Anderson Cooper: 'Why Does Alec Baldwin Get a Pass When He Uses Gay Slurs?'

[cali]

Alec Baldwin's recent Twitter rant/meltdown (which included the former 30 ROCK star calling Daily Mail reporter George Stark a "toxic little queen&quot , has caused modern news legend Anderson Cooper to pose an interesting - and necessary - question.

The CNN anchor posted: @andersoncooper: "Why does #AlecBaldwin get a pass when he uses gay slurs? If a conservative talked of beating up a "queen" they would be vilified."


<snip>

http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/Anderson-Cooper-Why-Does-Alec-Baldwin-Get-a-Pass-When-He-Uses-Gay-Slurs-20130629

[wingzeroday]

1. politics

Plain and simple.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I saw some of that here on DU

when this story first appeared. Some attempted to deflect from the slurs Alec Baldwin made by pointing out how evil and mercenary the paparazzi are, but I'd bet good money that argument wouldn't even appear if the person saying such things had been a conservative.

[burnodo]

3. did Baldwin say he wanted to beat the guy up?

I'm not saying Baldwin should be forgiven for using a slur

[wingzeroday]

5. well

Did you view the link?

[burnodo]

9. ok, gotcha

for a successful person, he doesn't always think before he acts...or tweets

[wingzeroday]

16. yeah

major anger issues it seems

[dsc]

4. for the same reason that Tracy Morgan got one

and the same reason Tony Perkins is still permitted on CNN. Being anti gay is not perceived as that big a sin.

[shadowrider]

6. Unless it comes from a conservative. Cooper has a good point methinks n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Chris Rock?

[dsc]

8. meant Tracy Morgan

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Good. I would have been proundly upset.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Chris Rock, Big Star.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. Chris uses slurs againt gay people. Says he has the right to say faggot, has 20 minutes of

material about why anything he says is allowed and not a slur but others best watch what they say about him. Now I like Chris, do not think he's a bigot, and have worked with him. He's full of shit and has a foul, bigoted lexicon.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Al Sharpton used to call people 'faggots' all the time. In public. He now condemns those

who do what he did. He got a pass and an anchor desk from which to opine as return for his slurs. He said sorry. Years later.

[pnwmom]

13. Yes, and that was wrong. But Baldwin still does this in 2013 and it's inexcusable. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

18. It was wrong, and 'forgiven' by straights. Paula's slur was longer in the past than Al's.

Just saying. He is not only famous, but a famous commentator on social issues. Faggot shouter. Why is he allowed a network news desk with that background? You tell me. What did Al do to make amends? You tell me, it is you who have forgiven him. Why did you do that? Dig his show?

[pnwmom]

22. I don't watch his show and I don't particularly like him. I still remember

when he was going after the Duke students who were falsely accused of rape, and I wasn't impressed with him then, either.

But this was about Baldwin, who -- unlike some others -- seems to have learned nothing from his mistakes.

[pnwmom]

11. Or misogynistic slurs, or has a temper tantrum with flight attendants?

I've been aware of the bully side of him ever since the tape of him came out screaming at his daughter in a belittling, demeaning way.

He has good progressive credentials so some people will always like him, but I think he's a bully and a bigot.

[Prism]

14. Because GLAAD likes to rub elbows with celebrities

It's long been known in the LGBT community that GLAAD is a collection of starf*ckers.

Their nonresponse to Baldwin's repeated antics has surprised absolutely no one.

[Safetykitten]

25. True. They are completely agog over celebrity and allow switch hitting.

[Luminous Animal]

17. Not from me. It was a fucked up homophobic thing to say.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. Same reason Tracy Morgan got a pass: Tina Fey demands her pals be allowed to hurt others.

Tina TOLD the world Tracy was great after he said that shit, she did the same for Alec. She does this because her owner, Lorne, tells her to.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Why do DUers get a pass for comparing us to tomato plants after calling us pedophile after

calling us every name in the book? Skinner allows people to post here who repeatedly say horrific things and whose history makes it clear that they have always done so.
Why does Skinner issue passes to homophobes which he would be ashamed to issue to racists? He does not see the two things as anything close to the same. Equating us to houseplants and criminals is 'understandable' to the bulk of the straight community, cali.

[cali]

24. and that is horrifying, but I thought that Skinner had

finally clamped down. Am I wrong? Piss on people here who do that.

[OneGrassRoot]

23. I was wondering the same thing this morning. n/t

[last1standing]

26. This is no different than the racist words used by Paula Deen.

I find it striking that both Baldwin and Deen used the same deflection to avoid having to honestly apologize to those they've insulted, "Well they use those words so why can't I?"

Let's be clear, a white person cannot call a black person "n***er" and a straight person cannot call a gay person a "toxic little queen" or a "f**got." Yes, a person within that community can use those terms. This is because they are directing those terms at those they have that common bond with.

If you insult your wife a "bitch" during your nightly "dirty talk" that doesn't mean I have the right to call her one when I see her in the grocery store. If you make fun of the knobbly knees that run in your family that doesn't mean I have license to rag on your mother's appearance. There are times when certain comments are acceptable and when they're not. Just because a word exists and someone else has used it doesn't mean it isn't hurtful when someone else says it.

I don't know why this is even debated.

[The Link]

27. Shit, the President's homophobia got a pass for years.

Thats the way it is for some people.

[premium]

28. He shouldn't get a pass.

A liberal like Alec going on a homophobic rant is just as bad as a conservative like Limpballs and both should be condemned equally.
One's just as bad as the other.

[indepat]

29. Alec Baldwin will get a pass on just about anything because he is

Alec Baldwin. But beware, Alec, there is a line that even Alec Baldwin cannot cross.