When I broke the story of Tracy Morgan’s anti-gay meltdown the other day, I had a very circumspect moment just beforehand where I verified, with the original source and with my own sense of comedy, that this was an indeed a case of Morgan going over and above, beyond the realm of actual comedy, and into a simple hate-laced tirade. People who know me well know that I have absolutely no filter, and that I enjoy extremely offensive comedy, as long as it is funny. Indeed, when I remember to, I actually write for a political humor website which has, um, been known to offend in its time.
When the story started to go viral on Friday, I was very interested to see how other comedy people would react. I mentioned that day that Gabe at the hilarious, wonderful site Videogum was fairly disgusted by the reports. My sense that my gut feelings in breaking this story were correct are further confirmed by comedienne Wanda Sykes’ reaction to the whole ordeal. She spoke out on Twitter, several times:
“Hey, just back from family road trip. Ok, Tracy Morgan. Good thing I was busy because it would have been ugly, name calling. Pt. 1?
“Had time to think. Tracy is just a dumb comic. I fault the TN lawmakers. They’ve created an anti-?gay environment. Pt2”
“Don’t believe Tracy would be so ignorant in LA, because we have a mayor, a city council,and police chief who believes we are all equal. Pt3”
“I do believe in free speech, but for a youth in TN or any other numerous place, Tracy just yelled, “Fire,” in a crowded theater.”
Chris Rock at first defended Tracy Morgan:
“I dont know about you, but I dont want to live in world where Tracy Morgan cant say foul inappropriate shit.”
The general sentiments of that statement, I agree with. But Rock amended his statement when he learned more about what Tracy had actually said:
Tracy morgan is a tad off we all know that so when tracy says something i usually don’t take it anymore serious than i would a statement from gary busey or flavor flav .when i first heard the statement i thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything tracy said . wow i get it that shit wasn’t called for and i don’t support it at all.
Since this story broke, there have been people leaving comments here and elsewhere, mostly in all caps and featuring misspelled words, that “dude itz comedy can’t take a joke don’t like it shut up.” [That's a general paraphrase of every single comment along those lines.] It’s refreshing to hear from actual, respected comedians who very much understand why this was not okay. No one’s freedom of speech was threatened in this incident. My hope is that this becomes a teachable moment, for Tracy and for everyone else. To Chris Rock, I say that I don’t want to live in a world where any good comedian can’t say foul, inappropriate shit. I just want it to be funny. And maybe Tracy is learning a hard lesson right now, if this account is to be believed. We hope so.
“Freedom of speech” is a red herring in this. Here are the three most important aspects of the matter. 1) NBC must be pressured to dismiss Tracy Morgan, for two reasons; a) to serve as a deterrent to others who would incite to irrational hatred of and violence against gay people and b) because with Tracy Morgan at NBC, NBC is a hostile work environment for its LGBT employees. Morgan is an NBC star. If he harasses or assaults a gay NBC janitor, the NBC execs will side with Morgan and throw the gay janitor under the bus. 2) Tracy Morgan has created a situation of heightened peril for LGBTers in Tennessee, and Morgan and his enablers at NBC should be held accountable to mitigate the heightened danger for those LGBTers in Tennessee. 3) Domestic violence investigators should be re-examining the relationships between Tracy Morgan and his three sons. The New York Penal Code definition of child endangerment includes knowingly engaging in activity likely to be injurious to the mental well-being of a child. Morgan very obviously has done that by stating in public that were one of his sons conspicuously gay he would take out a knife and stab him to death.
It’s funny how people say bigoted things and then act like their free speech has been violated when met with a rebuttal. Was Tracy arrested? Fined? No, so his right to free speech remains intact. Just like people have the right to express their bigoted views, others retain the right to offer their own critique of the things said. It works both ways. So to those who say that those expressing outrage need to get over it and realize that we have free speech, how about taking your own advice?
I agree with the two previous posters. I think Morgan needs to lose his job for the reasons Scott Rose mentioned, but also because of the precedent set by the firing of Don Imus and the tanking of Michael Richards’ career. What Imus and Richards said was deplorable, as most racist comments are deplorable, but not nearly as serious as what Morgan said. That is, Imus and Richards did not call for violence against anyone or condemn an entire group of people.
Didn’t the black actor (i forget his name) who played the surgeon on Gray’s Anatomy lose his job for calling another actor a faggot? I forget his name too, but he played George and is gay in real life (but wasn’t on the show).
I’m gonna disagree with Scott on some parts. 1a I agree with 100% but 1b is much grayer. The man brought up his beliefs as part of a comedy act, not through actions and speeches conducted as part of his employment or as indicator of his actions. As I’m sure we agree is was an offensive unfunny act, but it was an act. Attributing harassment actions is far fetched.
With regard to 2: There is no heightened peril. There was no call to action and any “coded” call to actions would only be received by those who were inclined that way already and, frankly, redneck hicks probably aren’t attending live acts of a **black** comedian in TN. That, and the peril is already high enough in TN where this act is a grain of sand on the beach.
3: An eye for an eye and we all go blind. If a man attacks your family, your duty is to stop the attack, not to ATTACK his family. And your call to action is an ATTACK. Threatening to kill your family with the understanding you do love them and would do no such thing is a comedic trope. You’ve seen it done by Jackie Gleason, Homer Simpson – even Chris Rock understands the concept and is willing to concede he trope as per his experience with his father. Should it be said? No, but it’s not endangerment.
Not to mention all three sons are adults, a fact that made clear you calling for attacks on Jordan was more important than caring for his alleged “children”. (http://www.nndb.com/people/556/000110226/)
I’m surprised you didn’t suggest we boycott Sierra Mist “to send a message”.
Unlike the stupid Chris Rock, I DO want to live in a world were idiots cannot say foul inappropriate s**t.
Lower the boom on this guy, and destroy his career like the career of Andrew “dice” clay.
Problem solved.
Ehhhh, no, I disagree, Gene. For good comedians, the bar should not exist. Comedians have always had a very important role in our society, because they shine the flashlight on themselves and others and often help to illuminate important truths by allowing us to laugh, at ourselves and each other. Sarah Silverman says some of the most godawful s**t I have EVER heard, and she is one of my very favorite comedians because she can do it and keep the funny going at the same time. That’s why this is different — every account of this says that this was not part of The Comedy, that he truly went off on a tirade. I would even allow that it’s possible for a good comedian to make a joke on these subjects that’s actually funny. Click the Videogum link and see what Joe Mande said. I laughed.
@Gary: Isaiah Washington referred to his co-star, T.R. Knight (who, as you said, is gay) by an anti-gay slur. Knight wasn’t present at the time, but another co-star took offense. Washington was likely fired because of the on-set tension that arose from this incident.
It’s too early to know whether any such problems could emerge on the set of “30 Rock”. And we don’t know what kind of contract Tracy Morgan has with the series, which would tell us whether the producers CAN fire him.
Tracy Morgan – Just the opposite side of the same dented coin of white neo-nazi fundamentalists that are just so stuck on their own B.S. they can’t even see straight.
Part of free speech is the right to call people on this kind of b******t. Talking about stabbing a child (or anyone) to death is simply over the top and should not be done. If someone thinks that makes me against free speech, well, whatever. I just believe that people have a right to call people on s**t like this is also a part of free speech. Get used to it.
It’s so very sad when 1st-Amendment heralders promote freedom to say things that invoke violence & outright hatred; toward any one person/group or hearer’s self. The consequences of exercising free speech in this manor ar far-reaching and the speakers should be held accountable. Morgan might not mean that he’d actually do harm, but his words encourage others to feel/act/speak as he has. It’s no wonder that there are still so many hate crimes & suicides still happening every day.
love your site, but gotta’ disagree with you Evan. Somethings just should not be allowed to be said…and if they put the idea into someone listening to the “joke” that its cool to be violent, or even just prejudical, towards gay people (or other minorities), then he needs to be silenced either legally where possible (and that needs to be the case here) or by implosion of his career is he does not not SERIOULSY backtrack, apologize, and make a point of it thus undoing the damage. It seems, from what I have read, he is doing that.
If not, let him be another Andrew dice clay. It would be an object lesson to others. As it stands, even with a TON of backpeddling, unless he is REALLY lucky, I don’t think he will have that many other chances to say such things again due to lack of venue.
to be crude and offensive is one thing. to say things that lead to whole groups of people being put at risk is something entirely different. No. No one should have the “right” to do that.
Gene, I really have to disagree with you. It’s really dangerous to say that there are certain things that can’t be said. The Freedom of Speech is too valuable to have that kind of cencorship and it would affect us just as adversely as it would bigots. I think the Tracy Morgan thing shows how free speech should work–someone says something abhorrent and people rise up and condemn it–that’s freedom of speech. What Morgan said was disgusting but to make it illegal for him to say it would be very dangerous.
David, freedom of speech is a laudable goal, but if it is used in a manner that can lead to the injury, suffering and abuse of another person or a whole class of people, then the right to it is negated.
at THIS point in time, people will stand up and condemn him. If he has said this 30 years ago, 50 years ago, etc. most Americans would have laughed…and some would have gotten the message it was ok to beat up/kill gay people.
We have the power to fight back now, but if we had not fought for decades to change things, we would not…and speech like his could, literally, KILL.
I dont call for the supression of all free speech. Most Americans are so brainwashed on the ‘holiness’ of free speech that they consider any appropriate abridgement of it as the end of the world. I call for speech that could lead to someone killing some kid in TN, which as Wanda Sykes pointed out, the same as yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theatre, to be banned. Other democratic nations do it. We should raise our standards and do it.
Free speech is not a holy sacred immutable thing in of itself. It’s just part of the legal code of this one nation, which is not special when all is said and done by the way. And when it can lead to violence against GLBT people, no, no one has a right to it.