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Loading ...Jerry Lewis again calls gays ‘fags’
10.27.2008 8:27am EDT
(Canberra) Jerry Lewis made an anti-gay slur on Australian television similar to one he apologized for using on his annual telethon a year ago.
Following a news conference in Sydney Friday, Lewis, 82, was asked by a Network Ten national TV reporter for his opinion on the Australian nation sport of cricket.“Oh, cricket? It’s a fag game. What are you, nuts?” Lewis replied.
The network broadcast the comment in full on its Friday evening news bulletin along with footage of Lewis handling an imaginary cricket bat with an effeminate gesture.
Lewis apologized in September last year for using a similar anti-gay slur in Las Vegas during his annual Labor Day telethon that raises money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
New York-based media discrimination watchdog Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, as well as gay rights group Australian Coalition for Equality called for Lewis to apologize again.
“Last year, Mr. Lewis apologized for using an anti-gay slur on live television, and expressed his desire to raise public awareness about the impact of this kind of defamation,” GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement.
“Clearly he did not take the lessons of that unfortunate episode to heart because, in an effort to be humorous, he has once again managed to offend and defame the gay community,” he said.
“For someone so well known for helping others, Mr. Lewis shows an incredible lack of dignity and respect when he makes comments that contribute to a climate of intolerance,” Giuliano added.
Lewis was still in Australia on Saturday and has performances booked there through Nov. 1. His Australian spokeswoman Julie Cavanagh said he did not intend to comment.
The comedian held Friday’s news conference to promote his latest stage show that is touring Australia. It is a retrospective of his career that includes show tunes with a 24-piece band, excerpts from his scores of movies and television shows, and his trademark slapstick comedy.
There’s a really good blog post on this at:
http://thestateofthenationuk.blogspot.com/2008/10/insults-towards-gay-community-or-when.html
I agree with the above commenter. So whatever, Jerry Lewis is really old, he called gay people fags. Whatever. I mean, lots of people call gays fags. gays call gays fags.
Jerry Lewis is no longer relevant. I don’t care about him, or what he says. If, for example, at a press conference Joe Biden referred to the HRC as a bunch of disease-ridden faggots, then maybe it’s cause for alarm. But Jerry Lewis? Really? I don’t care. I’ll forget about it by dinner.
I never understood groups “calling for an apology.” If Jerry calls us fags, he does so because he wants to. He doesn’t feel bad about it. Apologizing is what one does when he feels bad for doing something.
But demanding an apology from someone is to make a fool of oneself. “I know you hate me, but if you’ll say you’re sorry, I can delude myself into believing you actually feel bad about hating me.”
That’s crap. I get embarrassed when these groups demand public apologies, because they’re nothing more than forced contrition, which isn’t contrition at all, and that, to me, seems very childish. Jerry Lewis calls gays fags. Well, do something about it. Don’t just demand insincere apologies. That never did anyone any good. It just makes people think they can do whatever they want, then offer false remorse afterward, and all will be forgiven. It shouldn’t be so easy for them, and we shouldn’t accept fake acceptance.
He should talk!
However, let’s talk about the money;
How many of you actually think the money of the telethon actually goes for muscular dystrophy.
Just to follow through on this line of thinking…OK, so we’ve gotten people to stop using the F word to refer to gay men and effeminacy. So, we can beat on Jerry Lewis a bit more (not that I’m totally opposed to that), and he’ll do what everyone else is doing to be politically correct: he’ll call cricket a “sissy” sport. So, we get people to remove the slur from gay men and apply the slur to effeminate men (if you want to go deeper, you can say that it’s being applied to everyone except masculine men, so women are maligned, too).
It really does show that the roots of homophobia are sexism: the social enforcement of norms around “what it means to be a man (which is superior)” and “what it means to be a woman.”
In one respect, it’s discouraging how we’re diminishing one prejudice while reinforcing the foundation prejudice. In another respect, maybe vanquishing the F word will force society into a more honest discussion about gender and sexism.
Considering his relationship with Dean Martin over the years, I’d say that’s a case of the pot calling the kettle a delicate shade of puce.
Bud Clark
San Diego CA USA
someone take his oxygen tank away!!!
Just kidding.
Its sad that people cling to such degrading comments and try to make it seem humorous.
Tactless
Jerry Lewis has become an overweight, old man who sometimes thinks he is Don Rickles whose vulgar and insulting jokes on all we can all abide. Anyone familiar with the early movies of Jerry Lewis will see that he often played the role of an effeminate geek. Jerry, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones!
It’s sad that his intolerance towards the GLBT community may hurt his Muscular Dystrophy cause. Please people, please don’t stop donating to all the people who need support. It’s not their fault that Lewis is a jerk.
I guess I won’t be putting any money in the firemen’s boots next year. It’s too late for this year.
I think the ‘child’ syndrome of senility is the problem more than anything. At 82 he probably calls his kids and grandkids by the wrong names and wants to throw rocks at kids in his yard. No big deal. I agree with his call on Cricket, although I wouldn’t have used those words as being a ‘fag’ myself I would never play Cricket.
I am sorry, but I don’t think I heard anyone calling for an encore! Obviously, Mr. Lewis did not learn anything from his previous performance, maybe at this juncture a little community service might be in the offing. Then he can join the likes of Isaiah Washington and other homophobic persons, or who can’t seem to grow up and accept how hurtful their tirades and slurs can deeply affect a person just because of who they love and are attracted too. It is time for the bullying, the demeaning comments, the physical abuse, the tragic murders to stop. It is not funny anymore Mr. Lewis, grow up, you are 82 years old, quit acting like you are a child!
He has a news conference to promote his latest “stage show… that includes show tuens”… ? Sounds pretty “gay” to me. The old fella is sadly winding down in a less that dignified manner.
That’s it!!!
This year, he can get his tuchas out himself and knock on doors for his muscular dystrophy!!!
Stick a fork in me, ‘cuz I’m done!
Must be senility creeping into his brain bit by bit, he may be very soon ready for a nursing home or may be just a naturally nutty as he was in his film “The NUtty Professor”.