tracy morgan - classic or dud?

I agree it's a false equivalency in that the accepted, polite form of that kind of humor is more insidious and passed off as all in good fun.
There's a strange framework in which it is socially ok to make fun of gay people, and it feels to me as though Tracy is being
punished more for going outside that framework than for being mean, and I would rather see him apologize outside that framework as well
instead of going through the traditional litany of PR repair.

who's punishing him?

society maaannnnnn

he is being punished... by doing high-profile charity work

i mean that's the thing, all the criticisms of the reaction to his actions - I don't even know for sure what's being criticized. There was a general sense of shock/disappointment, and then a flurry of pr statements.

haha yeah, it does seem that the original "wow, too far"/"oops I'm sorry, here let me not only retract but do some work for you guys" interaction should have been the end of this

http://www.louisck.com/welcomeit.htm

One thing I have heard ad nauseum is that this is not censorship because the government didn’t do it. I don't understand why so many people say this.

... because that is the form of censorship we are protected against in this country?

people are seriously stupid

I think the withering look of disappointment in Tracy's surrogate mom, Tina Fey, is probably the greatest punishment of all.

ugh can't Louis CK just be the "extreme Bill Cosby" in terms of awesome parenting anecdotes and not the "extreme Bill Cosby" in terms of being a rambling crank when he tries to be serious?

if censorship by the government is the only form of censorship we're protected from, then there must be other forms of censorship we are not protected from, so saying something isn't censorship because the government isn't perpetrating it is stupid, and that's his point.

LCK first comment mostly OFFtm, new rant mostly OTM.

government is the only institution with the authority/means to censor something - ie, legally bar it from public consumption. if the government's not involved, it's not censorship.

If Louie thinks comedians being fired by their employers for saying fucked up things is the most dangerous thing in America right now, he should maybe pick up a newspaper.

christ stand-ups are some entitled motherfuckers. "hey hey i know you guys are trying to fight a male dominated rape culture but FREE SPEECH TRUMPS ALL YO you can't deny opie & anthony the right to express themselves for millions on the radio by saying they suck to the point that their corporate overlords make a symbolic gesture of suspending them. So stfu when you're offended, I'm fighting big fights here."

(rape of men does not exist)

Um...

itt people confuse censoring with banning. I bet your employer has the power to censor you. I bet NBC's Standards & Practices has the power to censor SNL.

I believe you mean censure

if my son ever tells me only a government can censor speech he's getting stabbed

lol

No, censure and censor and ban are all very different things.

love how morons like CK think that freedom of speech/expression entitles any idiot to a platform on NBC/talk radio/whatever or to not be criticized by the internet.

ugh can't Louis CK just be the "extreme Bill Cosby" in terms of awesome parenting anecdotes and not the "extreme Bill Cosby" in terms of being a rambling crank when he tries to be serious?

― da croupier, Friday, June 17, 2011 3:30 PM

haha kinda feel the same about patton oswalt and that shitty book of his that i still haven't read

okay yeah point conceded about censored vs. banned

xp

Let Opie and Anthony or Tracy Morgan do a fucking a podcast and not get paid for it. They can say whatever they want then. Just like the rest of us Americans.

love how morons like CK think that freedom of speech/expression entitles any idiot to a platform on NBC/talk radio/whatever or to not be criticized by the internet.

― President Keyes, Friday, June 17, 2011 3:46 PM (30 seconds ago) Bookmark

actually he specifically says the opposite:

"Of course you should protest when you hear something you find offensive. You shoudl attack speech that you find deplorable. But not silence it or stand by while it is silenced."

not sure how anyone "silenced" Tracy Morgan here.

I mean if a network or a club owner wants to silence somebody, fine whatever that's their perogative. I may not agree with them, but they're fronting the money.

x-post Well, a lot of the internet criticism is along the lines of "Fire Tracy" which is valid imo

It's the same shit we do when Glenn Beck says his bullshit and we boycott his sponsors. Free expression on both ends of that.

not sure how anyone "silenced" Tracy Morgan here.

I think that was in relation to Opie and Anthony getting fired

yeah all part of the game. if your job is telling people things they want to/are interested in hearing, don't be surprised when you get fired for not delivering.

xp

opie and anthony can take to twitter. no one's silencing them.

"Of course you should protest when you hear something you find offensive. You shoudl attack speech that you find deplorable. But not silence it or stand by while it is silenced."

wtf does he think the goal IS when you attack people for profiting from offensive shit?

stand-ups are smart

it's just absurd. Hey opie and anthony I think you said some toxic shit...what's that? Your corporate overlords decided you might be not worth the kazillions? WHERE'S MY PLACARD? FREE SPEECH IS MORE IMPORTANT.

All problems with offensive entertainers should be quietly mailed to them so they may consider where the line is, lest their employers hear our pleas and engage in censorship.

that Opie & Anthony thing happend 4 years ago... they were suspended for 30 days

an entertainer getting fired for being vile is not even about free speech. It's like saying that every time a network cancels a tv show for low ratings they're stifling the speech of the show's creator. No--things ain't working out.

guess their corporate overlords saw the light- i mean bling..

Tracy Morgan I attack you but I do not silence you

Maybe people should write "(no silence)" at the end of sentences that come off kinda censory

"(take the hint)"

no censo

Hey did you hear about that Chelsea Lately dude dropping homophobic shit at the Chuckle Hut in Topeka? God what an asshole, fuck that guy. PS if you run Coconuts in Lincoln, NE please do not cancel his booking, no censo.

the way CK left the typos in, are you guys sure it isn't a bit? like he's finished off a carton of ice cream
and he's got ice cream on his fingers and the spell-check is telling him it's "fantasy" and he's flipping off the
screen saying, "it's my fantacy! i'll do what i want. you don't scarey me!" then he falls asleep on and hits "send"
with his nose.

Chuckle Hut always cracks me up

I hope your evil corporate overlords come to see you as a liability (no censo)

I think CK is also defending TM since the process in which standup try out new shit is fairly dangerous and Louie knows this kind of thing could quite well bite him on the ass one day. By attacking Morgan, we're moving Louie's safety net. Maybe these guys are starting to believe that a Nashville club that only sit 500 or whatever is the same as their living room.

― Darin, Friday, June 17, 2011 2:53 PM (51 minutes ago) Bookmark

this is basically how i interpreted it - its something most comics are gonna be touchy about, especially ones who push limits like louis does - sometimes you dont really see the line until you've crossed it, and he probably finds it very easy to envision himself being in this position one day. maybe he really thinks the things he's said are just as grotesque and he was just lucky to not say them in front of a crowd that would take it to the press