Hollywood Hypocrisy

I've given up on waiting for the Hollywood elite to come down hard on Tracy Morgan.  The commedian got himself in a bit of trouble last week for saying in a performance that he would stab his son if he ever said he was gay.  I see that Morgan is on the requisite "apology tour"--meeting with the person who posted details of the homophobic rant on-line to say he is "really sorry" and "didn't mean what I said" and "I was just trying to be funny".  Morgan has "Tweeted" and posted the same on Facebook.

I can't help but think about the controversy that effectively ended the career of Michael Richards--AKA "Kramer from Seinfeld"--who went on a racist rant during a performance in Los Angeles a few years ago.  You may recall, Richards was being heckled by an African-American in the audience--leading him to drop the "N-word" a few dozen times.  Richards did the same "apology tour"--claiming he is not a racist and that he was truly sorry for using that language and that he was just trying to be funny.  But that wasn't good enough for the Hollywood Left--to a "star", Richards was denounced--and you may have noticed that he hasn't done anything in show business since.

So that's why I was waiting for the hammer to drop on Tracy Morgan.  But I guess that just isn't going to happen.  In fact, the "stars" are coming out in his defense--saying they "know" he's not an homophobe and that he really is "sorry" for what he said.  Where was Morgan's "30 Rock" co-star Tina Fey--who has made a career out of mocking her "twin sister" Sarah Palin's own anti-gay beliefs?  I can flat out guarantee that if Palin said the same thing about her own son, they would have had a "special edition" of Saturday Night Live to air skits skewering her.

While we hear all the time that "words hurt" and that we need to be held accountable for our actions and beliefs--that must not apply in all situations.  To stick with the Morgan-Richards comparison, "Kramer" was on the downside of his career--since it appears that "Seinfeld" reunion show isn't happening anytime soon.  Morgan stars in one of the highest rated and critically acclaimed shows on TV.  I'm guessing that Morgan will not be written out of the show.  In fact, "30 Rock" will probably incorporate this into their storyline--so that it's star can "show he really does care about gays and lesbians".  And Morgan is Black--whereas Richards was white.  Perhaps the liberal left feels Morgan is allowed a free pass given that he himself is a "victim" of "institutional racism".

I actually think Tracy Morgan is funny, and I'm sure many in the audience that night laughed heartily at the jokes he was making.  And I certainly don't condone what he was saying was funny--violence against others never is.  I just want everyone who uses "words that hurt" to be held to the same standard.