Tracy Morgan Debacle: Side-Taking Begins

The backlash on Tracy Morgan after a homophobic rant in Nashville last week during his comedy show is so far displaying the typical formula: (1) Cross the line on one or more sensitive topics: race (except Caucasians – it’s okay to cross that line), tragedy, gay rights, women’s issues, bullying, handicapped people, insult other people’s children, etc; (2) Don’t say anything until you get a handle on the ‘who’s sticking up for you’ temperature ; (3) No one’s sticking up for you? Issue a public apology. At this stage, you can go on TV to take full responsibility and say you will make amends.

Morgan told his audience that he would stab his own son if he found out he was gay. He also said that he believes “being gay is a choice,” and that gay kids who are bullied “should stop whining about it.”

Morgan now says he’s not a hateful person and doesn’t condone any kind of violence against others. In the meantime, comedian Chris Rock took back his support of Morgan’s right to say “foul inappropriate shit.”

Rock’s later tweet compared Morgan to Gary Busey and Flavor Flav, saying he doesn’t take any of them seriously, and added: “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.”

Gay comedian Wanda Sykes took offense to Morgan and also to CNN’s Roland S. Martin for defending him. “I fault the TN lawmakers. They’ve created an anti-gay environment. Don’t believe Tracy would be so ignorant in LA. 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. … We can do better. Tracy has the right to say whatever he wants to say, just like we have the right to say, not acceptable. and WE as a country. We used to picnic to watch public hangings, but WE figured out, that was some sick shit.”

Gilbert Gottfried, who recently had his own debacle over his insensitivity to the Japanese earthquake victims, tweeted evidence that he still doesn’t get what the problem is: “@RealTracyMorgan You must apologize for your tasteless, insensitive “jokes”. Feel free to use any one of my apologies. Just insert ur name” on June 9th.

The following day, he tweeted “Tracy Morgan is in trouble with the gays. Me with the Japanese. Whatever you do, don’t make any jokes about @GeorgeTakei !!!” He followed that up today with an very insulting oral sex joke about George Takei, which you can click here to see if you want to see how demented Gottfried really is. Takei replied that the only thing that has been blown lately is Gottfried’s career. How true!

In the Red Room, Shaun D. Landry really hits Tracy Morgan with a full dose of truth, from one black comedian to another:

“Be prepared to wonder why your job is in jeopardy. You just, in public, decided to spew what you actually believe. You don’t even fall under the same category as Michael Richards. Outside of the fact that neither of you are good at stand up and need writers to be funny? Michael Richards melted down.”

Ms. Landry thinks that Morgan should “Just shut up and let your publicist draft up an apology. Memorize it. And repeat it over and over again. Kind of the same the way the writers of 30 Rock do for you.”

We don’t think so. We agree Morgan shouldn’t take the position that he’s not really like that. That one’s so old by now! Just think — he could be the first to say he really is like that but if he can change, anyone can. People will really remember that and when others come along — and they will — and start copying it, they will have to give credit to Tracy Morgan for setting that example.