Lashing out at some paparazzi, Chris Brown adds to his laundry list of annoying actions/comments by telling them:

"Y'all niggas is weak. Did you all call them [parking lot enforcement] to try and film me? Y'all niggas is gay."

As TMZ points out, Brown has a history of less-than-friendly words when it comes to gay people. (I know, I know—you have tons of gay friends.) When a person of color is deciding whether or not to endorse the N-word or variations of it, that is a matter of political correctness and a debate to be had by people who could rightfully be personally offended by hearing that word used, people who could be categorized as such by a racist. (I'm white and don't like it, but it's not the same.)

But going around using "gay" as a put-down is my business, not his. If "gay" really isn't connected to homophobic sentiments, then let's just switch it out for "African-American." Then, when everything bad and weak is being called "African-American"—with nooo connection to black people—we can talk about how words and their context matter or do not matter.

His delusional fans wouldn't care if he lit a baby on fire in an intersection at this point; a little "gay"-bashing isn't going to dent him one bit. I doubt seriously he will do any kind of impressive apologizing and make-gooding as—I have to admit—Tracy Morgan has done.

Tracy Morgan eats some serious crow at a presser

Like Brown, Morgan said stuff that wasn't just a matter of running afoul of political correctness, he said things that seemed to reveal what he really thinks. To his credit, and even though at least part of the reaction can be chalked up to, "I don't wanna lose my job!", Morgan has done things that most celebrities would not do in order to make up for and disavow his comments—he's met with GLAAD, he's met with patrons from the place where he made the remarks (not jokes, remarks) and he's traveled back to the scene of the crime. He has abjectly apologized (no half-hearted "if you were offended, sorry").

I'm not saying I believe Morgan is not and has never been homophobic in the slightest, but when someone says the wrong thing and then apologizes convincingly and takes responsibility, you have to decide—am I holding a grudge because I dislike him, or am I going to accept it this time because it's for the greater good and keep an eye out for the future?

Mel Gibson's absurdly transparent, unrepentant meeting in '97

Mel Gibson is someone whose "apologies" have been bogus. I remember way back when he was running at the mouth, being homophobic, and he agreed to meet with some gay filmmakers. His interaction with them was SO NOT IMPRESSIVE. I think Morgan's is. So while my first reaction to Morgan's outburst was, "Fuck you. Fire him," I personally think he has done anything he can to try to make up for it, and if that's not acceptable, then there is really no incentive for public figures in the future to apologize or try to make up for things they've said and done that have been negative to one group or another.

Or is Tracy Morgan as dead to you as Chris Brown is to me?