Tracy Morgan ruffles feathers with gay jokes

[Platypus]

I think in there kind of lays my point. And what I would have wanted to say to some kid before he did something stupid.

They are the ones who are fucked up. You are just being you. Yeah it sucks. Most of what there is sucks. But it can be better. It probably won't, but it can. And maybe at some point you will have some happiness. Which is much better than never having any.

Kinda sappy and optimistic and bullshitty. But I think the vast majority of people deep down inside keep going on with life merely on something like that.

When you grow up thinking you are wrong and different because that's what you've always known and been taught, it penetrates your psyche in a way that I cannot explain. I know that they are fucked up now that I am older and wiser, and that it's them that need to change, but that doesn't just undo years of damage and shame automatically. For a lot of these kids, this kind of thing is called a crazy-making behavior. You begin to believe that you are wrong because you do not fit into the cookie cutter ultra macho, show no feelings archetype for the American male. It took me literally years to even be able to say outloud what I was to someone. It took a lot more years to be comfortable not splitting (leading two sep lives).

I agree there is happiness out there in some fashion, but it takes years and years of being an authentic person and leading an authentic life for that to manifest.

Consider this example. Knowing you are different growing up, maybe even admitting to yourself that you're gay, you go out of your way to become better at something in order to shift this shame into validation. For a lot of gay people it's being a really good student, or maybe being the best at a sport, because you get validation from your teachers/coaches. But that validation isn't authentic to you because you know you're being rewarded for something and trying to apply that globally to your whole self... your 'split' self is being validated, not your 'real' self. Because of this, it becomes almost impossible for you to know what is real and what isn't, and what is authentic and what is inauthentic. I for example have an extremely hard time taking praise, because I instantly assume it isn't genuine. I had become such an amazing and convincing liar (due to splitting) that I lost track of what was real and what was fake. It is only now that I am starting to become more comfortable taking a compliment from someone and truly believing them.

 

[moshquerade]

He that guy that looks like an over sized Gary Coleman?

 

[CPA]

I don't think he has a problem with being gay as much as he has a problem with being gay in a homophobic, intolerant society.

um, the majority of our society is not homophobic and as far as intolerance is concerned, that's subjective.

My issue is him stating he has an impossible life. Sorry, don't buy that. We all have our issues, doesn't make things impossible.

 

[skyking]

Not funny, and therefore no pass on the offensive part. The guy has his moments but clearly this was not one of them.

 

[classy]

He makes fun of everybody, any people group, and any issue. He is a good dude.

 

[purbeast0]

not too funny, but it's not wrong either.

he's doing fucking stand up ... it's okay to do racial and sexual jokes in standup. anyone who is offended by this is a fucking pussy themself and needs to relax a bit.

 

[Platypus]

um, the majority of our society is not homophobic and as far as intolerance is concerned, that's subjective.

not too funny, but it's not wrong either.

You were saying?

 

[Blackjack200]

um, the majority of our society is not homophobic and as far as intolerance is concerned, that's subjective.

My issue is him stating he has an impossible life. Sorry, don't buy that. We all have our issues, doesn't make things impossible.

Why do you have an issue with that? You don't know him and you haven't walked in his shoes.

If you think that "the majority of our society is not homophobic" you are clueless.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

um, the majority of our society is not homophobic and as far as intolerance is concerned, that's subjective.

My issue is him stating he has an impossible life. Sorry, don't buy that. We all have our issues, doesn't make things impossible.

I live in "gay as hell and loving it" Portland, OR, and for as gay-friendly as we are, we still haven't legalized gay marriage. Well, that's not entirely true. We legalized it, and then it was overturned by a constitutional amendment. That's pretty homophobic. And this is in one of the more tolerant places in the country.

Homophobia is still a huge problem in this country. Strides have been made in the past few decades, but the fact that gay marriage is only recognized in a couple states and is not recognized at the Federal level is pretty telling of society's thoughts on homosexuality.

 

[Tristicus]

Lol.

Where is the link to the video where he says it?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I am a fan of Tracy Morgan and am not easily offended (I'm a longtime Stern/Carolla listener and appreciate irreverent comedy), but I find these comments pretty repugnant and unfunny. It's not going to make me boycott 30 Rock or anything - in a way I can appreciate his honesty - but I think what he said is out of bounds.

I actually care more that it's unfunny than that it's offensive. Eddie Murphy's gay material in the '80s was politically incorrect (shockingly so by today's standards) but at least it was funny . . .

:thumbsup:

 

[disappoint]

That is just wrong. So wrong. Especially the part where he says if you can take a dick up your ass you can take a joke. IF you can take a dick up your ass you certainly can't take a joke. Most flamboyant gays are in control of their emotions about as much as Stevie Wonder is in control of a Ferrari at 200mph. Or woman (regarding both driving and emotions)

 

[Zen0]

Are you just ignorant? Do you not know how Blacks vote? Why Proposition 8 passed in California?

 

[Homerboy]

That is just wrong. So wrong. Especially the part where he says if you can take a dick up your ass you can take a joke. IF you can take a dick up your ass you certainly can't take a joke. Most flamboyant gays are in control of their emotions about as much as Stevie Wonder is in control of a Ferrari at 200mph. Or woman (regarding both driving and emotions)

Isn't that as ignorant and insulting of a statement as Morgan's?

 

[Zen0]

I think I am trying to say this in a rhetorical philosophical way.

I don't mean to call you out and don't mean to offend you by this, but why would you not want to be gay? If that is who you are why wouldn't you want to be you? If it isn't you then why not be you?

Believe me I understand that I often wish I wasn't me. Probably more time than I can say I am comfortable being me.
I think that desire to be something else might just be one of those shitty parts of the human condition.

And I do not mean to downplay any struggle you might have living as with who you are. I completely understand that our fucked up backwards society loves to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to be who they are, especially homosexuals.

Personally, I believe that everyone at some time, probably all the time, regrets and hates who they are.

Well, it's a bit like saying... why wouldn't people WANT to be gingers? It's a state where society often ridicules or attacks for no apparent reason at all, much less one related intimately with the concept of love and identity.

 

[darkxshade]

I wonder how this would have played out if it was Lisa Lampanelli who told the "joke"?

 

[Zen0]

When you grow up thinking you are wrong and different because that's what you've always known and been taught, it penetrates your psyche in a way that I cannot explain. I know that they are fucked up now that I am older and wiser, and that it's them that need to change, but that doesn't just undo years of damage and shame automatically. For a lot of these kids, this kind of thing is called a crazy-making behavior. You begin to believe that you are wrong because you do not fit into the cookie cutter ultra macho, show no feelings archetype for the American male. It took me literally years to even be able to say outloud what I was to someone. It took a lot more years to be comfortable not splitting (leading two sep lives).

I agree there is happiness out there in some fashion, but it takes years and years of being an authentic person and leading an authentic life for that to manifest.

Consider this example. Knowing you are different growing up, maybe even admitting to yourself that you're gay, you go out of your way to become better at something in order to shift this shame into validation. For a lot of gay people it's being a really good student, or maybe being the best at a sport, because you get validation from your teachers/coaches. But that validation isn't authentic to you because you know you're being rewarded for something and trying to apply that globally to your whole self... your 'split' self is being validated, not your 'real' self. Because of this, it becomes almost impossible for you to know what is real and what isn't, and what is authentic and what is inauthentic. I for example have an extremely hard time taking praise, because I instantly assume it isn't genuine. I had become such an amazing and convincing liar (due to splitting) that I lost track of what was real and what was fake. It is only now that I am starting to become more comfortable taking a compliment from someone and truly believing them.

Being gay is not easy at all, I agree. It affects people in different ways and isn't something trivial like the color of our eyes or the size of our nose. I think one of the things being gay has affected me greatly is it has created an extremely powerful ego as a defensive mechanism. It makes me somewhat of a know-it-all, extremely stubborn, and highly elitist - probably as a reaction to the extremist irrationality and inhumanity of bigotry like homophobia.

Oh well.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I wonder how this would have played out if it was Lisa Lampanelli who told the "joke"?

Lisa Lampanelli would never tell a joke about stabbing gay people. She intentionally uses derogatory language, so she'd definitely have no problem launching into a riff about "faggots." But the difference is that she isn't advocating violence against them for who they are. That's a pretty important distinction. Just using a hateful word doesn't automatically make someone a bigot; you have to listen to the context of how the word is being used.

 

[ahenkel]

I'm of the firm belief that everyone's an open target when it comes to humor. This wasn't very funny though.

 

[zerocool84]

He's a comedian, they're going to make fun of people and be politically incorrect, racist, etc. If you don't like it don't listen to it. He makes tons of racist jokes but no one cares about that. It's no big deal.

 

[Zen0]

Lisa Lampanelli would never tell a joke about stabbing gay people. She intentionally uses derogatory language, so she'd definitely have no problem launching into a riff about "faggots." But the difference is that she isn't advocating violence against them for who they are. That's a pretty important distinction. Just using a hateful word doesn't automatically make someone a bigot; you have to listen to the context of how the word is being used.

I don't mind calling myself a lovely human. It's self deprecating because it means literally that I like men and dicks, but it also tells people that it really doesn't make a shit of difference in evaluating who I am as a person, because this lovely human is still more awesome than those who think to put us down with the word.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The jokes really aren't even remotely funny, and that makes it hard to excuse him for over-the-top bigotry. But Tracy Morgan is a comedian who translates horribly into a written transcript; his actions and speaking mannerisms are 90% of his humor. Reading a transcript of any Tracy Morgan bit will make you question him as a comedian; watching him is a different story. I still don't think this bit would be funny, but I do think that's a point to consider.

 

[Platypus]

Are you just ignorant? Do you not know how Blacks vote? Why Proposition 8 passed in California?

Err... had more to do with your blanket statement that all blacks are Christian wanna-be rappers than anything you typed in the above quote.

 

[Zen0]

Err... had more to do with your blanket statement that all blacks are Christian wanna-be rappers than anything you typed in the above quote.

Of course not all, but too many and too large of a population. Non-christian Blacks? Have fun finding one. Looking for aspirations in the ghettos for college-bound rather than to be a gangster rapper? Look really hard.

Blacks are also one of the first to be racist towards other minorities (and whites), and not surprisingly, extremely homophobic as well.

 

[Zen0]

The jokes really aren't even remotely funny, and that makes it hard to excuse him for over-the-top bigotry. But Tracy Morgan is a comedian who translates horribly into a written transcript; his actions and speaking mannerisms are 90% of his humor. Reading a transcript of any Tracy Morgan bit will make you question him as a comedian; watching him is a different story. I still don't think this bit would be funny, but I do think that's a point to consider.

Tracy Morgan just isn't funny. His speech pattern is deliberately slower than normal (read: retarded level) so your brain starts to fill in words you expect a normal person to say and then you hear something else far more retarded come out of his mouth. It gets old, fast.