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Phil Robertson Compared To Rosa Parks, Jesus: 5 Other Ridiculous Comparisons to Historical Figures
People say the darnedest things. Take GOP Congressional candidate Ian Bayne, for example. Last week, he called Phil Robertson the "Rosa Parks" of our generation. Yes, he did that. A few days later, Robertson himself must have thought that Rosa Parks wasn't good enough, and went on to compare himself to Jesus. Because nothing says Jesus like judging gay people. Now, Jesse Jackson has one-upped Bayne by saying Phil Robertson was more offensive than Rosa Parks' bus driver .
In honor of this madness, here's a round-up of the five other most ridiculous public figure comparisons we've seen.
Image: Jeff Reidel/GQ
Eliot Spitzer Is Just Like MLK
Remember Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor who was caught in a prostitution scandal back in 2008? Anyway, Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood of New York once compared Eliot Spitzer to Martin Luther King: “…Our own Dr. Martin Luther King, our own Dr. Adam Clayton Powell. There has always been something in a person’s life that others sought to use against their greater good. We think this is just another example of that, we would say, even in white.” Sorry, but no.
George Zimmerman Is Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa, Totes
“It’s like going after Nelson Mandela on civil rights, or Mother Teresa,” said WND contributor Jack Cashill a few weeks ago when discussing the Department of Justice’s investigation of George Zimmerman. Sure, we see the comparison. Mother Teresa helped the poor, and Mandela ended apartheid in South Africa. And Zimmerman fatally shot a 17-year-old teenager. Totally similar.
Angela Merkel Is Today's Margaret Thatcher
Okay, maybe this one isn’t too ridiculous. But the number of headlines that endlessly make the comparison between the two women shows that when it comes to lauding the capabilities of female leaders, it’s pretty lazy to treat them as prototypes of each other for no reason other than that they’re both powerful women. Google “Angela Merkel Margaret Thatcher” and you’ll see what we mean.
Edward Snowden is Today's Mahatma Gandhi
“In keeping with the teaching of Henry David Thoreau and people like Gandhi and others, if you believe something that is not right…You have a right to defy those laws and be willing to pay the price,” said Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Edward Snowden. Think what you will about Snowden (and we’re generally rooting for him), but it’s a little premature to draw comparisons between him and the man who led a massive hunger strike and brought India to independence.
Barack Obama and Raúl Castro Are Like Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler
And now for the cherry on top: Sen. John McCain compared President Barack Obama and President Raúl Castro’s handshake at Nelson Mandela’s memorial to the one between former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler. Thankfully, McCain realized how ridiculous this statement was and later rescinded.
