I kinda like him now

I guess I got swept up in the mass disdain for Isaiah Washington that followed his public use of the word "faggot" after the Golden Globes, but that was stupid of me. I guess the issue most people took with his public use of the word (for it was after this, and not the initial report of his on-set fight with Patrick Dempsey, that the furor really started boiling) was how easily it rolled off his tongue. I guess the line of reasoning from the seemingly sensible people who'd now found a scapegoat was that if he says "faggot" this easily in front of a room full of people, he could say it just as easily on a closed set, in reference to another cast mate. Hypocrisy. I guess people forgot how easily the word "faggot" rolls off our tongues a society. (True story: I was watching some court show earlier this year around at around 3 p.m. on a weekday. It may have been Judge Hatchett, I can't remember. The case involved two black kids in their early 20's. One had said hateful things about the other. The censors bleeped "nigga" but allowed "faggot.")

But, as Isaiah explains in the clip above (from last night's episode of Larry King Live) there are situations in which it is unquestionably appropriate to use hate epithets -- specifically situations in which hate speech is being discussed. An absurd situation calls for an absurd question, and so I ask: how can we talk without words? Saying, "I hate the word 'nigger,'" makes me as opposed to racism as anyone too politically correct to actually say what they're talking about. Saying, "No, I did not call T.R. a 'faggot,'" is, at least on the surface, just as opposed to hatred. Sometimes you need to say words that in other contexts would be hurtful in order to clear the air.

But try doing that after you've been flogged in public for using a word as a word. Isaiah Washington was a lot of things on Larry King -- personable, cool, self-pitying, non-committal, shiny-haired. But above everything else, he was self-censored:

B-word? P-word? F-word? WTF? I feel bad for this guy, really, because he's backed into a corner and stifled for the foreseeable future. For all he's allowed to say, his tail and tongue are practically between his legs (which: gayish!). While I do think that he's most useful to the gay community in principle, as a symbol of intolerance of intolerance, practically speaking, I can't help but feel like the guy's getting a bum rap.

And it's not that he's perfect -- his equation of "faggot" to weakness is problematic (it reminds me of my racist cousin who idiotically claims that there's a distinction "between black people and niggers"). He openly admits that he feels sorry for himself. Isaiah Washington is as flawed as everyone else, but I honestly don't think he's hateful.

I mean, how could he be? He has gay friends!

I say that sarcastically because it's the oldest excuse for tolerance in the book, but actually, I think he may have something there -- there are people who think they're down enough with certain communities to be able to use words said communities reappropriate. I admit to using the word "fag" sometimes, not hatefully but as matter-of-factly as many gay men, and I've noticed that using it around straight guys tends to open the floodgates for them to use it, just as matter-of-factly. Are they too comfortable? Probably. Are they hateful? Not in my experience.

But of course, Isaiah Washington is no longer allowed to be that comfortable if he ever was in the first place (I do tend to believe most of what he says as a result of the Larry King interview -- it's possible that I'm seduced by his charm. You know gay guys loooove straight guys!). But all of this is to say that I found all of Isaiah's explanations plausible. At the end of the interview, he said what he learned from this entire debacle is to keep his mouth shut. When the infuriatingly closeted Anderson Cooper came on just moments after, it was clear that Isaiah understands gay community, or at least one segment of it, far too well.

Comments

[trick please]

Are we still talking about this?! It's time to move on. Tons of people use that word everyday, unfortunately for him he did it on tv and was crucified for it. Like you pointed out within certain circles people think some words are ok to use, for ex. some black people call each other the N word, but wouldn't hesitate to beat ass if called that by a non-black. To them that conjures up images of slavery and sub-human treatment by whites. Similarly, he is not gay he should have used something more euphemistic (if he needed to say anything at all).

He lost his job, he did a PSA. Move it along!
Imus lost his job, Washington lost his job. Even score.

[Deschanel]

Meh. I'm over it too, and I agree we shouldn't be too harsh on the guy- forgiveness is a virtue, as is tolerance- in this case, of mistakes.

What really bugged me about this whole thing was when his handlers had him rushed off to "rehab". WTf? I mean I'm sure a lt of us were just bemused by such an odd maneuver.

But what stinks about it is that it's given right-wingers new ammo: they've presented it as the gay extremists demanding reprogramming for thought crimes. Ann Coulter has already gotten mileage out of it in a speech, saying she'd repeat her "fag' slur against Edwards "but then I'd have to go to rehab"- to wild cheers from her right-wing audience.

So, I'm less annoyed at him saying the f-word, but I am annoyed that thanks to him tons of people think we want 'rehab' for people who call us names. Just absurd.

[Shay]

I'm glad someone else thinks Anderson Cooper is in denial!

[bryce]

He's just making his situation worse by keeping it in the public eye with his repeated interviews and whiney finger pointing and blaming.

But let's get to the root of the issue. It's totally ridiculous to lose your cool at your place of work. Especially when you are, for the most part, an overpaid and coddled celebrity. I don't act up like that when I'm on set or when there's tension in my office. He's a diva. And as far as I'm concerned he deserved to be fired for that and that alone.

[Siege]

I agree that we shouldn't rush into becoming the thought and language police. But did I miss the part when he explained why he found PHYSICAL VIOLENCE TOWARD A CO-WORKER to be acceptable? I think many people have put the focus on the wrong issues in this case.

1. He put his hands on a co-worker in a violent manner in the workplace.
2. He used a derogatory slur in the workplace. (My job is a fairly relaxed place, but if I used a slur of that nature--even if it wasn't "directed at anyone specific"--I'm pretty sure I'd be fired.)
3. Technically, Washington was not "fired." His contract was not renewed. There is a difference.
4. He had the opportunity to put the whole incident behind him, but instead felt it necessary to use the same slur on LIVE TELEVISION...while lying about whether he'd used it the first time.

I think one should be allowed to use whatever language one wishes in personal life. If one feels the need to toss around the word "faggot" when with friends or at home or whatever, fine. It's up to you. But if you use derogatory and hurtful language in the workplace, I think it is perfectly reasonable for your ass to be canned.

Sorry to go on so long...my main point is: Shut up, Isiah. Accept responsibility, stop trying to make this into a racial issue when it's not, and behave like a mature adult. If you can manage to do that, everyone would be much more likely to forgive and forget.

[Tyler]

Ah, I agree with everything here. I read the transcript this morning and thought it was somewhat ironic that "faggot" got him in so much trouble, yet we can still say "pussy" as a derogatory term. We all know those with vaginas are weak!

[whatwouldjanicedickinsondo]

um, what are you trying to say about Anderson Cooper?

He is NOT gay. He is waiting for me to fly to CNN headquarters in New York, at which point he will fall in love with and marry me.

End of.

And what he does with the pool boy at our Hamptons getaway is neither here nor there.

[whol]

His publicist needs to tell him to stop

[Daniel]

What I hate about this shit right now is that he's trying to blame the whole thing on my boy, T.R. I haven't seen the Larry King interview yet, so maybe he's addressed this issue to your satisfaction already, but how the hell does he get off saying it was all done to promote T.R. at Isaiah's expense? Even in the twisted, dirty world of Hollywood, how is it necessary (or sensible) to destroy one perfectly bankable star just to raise the Q-score of another who has less history and recognition? Katherine Heigl is doing just fine without pissing in Sandra Oh's noodles, thank you.

[MsKit2u]

*meh* Not so much for me.

I have three problems with him.

1. He won't shut the fuck up about it.

2. I found his equation of being a gay man with being a weak man just as bad as our assumption that he used being called a "faggot" as the worst thing you can call a man in our present society. They're equally hateful (yes, hateful - not capital F hateful as in hate crime hateful - but hateful), and equally homophobic.

For someone who purports to be a supporter of gay people, (i.e. his much vaunted "work" for the community) he is woefully uneducated and unenlightened about what's okay. It shows his *thinking* hasn't changed, even if his ability to say the right things, has.

3. Since when is it okay to resort to namecalling and physical violence when you're pissed off at a coworker? That shit will get you fired from ANY job, especially if the person you're fucking with is the Vice-President of said company (i.e. McDreamy). Who the hell is to say that he wasn't fired for THAT little piece of shittery rather than the public furor over the "f" word?

3. a) He is full of ass-hattery* and his antics are full of ass-hattery* and he and his asshat filled self need to get the hell out of my field of vision*.

*personal opinions based on nothing but my nose for asshattery. ;)

[Nick]

"I'm glad someone else thinks Anderson Cooper is in denial!"
posted by Shay

Shay, who doesn't think that Anderson Cooper is in denial?? Its his business though...so for now its just wishful thinking on my behalf...

This whole Isaiah thing has gone on for way too long, and I'm just plain sick of hearing about it. Yeah, he messed up. Maybe he's sorry. And yeah, we should forgive him and move on. But you know what? He's the jackass who won't let people forget or move on.

He keeps making excuses and playing the victim and trying to place blame...and he just needs to be a grown-up and take responsibility! He should say "I fucked up bad, there's no excuse for it, and I'm sorry. End of story".

Making excuses and placing blame just makes him come off as a bigger asshole. And whatever "context" he used the word faggot in shouldn't matter. If its used as a derogatory slur directed at a gay man, its offensive. If its used to equate "weakness" with somebody, its offensive because it equates weakness with homosexuality.

*annoyed*

[Charlotte]

I didn't know that Anderson Cooper is still in the closet. From wikipedia: In May 2007, Out Magazine ranked him second among "The Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America."

And about Isaiah Washington: I was just about to feel sorry for him until he equated "faggot" with weakness. Even worse was his expression when he said it... Is he really that clueless, or just looking for sympathy?

[asoulfreeof4m]

wow.
Right after 9/11 there was this local nyc story about this 16 year old volunteer firefighter. this kid decided that he was gonna skip school (even though classes had resumed) and continue to help at ground zero. A noble and honorable decision i say.

In the days that followed 9/11 the climate in nyc was tense to say the least. But after hearing this story, I went to work feeling really positive and uplifted. I thought this kid had just showed me how important it was to be selfless, especially at such a scarey time.

I was working for Baseball and that day,as i was getting off the elevator on my way to lunch, i was telling my office spouse all about it. I told him how, for firefighters and police men and all the other enlisted or recruited men that came to help, they almost HAD to help as it was part of their job; they signed up for it.

A day later, my boss pulls me aside. basically a coworker, who happened to be getting on or off the elevator at the same time as I told my boss how i was bad mouthing the firefighters and saying they were just doing their job.

This guy didn't even know what i was talking about but had already labelled me a terrorist or unamerican and was contacting my supervisors???? we live in an age were we are losing our right to free speech. and while I don't think words like Fa$$ot and Ni$$a are words that we should use to call each other, I don't think we should use words like "Ho, Cunt, and Twat" yet people use them and often in refernce to people. there has to be some sort of guideline for this because we are getting out of hand.

and yet no one cared when PAris was on tape using the word Ni$$a

let's just all stop living in our glass houses and being upset only when it affects us. there should be a forum on language and on what is acceptable and what is reprehensible. but if it leads to more censorship applied only on choice inflammatory words than it will serve no purpose. All words that hurt or are nasty should be obliterated. including chink and spic and all others.... not the people, just the names... :-)

before somebody out here starts saying things...

[claire]

GO RICK! I kinda like him now, too!

[Leanne]

To me (who has a gay parent) if he said it in the middle of an argument with a man and it wasn't directed at the gay party, it wasn't a smart move but something that has been done before. What I found really surprising was at the Golden Globes instead of simply saying "the allegations aren't true", "no I didn't use a gay slur", etc, he practically relished saying "No, I did not call T.R. Knight a FAGGOT!" The glee on his face was unmistakeable. Whether he's homophobic or not is irrelevant. He stirred the shit once and everyone almost let it go. You stir the shit twice as hard with a big shit eating grin on your face on nation television, it's obvious you're going to be looking for work.

[Abigail]

I do believe he said the word "spittle" during the interview. However, in my opinion (regardless of what really happened), any use of that word is deplorable, and finger-pointing/name-dropping is not going to make anything better.

[Angela]

This has absolutely nothing to do with the post, but OMG I *adore* the Indiana Jones banner! mmm young harrison ford.

great website, great posts! Keep up the most excellent work

[G.]

I'm also absolutely loving the Indiana Jones banner :) What a coincidence, I was seeing the movie with a friend last weekend and he asked me : what's written on her eyelids? I had to stop the DVD on that frame to prove him it really said LOVE YOU! And yes... mmm young Harrison Ford!

[Stormy70]

Indy!

If I was choking a co-worker and using epithets, security would have escorted me out the door. He should have been fired from the get go since he assaulted McDreamy on set.

Elementary school is over, Isaiah. When someone is provoking you, you don't resort to violence. You walk away.

My gay brother stopped referring to his friends as fags when I explained to him that his owning of the word gave tacit permission for others to continue using it. When I have children, I don't want to hear any excuses for the use of faggot or nigger. There are none. In my household growing up these were "slapping" words. You used them and you were smacked upside the head.

[honeybfly]

Hey Stormy70, I laughed at the elementary school remark because I did attend elementary school with Isaiah. I won't make excuses for him, but I will say this. Growing up where we did, we didn't hear the f-word so much. What would get you slapped in the mouth was calling a boy or man a punk. Go figure. I used to be proud to tell people that I knew him when we were kids, (esp. after his role in Love Jones and Girl 6) and later when he became a high school football star slated to go pro. He really is a good actor, but we have to remember, actors are just that - actors. I think if we really knew them, we wouldn't like them so much.

[Deege]

Ugh. I think more people would be behind him if he'd (or his "people") handled it better from the beginning. Now it's been beaten to death and nobody's listening anymore. The damage has been done. He's been labeled a homophobe, rightly or wrongly, and everyone but him has moved on.

[studpup]

I was about to make a long post here, but Siege covered pretty much everything I had to say.

Assaulting a coworker while on the job and using derogatory language while on the job would get any normal person fired. He not only did both of those things, but went on to use the damn slur again - after he had to have known there was a controversy about it - at a major event... a freakin' awards show. What employer or in this case producer would want to keep someone who behaves like that on the job and at major PR events? And yet...? He was never fired. Come on. Was he really surprised that his contract wasn't renewed?

Seriously, if the guy wants this to end, he should stop bringing it up. Whining and begging for sympathy is not going to help, nor is the whole pointing the finger thing...

[H]

I don't really care about that guy but seriously awesome banner.

[sandy]

Sorry to get all Rosie on you but this is a clear case of: DIVERSION.

[miranda]

I love you Rich, but I really didn't expect you to side with this guy over such uncompelling stuff! I agree with a lot of the arguments points: someone's life shouldn't be ruined for yelling a bad word while fighting someone (though maybe the fighting is something to look at), and he did try to make amends etc. But really - no white guy could ever say, at the golden globes in front of gobs of media, that he "never called John Doe III a nigger". People who believe a word is offensive and not accepted by society may, perhaps, let it slip in the heat of the moment, but a golden globes acceptance speech is not that kind of situation. That incident was actually the first one to bug me really at all out of this whole saga, as it shows, much like network tv bleeping other curse words while leaving hate speech unblemished, that the person involved probably understands that millions of people become deeply hurt and offended when they hear this word, but just didn't give a good god damned - the point they wanted to make was more important. And whats more fun/creepy to the max is how he is now liberally, wantonly evoking 'slavery stereotypes' in describing Hollywoods ideal black male, as he is now dethroned. The 'mush mouth negro' stuff does just as much to further conversations about race as calling your cast member a slur on live tv.
What we all need to remember is that this man is a drama queen, which is probably the real reason he was fired, and that we should just learn to ignore those who spew hate speech at us at no consequence, especially those who were on a shitty medical drama, then fired, and then on the brink of becoming socially irrelevant. He should be pitied, but not reinforced with our attention.