Tracey Morgan got himself into a wee bit of trouble this past summer when he made violently homophobic remarks in a stand-up routine in Nashville, Tennesse, saying that if his son was gay, he’d pull out a knife and stab him. There’s no audio or video recording explaining the context, and Morgan has since apologized for saying it, but out of that embarrassing incident came some very insightful analysis by Louis C.K., when he defended Morgan’s comments over Twitter.
Six months later, Louis is still speaking out on the topic, this time talking to ABC News, and gave, perhaps, the most honest, thoughtful answer to the Morgan homophobia controversy yet, and perhaps to the whole question of racism/sexism/homophobia in the media I’ve ever heard. At the heart of Louis’ argument is that what Morgan said had more to do with a confusion over what gay is and what being a man is, and being unable to understand how they co-exist. “To me that joke is Tracy trying to figure it out,” Louis says. “He’s not saying ‘if my son is gay I’ll stab him, he’s saying I need to hear it from him in a way that I recognize a man should act, and that’s a really profoundly confusing thought.” Louis admits not actually knowing Morgan, so he can't outright say he's simply a product of his environment, but argues that perhaps growing up in a culture where masculinity was defined more rigidly could have informed his thought process on gays, and contrasts this with his own personal experience of being exposed to gay people his whole life.
His reaction to Morgan isn’t to condemn his remarks as hate speech or ask for his head the way some gay activist groups might have responded. Rather, he takes the gay community to task, calling the incident a wasted opportunity to have a meaningful conversation about homophobia.
I took two things away from this interview. First, Louis CK is our most important thinker alive right now, and second, but more importantly, conversations about racism, sexism and homophobia are stunted when we demand an apology instead of an explanation.
Before GLAAD or the NAACP attack some artist or comedian for offensive remarks, they should also try and speak with that person. Sparking dialog is never a bad thing, and can actually get people to try and understand the thoughts and motivations behind their words. Maybe that dialog won’t lead to anything revelatory, and perhaps the ignorance is just too deeply rooted, but what would really bother me is if no one even tried.
When I heard about the Morgan stabbing-gay-son controversy, I was reminded of Michael Richards’ infamous stand-up routine where he called a couple of hecklers “niggers.” Almost as sickening though was watching his apology on the Letterman Show a few nights later, where he was adamant that he wasn't a racist. I don’t know Richards enough to testify to the validity of that statement, but something deep down inside of him must have prodded him to use that language besides “rage,” and unfortunately that sort of conversation didn’t happen that night.
I hope the next time another celebrity pulls a Tracy Morgan or Michael Richards the response is more thoughtful and reflective rather than muted.
