I was wrong.
And that’s certainly something that Isaiah Washington doesn’t know how to say.
As a fan of Grey’s Anatomy (no spoilers; I haven’t seen Season 3), I was happy to criticize Isaiah Washington after he used the word “faggot,” but reluctant to call for his firing. I mean, he’s Dr. Burke! But Washington’s actions after being fired have definitely proved that everyone else was right. This man doesn’t deserve his job. First, after being fired, he blamed gay cast mate T.R. Knight for his dismissal, saying that Knight exploited the controversy (by, you know, being offended) and that he should have been fired.
Now, Washington has insisted on Larry King Live that: “I am not homophobic – in no way, shape or form.” And even more than that, he didn’t even mean the word “faggot” to refer to gay people! He simply meant it to refer to “somebody who is being weak.”
Well that’s just great, isn’t it? See, gay people, you can relax.
Except that maybe the word “faggot” is commonly used to refer to people who are “weak” or feminine for a reason. Like that gay men are often sexually penetrated? Like a woman? And women are weak? Maybe because gay men are stereotypically seen as being feminine, and not very “manly?” And there’s nothing worse than acting like a girl? Maybe using the word in that way is not even close to being an isolated incident, and that usage is directly related to the oppression of the LGBTQ community. Hmm.
AlterNet has a great article up about modern male fear of being seen as “gay”, and how homophobia is really about reinforcing gender roles. Maybe Washington should read it.
I think that I’m most outraged over the fact that a portion of the public will actually buy this shit. I’m outraged that someone could say those words– that he didn’t mean “faggot” to refer to gay people, but to weak people– and there is not more outrage. If a white celebrity used the N-word, if he then went on national television to defend it by saying that he didn’t mean it to refer to black people, but to “people who are lazy,” it would be considered repulsive, racist and inexcusable. It would make headlines, and that celebrity would become a pariah. There would be exceedingly few people willing to defend him.
This is the exact same thing. It is disgusting and inexcusable. And I can only wonder how long it will be until all of us are able to see that.
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That’s hilarious. I guess we can all go around using “n****r” as an insult now, since we don’t mean “black people,” we just mean “people who suck,” which TOTALLY unracistafies it!
I bet Isaiah was like a debate CHAMP in school. Um, not.
i was all upset that they fired ‘dr. burke’ as well… until this. i hope he has a very hard time getting work in hollywood. to use isaiah’s quote:
“I’m not angry,” Washington told the Chronicle. “I’m disappointed.”
i’m disappointed, too, isaiah.
i recently got into an argument with a friend for saying ‘that’s gay’ because he defended it by saying he didn’t mean it against gay people, he was using it to mean that the item was ‘stupid.’
and that makes it better.
right.
I know an English teacher who tells this story: He hears a boy calling another boy “fag” in the hall, says, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” and stops the boy, and the boy says, “Oh, it’s ok Mr. ____, he knows I don’t really think he’s a fag!”
I started reading that article at AlterNet, and since my household adolescent had just gone to a movie with another boy yesterday, I asked him if they sat next to each other. He gave me a confused look and said of course. I read him that first paragraph, and he laughed and said, “They’re going to say boys are afraid it means they’re GAY if they sit next to each other, aren’t they?” I said yes. He shook his head and said he had never had any other boys act like that with him at a movie, wanting an empty seat like that.
The only time I’ve ever seen the leaving a seat thing was on Seinfeld. So yeah, I have absolutely no clue how much that actually happens.
Which article, Dew?
The one that’s linked about halfway down the post, about the modern male fear of being seen as gay.
Yeah, I’ve only ever seen that on Seinfeld too.
I don’t understand how people don’t realize that men being close to other men (both physically and emotionally) is not some new trend in humanity, it’s actually the opposite view that is the new trend.
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