Things I hate about the part of T.I.'s Vibe story about gay people

Man, I will say this, the funniest joke I ever heard Tracy [Morgan] say during a stand-up was, ‘C’mon man, I think gay people are too sensitive. If you can take a dick, you can take a joke.’ [Cracks up laughing.] That shit was funny to me. And it’s kind of true.’ While T.I. makes clear that he supports anyone’s sexual preference, he then connects, in his opinion, a current oversensitivity among gay people with a consequential and ironic offense of the First Amendment. “They’re like,‘If you have an opinion against us, we’re gonna shut you down.’ ... That’s not American. If you’re gay you should have the right to be gay in peace, and if you’re against it you should have the right to be against it in peace.’ [Vibe]

- That five days after first reading about it, I'm still thinking about it.

- That by making the free-speech argument, he's essentially sticking up for hatred. That is not a noble cause. Everyone is entitled to their opinion in that we do not sentence people to death or prison for being unfiltered idiots. But that doesn't mean that every opinion is worth hearing or even valid for that matter, specifically those based on ignorance (and anyone -- even the most rigid supporter -- who isn't queer is at least a little bit ignorant when they talk about queerness). Furthermore, everything that's legal isn't worth doing. (If you don't believe that, go snort Kool-Aid.) Just because you can treat people like garbage doesn't mean you should nor does it mean that other people then can't comment on the resulting smell.

(Patton Oswalt has shared his thoughts on this point very eloquently.)

- That it tells people to shut up and take abuse. If someone can have an opinion on the legitimacy of my existence (and again, I think this is a really foolish thing to have an opinion on and I think it's flat-out despicable to express anything that attacks a human's humanity!), the least I get is an opinion on their opinion. We don't live in a closed circuit; it is more like a dog pile. If people who advocate violence against gay people get "shut down" (and to what end, people telling them to, "Shut up"?), it's because our collective brains are working and not tying themselves up in fake Constitutional red tape. Favoring concepts over humans (whether that concept be the right of anyone to verbally shit all over a person or the "sanctity of marriage") is the fuel of homophobic causes.

- That its phrasing is so generic in its us-vs.-them ethic. Gay people aren't "like" anything except varied in their opinions and behavior. And if it were only gay people protesting their mistreatment, this wouldn't be even something to comment on because the concept of gay rights wouldn't have ever escaped the gay ghetto's echo chamber. Many straight people were horrified at Tracy Morgan's comments (which weren't even jokes -- they included a weird soap boxy part of his routine that's been reported about for years, in which he would insist that being gay is a choice AS IF HE KNOWS ANY FUCKING THING ABOUT BEING GAY AND WHAT IT ENTAILS). One of those straight people, in fact, was Tracy Morgan himself, as he made one of the most graceful and believable apologies in the recent history of such PR debacles.

- That it villainizes expression, attempts to obliterate discourse and devalues thought. By T.I.'s logic, I shouldn't even be writing this for fear of coming off as "too sensitive." And anyway, aren't the straight people who support anti-gay causes infinitely more sensitive? Gay people have no bearing on their existence, and yet they're still bothered? "Ew, I don't like that thing that has nothing to do with me," seems a lot more fucking sensitive than, "Ew, I don't think that thing that's beating my head against the pavement," or even, "Ew, I don't like being treated like a second-class citizen." But maybe I've gotten my head beaten against the pavement too many times.

- That it perpetuates time-wasting. You're "against" gay people? It's not a fucking cause. It's not an argument. That doesn't even make sense. It's almost as bad as people who "don't believe" in homosexuality. It's like: Well, I've got news for you. It exists and it's one big fuck of a good time!

- That his pseudo-utopian vision is a total fraud. There is no peace for gay people as long as people feel entitled to express their hatred.

- That the "supports everyone's sexual preference" caveat (which isn't even a fucking quote, which could be a totally valid move as in the case of a "yes/no" question but is nonetheless suspect) comes from someone who used the word "fag" within the first 15 seconds of his most recent album.

- That if more people were encouraged to show how against gay people they are, T.I. wouldn't have his current gig -- VH1, which is home to his upcoming show T.I. & Tiny, is teeming with gay people who make important decisions.

- That he still doesn't get it. His further, unspecific references to how this can apply to black people ("...If you just have an opinion on something that just happens to be related to the African American culture and it's in opposition, then they have no right to shut you down either") should not fool anyone.

- That it inspired me to write all of this beyond obvious shit. Sorry to indulge myself. I just don't think there was any other way for me to deal. I turned to Twitter and everything.

Comments

[Rachael]

I don't understand why people think if they say "Well, people can do whatever they want, I support people making their own choices/having their own sexual preference/whatever" then it's okay for them to be a bigot right after that. It's like saying "no offense" before you talk. Well, if you were not going to say something blatantly offensive, you would not have to give that caveat, would you?

[Emyko]

This is a thoughtful and well-reasoned response to statements with only the thinnest facade of logic. It's hypocritical to use the first amendment to shield anti-gay rhetoric, but to criticize others for utilizing the same freedom of speech. And it's super bullshit to tell someone they aren't entitled to their feelings, sensitive or otherwise!

[CJB]

Ugh. so well said. I feel like I have to join twitter just to retweet what you said... whatever that means...

[Syrax]

And it also shows how homophobia is still acceptable in our society. I'm sure TI was the first one to defend Michael Richards' free speech.

[matthew (hardcore ANTMer)]

What a moron. He's probably a closet homo now because of what he learned during his prison time. I'm allowed to say "homo" because I'm a politically incorrect gay guy myself.Doesn't he understand that Tracy Morgan is deliberately throwing out these opinions because he knows they are stupid, and therefore funny? Instead, T.I. considers them to be serious commentary. I guess it's dangerous to combine stupid people (T.I.), with good, intelligent comedy(Tracy Morgan).

[Myra Flection]

Beautifully stated...start to finish.

[staci]

Excellent piece. Thanks Rich.

[Jennifer]

Fantastic! Well said. Thank you Rich, for being you.

[Dina]

People use the "free speech" straw man when they know they're just being assholes and don't want to be called out on it. They think "free speech" means they should be free from the consequences of their speech, which is, dare I say "Un-American."

But the only actor who can't limit an individual's speech is the government. As Patton Oswalt pointed out, the rest of us are free to laugh, deride and even "shut down" the people we think are stupid, ignorant and just plain wrong. If enough actors in the open market agree that someone's speech is stupid, we're all free to boo them down.

If anything, shutting down ignorance with our own free speech is the most American thing the rest of us can do when confronted with the kind of ignorance TI and Tracy Morgan espouse.

[Sharon]

Nice... this reminds me of my favorite Onion article, Study: 38% of People Not Actually Entitled to Their Opinion

[SFC]

“They’re like,‘If you have an opinion against us, we’re gonna shut you down.’ ... That’s not American."

... wow. That's the most nonsensical thing I have heard today. If you have an opinion against fighting bigotry, you SHOULD be shut down. If you are FOR blocking human beings from having their rights you should be shut down. That's what is truly American.

[Joe]

Rich, I would be honored to begin a slow clap for this post.

[MJ]

'I'm not homophobic, therefore I'm allowed to make whatever bigoted comment comes out of my mouth next. And if you get offended, you're un-American!' Riggghhhht...makes sense T.I.

This was really brilliantly written and you shouldn't feel bad for having to write it. It needed to be said.

[Amy]

I love you Rich!

[Rachel]

Very well said.

Both Tracey Morgan's bizarre rant and T.I.'s defense of hate speech make me wonder if they're in the closet. I've seen too many people who are the loudest homophobics gets caught with the male escort later.

[Sparky]

He said he wants to be able to speak against gay people in peace. But, um, it is no longer "in peace" if you ... publicly declare it.

[jessica]

T.I. is an asshole.

[Jerome]

T.I. is a stupid asshole. I love your piece, the only words I would've liked to have seen included are "straight privilege" because his is showing and dripping all over everything and fucking up the conversation. His entire comment is like a section of Derailing for Dummies. I understand that he wasn't TRYING to be homophobic but, like Brandy said, almost doesn't count.

[resonate14]

i will be sharing this with my school's admin team, g.s.a., and classes in the new year. such a valuable teaching tool. thank you, friend.

[alex]

Bitchslappin is fun, isn't it? Lolz. Check out this video from Canadian comedian Josh Rimer which I found on YouTube! http://youtu.be/yDCk3NN_HAs

[Robbie]

T.I.'s only good song comes from a Crystal Waters riff. That practically makes him gay in my book!

[Blue Screen]

Thanks for sharing!