daily News instead...not a ton better, but at least it's not owned by a vicious right wing nut who purposefully promoted his own opinions and agenda as "news."

Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" go rent it like NOW.

"I completely disagree that artists have a responsibilty to be good people. They do not, any more than the rest of us do. Celebrities have no responsibilty to be role models to kids,"

Ah, but there's the rub. We do have a responsibility to be good people or positive role models, just like they do. They are also human beings and not above any law that should keep them on the side of "good." We can't drive under the influence or use illegal drugs, why should they be able to do so, or so often be penalized so lightly for it?

I also agree that artists can be separated from their work, and the same is true of people in general. The way some people and organizations today seem to be distancing themselves from Presidents Washington and Jefferson because they were slave owners (and Jefferson, for fathering children with a slave) is to devalue their positive achievements. They were pioneers, not hypocrites.