Fired actor plays the race card

Meriphew · 30th June 2007, 06:59 PM

After being fired for using anti-gay slurs multiple times, this actor has the balls to say his firing was racially motivated. What an asshole.

Ex-'Grey's'*star: Racism a factor in axing - CNN.com

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington said racism was a factor in his firing from the hit ABC series after he twice used an anti-gay slur.
art.washington.gi.jpg

Washington said he lost his "Grey's Anatomy" job partly because he was an assertive black man.

Washington, who initially used the epithet during an onset clash with a co-star, told Newsweek magazine that "someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me."

He tried to make amends by expressing remorse and volunteering to enter a counseling program to understand how the confrontation got out of hand, he told Newsweek.

"My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity," he said in the interview posted online Thursday.

"My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts," he said.

His unwillingness to act like a submissive black at work was part of the problem, Washington said.

"Well, it didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn't speak like I'd just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime," he said.

"I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone?

"It's nuts when your presence alone can just scare people, and that made me a prime candidate to take the heat in a dysfunctional family," he said.

ABC declined comment Thursday. In its one public statement regarding Washington, issued in January, the network said his actions were "unacceptable."

Washington, who used the slur against co-star T.R. Knight during a confrontation with Patrick Dempsey, repeated the word backstage at the Golden Globes in January in denying the first incident. A public apology to Knight and others followed

ninjaneer · 30th June 2007, 07:09 PM

aaahh.. if only his name was paris

tnjazz · 1st July 2007, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meriphew

"Well, it didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn't speak like I'd just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime," he said.

"I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone?

Does he really believe that? What a ****** bag.

GearBit · 3rd July 2007, 11:34 AM

BET anyone?

picksail · 3rd July 2007, 11:51 AM

I bumped into while leaving from a movie at The Grove. He seemed like a decent guy.

I imagine he's pretty pissed about his public firing. Probably pretty humiliating considering the reason for his firing. I suppose he's retaliating and has some hungry attorneys.

GravityRobert · 3rd July 2007, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by picksail

I bumped into while leaving from a movie at The Grove. He seemed like a decent guy.

I imagine he's pretty pissed about his public firing. Probably pretty humiliating considering the reason for his firing. I suppose he's retaliating and has some hungry attorneys.

He's not helping himself by being a sour loser over this, though. Nobody's (white

) gonna hire him for anything now

zboy2854 · 3rd July 2007, 01:52 PM

Yeah, I can see where he has a point...

Oh, except for the other two black actors on the show...

Oh yeah, and the black woman who is the show's creator and head writer...

s.d.finley · 3rd July 2007, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zboy2854

Yeah, I can see where he has a point...

Oh, except for the other two black actors on the show...

Oh yeah, and the black woman who is the show's creator and head writer...

LOL!!

Washington IS a dumbass!!!

GearBit · 4th July 2007, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zboy2854

Yeah, I can see where he has a point...

Oh, except for the other two black actors on the show...

Oh yeah, and the black woman who is the show's creator and head writer...

I can only imagine how hard those women are cringing right now.

The guy still won't shut up about it. Is his manager al sharpton?

NeoVXR · 23rd July 2007, 04:58 PM

the show is great and he did a great job!

just that he should be aware of some vice versa situation here ...

obviously these people* can't get along about different cultural expression of EGO.
anyway he was brilliant and credible with his ego problem in the particular role.

"there is no spoon..."

*) mr. washington AND management AND some staff perhaps
IMO he should have avoided falling outs in the first time..
but who am I, I have compassion for everyone suffering under the situation.

chazba · 27th July 2007, 12:14 AM

I'm offended that he equates being stupid enough to make the anti-gay comments with being black.

chazba

Black Animal · 29th July 2007, 10:04 AM

your all stupid, of course its not racially motivated, i mean don't you remember in school when they taught us that racism ended in 1965? what nerve he has to suggest that he was fired for those reasons.

no but really i think he would have a better idea of why he got fired than any of us, so all you racist punks who just showed your true colors really are merely speculating. i being a black man completely empathize with what he was saying. although this may seem completely out there to all you white folks on this forum stuff like this actually happens every single day for non-whites in this country and around the world. for example, me and my brother tried to jump my car at a gas station the other day because it had a dead battery and we got the police called on us, apparently i was trying to steal my own car. i mean i could tell you a million stories of racism but i would just be pulling the race card, huh?

after moving to santa cruz, ca from another city that actually had other black people in it, ive come to realize that the racism i experience on a daily basis is, in the eyes of most white folks ive met, all but nonexistent. do you really think we're making this shit up? i dont have to be called a ni**** to get the point sometimes. do i believe that people were afraid of isiaiah washington because he was an assertive black man? absolutely. did this contribute to his firing? only him and his bosses know that. i didint even know who he was until today but i know what it's like because im shy and passive yet people fear me like you wouldn't believe in this town.

guess i must be upsetting th ewhite male christian power structure.

bill oreilly, anyone?
YouTube - Bill O'Reilly: White, Christians in power only

zboy2854 · 29th July 2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Animal

your all stupid, of course its not racially motivated, i mean don't you remember in school when they taught us that racism ended in 1965? what nerve he has to suggest that he was fired for those reasons.

no but really i think he would have a better idea of why he got fired than any of us, so all you racist punks who just showed your true colors really are merely speculating. i being a black man completely empathize with what he was saying. although this may seem completely out there to all you white folks on this forum stuff like this actually happens every single day for non-whites in this country and around the world. for example, me and my brother tried to jump my car at a gas station the other day because it had a dead battery and we got the police called on us, apparently i was trying to steal my own car. i mean i could tell you a million stories of racism but i would just be pulling the race card, huh?

after moving to santa cruz, ca from another city that actually had other black people in it, ive come to realize that the racism i experience on a daily basis is, in the eyes of most white folks ive met, all but nonexistent. do you really think we're making this shit up? i dont have to be called a ni**** to get the point sometimes. do i believe that people were afraid of isiaiah washington because he was an assertive black man? absolutely. did this contribute to his firing? only him and his bosses know that. i didint even know who he was until today but i know what it's like because im shy and passive yet people fear me like you wouldn't believe in this town.

guess i must be upsetting th ewhite male christian power structure.

bill oreilly, anyone?
YouTube - Bill O'Reilly: White, Christians in power only

Umm, sorry, but this case has nothing to do with the "white male christian power structure". How do you explain the fact that Shonda Rhimes, the black creator of the TV show and head writer said herself that she had no hesitation whatsoever with firing Isaiah? Oops, I guess he upset the black female power structure, huh?

And just in case you didn't get the memo, Bill O' Reilly isn't the spokesperson for white people, he's just one idiot blowhard with a TV show.

And I see you didn't make any mention of Isaiah's homophobia, which got him fired in the first place. Glad to see you being fair minded and knowing all the facts before making your own accusations.

But thank goodness you came here to let us know we're all stupid and you're the guy with all the correct answers.

NeoVXR · 29th July 2007, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Animal

guess i must be upsetting th ewhite male christian power structure.

bill oreilly, anyone?
YouTube - Bill O'Reilly: White, Christians in power only

I will spread this pathetic right wing soup among my folks in european forums, because it is a warning. I don't want our politicians to be infested with that shit, because it won't even be successful. its hilarious.

the master of anti-immigration propaganda would be michelle malkin. funny enough she is a well educated filipina. BUT: she often points on mistakes that are quite serious and counter-productive. just the conclusions then are corrupt too many times.

for example. from what I can observe, social codes and behavior among most black people is quite different from e.g. germans, whom I know well, having worked in germany.
when a german in an everyday situation talks to a black (I mean someone who is not totally assimilated) like he would talk to every german who is not quite an authority, perhaps like "get away with your car from here", "do you think you have a clue here?", "you are contradicting yourself - I don't care what you say", or just "you dumbass", etc...
the impression and reaction would be IMHO different in a critical sense. the black person (or turk or arab for that matter) would expect a bit more politeness. not to mention the kind of "warmth" and "vibe" among close friends, where there are cultural differences (remember arab men kissing each other as brothers).
but most time the cold behavior is not meant personal, and not more disrespectful than to any other person. there are true racists, but this is a different story. the problem starts already between average people when they neglect each others style of communication.
this is why I bring the notions of ego and self-esteem into the topic. many white or "western" people got rid of politeness, perhaps the effort of a few words extra and the skills to express it are assumed too much in the hassle of their lives.
OTOH a culture that demands a lot of rituals to nurture mutually self-esteem, is perceived as bizarre. and the rituals of "dissing" (like the rappers do), where there is much humor inside, are just not understood but seen as utterly violent and threatening, which creates much of the fear! something like "he has such a bigger ego than mine"..

media, pop culture and rumors are creating the wrong images..

2 cents..

hackenslash · 29th July 2007, 05:32 PM

Playing the race card, that is, assuming racism in any situation, is the worst form of racism, because it helps racism to proliferate and to survive long after it should have died a natural death.

Just my two cents.

kellyd · 29th July 2007, 06:42 PM

Call like it is. He wasn't the major star. He screwed up. Gay slurs are what did it. Doesn't matter what color you are. If you're not the star and you cause shit be prepared to lose your gig. I would do the same thing. Race is a lame reason esp since they are other African Americans on the show and invloved in production.
He could have made it go away but every opportunity available he shot himself in the foot.

Tone Laborer · 2nd August 2007, 03:23 PM

That show is lame anyway. Young, beautiful, emotionally tormented doctors f'ing each other. Nice. I'd rather hang in the studio and not waste that hour of my life.

HIGHENDONLY · 2nd August 2007, 03:31 PM

I don't like Bill o'reily nomore, i like Glenn Beck now

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30th June 2007, 06:59 PM	#1
Meriphew Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Seattle USA Posts: 2,123	Fired actor plays the race card After being fired for using anti-gay slurs multiple times, this actor has the balls to say his firing was racially motivated. What an asshole. Ex-'Grey's'*star: Racism a factor in axing - CNN.com LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington said racism was a factor in his firing from the hit ABC series after he twice used an anti-gay slur. art.washington.gi.jpg Washington said he lost his "Grey's Anatomy" job partly because he was an assertive black man. Washington, who initially used the epithet during an onset clash with a co-star, told Newsweek magazine that "someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me." He tried to make amends by expressing remorse and volunteering to enter a counseling program to understand how the confrontation got out of hand, he told Newsweek. "My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity," he said in the interview posted online Thursday. "My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts," he said. His unwillingness to act like a submissive black at work was part of the problem, Washington said. "Well, it didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn't speak like I'd just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime," he said. "I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone? "It's nuts when your presence alone can just scare people, and that made me a prime candidate to take the heat in a dysfunctional family," he said. ABC declined comment Thursday. In its one public statement regarding Washington, issued in January, the network said his actions were "unacceptable." Washington, who used the slur against co-star T.R. Knight during a confrontation with Patrick Dempsey, repeated the word backstage at the Golden Globes in January in denying the first incident. A public apology to Knight and others followed __________________ www.myspace.com/meriphew

3rd July 2007, 11:51 AM	#5
picksail Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Hollywood Posts: 3,254	I bumped into while leaving from a movie at The Grove. He seemed like a decent guy. I imagine he's pretty pissed about his public firing. Probably pretty humiliating considering the reason for his firing. I suppose he's retaliating and has some hungry attorneys. __________________ Stewart Cararas Seventh Level Productions Myspace Profile Discogs _________________________________ The new is necessarily abstract - Rudolf Borchadt

3rd July 2007, 01:52 PM	#7
zboy2854 Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 4,209	Yeah, I can see where he has a point... Oh, except for the other two black actors on the show... Oh yeah, and the black woman who is the show's creator and head writer... __________________ "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics." -Benjamin Disraeli

23rd July 2007, 04:58 PM	#10
NeoVXR Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,164	the show is great and he did a great job! just that he should be aware of some vice versa situation here ... obviously these people* can't get along about different cultural expression of EGO. anyway he was brilliant and credible with his ego problem in the particular role. "there is no spoon..." *) mr. washington AND management AND some staff perhaps IMO he should have avoided falling outs in the first time.. but who am I, I have compassion for everyone suffering under the situation. __________________ sorry 4 poor english

30th June 2007, 07:09 PM	#2
ninjaneer Gear maniac Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 257	aaahh.. if only his name was paris

3rd July 2007, 11:34 AM	#4
GearBit Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,123	BET anyone?

27th July 2007, 12:14 AM	#11
chazba Gear interested Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 12	I'm offended that he equates being stupid enough to make the anti-gay comments with being black. chazba

29th July 2007, 10:04 AM	#12
Black Animal Gear Head Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 67	your all stupid, of course its not racially motivated, i mean don't you remember in school when they taught us that racism ended in 1965? what nerve he has to suggest that he was fired for those reasons. no but really i think he would have a better idea of why he got fired than any of us, so all you racist punks who just showed your true colors really are merely speculating. i being a black man completely empathize with what he was saying. although this may seem completely out there to all you white folks on this forum stuff like this actually happens every single day for non-whites in this country and around the world. for example, me and my brother tried to jump my car at a gas station the other day because it had a dead battery and we got the police called on us, apparently i was trying to steal my own car. i mean i could tell you a million stories of racism but i would just be pulling the race card, huh? after moving to santa cruz, ca from another city that actually had other black people in it, ive come to realize that the racism i experience on a daily basis is, in the eyes of most white folks ive met, all but nonexistent. do you really think we're making this shit up? i dont have to be called a ni**** to get the point sometimes. do i believe that people were afraid of isiaiah washington because he was an assertive black man? absolutely. did this contribute to his firing? only him and his bosses know that. i didint even know who he was until today but i know what it's like because im shy and passive yet people fear me like you wouldn't believe in this town. guess i must be upsetting th ewhite male christian power structure. bill oreilly, anyone? YouTube - Bill O'Reilly: White, Christians in power only

29th July 2007, 05:32 PM	#15
hackenslash Gear addict Join Date: May 2007 Location: People's Republic Of Mancunia Posts: 350	Playing the race card, that is, assuming racism in any situation, is the worst form of racism, because it helps racism to proliferate and to survive long after it should have died a natural death. Just my two cents.

29th July 2007, 06:42 PM	#16
kellyd Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Austin Posts: 923	Call like it is. He wasn't the major star. He screwed up. Gay slurs are what did it. Doesn't matter what color you are. If you're not the star and you cause shit be prepared to lose your gig. I would do the same thing. Race is a lame reason esp since they are other African Americans on the show and invloved in production. He could have made it go away but every opportunity available he shot himself in the foot.

2nd August 2007, 03:23 PM	#17
Tone Laborer Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Austin,Tx Posts: 809	That show is lame anyway. Young, beautiful, emotionally tormented doctors f'ing each other. Nice. I'd rather hang in the studio and not waste that hour of my life.

2nd August 2007, 03:31 PM	#18
HIGHENDONLY Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Middlebury CT Posts: 825	I don't like Bill o'reily nomore, i like Glenn Beck now

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