Interesting read. I think he makes some good points, but I don't know that I can get on board with all of them. But I'm of a lot of minds about this, anyway. I still don't think he should rightfully fired from his job for it (and I think I would feel differently if this was something that had happened at his workplace), but I honestly done know what should be "done" anyway.
Nia Vardalos has something published on Huffington Post today, as well. And like the one Erik posted, I don't agree with every point. This line stuck out to me, though -
The problem is, we've all seen it: this sort of joke is usually greeted with a laugh. Even an uncomfortable one, to ease the tension, is condoning the message.
There are reports that while some were angry, many people in the audience that evening, laughed. That's what I keep thinking about, because to me, the bigger issue isn't so much what Tracy Morgan said, but that we are still in a society that says - more or less - that this is okay.
I was invited to a trivia night about a month ago, held as a fundraiser by a friend's husband's work. Before the thing started, the announcer told a joke that had "fag" in the punchline. I got up and left, not so much because of the joke but because no one else seemed to have the reaction I did. There was quite a bit of laughter, and it wasn't of the shocked-I-can't-believe-he-said-that variety. I thought about complaining, but wondered if it would more trouble than it was worth (and I was concerned about what would happen to my friend's husband). It made me feel small and awful, similar I'm sure to how the guy whose Facebook page started this all must have felt when he was at the Tracy Morgan show. Even now, I'm still not sure what I should have done.
The problem is a lot bigger than Tracy Morgan, which is why I can't get behind the "he should be fired" bandwagon. But as I've said a million times already, I have no answers at all. All I can do is examine my own reactions and contradictions, and try to use those to spur me to act in a way I think is appropriate. I guess?
Nia Vardalos - HuffPo