15 Nov 2013 Black Conservative Calls Out Baldwin Bullying

Alec Baldwin has anger issues.  But it’s apparently OK because he’s progressive.

Depending on which way the hatred flows, it seems that one can get a pass from the professional feelings lobby of the left.  In other words, one can be hateful on occasion as long as that person is are normally a liberal in good standing.

Baldwin, whose liberal leanings were recently rewarded with his own show on MSNBC, has assaulted paparazzi and allegedly called one the n-word.  He’s called his 11-year-old daughter “a rude, thoughtless little pig” in a voicemail that leaked to the media.  He’s also been kicked off an airplane for unacceptable behavior.

Now, for the second time in six months, Baldwin was caught using terms that the left normally finds unacceptable under any circumstances.  In June, he called a British journalist a “toxic little queen” (among other things).  Just this week, he called a photographer a very, very nasty anti-gay slur that will not be repeated here.

While the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gave Baldwin a pass on his first indiscretion, this second one — so soon after his alleged contrition — is harder for them to overlook.  GLAAD vice president for communications Rich Ferraro said: “Mr. Baldwin can’t lend his support for equality on paper, while degrading gay people in practice.”

Seems pretty clear.  So why is Dan Savage willing to look the other way?

Savage is a sex columnist and, more importantly, a founder of It Gets Better — a group specifically set up to “inspire the changes” to eradicate anti-homosexual bullying.  Yet Savage, who is gay, is willing to give Baldwin a pass on his anti-gay bullying.

GLAAD forgave Baldwin for last June after Baldwin claimed to be “someone who fights against homophobia.”  In tweets, Savage still labeled Baldwin “a homophobic bigot.”  However, Savage tweeted, “unlike other homophobic bigots, Baldwin doesn’t believe his bigotry should be given force of law.”  Savage later bizarrely tweeted that he would prefer to be called the slur that Baldwin used “by someone who supports LGBT equality than [be] called a nicer name by someone who works against it.”

So, apparently, one man’s bigotry is tolerable.  Especially if he is a liberal who at least says he’s gay-friendly.

Funny, that wasn’t the case when Hollywood producer Brett Ratner was pretty much forced out of his job as producer of the 2012 Academy Awards after he dropped the LGBT-unfriendly f-bomb at a public event.  Or the announced boycott of the movie “Ender’s Game” because the author of the novel (who also has a producer credit on the movie) is an outspoken opponent of gay marriage.

There are also the many times when conservative politicians who oppose special preferences or those with religious beliefs that conflict with homosexuality are condemned as being unforgivably homophobic bigots.  Then again, Savage has a history of bullying of people of faith – even young adults.

This name-calling is too much for Derryck Green, a member of the National Center’s Project 21 black leadership network.  Derryck called out the hypocrisy, saying:

As evidenced by the documented and alleged behavior of actor and MSNBC host Alec Baldwin, it’s now clear that racism, sexism and homophobia on the part of leftists is permissible.

After all, the guru of the anti-bullying movement — Dan Savage — made it clear that toeing the political line makes it alright to hurl an epithet here and there.

Yet, racism, sexism and homophobia on the part of conservatives — real or otherwise — can lead to someone’s personal destruction.  It is also used to make all-encompassing judgments about the entire conservative movement.

Furthermore, someone who does not merit the liberal exemption will instead find themselves worthy of pejoratives, firings, resignations, boycotts, death threats and character assassinations.

Gotcha.

This is inconsistent, but it’s not surprising.  It looks like GLAAD made a mistake in giving Baldwin such a pass, and they seem to be making moves to correct their error. Savage, on the other hand, appears to be doubling-down on this double standard.  While it might ruin Savage’s reputation in the long-run — a hopeful benefit of all of this — it’s worrisome how many good, conscientious people may suffer undeserved vilification as a result.