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    The Upshot

    Megyn Kelly’s pepper spray comments spark backlash

    Pepper spray, its effects, and its appropriateness continue to be top of mind in the media.

    Following the protests at UC Davis, during which Occupy protesters were sprayed with pepper spray by a campus police officer, Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly went on the Bill O'Reilly show.

    Kelly appeared to downplay the physical effects of pepper spray. Kelly said pepper spray is "like a derivative of real pepper. It's a food product essentially."

    Maybe so, but her comments have sparked a spicy backlash. A petition is circulating on the Internet that suggests Kelly should put her eyeballs where her mouth is by getting sprayed with the substance on live television. Currently, more than 16,000 people have signed the pledge. Kelly herself notes in the interview that the spray is  "obviously invasive and obtrusive and several [people] went to the hospital."

    Over the past 24 hours, Web searches for "megyn kelly" and "megyn kelly pepper spray" soared more than 1,000%. Additionally, related lookups for "what is pepper spray" and "pepper spray ingredients" also spiked into breakout status.

    Numerous blogs have popped up to explain exactly what is in pepper spray. According to a recent entry from KQED, "high doses of some of the chemicals in pepper spray can produce respiratory, cardiac and neurologic problems, and even death."

    HowStuffWorks explains that "the active ingredient in pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (OC), a natural oil found in many types of hot peppers including cayenne peppers and other chili pepper." One milligram of capisicum can cause blisters on the skin.

    As the Washington Post points out, this isn't the first time someone has sluffed off the effects of a unpleasant (to say the least) physical experience. In the past, a number of people, including Stephen Colbert and Jesse Ventura, called on Vice President Dick Cheney to try being waterboarded. Cheney was an adamant supporter of waterboarding and the results he contends the process delivered.

    The investigation into the attack on the Davis protestors is ongoing. The police officer who used the pepper spray is currently on leave and has been the subject of an Internet meme, placing him (and his can of spray) in various historical locations. Look, there he is with the founding fathers.

     
    • Hob  •  Sparta, Missouri  •  4 mths ago
      I cannot STAND this "woman". Every time there is a guest on her show, SHE does all the talking and the guest gets to say very little. If she does not agree with the guest, she dismisses them with, "OK, good luck with that". Also, she is too opinionated for a newscaster. She is reporting a story, not her opinions. She needs to be put in her place and be allowed to make personal opinions of the stories she reports. I dont watch her show, unfortunately, it just happens to be on the tv in the breakroom at work.
    • mudpuddle  •  Greeneville, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Pepper spray the Super Committee.
      • Suq Madiq 6 mths ago
        LMAO!
      • B Boop 6 mths ago
        Better not do that. Harry Reid was about in tears, saying he hadn't been home to check on his nuts in a couple of months. Wonder where he lost them?
      • Smokes 6 mths ago
        Next to his marbles? Maybe Nancy Pelosi has them?
    • Owen  •  6 mths ago
      I'm still reading to find out where the "backlash" is and it never materialized. Was there one? -- BTW, check the site on my pic if you are over 5'8". It's a cool club.
      • Scarbo22 6 mths ago
        go back and finish the article!
      • rokarolla 6 mths ago
        why does spam have so many thumbs up?
      • Kirstin 6 mths ago
        A petition is circulating on the Internet that suggests Kelly should put her eyeballs where her mouth is by getting sprayed with the substance on live television. Currently, more than 16,000 people have signed the pledge.........I think that would sum up the backlash!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Rochester, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I see like many others on here that I too have been pepper sprayed. (Master at Arms in the Navy) and let me tell you it hurts. So much so that if I was standing in a place and the cops told me to move or I'll get sprayed…. then he would not have to ask twice. Oh by the way if you are a protester reading this and you get sprayed, don't take a shower anytime soon. The spray will wash down from your face to your genitals and Wooo Hoooo Pain times 2!
      • Richard 6 mths ago
        Pepper spray, or it's main ingreident actually reactes with water. Just remember it is a oil, and figure it out from there. (I would mention some products that you actually would wash dishes with, but I don't want to be mistaken for a comercial.)
      • Irishwoman 6 mths ago
        Good advice but some have to learn the hard way.
      • Irishwoman 6 mths ago
        Good advice but some have to learn the hard way.
    • I'D  •  6 mths ago
      Some people don't understand that chemicals, start out as natural things,,, like plants,;;;;;
      • Fifth Green 6 mths ago
        yes but its just like oil,, after we process it, u cant even put it back in the ground!!
      • Awoke2Thunder 6 mths ago
        We "are" chemistry.
      • John L. 6 mths ago
        Come on. It's Fox News. "Understand" doesn't apply, here.
    • SC  •  Los Angeles, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Pepper spray our politicians.
      • John 6 mths ago
        smartest comment all night
      • NabilA 6 mths ago
        Especially the reTHUGlicans
      • J 6 mths ago
        people call names becuase they are either uneducated or they dont have a life , the republicans and the democrates are both politicians and they wont ever tell the truth so quit chooing one when both are guilty and you know it. dont hide from reality face it.
    • Panama Joe  •  6 mths ago
      Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.
      Dwight D. Eisenhower
    • B_dub  •  6 mths ago
      Like it or not, if you have not benefited breathtakingly by this breathtaking transfer of wealth over the last 10 or so years, you ARE the 99%. These people are taking a face full of liquid pepper on OUR behalf, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent! If you are an American taxpayer like me, we've been fleeced, folks! And our grandchildren's grandchildren will be paying off this debt. And there's NOTHING to stop it from happening again! Wake up, we're ALL in this together!
    • Ronald B  •  Raleigh, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I am a Retired Jailer in NC. every yr. we were required to be sprayed with capsacin spray ... Believie me it is no TEXAS PETE HOT sauce. You have to have an EMT present for the training with plenty of water and special soap. No FUN it is .
    • AlabamaJohnny  •  Rogersville, United States  •  6 mths ago
      If pepper spray didn't hurt, what would be the point of using it?
    • Master of the Obvious!  •  Altoona, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!
    • Jimmy  •  Laurel, United States  •  6 mths ago
      "Love your Country, fear your Government"...Thomas Jefferson
    • KewlHwip  •  Hobbs, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I wish the cops had done this to the Westboro Baptist Church when they came to my university. THAT I would have been behind.
    • Randy  •  6 mths ago
      pepperspray is nothing to be played with it hurts badly, Mainly used for compliance and control during different situations, fights, riots ect...
    • Reality  •  6 mths ago
      George w bush. The only president in american history to
      cut taxes during wartime.
    • BeenHereLongTime  •  Santa Cruz, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Since when does it matter what news you watch, if you only see what you want to see?
    • Chase O  •  6 mths ago
      in china, they run you over with tanks
    • Steve  •  6 mths ago
      The best way to put out the burn from pepper spray is by waterboarding.
    • Bill Mebane  •  Richardson, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Pepper spray is nasty, but it beats the heck out of being bashed over the head with a nightstick.
    • Josh  •  Jacksonville, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Is it pepper spay or Mace? Because the active ingredient in Mace is military grade tear gas. Anybody who has been through the gas chamber at basic training will tell you it is one of the most uncomfortable things you will ever experience.

    ABOUT THE UPSHOT

    The Upshot is the Yahoo! News blog assembling choice material from The Ticket (politics), The Lookout (national affairs), The Cutline (media) and The Envoy (foreign affairs).

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    Edited by Dylan Stableford
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