Russell Brand's scorching critique of Fox News sparked a heated debate between Whoopi Goldberg and guest co-host Will Cain about using offensive words on Thursday.
The tense exchange started when Goldberg brought up Brand's response to Fox News host Jeanine Pirro's recent rant about President Obama. Pirro said that Obama didn't have "the balls" to try terror suspects in Guantanamo, and also advised the United States to "bomb" and "keep bombing" Iraq. Brand later excoriated Pirro and Fox News over her comments.
Speaking on Thursday's "View," Cain said that Brand's reaction was the latest example of people being overly offended by words.
"We elevate words to the most harmful thing in society," he said. "How dare you say something that could offend somebody? How dare you something that could hurt my feelings? Why have we gone to this place where words are the worst thing?”
"Because we have a history of utilizing words to harm people and hurt people and the people who have been on the other side of it, I think are at the point where they're saying, this is not okay anymore,” Goldberg countered. “And you got to roll with it because at some point, we all have to grow up."
She cited different groups who she said have the right to ask people to stop using words that offend them.
“We'll all be out of business, we'll all stop talking,” Cain said. “Everybody's offended all the time, from the Fighting Irish to the Redskins. Everyone's offended.”
“That is spoken like a true white guy,” Goldberg quipped.
“And I don't mean it in a bad way,” she continued. "But have you had the experience where … your [ancestors] said, you know, when I first came here this is what they did to me and this is how they treated me and this what they said to me and this is what called me?”
“No, I've not had that experience,” Cain said.
“That's the difference,” Goldberg said.
Watch the segment in the clip above.