Steve Martin Apologizes for Racial Tweet

[alp227]

Steve Martin is apologizing for a racial gaffe he made on Twitter last week. The comedian was joking with fans on the social media site when one of his quips went too far.

Asked by a follower, "Is this how you spell lasonia?" Martin shot back: "It depends. Are you in an African-American neighborhood or at an Italian restaurant?"

Martin, who quickly deleted the tweet, later explained, "I was riffing on Twitter, inviting people to ask me grammar questions. I replied with what I hoped were funny answers." He continued, "I was going along fine when someone wrote, 'How do you spell lasonia?' I wrote: 'It depends if you are in an African American neighborhood or an Italian restaurant.' I knew of the name Lasonia. I did not make it up, nor do I find it funny.

"So to me the answer was either Lasonia (with a capital), or Lasagna, depending on what you meant. That they sounded alike in this rare and particular context struck me as funny. That was the joke. When the tweet went out, I saw some negative comments and immediately deleted the tweet and apologized. I gathered the perception was that I was making fun of African American names.

full: http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2013/12/26/steve-martin-apologizes-for-racial-tweet.html

And given some threads in DU lately I can't wait to see this thread turn into another certain political forum quickly because of "lighten up free speech political correctness" type of comments.

[Orrex]

1. Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuse him.

[cyberswede]

12. LOL

[msanthrope]

77. Thread win on the first post..I am in envy. nt

[JNelson6563]

103. Should've closed comments after this.

Fucking perfect.

Julie--still lolz

[mountain grammy]

110. Yep, perfect!

[darkangel218]

2. Wtf, Steve Martin is making racist comments??

He was one of my favorite actors. Screw him then

[AverageJoe90]

6. I really truly doubt that was "racist", per se.

I've been around real racism and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff that I've come across on the 'Net over the past several years.....although, we can at least agree that this comment by Martin was indeed insensitive and it's good that he apologized for it. Fair enough, I hope?

[darkangel218]

10. I hope youre right

[el_bryanto]

18. Why don't you read the article and determine for yourself if it was racist or not? nt

[darkangel218]

19. Busy.

[el_bryanto]

21. So you are willing to condemn him as a racist but not willing to actually look at the evidence? nt

[darkangel218]

22. Im busy in another thread dammit. give me a few

[el_bryanto]

25. Fair enough - just let me know when you get around to it. nt

[jberryhill]

43. Don't hold your breath

The member will not be able to post for most of January.

[el_bryanto]

44. That's unfortunate. nt

[tammywammy]

59. And she's been flagged for review again. n/t

[msanthrope]

79. I have 4 of 7 then.....skinner said only 7 are due for the january cool off.

So that's #4

[Kali]

89. nah she actually had her transparency page hidden for a couple of weeks (I think for the first time

since she got here, it has been open every time I have ever looked until she got forced to take a break in November - that gave enough time for a few hides to drop off, but she came back without learning anything and here we go again)

hard to believe she wasn't one of the original 7, but she is going to be out of here for a while now after the 2 hides the other night. even harder to believe she is still here at all, though. I will never figure that one out.

[darkangel218]

97. Yah kali. Go do a happy dance

Of course you had to chime in. Never fail.

[morningfog]

99. I got five. No rule against naming them:

Pretzel_Warrior, trumad, darkangel, seabeyond, cali.

I don't know who the other two are.

[msanthrope]

104. True..forgot pretzel...I'm currently flu sick and puking yellow....nt

[el_bryanto]

65. Hey you never did answer my question now that i think about it - still in that other thread? nt

[darkangel218]

66. I pass on "answering" you anything. thanks for votting to hide my posts.

[el_bryanto]

67. votting? I don't remember votting?

One can only do what one thinks is best.

Bryant

[darkangel218]

69. Fair enough. Have a nice day.

[CreekDog]

23. too busy posting on DU about it to actually read about it?

they should frame those words.

[jberryhill]

29. Heh

[jberryhill]

32. But it's a busy thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4232101

[CreekDog]

36. oh come on, how much time does she get between surgeries?

[jberryhill]

37. She had to shoot a bear in her backyard

So, that took a while too.

[darkangel218]

70. I have never shot an animal ever in my life!! i was alerted by phone to those comments.

How much lower than this can you get??? You're freaking sick, sugesting I would ever hurt an animal!!!

I have reported you to the admins.

[jberryhill]

86. "We shoot bear when they invade our backyard."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4232342

Pardon me for assuming that the first person singular "we" and its possessive form "our" is inclusive of the speaker.

[darkangel218]

88. I was refering to people who do that, and claim its ok, because they invade human habitat!!!!

I wasn't speaking of myself in particular!!! But sure, I must have been so obtuse in expressing myself that it came across as me being the one shooting!!!


Disgusting.

[msanthrope]

105. I want to represent you for the appellate round. nt

[darkangel218]

64. Attacking my profession again, i see.

[CreekDog]

71. I admire nurses

nursing is an honorable profession.

i'm sorry if you were confused enough to think i was calling you a nurse.

[darkangel218]

74. I have reported you and your drama buddy to the admins.

I am getting my board certification this month, so hate me all you want. Attack me all you want. For a host and long time DUer your behavior is pathetic.

I won't block you. Keep attacking me and mocking me, I will allert on every single attack you make against me. And so will others. I didn't even know you did this until others told me about it.

Do you think this reflects good on you?

Good luck.

[CreekDog]

80. well then maybe we should talk to the admins about your reference to the HOF group feud

a feud that was over and done before you joined DU.

a feud that you had to be pretty intimately involved in to understand to make the comment that you did.

so maybe the admins will deal with that. are you as new to us as your profile says you are?

[darkangel218]

81. Yah, lets. You accused me of being some defunct DU member.

I can't find that post yet, but I was told you accused me of being someone else.

Link to that post please, so I can alert on it.

[CreekDog]

82. Sure I'll get right on that

[darkangel218]

85. No, link to that post. What do you have to hide?

If it was a legitimate accusation. Link to it. Let Skinner determine the truth.

What are you afraid of???

[darkangel218]

87. Its pretty obvious you only flamebait for laughs then.

You make up shit accusations, attack other posters professions and character, just so you can get a kick out of it.

Fucking disgusting. Especially for a host.

[CreekDog]

90. you're accusing me of flamebait

let me digest that one for the moment.

[darkangel218]

96. I know, its hard to "digest", isnt it.

Making shit up and mocking other DUers. How nice of you.

[Kali]

98. shouldn't you be packing for Alaska

or taking finals or something?

[darkangel218]

100. Shouldnt you mind your own bussines?

Oh wait, there isn't much else there, is it

[Kali]

101. look!

a Maggie Thatcher thread for you to flip out over - quick they are saying bad things about her http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024268388

[darkangel218]

102. Lulz!!!

[darkangel218]

83. BTW, i have joined DU as soon as i found the site, didnt even "lurk" here!!

For you to attack my profession and laugh with your buddy about me "shooting bear" its fucking disgusting!!!!!

Keeep doing it though, it won't get unnoticed.

[CreekDog]

92. I didn't attack nursing

I never accused you of being a nurse.

[darkangel218]

95. Like i said, youre reported to the admins.

[CreekDog]

113. like I said, your profile shows that you're the main problem you have

not me.

[jberryhill]

84. It's worth it, just to be your buddy now!

[AverageJoe90]

39. I'd think so, to be honest.

Steve Martin's never struck me as the stealth Teabagger type from what I recall of him(admittedly, not terribly much these days).

[CreekDog]

60. he's not a teapartier type.

but one doesn't need to be a tea partier to be racist.

[Systematic Chaos]

91. Go listen to some of Frank Zappa's music, where he pretty much rips apart EVERYBODY.

He did what he did to be scathingly funny. He did not hate anyone, nor was he racist, sexist or otherwise bigoted.

I don't believe Steve Martin is either.

[yorgatron]

3. still waiting for an apology for making "Pennies from Heaven"

[struggle4progress]

68. +

that one was a real drag

[AverageJoe90]

4. I really truly doubt he meant any harm, TBH.

With that said, though, apologizing was, in my humble opinion, the polite thing to do, even if said comment was only insensitive and not actually racist or whatever.

[MADem]

5. I don't either. If Chris Rock made the same joke it would be all good.

Sometimes, where you stand depends on where you sit.

That wasn't a joke for him to make, is all.

[AverageJoe90]

8. Yeah, sounds right to me.

And hopefully he'll learn from this and learn well.....

[CreekDog]

27. I'm a Steve Martin fan and a Chris Rock fan, but Rock never would've made that joke

...different type, style of humor.

I think Martin was noting that two completely different words/names sound the same. His humor plays on incongruities either in structure or language.

I don't think the the guy that helped write the character in The Jerk, as the dumbest person in his family, an adopted white guy, in a black family.

But that's just my take.

Steve Martin didn't complain that everyone "played the race card" or act like a white victim of an unfair system. He just deleted his mistake, apologized, and tried to explain that he didn't mean anything untoward. So the deletion wasn't covering up a hidden racism but a joke that could sound like that to a reasonable person. He also ended up having to explain that he didn't make the statement TMZ quoted him saying --they screwed up the quote and in the worst way.

I'm more worried about Steve King (the birther congressman), and the people, even here, who only criticize what they say is racism from black to white. The people up in arms about "The Knockout Game" as some sort of racial thing, but completely silent about Trayvon Martin (or worse, outright sided with Zimmerman).

Steve Martin? Not the above.

[MADem]

34. Perhaps not that precise joke, but he has addressed the topic.

Bring the Pain, e.g., and Bigger and Blacker....

My view? This is a blip and it's not important.

[Vattel]

73. Not joining the Zimmerman lynch mob is racist?

[CreekDog]

75. welcome to the thread, weeks later

[titaniumsalute]

7. I'm having trouble finding offense here

He made a play on a word...either a name or a food. Who cares if it was white or black. If he made fun of the name Trystan or Logan would anyone be upset? Nope. People get a little too excited about this shit.

[TroglodyteScholar]

9. A complete non-event

Nothing hateful here.

[Warren DeMontague]

41. ...If I had to guess, I'd say I think someone is trying too hard

to be honest

[red dog 1]

45. Tony Clifton lives!

[Logical]

16. LOL, dramatic much? nt

[CreekDog]

30. The poster was attempting to be be "ironic"

but the attempts have to be better thought out than the above to work.

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. what a racist post

[alp227]

62. Although a jury KEPT that post 3-3...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=310852&sub=trans

[LanternWaste]

26. Moon Unit Zappa and Newt Leroy Gingrich take exception to your post

Moon Unit Zappa, Keanu Reeves, Newt Leroy Gingrich, 99% of people named Aura, and many other under-educated people will take exception to your post.

[LanternWaste]

53. Rationalizing the irrational, and drawing distinctions between six six of one and half a dozen of th

Rationalizing the irrational, and drawing distinctions between six six of one and half a dozen of the other.

I'm sure many will also justify it's only ugly when "they" do it... all perfectly understandable when "we" do.


I personally have zero objections to any name-- as they are all equally guilty and innocent depending on the bias of those making the petulant indictments.

Have a good day, whatever your real name is (which is allegedly quite pretty too)

[alp227]

33. So why would you register today just to make this point?

Just curious. Why?

[arcane1]

42. What is dumb and awful? Your post isn't clear.

[arcane1]

50. "Lasonia" is ugly-sounding? Eye of the beholder, I suppose.

Do you think "Sonia" is an ugly name too?

[uppityperson]

51. "LG" for instance, has a nasty sound to it.

[arcane1]

56. Damn. Troll got removed before I could mock their name.

Alas

[uppityperson]

57. Don't worry. She'll be back soon. Very soon.

[CrispyQ]

15. A true apology.

Not one of those fake "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" type of apologies.

[nyquil_man]

17. I wonder what Navin R. Johnson would think of this. nt

[Blanket Statements]

58. Sir! You are talking to a

[ChisolmTrailDem]

28. I believe he is being authentic about this. Also,

Facebook lists over 100 people (could be many more than that on Facebook alone) with the name Lasonia or LaSonia. So I agree that the name is common enough that he probably has heard of it.

A good, true apology. Not one of those mealy-mouthed, half-assed mea culpas, non-apologies you hear so often.

Anyone who cannot allow this to die on arrival is just trolling and hating.

[TheKentuckian]

31. Seems like an apology for lameness is more required. I expect better than that from him.

[FSogol]

35. Would now be a good time to point out Steve Martin's short story, "A Public Apology"?

"Looking out over the East River from my jail cell and still running for public office, I realize that I have taken several actions in my life for which I owe public apologies. "

SNIP

"There are several incidents of sexual harassment I would like to apologize for:

In 1992, I was interviewing one Ms. Anna Floyd for a secretarial position, when my pants accidentally fell down around my ankles as I was coincidentally saying, "Ever seen one of these before?" Even though I was referring to my new Pocket Tape Memo Taker, I would like to apologize to Ms. Floyd for any grief this misunderstanding might have caused her. I would also like to apologize to the Pocket Tape people, to their affiliates, and to my family, who have stood by me. I would like to apologize also to International Hardwood Designs, whose floor my pants fell upon. I would especially like to apologize to my wife Karen, whose constant understanding fills me with humility.

Once, in Hawaii, I had sex with a hundred-and-two-year-old male turtle. It would be hard to argue that it was consensual. I would like to apologize to the turtle, his family, the Kahala Hilton Hotel, and the hundred or so diners at the Hilton's outdoor cafe. I would also like to apologize to my loyal wife Karen, who had to endure the subsequent news item in the "Also Noted" section of the Santa Barbara Women's Club Weekly.

In 1987, I attended a bar mitzvah in Manhattan while wearing white gabardine pants, white patent-leather slippers, a blue blazer with gold buttons, and a yachting cap. I would like to apologize to the Jewish people, the State of Israel, my family, who have stood by me, and my wife Karen, who has endured my seventeen affairs and three out-of-wedlock children. "

Whole apology here: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/m/martin-drivel.html

[msanthrope]

106. How does one apologize to the turtle???? nt

[Glassunion]

38. He should be fired!

From whatever it is that he does.

We should boycott things and stuff.

You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater.

This war on Christmas... Will it ever end?

I'm offended and poutraged and stuff.

[FSogol]

107. Maybe Martin is angling for a show on MSNBC.

rimshot!

[Warren DeMontague]

40. On the richter scale of offensiveness, I don't even register that as a one.

Heaven forfend anyone should say "lighten up" but I'm wondering how many people were genuinely offended by it.

[Initech]

46. Further proof that Steve Martin is better than us.

He handled this non event with more class than Alec Baldwin or Phil Robertsn ever could.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

47. Odds are 60-40 the tweet would have been hidden by a DU jury

But without Meta, we have no place to bet. And Grovelbot can't be trusted to hold the bets.

[Blanket Statements]

54. Bullshirt!!! He shouldn't have apologized

To the humorless society of perpetual outrage

[BeyondGeography]

55. I laughed

Pretty clever, imo.

[Warren DeMontague]

61. Yeah

I mean, it was a bit funny IMHO

[Vattel]

76. He is a wuss for apologizing. It wasn't racist.

[underpants]

63. BOYCOTT A&E!!! BENGHAZI!! CHIK-FIL-A!!!

[VanillaRhapsody]

78. According to some arguing that men should be allowed to tell women

how to think and feel "its only their opinion" I guess White guy Steve Martin shouldn't have had to apologize for being insensitive to people of color for that tweet....

If he made a joke about women....apparently women should just "lighten up".

[Generic Other]

93. Steve Martin is white?

Say what?

[VanillaRhapsody]

94. DOH! I forgot!

He was born a poor Black child!


hahahahaa thanks for the laugh!

[Zorra]

108. Many years ago, I was in a large multiracial group, when a black man called out "Mike!"

Several of the white men, who were named "Mike" looked up at him questioningly. He laughed and said, "well, all you have to do is yell out the name "Mike" in a crowded room of white guys and half of them will answer "what"?

Everyone laughed, even the white people.

Then a white man responded, "yeah, it's just like yelling out "Tyrone" in a room full of black guys".

Everyone laughed again, even the black people.

If your name is Becky Sue, it will be taken for granted by most people that you are female.

[Greybnk48]

109. This is not offensive, nor was it meant to be.

His joke is a bit too nuanced, though, for public consumption. I can see how some people misconstrued his comment as racist, but that wasn't his intent.

[librechik]

111. It's unfair. since "The Jerk" was born a poor black boy.

Can you imagine any comic (besides Lisa Lampanelli) making that movie today?

A truly great movie, by the way. Time for another look, perhaps. Is he comfortable with the first scenes in retrospect? I just thought they were hilarious, and couldn't imagine how anyone could be offended, it was so silly. Was I wrong?

[Tom Ripley]

112. "Those wacky black people names" jokes belong with mother-in-law and fruitcake jokes...

that's just hackwork.
I'm disappointed
Steve Martin is better than that.