To clear, Tracy Morgan should be ashamed of himself. He allowed his ignorance to get the better of him, and allowed it to consume his act. Beyond being a fine example of the bullshit gay people must endure on a daily basis, it is bad, amateurish comedy and speaks to a lack of craftsmanship on his part. We have enough crap to deal with, without having to spend time on this sort of stupidity.
As a gay man in a long term same sex relationship, I follow news pertinent to my community with great interest. The LGBT community is constantly under attack, and has been for as long as there have been LGBT people. I am also a passionate and longtime fan of stand-up comedy. My childhood was filled with countless hours of watching The Comedy Channel, the superior precursor to the modern entity known as Comedy Central. These passions intersect from time to time, almost always with embarrassing results. When straight comedians try to address gay issues, a certain lack of understanding is to be expected. Sometimes that lack of understanding is profound. Sam Kinison comes to mind. A great comedian, one I respect, but also one who managed to say some unbelievably hurtful and ignorant things about homosexuals. Even as I try to put his comments into context, allowing for the vastly different social attitudes and political climate at the time he was performing, they still manage to sting, despite my best efforts to look at them academically. And that is just one example.
Homophobic comments still pepper the acts of several successful stand-up comics, and in each case I make the same effort to put their comments into the proper perspective. If stand-up is in any way about truth, then the road to that truth frequently leads through questionable and tasteless areas, as it should. I try to have faith that good comedians will eventually get there, and I try to force myself to remember that for those who don’t, homophobia is the least of their problems. Comedians work their material like sculptors, painstakingly carving something out of nothing, and while sculptors have the luxury of working in private, comedians must do the ugliest of their work on stage, in front of people. I’m sure if you walked into Michelangelo’s studio and saw “David” as a work in progress, it probably wouldn’t look like much either.
Then again, Tracy Morgan is no Michelangelo.
I will not rehash his comments. They are well known, and if you have read this far, I expect you know them too. But how to judge them? They were, as has been often repeated over the last few days, said in the context of his stand-up act. I allow nearly endless forgiveness for the hard hat area that is an act-in-progress. Comics require that space to be effective. On the other hand, his comments were wildly ignorant, irresponsible and hurtful, in any context. Stand-up comedians can’t just say whatever they want without any fear of criticism. If they could, then their acts would have no meaning. The best comedy comes from line crossing, but if you choose to cross that line and are not funny once you get to the other side, then you have earned the reactions you get. The ability to walk that tightrope is part of what separates good comics from bad ones. Otherwise you are simply being a jerk-off in order to obtain a cheap laugh.
I expect part of the reason his comments hit so close to home for me, and many other members of my community, is that these are the precise opinions held by the worst of our tormentors. Stand-up acts are works of fiction. The problems we face are quite real, and the consequences are often life and death. We are not inclined to find his ignorant comments very funny when not provided alongside some greater insight. Maybe he hadn’t worked out the insight part yet. If not, I suggest that perhaps his gay chunk wasn’t quite ready for the stage.
We cannot know the true feelings Tracy Morgan has for the gay community. Unfortunately, his act is the only word we have from him on the subject. I would suggest he clear this up in some meaningful way. Or not. Whatever. Until then, I’m not feeling particularly inclined to give him much more thought. Bad comics don’t deserve much detailed consideration.
And to Tracy Morgan: Get better at your job, and I’ll be happy to give you another look. But seriously, bad first impression. Do better.
Also, a quick word about freedom of speech. This Tracy Morgan business has nothing to do with freedom of speech, which is among the most misunderstood aspects of American government. Aside from how unfortunate Mr. Morgan’s comments are, my big takeaway from reading internet comments and reactions to his deplorable rant is that people have a drastically inaccurate perception of what the notion of “Freedom of Speech” means. Tracy Morgan was not arrested by the government for his comments. If he had been, that would be a clear violation of his first amendment rights. As this did not occur, and as he has suffered no governmental sanction of any kind regarding his statements, no violation of those rights has occurred. Period. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism. It’s a little sad that we have to take time to explain that, but it’s something that every American should understand. I also find it deeply ironic that this specious “What about his freedom of speech” argument is being used to try to rebut this criticism. It truly shows the degree to which the first amendment is misinterpreted, usually by people who share Mr. Morgan’s sentiments. Agree or disagree with him regarding his content, but the question of his allegedly molested freedom of speech rights is not up for debate.
Tagged as:
Homophobic Comments,
Social Attitudes,
Standup Comedy,
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan, Stand-Up Comedy, and What Free Speech Means
by Benjamin on June 12, 2011
in Featured,Gay Issues
To clear, Tracy Morgan should be ashamed of himself. He allowed his ignorance to get the better of him, and allowed it to consume his act. Beyond being a fine example of the bullshit gay people must endure on a daily basis, it is bad, amateurish comedy and speaks to a lack of craftsmanship on his part. We have enough crap to deal with, without having to spend time on this sort of stupidity.
As a gay man in a long term same sex relationship, I follow news pertinent to my community with great interest. The LGBT community is constantly under attack, and has been for as long as there have been LGBT people. I am also a passionate and longtime fan of stand-up comedy. My childhood was filled with countless hours of watching The Comedy Channel, the superior precursor to the modern entity known as Comedy Central. These passions intersect from time to time, almost always with embarrassing results. When straight comedians try to address gay issues, a certain lack of understanding is to be expected. Sometimes that lack of understanding is profound. Sam Kinison comes to mind. A great comedian, one I respect, but also one who managed to say some unbelievably hurtful and ignorant things about homosexuals. Even as I try to put his comments into context, allowing for the vastly different social attitudes and political climate at the time he was performing, they still manage to sting, despite my best efforts to look at them academically. And that is just one example.
Homophobic comments still pepper the acts of several successful stand-up comics, and in each case I make the same effort to put their comments into the proper perspective. If stand-up is in any way about truth, then the road to that truth frequently leads through questionable and tasteless areas, as it should. I try to have faith that good comedians will eventually get there, and I try to force myself to remember that for those who don’t, homophobia is the least of their problems. Comedians work their material like sculptors, painstakingly carving something out of nothing, and while sculptors have the luxury of working in private, comedians must do the ugliest of their work on stage, in front of people. I’m sure if you walked into Michelangelo’s studio and saw “David” as a work in progress, it probably wouldn’t look like much either.
Then again, Tracy Morgan is no Michelangelo.
I will not rehash his comments. They are well known, and if you have read this far, I expect you know them too. But how to judge them? They were, as has been often repeated over the last few days, said in the context of his stand-up act. I allow nearly endless forgiveness for the hard hat area that is an act-in-progress. Comics require that space to be effective. On the other hand, his comments were wildly ignorant, irresponsible and hurtful, in any context. Stand-up comedians can’t just say whatever they want without any fear of criticism. If they could, then their acts would have no meaning. The best comedy comes from line crossing, but if you choose to cross that line and are not funny once you get to the other side, then you have earned the reactions you get. The ability to walk that tightrope is part of what separates good comics from bad ones. Otherwise you are simply being a jerk-off in order to obtain a cheap laugh.
I expect part of the reason his comments hit so close to home for me, and many other members of my community, is that these are the precise opinions held by the worst of our tormentors. Stand-up acts are works of fiction. The problems we face are quite real, and the consequences are often life and death. We are not inclined to find his ignorant comments very funny when not provided alongside some greater insight. Maybe he hadn’t worked out the insight part yet. If not, I suggest that perhaps his gay chunk wasn’t quite ready for the stage.
We cannot know the true feelings Tracy Morgan has for the gay community. Unfortunately, his act is the only word we have from him on the subject. I would suggest he clear this up in some meaningful way. Or not. Whatever. Until then, I’m not feeling particularly inclined to give him much more thought. Bad comics don’t deserve much detailed consideration.
And to Tracy Morgan: Get better at your job, and I’ll be happy to give you another look. But seriously, bad first impression. Do better.
Also, a quick word about freedom of speech. This Tracy Morgan business has nothing to do with freedom of speech, which is among the most misunderstood aspects of American government. Aside from how unfortunate Mr. Morgan’s comments are, my big takeaway from reading internet comments and reactions to his deplorable rant is that people have a drastically inaccurate perception of what the notion of “Freedom of Speech” means. Tracy Morgan was not arrested by the government for his comments. If he had been, that would be a clear violation of his first amendment rights. As this did not occur, and as he has suffered no governmental sanction of any kind regarding his statements, no violation of those rights has occurred. Period. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism. It’s a little sad that we have to take time to explain that, but it’s something that every American should understand. I also find it deeply ironic that this specious “What about his freedom of speech” argument is being used to try to rebut this criticism. It truly shows the degree to which the first amendment is misinterpreted, usually by people who share Mr. Morgan’s sentiments. Agree or disagree with him regarding his content, but the question of his allegedly molested freedom of speech rights is not up for debate.
Tagged as: Homophobic Comments, Social Attitudes, Standup Comedy, Tracy Morgan