Is the Tracy Morgan Apology Tour Worth It?
Following his well-publicized homophobic rant at a Tennessee standup date two weeks ago, Tracy Morgan met with LGBT advocacy group GLAAD and two teens who were kicked out of their homes simply for being gay as part of his apology tour. He'll be heading to Tennessee next week to apologize to audience members. Is this necessary? Or rather, helpful? Feels like overkill (or a death at a funeral) if you will. Did we decide if we're seeing The Son of No One anyway? [TMZ]
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As a gay man - and thus an expert in all things gay, LOL - I am amazed at how serious Mr. Morgan took the complaints. I was very upset by his reported comments and had decided never to watch 30 Rock again as well as throwing my DVDs away. But his sincere attempts to understand how words can hurt has made me rethink my feelings about him. He's actually made me think that maybe there's hope for everyone in the fight against discrimination.
I do want to say, however, that it is always a LAME excuse to hide hatred behind the "I was just joking" crap. One of the things that most impressed me about Tracy Morgan was that he never claimed that ridiculous defense, even if some of his fans and supporters did. How hard is it to be funny without ridiculing someone to the point that they would not only be uncomfortable but start feeling afraid, as the lesbian couple did?
I know nothing about Mr. Morgan other than through the show he appears on, and based on his performance on that (which is almost always funny), I would love to see him in concert. I would never expect him to be a shock comic who mines cheap laughs on attacking minorities and encouraging the murder of children thought too effeminate. I think that's the part that bothered me the most. If he was an asshole comic that thinks what's shocking and hateful is funny (versus thinking what's funny is funny), I would just avoid seeing his performances. But he comes across as a goofy, likable person, so that threw me for a major loop.
Sermon aside, I'm glad Tracy Morgan is trying to understand how evil "jokes" can be, and what an effect they can have on people. More power to him. I wish him the best.
Didn't this happen on 30 Rock but in reverse? Where Tracy went on a talk show tour to intentionally offend everyone but couldn't because of the good will he had earned for winning an EGOT?
I love 30 Rock, but fuck Tracy Morgan. If he was trying to tell jokes, and the jokes didn't work, fine. But I read the word-for-word transcript, and there were no jokes there. It was just "I hate gays, and fags, and they should die!" There was no punch line. There was no joke. I can apologize all he wants, but it's going to take a lot for me (and many people, I feel) to believe what he says. Everyone apologizes when the media decides you've messed up. Everyone issues a statement. It doesn't mean you mean it, or care. He has a long way to go to prove to me that he regrets saying that awful things that he said.