On its website today, New York magazine gave Kathy Griffin “kudos” for unleashing a “joyfully blasphemous rant” upon receiving her Emmy award. Griffin’s words, “Suck it, Jesus, this is my God now” were so offensive and vulgar that most other news outlets won’t reprint them. Yet the Gotham publication goes so far as to gush, “Thank God we can always count on Kathy Griffin to inject a little energy into a boring awards show.”
The publication’s appetite for bigoted celebrity outbursts, however, seems to come and go. Foul-mouthed comediennes who insult Jesus and all Christians may meet with approval, but other celebrity offenders haven’t been so lucky.
Don Imus earned a spot in New York’s list of “Great Moments in Bigoted Slurs” for his remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Isaiah Washington called a cast mate a “faggot” and was branded “despicable” and a “leading homophobe” by the weekly. Mel Gibson also earned the “despicable” label (twice) for his drunken anti-Semitic outburst, and was even described as being on par with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both Gibson and Michael Richards (the comic of “Seinfeld” fame who went on a tirade against blacks) were listed among the “Great Moments in Racism.” And the use of the word “faggot” by Ann Coulter and Eminem was enough to drive the magazine’s pollsters into Union Square to ask passersby for their thoughts on the matter.
Yet Kathy Griffin faces no such scolding. Instead, she is hoisted up as a hero. While anti-Semitism, gay slurs and racism are (rightfully) condemned by New York’s avant-garde, Christian-bashing is cause for celebration. And the editors aren’t afraid to admit it.
