Tina Fey put out a great statement (my favorite parts in bold

“I’m glad to hear that Tracy apologized for his comments,” Tina Fey said. “Stand-​up comics may have the right to ‘work out’ their material in its ugliest and rawest form in front of an audience, but the violent imagery of Tracy’s rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-​threatening issue for the GLBT Community. It also doesn’t line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-​centered to ever hurt another person.

“I hope for his sake that Tracy’s apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian coworkers at 30 Rock, without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with, or a printed-​out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket.” Fey added, “The other producers and I pride ourselves on 30 Rock being a diverse, safe, and fair workplace.”

[Edited 6/11/11 11:47am]

I guess the problem, or the risk, with doing a certain type of comedy is the people who do not get it. I am not talking about gay people (or anyone, for that matter) who might be offended, I am talking about homophobes who might actually agree with the sentiments, even if the performer does not really mean them.

Like Andrew Dice Clay, who started as a laughable character who was a sexist pig, not literally the personality of the man who played him, he attracted an audience that did not get his joke. They just liked that he was a sexist pig and agreed with his disgusting crude jokes. Then, because it gained popularity, it snowballed into something that was perpetuating the stupidity rather than poking fun at ignorant attitudes.

So if you are going to cross the line, you'd better do it in a way that is well thought out, like Louis CK, and not so much off the cuff like Micheal Richards

[Edited 6/11/11 12:01pm]

I was never familiar with Tracy before 30 Rock. I guess Tina is dealing with a clown on and off set.

[Snip - luv4u]

NDRU said:

I guess the problem, or the risk, with doing a certain type of comedy is the people who do not get it. I am not talking about gay people (or anyone, for that matter) who might be offended, I am talking about homophobes who might actually agree with the sentiments, even if the performer does not really mean them.

Like Andrew Dice Clay, who started as a laughable character who was a sexist pig, not literally the personality of the man who played him, he attracted an audience that did not get his joke. They just liked that he was a sexist pig and agreed with his disgusting crude jokes. Then, because it gained popularity, it snowballed into something that was perpetuating the stupidity rather than poking fun at ignorant attitudes.

So if you are going to cross the line, you'd better do it in a way that is well thought out, like Louis CK, and not so much off the cuff like Micheal Richards

[Edited 6/11/11 12:01pm]

[Snip - luv4u]

Spinlight said:

Nashville — A man who was in the audience at a recent Tracy Morgan show in Nashville said that the well-known comedian and "30 Rock" actor went beserk when talking about how he'd treat a gay son: 'I'd kill him.'

Audience member Kevin Rogers, who is gay, wrote about the June 3 show on Facebook:

"I've been a big fan of his since his days at SNL. The show was your typical hysterical dick, cum and pussy humor... I have to say it was hilarious and well worth at least 40% of the $86 we spent per ticket to see him. I figured at some point the gay jokes would fly and I'm well prepared for a good ribbing of straight gay humor," Rogers wrote.

However, Rogers said that this didn't feel like humor; Morgan's whole demeanor changed when he started in on the gay jokes and that he seemed "truly filled with hate against us."

"He said if his son that was gay he better come home and talk to him like a man and not [he mimicked a gay, high pitched voice] or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N (one word I refuse to use) to death," Rogers wrote. "Tracy then said he didn't fucking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a fucking dick up their ass... they can take a fucking joke.

Sauce: http://chicago.gopride.co...d/19573396

Well, I've never had a dick up my ass and never will, but he can take his silly comedy act and shove it up his own ass.....sideways.

Alamine said:

[Snip - luv4u]

Oh, I've got some balls and they're a set of furry coconuts. Much more manly than his little walnuts that you need a nutcracker to handle.

[Edited 6/11/11 18:47pm]

Tracy Morgan was never funny to me...he comes off as too desperate.

is this a new thing in comedy? haven't people heard Bernie's 'milk and cookies' schtick?

whistle said:

is this a new thing in comedy? haven't people heard Bernie's 'milk and cookies' schtick?

That was the precise routine I made reference to in my commentary earlier in this thread.

You have to figure that Kevin Rogers wasn't the only gay person in the crowd, so why didn't anyone else complain?

It's a comedy routine, and controversial subject matter has always played an integral part throughout comedic history.

I don't think the joke was funny but I could care less what Tracy Morgan has to say lol.

Seriously.

Tracy Morgan.

Social commentary at its finest!

NDRU said:

I guess the problem, or the risk, with doing a certain type of comedy is the people who do not get it. I am not talking about gay people (or anyone, for that matter) who might be offended, I am talking about homophobes who might actually agree with the sentiments, even if the performer does not really mean them.

Like Andrew Dice Clay, who started as a laughable character who was a sexist pig, not literally the personality of the man who played him, he attracted an audience that did not get his joke. They just liked that he was a sexist pig and agreed with his disgusting crude jokes. Then, because it gained popularity, it snowballed into something that was perpetuating the stupidity rather than poking fun at ignorant attitudes.

So if you are going to cross the line, you'd better do it in a way that is well thought out, like Louis CK, and not so much off the cuff like Micheal Richards

[Edited 6/11/11 12:01pm]

The thing about Clay, it was always so obvious to me, that whole "Andrew Dice Clay" thing was a persona. A persona of a type of white man who's "way of life" was changing but not necessarily a mind-set. Andrew Clay Silverstein a.k.a. Andrew Dice Clay did an inteview with Barbara Walters and he talked about the character of Clay being a mixture of those men / boys who lived in New York, in his Brooklyn neighborhood; the guys that harassed the hell out of him and accussed "his people" of killing Jesus.

The crude and the disgusting things that came out of Clay's mouth, I've heard all of my life and these people weren't "joking". We can pretend people don't talk like this yet, they do in private and at certain times they've spoken like this in public with little rebuke. It was obvious to me Clay was holding up a mirror to those beliefs, those mind-sets. Right before he imploded, Clay did a routine that included every black stereotypes known human kind. OH, Black folks went OFF. Clay turned right back around in a HBO special and did the same routine but flipped it... playing off white sterotypes. His audience laughed kinda nervoulsy and when they realized his whole 60 / 90 minutes was going to be about them, many stopped laughing all together, they didn't think is was soooooooooooo funny.

Oh well,

minneapolisFunq said:

You have to figure that Kevin Rogers wasn't the only gay person in the crowd, so why didn't anyone else complain?

According to the article, about a dozen people walked out.

This would be progress...

From chicago.gopride.com:

Ironically, a gay man is producing the film that Morgan is currently shooting, "Predisposition," and he said that Morgan cried on Friday over the situation.

"I'm struggling to understand the disparity between Tracy's behavior on our set and the things he said on stage," said Robert Nyswaner. "Yesterday, on the set of our movie, I sat in a minivan with Tracy Morgan, who wept as he told me about his violent childhood. Yesterday, while the world Tweeted away, issuing accusations and condemnations, a black, straight comic and a white, gay writer sat in a minivan, crying and trying to understand."

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has asked Morgan to remove the violent anti-gay remarks form his show. The group is also asking Morgan to meet with families who have lost children to anti-gay violence and LGBT youth who have been rejected by their families.

TD3 said:

NDRU said:

I guess the problem, or the risk, with doing a certain type of comedy is the people who do not get it. I am not talking about gay people (or anyone, for that matter) who might be offended, I am talking about homophobes who might actually agree with the sentiments, even if the performer does not really mean them.

Like Andrew Dice Clay, who started as a laughable character who was a sexist pig, not literally the personality of the man who played him, he attracted an audience that did not get his joke. They just liked that he was a sexist pig and agreed with his disgusting crude jokes. Then, because it gained popularity, it snowballed into something that was perpetuating the stupidity rather than poking fun at ignorant attitudes.

So if you are going to cross the line, you'd better do it in a way that is well thought out, like Louis CK, and not so much off the cuff like Micheal Richards

[Edited 6/11/11 12:01pm]

The thing about Clay, it was always so obvious to me, that whole "Andrew Dice Clay" thing was a persona. A persona of a type of white man who's "way of life" was changing but not necessarily a mind-set. Andrew Clay Silverstein a.k.a. Andrew Dice Clay did an inteview with Barbara Walters and he talked about the character of Clay being a mixture of those men / boys who lived in New York, in his Brooklyn neighborhood; the guys that harassed the hell out of him and accussed "his people" of killing Jesus.

The crude and the disgusting things that came out of Clay's mouth, I've heard all of my life and these people weren't "joking". We can pretend people don't talk like this yet, they do in private and at certain times they've spoken like this in public with little rebuke. It was obvious to me Clay was holding up a mirror to those beliefs, those mind-sets. Right before he imploded, Clay did a routine that included every black stereotypes known human kind. OH, Black folks went OFF. Clay turned right back around in a HBO special and did the same routine but flipped it... playing off white sterotypes. His audience laughed kinda nervoulsy and when they realized his whole 60 / 90 minutes was going to be about them, many stopped laughing all together, they didn't think is was soooooooooooo funny.

Oh well,

Wow, I never knew that. That's great.

I wasn't into his act, so I never knew that he was Jewish and based the Dice character on racists who bullied him.

I think it's fucking fantastic that he turned the whole act around on them (them being the consumers you described above, the ones who never got the joke in the first place and saw themselves in "Dice") - and of course they hated it.

PDogz said:

minneapolisFunq said:

You have to figure that Kevin Rogers wasn't the only gay person in the crowd, so why didn't anyone else complain?

According to the article, about a dozen people walked out.

Paul Mooney would laugh at just a dozn leaving. I'm telling you , these people didn't know Morgan's brand of humor before they went to the show.

They thought they would get Brian Fellows or "30 Rock."

TD3 said:

NDRU said:

I guess the problem, or the risk, with doing a certain type of comedy is the people who do not get it. I am not talking about gay people (or anyone, for that matter) who might be offended, I am talking about homophobes who might actually agree with the sentiments, even if the performer does not really mean them.

Like Andrew Dice Clay, who started as a laughable character who was a sexist pig, not literally the personality of the man who played him, he attracted an audience that did not get his joke. They just liked that he was a sexist pig and agreed with his disgusting crude jokes. Then, because it gained popularity, it snowballed into something that was perpetuating the stupidity rather than poking fun at ignorant attitudes.

So if you are going to cross the line, you'd better do it in a way that is well thought out, like Louis CK, and not so much off the cuff like Micheal Richards

[Edited 6/11/11 12:01pm]

The thing about Clay, it was always so obvious to me, that whole "Andrew Dice Clay" thing was a persona. A persona of a type of white man who's "way of life" was changing but not necessarily a mind-set. Andrew Clay Silverstein a.k.a. Andrew Dice Clay did an inteview with Barbara Walters and he talked about the character of Clay being a mixture of those men / boys who lived in New York, in his Brooklyn neighborhood; the guys that harassed the hell out of him and accussed "his people" of killing Jesus.

The crude and the disgusting things that came out of Clay's mouth, I've heard all of my life and these people weren't "joking". We can pretend people don't talk like this yet, they do in private and at certain times they've spoken like this in public with little rebuke. It was obvious to me Clay was holding up a mirror to those beliefs, those mind-sets. Right before he imploded, Clay did a routine that included every black stereotypes known human kind. OH, Black folks went OFF. Clay turned right back around in a HBO special and did the same routine but flipped it... playing off white sterotypes. His audience laughed kinda nervoulsy and when they realized his whole 60 / 90 minutes was going to be about them, many stopped laughing all together, they didn't think is was soooooooooooo funny.

Oh well,

That is one Paul Mooney move right there

You can be talked about too, motherfucker!

PunkMistress said:

Tina Fey put out a great statement (my favorite parts in bold

“I’m glad to hear that Tracy apologized for his comments,” Tina Fey said. “Stand-​up comics may have the right to ‘work out’ their material in its ugliest and rawest form in front of an audience, but the violent imagery of Tracy’s rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-​threatening issue for the GLBT Community. It also doesn’t line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-​centered to ever hurt another person.

“I hope for his sake that Tracy’s apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian coworkers at 30 Rock, without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with, or a printed-​out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket.” Fey added, “The other producers and I pride ourselves on 30 Rock being a diverse, safe, and fair workplace.”

[Edited 6/11/11 11:47am]

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

Sadly, there seems to be a considerable amount of evidence out there that would support such a statement, at least in part.

Personally, I am aware that there is little to no support for gay people within my immediate or extended African-American family. Aside from what I have experienced from my own perspective as a now 50 year old man who has lived all over the country; I have several cousins and nephews, well into their 30's and 40's, who have never been married or even ever been seen with a girl, yet the first thing out their mouth when they see you is how "fine" some girl was that they just saw at the store yesterday, lol. It's no wonder so many young gay/bisexual Black men feel pressured to keep their sexuality on "The Down Low"; in that mythical world where everyone is straight (even during same-sex relations), and where no disease or need for concern exists. Yeah, how's THAT working out for us?

I also feel it's unfortunate that so many of my brethren would rush to support these hateful statements made by Morgan, disguised as "jokes", when even Tracy himself admits having stepped over the line and felt the need to apologize. Particularly when in our real world, countless young Black men choose to take their own life, rather than be 'stabbed in the heart' by their Dad (...if only figuratively).

Tracy Morgan fucked up, we'll get over it.

These are just my feelings, though I acknowledge we each bring our own experiences to the table as we form our own opinions. I don't hold my views above or below those of anyone else, and feel that the discussion itself has it's own value.

no.

to do so would infer that blacks have some sort of monopoly on hating gays

-- or that Tracy morgan speaks for all black ppl

and neither is true....

PositivityNYC said:

no.

to do so would infer that blacks have some sort of monopoly on hating gays

-- or that Tracy morgan speaks for all black ppl

and neither is true....

...which is why I qualified my statement with "at least in part". I try to never speak in absolutes. I agree with you that Blacks do not hold some sort of monopoly on hate, and with Tracy Morgan not speaking for all Blacks.

.

[Edited 6/12/11 11:02am]

PDogz said:

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

Sadly, there seems to be a considerable amount of evidence out there that would support such a statement, at least in part.

Personally, I am aware that there is little to no support for gay people within my immediate or extended African-American family. Aside from what I have experienced from my own perspective as a now 50 year old man who has lived all over the country; I have several cousins and nephews, well into their 30's and 40's, who have never been married or even ever been seen with a girl, yet the first thing out their mouth when they see you is how "fine" some girl was that they just saw at the store yesterday, lol. It's no wonder so many young gay/bisexual Black men feel pressured to keep their sexuality on "The Down Low"; in that mythical world where everyone is straight (even during same-sex relations), and where no disease or need for concern exists. Yeah, how's THAT working out for us?

I also feel it's unfortunate that so many of my brethren would rush to support these hateful statements made by Morgan, disguised as "jokes", when even Tracy himself admits having stepped over the line and felt the need to apologize. Particularly when in our real world, countless young Black men choose to take their own life, rather than be 'stabbed in the heart' by their Dad (...if only figuratively).

Tracy Morgan fucked up, we'll get over it.

These are just my feelings, though I acknowledge we each bring our own experiences to the table as we form our own opinions. I don't hold my views above or below those of anyone else, and feel that the discussion itself has it's own value.

Is a significant percentage of African - American, people of African decent homophobic? I'd say, yes. Though it's been my personal experience the African American community attitudes towards those who happen to be homosexual has been one of ambivalence... out right contempt, to indifference, to one of tolerance. Let me also point out, we shouldn't think of the Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual people as a monolithic group who champions the rights for all. There's a percentage of whites who happen to be gay and are also racist. They really don't take issue with the racist policies of those who have power, they are just upset they can't put the boot on someone elses neck too. Being a homosexual irrespective of race doesn't exclude one from being prejudice.

NDRU make a good point in his post, When is crude humor a disguise for sinster thought? I'm not entirely sure, maybe it's like the Supreme Court Justice once defined porn, "I know it when I see it." There are those who thought Morgan went over the line so be it, those in the auidence and others who were insulted had ever right to say why the took offense.

=====================================================

[Edited 6/12/11 11:51am]

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

Now, here is an example of some racist trolling that actually sparked some people to post reasoned answers. The trolling has been dealt with, but removing this makes the other posts make less sense. If anyone is still offended to the point of wishing this removed, I will, but the poster has been advised of their error.

Mars23 said:

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

Now, here is an example of some racist trolling that actually sparked some people to post reasoned answers. The trolling has been dealt with, but removing this makes the other posts make less sense. If anyone is still offended to the point of wishing this removed, I will, but the poster has been advised of their error.

Personally, there were some other comments made on this thread that I found more troll-worthy than this one. But if anyone is so offended by this particular comment, please feel free to remove my response to it as well, for the sake of coherence.

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

[Snip - luv4u]

PDogz said:

LayDownMisty said:

interesting thread title

thread should be re-titled "Blacks hate Gays" which we know is true so this joke should come as no surprise

just like when Kramer said the 'N' word on stage...........it was real

people just don't want to admit the truth sometimes

Sadly, there seems to be a considerable amount of evidence out there that would support such a statement, at least in part.

Personally, I am aware that there is little to no support for gay people within my immediate or extended African-American family. Aside from what I have experienced from my own perspective as a now 50 year old man who has lived all over the country; I have several cousins and nephews, well into their 30's and 40's, who have never been married or even ever been seen with a girl, yet the first thing out their mouth when they see you is how "fine" some girl was that they just saw at the store yesterday, lol. It's no wonder so many young gay/bisexual Black men feel pressured to keep their sexuality on "The Down Low"; in that mythical world where everyone is straight (even during same-sex relations), and where no disease or need for concern exists. Yeah, how's THAT working out for us?

I also feel it's unfortunate that so many of my brethren would rush to support these hateful statements made by Morgan, disguised as "jokes", when even Tracy himself admits having stepped over the line and felt the need to apologize. Particularly when in our real world, countless young Black men choose to take their own life, rather than be 'stabbed in the heart' by their Dad (...if only figuratively).

Tracy Morgan fucked up, we'll get over it.

These are just my feelings, though I acknowledge we each bring our own experiences to the table as we form our own opinions. I don't hold my views above or below those of anyone else, and feel that the discussion itself has it's own value.

[Snip - luv4u]

TD3 said:

PDogz said:

Sadly, there seems to be a considerable amount of evidence out there that would support such a statement, at least in part.

Personally, I am aware that there is little to no support for gay people within my immediate or extended African-American family. Aside from what I have experienced from my own perspective as a now 50 year old man who has lived all over the country; I have several cousins and nephews, well into their 30's and 40's, who have never been married or even ever been seen with a girl, yet the first thing out their mouth when they see you is how "fine" some girl was that they just saw at the store yesterday, lol. It's no wonder so many young gay/bisexual Black men feel pressured to keep their sexuality on "The Down Low"; in that mythical world where everyone is straight (even during same-sex relations), and where no disease or need for concern exists. Yeah, how's THAT working out for us?

I also feel it's unfortunate that so many of my brethren would rush to support these hateful statements made by Morgan, disguised as "jokes", when even Tracy himself admits having stepped over the line and felt the need to apologize. Particularly when in our real world, countless young Black men choose to take their own life, rather than be 'stabbed in the heart' by their Dad (...if only figuratively).

Tracy Morgan fucked up, we'll get over it.

These are just my feelings, though I acknowledge we each bring our own experiences to the table as we form our own opinions. I don't hold my views above or below those of anyone else, and feel that the discussion itself has it's own value.

Is a significant percentage of African - American, people of African decent homophobic? I'd say, yes. Though it's been my personal experience the African American community attitudes towards those who happen to be homosexual has been one of ambivalence... out right contempt, to indifference, to one of tolerance. Let me also point out, we shouldn't think of the Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual people as a monolithic group who champions the rights for all. There's a percentage of whites who happen to be gay and are also racist. They really don't take issue with the racist policies of those who have power, they are just upset they can't put the boot on someone elses neck too. Being a homosexual irrespective of race doesn't exclude one from being prejudice.

NDRU make a good point in his post, When is crude humor a disguise for sinster thought? I'm not entirely sure, maybe it's like the Supreme Court Justice once defined porn, "I know it when I see it." There are those who thought Morgan went over the line so be it, those in the auidence and others who were insulted had ever right to say why the took offense.

=====================================================

[Snip - luv4u]

Machaela said:

was never impressed by him ~ still not

Me either.