JournalismTV & Showbiz

Slurs are Slurs

Last Updated on January 1, 2013

This week, T.R. Knight, one of the stars of the ABC medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, announced to the world that he is gay. I’m not sure why that matters to anyone other than him and his significant others, but he still went on record to say so.

The reason he went on record seems to be a heated argument between some of his colleagues on the set that made entertainment headlines.

As the story goes, Knight was apparently late to work, and while cast and company waited, a debate began over whether to film a scene without him. Costar Patrick Dempsey advocated waiting. Costar Isaiah Washington wanted to go ahead and shoot the scene without Knight. What then occurred, apparently, was some show of testosterone in which Dempsey and Washington got loud with each other, ending with Washington uttering a “homophobic slur.”

When news leaked that the argument — and in particular Washington’s comment — had occurred, Knight came forward to confirm that he was gay, adding, “I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me.”

Following the incident, rumor mills went spinning out of control, speculating not only that Washington would likely be fired for his remark, but that ER’s Eriq La Salle might be a strong contender to replace him. Washington has since apologized for the remark, claiming that the behavior was “beneath [his] personal standards.” All indications from the set now are that everything is going along merrily, with no hard feelings among anyone.

Further, the show’s executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, says that Washington isn’t going anywhere, and told People magazine that “the (idea) that one black man was interchangeable with another seemed disturbing to me.”

It is a disturbing notion when you think about it; to suggest that one black man might be easily-interchangable with another black man is to reduce two unique human beings all the way down to one single trait. Much the way Washington reduced Knight to another single trait when he uttered the slur.

Being black or white doesn’t define anyone’s character. Being straight or gay doesn’t, either. Too often, right wing extremists are trying to play the “gay card” these days in a sad attempt to unite their base. It doesn’t matter to them that in really important issues, there’s too much disunity; what matters is that they get something in the way of support, even if it comes at the price of discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation.

There are some people, undoubtedly, who will feel that Knight’s orientation is the “most interesting part” of who he is. I have to wonder if there’s not something wrong with those people. How does that revelation change the price of gasoline or help the environment or pay a struggling family’s grocery bill or make needed drugs accessible to the sick who can’t afford them?

Washington’s own production company, Coalhouse Productions, lists on its webpage that its mission statement is to encourage everyone to “think deeper” by exploring themes of individuality, the value of art and the struggles of everyday people and events. One has to wonder what Washington’s vision of a “better world” might be like if any kind of discrimination might be part of it.

I’m pretty sure that had it been Knight and Dempsey on set waiting for Washington to arrive, with one of them uttering a racial slur, there would have been a far bigger firestorm. So if we really “think deeper” for a moment, the question we should be asking is whether it’s really acceptable to discriminate against anyone for any reason.

In other words, what differences are reason enough to be cruel?

Is your vision of a better world one in which everyone is the exact same in every way, or one in which people are still allowed to be individuals and those things that make us different — whatever they are — are celebrated for their own value and contribution to the whole?

I know my answer. Do you know yours?

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.

1 Comment

  • I do know my answer, and I’m sick and tired of everyone throwing out the “poor minority” issue. Who cares whether you are black, hispanic, asian, arab, gay, etc? I don’t expect special treatment because I’m considered caucasian (and I do have Indian and Black in my heritage), so why should anyone else? And why should any of this define who you are?

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