Jerry Lewis: Muscular Distrophy Gay Bashing Telethon

The guy's 81 years old and he said it after being up for at least 18 hours straight in the service of a good cause.

Since he seems to have apologized sincerely, perhaps he deserves some slack.

What slack has he not gotten? Really, no one is tarring and feathering the guy. People are just pointing out that it is a fucked up, homophobic thing to say.

And it's not like it's the first time he's done this, so the "he's been up for 18 hours straight" thing is sort of bullshit--not to mention that he hasn't done the whole telecast in years.

Why Chainlink is right again:

Black people were discovered in 1689 and were used in the manufacture of fields and for beating practice up until the 1960's when racism became wrong. During this time gays had been cowering in closets and dreaming about eye-liner until 1982 when they ruined pop music and earned the slur fags which is okay to use on television because they have sex with other men which is disgusting. Also none of them were anywhere to be seen during the great nigger drive of 1798 when the help would've been really useful, instead all of the gay cowboys were up on a mountain somewhere camping and giving blowjobs. They got Oscars while all of the other hardworking straight cowboys got trampled by niggers.

sooooo sensitive...soooo boring...so what. get over it.

WTF is that ?
I never said nor implied anything of the sort. I explained what I meant. If you are too stupid to understand it don't have a rant making up things I never said nor intended to even remotely imply.
What you have said is rude, disgusting and really pretty immature. If you have an issue . . . cram it, chap. I don't give a fuck if you think what I said was patronizing.
Is it beyond you to recognize that one sentence was not meant to be a summation of the entire history of black culture for all time around the whole world ?

If substituting Nigger for Fag helps your simple brain to understand how offensive fag is in that context, then by all means, have at it. I don't feel its a good comparison, but hey. It doesn't mean I'm saying calling anyone Fag is ok , or being patronizing toward black culture.

Can't someone please ban this racist/gay hater?

The apology changes my opinion a lot. Lewis is not Imus. I just don't think saying "he did great things" make his bias "acceptable". I guess culturally irrelevant is perhaps more extenuating to me than his works. But that's why he absolutely had to apologize, because he's not culturally irrelevant, not entirely. Not if he's using his face to raise money.

It was a fucking joke, chaindink. I obviously don't think that's an accurate summary of your views, I just don't think you expressed your (legitimate) problem with that comparison very well.

And then I used a ludicrous extension of what could've been mistakenly construed from the gaps in your poorly chosen words to comic effect to make a joke!

That really shouldn't have needed spelling out, mate. You like things quite straightforward, don't you?

If you want to try and paint me as a racist fag basher I would like it more straightforward, yes. I think thats very unfair, but it's on you.
If that was meant to be a joke, then I'm sorry. I don't get British humor, or something.

Well, what you said was that nigger and fag as derogatory terms can't be compared because gays weren't slaves but blacks were. That is fucking nonsense, and if you don't care to explain why you'd make that argument, then it's going to be treated as the nonsense that it is. Don't get your panties in a bunch because you refuse to explain yourself with any clarity (the whatever emoticon isn't an explanation or clarification, no matter how many times you use it). It seems to me you're saying that offensiveness of the word 'nigger' comes from the fact that blacks were slaves. And, sorry, that's just wrong.

I wasn't speaking of this thread in particular.

oh I certainly believe they can be compared.
If you like, you can elaborate at length how they compare. I would like that. Please elaborate on why they are such an excellent parallel.
I don't believe they are interchangeable, but again I concede as a slur directed at an individual, they may be equally offensive. I think I've explained that. Is it clear or do you need an essay from me ?

Actually, until now, didn't say that at all.

Um . . .

Oh and right here on page two also.

Thanks for re-reading before attacking me though.

My two shekels:

I find the two terms in question equally offensive. They both are designed to dehumanize and humiliate groups that, to some degree, society has largely deemed underclass. I don't think that two groups have to have their histories be strictly correlative to be able to be comparative.

Certainly, both groups have suffered horribly.


On a personal note:

A gay male friend was brutally murdered for the offense of being gay. Before his attackers stabbed him in his head ninety plus times, they yelled, "Hey, fag!" to get his attention. So, hearing the term fag being used derogatorily hits me right in the gut.

Hang on ! R. Kelly is Gay ?

I thought he just fucked kids.

I'm still, or even more curious now why so many people seem to think that these words are just simple synonymous offensive terms, that one can simply be subsituted for the other to further the understanding of why it's offensive.
If you use a word in a hateful derogatory manner thats what it is. Period. Hateful ,derogatory speech. Call it all the same if you like,ok, it's a wash. I'll agree in theory. But here the semblance stops for me. You can use any word. Whats the difference ? Nigger, fag, lard ass, bitch, broccoli, whatever. If you are going to use it in a contemptuous, hateful manner it's all the same, sure. But can I just substitute the word nigger for fag, or for bitch to better my understanding of why the word is offensive ?
Personally, I thought those words deserve more consideration than that. They do have particular histories and associations. Just flippantly tossing them around seemed to me a bit disrespectful, but I am neither black nor gay so I won't be "getting my panties all in a bunch" over it.

No one is saying they are synonyms. We're say they are analogous. In other words, they just shouldn't "slip out." I'm not trying to give anyone a "better understanding of why the word is offensive," since that's something that doesn't need an explanation. What is meant by using the analogy, is to show that this is more than a simple mistake that Jerry should get a pass on. Those words are weightier than that.

There, friends again?

Oh sure. If you like. When I come down off the goofballs I'll probably regret it, but you seem totally cool now.

They are weightier than that. I agree 100%.

Its funny how people argue over something that really dosent matter at all.

MPV: All I can say is my Dad is like that, he's the most racist Asian man I know when it comes to talking about anyone other than him.

But I know what they(Did people watch the apology on YouTube.com?) mean by that he is a good soul and people who know him know he doesn't really mean what came out.

My Dad has helped all types of people of different religious background, race, people of different sexual preference, people in need always sought for his help because he never discriminated when it came to helping out another human being.

Also being born in that era where it was acceptable up to a point to use such slander, he is getting old too some people don't receive much education in the way of acceptance.

I do take after him in some ways, I use derogatory terms for all basic conversation but people don't take it seriously from me because I don't have the hate and disgust behind it. Just to be clear I don't use the word 'faggot'. I'd say something like whore bag gay prince as a nickname for my gay friend, but then he'd call me something like sexy Saigon slut. So I think it works both ways. I for one would not say it in public, on tele. Well, maybe after 22 hours of being awake... I am rude to everyone.

Because of the way I was raised I never see the colour of a person's skin before their personality. And I always love to help people, no matter who they are.

Now I am just rambling, I am too tired.
I'll shut up before I offend anyone else.
Good story. <3

True. But if it's their trigger word... You can't blame them.

trigger word: a word which links to some painful memories in the past which are brought up when people use the word.

p.s: I think only really sensitive people would have been hurt by it, most others need it to be in some sort of said insult for it to have an effect.