Alec Baldwin's silver daddy hair = perfection — Page 5

THANK YOU, Growl. Well put. There is absolutely no justification for those kinds of slurs... even if you are a bigot!

Being upset or angry cannot be the defense for using a slur; that is just an excuse. Baldwin has hid behind his (much appreciated) support of the gay community whenever something offensive slips out of his mouth -- I believe this is the second or third time he has used a homophobic slur to verbally attack someone. I see a pattern.

The way I see it is that when you lash out in anger like this, you don't call someone a flower or an actor. You call them something you see as a bad thing. Otherwise it's not really a very good expression of anger, is it? So, to me, this tells me that, underneath it all, Mr. Baldwin sees being gay as a bad thing.

Just like when I was growing up, kids called other kids faggot, true or not, because they felt being a faggot was a terrible thing to be and it would hurt the person it was directed at. Same thing applies here. I think Alec believes that a faggot is a terrible thing to be. So he uses the word as an insult/weapon.

I don't want to crucify the man, especially considering the work he does for us. These things are complicated. He may rationally understand that it's not right to feel this way, but may struggle with erasing years of conditioning. So these things slip out in anger. Doesn't mean we dismiss them as slips because they are real things slipping out. But we have to understand that all of us struggle with this stuff.

---

Well, I think we choose the words we think will hurt the most.

Reg, just to clarify that my post wasn't in response to your post, which wasn't there when I started typing. I think you have a very valid point in this very complex issue.

---

Updated On: 11/18/13 at 12:27 PM

"Well, I think we choose the words we think will hurt the most."

But that is the point, Reg. If he thinks calling you a f** is hurtful, clearly that implies being a "f**" or homosexual is something to be ashamed of. Why else would he use that word? Art put it best. I'm just reiterating it.

I think it certainly implies that he thinks his target would be hurt most by it.

If I were looking for a really hurtful word, I'd probably choose "c*nt." Would that mean that I think a woman (and/or her vagina) is the worst thing in the world? Or would it mean I think it's the most loaded, anger-coded word I could hurl at someone? I may or may not be a misogynist, but I'm not sure the use of that word answers that question.

Either way, I'd need to take responsibility for using it. And there may be some deep dark reason why I'd choose that word. But all insult words are based on some sort of intent to degrade: "bitch," "bastard," "son of a bitch" . . . I'm just not sure they track back to a deeply held prejudice.

All that being said, in 21st-century America, "f*ggot" and "n*gger" are the two that I can't think of a good reason to use. No matter how angry you are, those words shouldn't be in your arsenal. Because no matter how those who use the words try to spin it, those words mean specific things (in a way "assh*le" really doesn't).

And if Baldwin in fact isn't a homophobe, he needs to examine why that's so often his go-to insult.

Updated On: 11/18/13 at 12:55 PM

"The only person who can make you feel ashamed, or ANYTHING AT ALL, is yourself.

I couldn't care less what Alec Baldwin says to another human being."

BINGO

---

If you're a lady who does stand-up comedy and you use that word, GLAAAAAAAD will give you an award for it!

---

"coldplay"?

---

"Again, if you FEEL that way, that is your own problem. "

That is a really ****ty way to look at this, gotta be honest.

---

I can see that. Apparently you're very busy getting bent out of shape at people who do.

---

Updated On: 11/18/13 at 07:52 PM

I'm not bent out of shape. I'm just stating my opinion.

There are bigger problems to worry about.

---