I don't think Rock is saying Morgan should lose his rights to say whatever he wants. I think Rock is just trying to back away from putting his seal of approval on what Morgan said.

Senator John Kerry and Bret Favre both empathize with CR's plight. Or not. Maybe.

CHRIS ROCK DOESN'T SUPPORT ME, LIZ LEMON!


/got nothin'

There's a difference between telling a joke and going on a rant. The whole demeanor of Morgan's performance changed once he started going off on gays. Having a microphone in your hand does not give you unlimited license to say whatever's on your mind, and the right to free speech does not guarantee you freedom from the consequences of what you say.

SnakeMan: Any Farker who expresses shock and outrage over what Tracy said is a giant hypocrite. You people like to make jokes about raping children for God's sake.

While this may be true it does not encompass all of us. Last thread about this i stated how I won't listen to Tracy anymore and I also don't laughed at a headline that made fun of raping children and such. Its up to the individual and what they do appreciate about Fark, not all of Fark.

Tracy Jordan's still got my support. What he needs to do now, is go on TV, be honest with everyone that he wasn't joking, and then maybe, as a nation, we can move on from this "it's OK to be gay" thing.

i laughed pretty hard when i read what he said.

it was really funny.

everyone at my office was reading it on TMZ and laughing.

Mmmm... Cheyenne Jackson...

namatad: which is it chris?

turns out both comments are correct.
"I dont know about you, but I dont want to live in world where Tracy Morgan cant say foul inappropriate s-."

we WANT to live in a world where you can say anything you want, no matter how repulsive.

but that is the catch, when what you say crosses the line from being just repulsive to being bigoted... that's when the wheels fall off the bus.

Not just that, but Rock makes the same mistake that a lot of comics make: it's one thing to say something offensive. But they will back down the moment someone calls on them to take responsibility for it.

Morgan wouldn't have backed down a single inch if he wasn't called out on his behavior. You can see Rock is doing the same thing. They think the freedom of speech allows them to say anything they want and avoid responsibility for it. They play it off (like any hack comic) as an ability to be 'free' from the repercussions of their speech because they're doing it to get attention so they can get more jobs and more work. But when they go too far and advocate violence on a powerless minority, then they realize they're going to far.

The real problem here is that we live in a nation where people are always marketing themselves. In the din of constant chatter, you have to make yourself stand out so you get some popularity or attention. The way that many have gone about doing this is being assholes: screaming at the top of their lungs to get negative attention so they can spend some time in the spotlight. And as we have seen, this always backfires because you get people willing to chastise you in public and eventually make an ass out of you.

Morgan seemed to grasp this as soon as his livelihood was threatened: when Fey and NBC gave veiled references to his stupid behavior, he folded faster than a card table. Rock is doing the same thing. We're dealing with the most odious of attention whores: those stupid people who need attention for their shiatty comedy and who don't really get that they're backing the same bigots that would have beaten up their families for kicks not even a century ago. We live in weird times, and it's sad that two successful men from backgrounds that have been shaped by bigotry are also the same ones who fall into that so easily.

Bigotry is corrosive and ugly. Such a shame our media glorifies those who pass it on, even if their families have been affected by it not so long ago.

Bigot gets thrown around a lot around here.

Not liking the way someone acts isn't bigotry.

Not liking someone only because of the way they are is.

Big difference.

kukukupo: Bigot gets thrown around a lot around here.

Not liking the way someone acts isn't bigotry.

Not liking someone only because of the way they are is.

Big difference.

Which is why people who don't like gays are bigots.

SnakeMan: Any Farker who expresses shock and outrage over what Tracy said is a giant hypocrite. You people like to make jokes about raping children for God's sake.

Name a better reason to rape a child.

Much ado about nothing.

People who have no problem with gay folks aren't going to be swayed by someone famous saying something bad about them, and the folks who think they're right weren't going to like gays anyway.

But hey, distracted the entertainment news wank away from weiners, I guess.

Knara: But hey, distracted the entertainment news wank away from weiners, I guess.

A liberal conspiracy? You have my attention.

You know, wanting freedom of speech isn't the same as agreeing with every stupid thing every stupid person ever says. I understand he's just deflecting from haters though
/They gonna hate

Free speech means you won't go to jail for saying something offensive. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have your career ruined if enough people find what you say repulsive and unforgivable.

That's pretty much the definition of celebrity -- the public gets to decide if they like you or not, and that in turn decides how much money you make and who will be willing to employ you.

Well this is certain to cause tension at the next rich black guys meeting.
Not enough child rapin' these days, that's the trouble.

"now can i please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked."

-TFA

log_level_utility: Tracy Jordan's still got my support. What he needs to do now, is go on TV, be honest with everyone that he wasn't joking, and then maybe, as a nation, we can move on from this "it's OK to be gay" thing.

Who?

Tweeted Rock: "Tracy morgan is a tad off we all know that so when tracy says something i usually don't take it anymore serious than i would a statement from gary busey or flavor flav. when i first heard the statement i thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything tracy said. wow i get it that s- wasn't called for and i don't support it at all. now can i please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked."

502 characters. Twitter must forgo the size limits for celebrities.

Hector Remarkable: Well this is certain to cause tension at the next rich black guys meeting.
Not enough child rapin' these days, that's the trouble.

Ah, the Rich Black Guys, the RBG, the secret council of black overloads who rule the black community like fine nubian kings.

jjorsett: Tweeted Rock: "Tracy morgan is a tad off we all know that so when tracy says something i usually don't take it anymore serious than i would a statement from gary busey or flavor flav. when i first heard the statement i thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything tracy said. wow i get it that s- wasn't called for and i don't support it at all. now can i please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked."

502 characters. Twitter must forgo the size limits for celebrities.

Or you can tweet more than once. Just a thought.

jbuist:

Eh, I don't think I'd put Chris Rock in the "hack comic" category.

Yeah, a hack comic's movies would make money.

EW knows that the only Chris Rock on twitter is a fake Chris Rock right?

Guntram Shatterhand:

I want to give Rock the benefit of the doubt here. From what I've seen of him he's always come off as a pretty decent guy. He never defended what Morgan said, in either case.

Didn't Rock also say that he doesn't condone OJ Simpson murdering his wife, but he understands?

He likely is going along those same lines once again.

Ed Finnerty: SnakeMan: Any Farker who expresses shock and outrage over what Tracy said is a giant hypocrite. You people like to make jokes about raping children for God's sake.

Name a better reason to rape a child.

lol

/lol, read it again

Yeah I'm sure Tracy Morgan was serious when he talked about stabbing his son, too. They better lock him up for attempted murder.

I have many friends that I work w/ in the comedy biz that are gay. Their lifestyle May not be agreeable to me but, it does not detract from them being good or funny people. There is a comic Casey, who is gay but does not act stereotypical. He is smart, funny and charismatic. I wouldn't hang w/ him on a regular basis at gay clubs or raves but, I do associate and support his comedic voice. As a matter of fact, I am one of his biggest fans. He has a unique voice and perspective that is refreshing in comedy. Again, don't care for the lifestyle on a personal level but then again, I am not farking him nor am I his family. Plus I am not bigoted. I like Casey cuz he's a good person, not a gay person.

And there in lies the problem. The whole idea of seeing someone as a person, not a color, or sexual orientation or handicap can be done. How do I know? Because I do it all the time. But you can't ask people to except this philosophy when on the other hand you are telling the same people to respect you because of those reasons. It's hypocritical. This is done through affirmative action, and special laws like "Hate Crime Bill", and asinine lawsuits that cripple small businesses because they can't afford to comply w/ laws "protecting" the handicapped. We have a guy in SF who rolls around looking for small businesses to bilk bribe money from to avoid going to court for not being up to spec. He is an asshole!

If you are all outraged by this, then you should be outraged by Sarah Silverman or Don Rickles or jokes about Sarah Palin's Down Syndrome child, or Family Guy, South Park, all Judd Apatow & Adam Sandler movies.
As they say there is a lil' truth in every joke. As a comic I have jokes that have an iota of truth behind them, and then there are some that are very true. All jokes are slight to severe exaggerations.

There are somewhere between 4% to 20% of the population that may be gay, lesbian or bi. A small minority. Yet, they are not weak or powerless, because they hold a great deal of authority in major metropolitan centers where many social policies become universal. Also they have a loud voice in entertainment, fashion and tend to wield a high volume of wealth.

Not agreeing w/ the gay lifestyle does not make me a bigot. To quote Dave Chappelle, "I was skateboarding through the Castro and I came across two men kissing, I was like "Ewwww!" The two men were offended by response and asked me if I hated gays. I said "No, I just don't care to see two people kissing that intimately when I'm trying to skateboard. But if you can lead me to two lesbians kissing you may sway me of my attitude".

I don't have to agree someone's lifestyle. It's a sexual preference. Not a physical affliction. Black people can't walk around and not be black. A special needs person can't hide that fact either. If most gay people never mentioned it, you would never know. It's like someone who is an alcoholic or a Republican. I don't drink but I get called names by people that do. So I choose to stay away from people who drink heavily. I do not try to impose my non-drinking lifestyle upon them. When the Mormons felt persecuted by the town folk of Missouri after the people killed Joseph Smith, they moved elsewhere and started their own state and made rules that were akin to THEIR lifestyle. The same goes for the puritans that left England to avoid the persecution of their belief and lifestyle. The gays are no different they also have moved to areas they like and have used their money and influence to make laws more akin to allowing their lifestyle to flourish freely, like here in San Francisco, where I live.

I feel that the article should have warned me that Cheyenne Jackson is a dude and not a lesbian before I did a google search.

98K514: Mmmm... Cheyenne Jackson...

Wish I looked that good.

it turned away from comedy based on how aggressive Morgan was... He said it, pretty much in anger.... Its hard enough to past the blur of distinction between rant and comedy, but when the performer is actually angry, while saying these angry things, its simply not funny at all.

Even if one were to agree with him, you don't have to be angry about it... Of all the things in life to be angry about, someone else's sexual preferance ain't even on the list.

coco ebert: 98K514: Mmmm... Cheyenne Jackson...

Oh, dear lord. *dies*

I came.