Is Alec Baldwin This Week's Paula Deen? Why I Think So

Alec Baldwin has a temper. I remember the video footage of him trying to break into a paparazzo’s van the day his daughter was born; banging on the windows and cursing up a blue streak. We all thought, ‘Good for you.’

Cut to a few years later when a phone conversation with Alec and his then-teenage daughter was leaked, and listening to him call her all sorts of nasty things was, to say the least, uncomfortable. And he’s ranted about airlines that tell him, he’s ALEC Baldwin, you know, to turn off his phone. So, so funny? Or not.

Now, Baldwin is in trouble again for Tweeting his ire at George Stark, a Daily Mail reporter, who wrote that Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria, was Tweeting while the couple attended the funeral of actor James Gandolfini last week. And Baldwin, not at all known for his restraint, said, “My wife wasn’t Tweeting throughout the funeral and that wasn’t nice of you to say so.”

Of course he didn’t say that. He took to Twitter where he Tweeted:

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin

I'm gonna find you, George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I'm gonna fuck...you...up.

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin

If [sic] put my foot up your fucking ass, George Stark, but I'm sure you'd dig it too much

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin

My wife and I attend a funeral to pay our respects to an old friend, and some toxic Brit writes this fucking trash

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin I want all of my followers and beyond to straighten out this fucking little bitch, George Stark. @MailOnline

ABFoundation ABFalecbaldwin

George Stark, you lying little bitch. I am gonna f%#@ you up.

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin Someone wrote that my wife was tweeting at a funeral. Hey. That's not true. But I'm gonna tweet at your funeral.

ABFoundation @ABFalecbaldwin

My wife DID NOT use her phone, in any capacity, at our friends funeral. Now, fuck this twitter + good luck to all of you who know the truth

Then he deleted his Twitter account.

Now, is he the new Paula Deen? I’m going to say yes, because of his use of the word ‘queen’ and his suggestion of “f**king” him by shoving a foot in Stark’s ass, though he thinks Stark might like it.

Now, the word ‘queen’ might not sound offensive, in and of itself, but the idea of Baldwin suggesting that Stark might like something shoved up his ass, along with the term ‘queen’ is offensive to the gay community at large. Especially in New York City where, in recent weeks, we’ve seen a sharp rise in gay bashings and hate crimes, and the murder of one gay man, shot point blank in the face. 

Baldwin’s choice of words is not unfortunate, or a mistake, it’s disgusting and hurtful and harmful. But then he tries to explain it away and his apology, or lack thereof, and explanation, are as mind-numbingly idiotic as anything Deen has said of late:

"The idea of me calling this guy a 'queen' and that being something that people thought is homophobic...a queen to me has a different meaning. It's somebody who's just above. It doesn't have any necessarily sexual connotations.

To me a queen...I know women that act queeny, I know men that are straight that act queeny, and I know gay men that act queeny. It doesn't have to be a definite sexual connotation, or a homophobic connotation. To me those are people who think the rules don't apply to them.

This guy could blatantly lie, I mean blatantly lie about my wife on the internet and there are just no rules that apply to him, but that's outrageous to me....if what I said offended everybody, that obviously wasn't my intention.

I'm not interested in offending anyone. If homosexuality was an issue for me, I would have moved out of New York years ago. I find that laughable."

Not so fast, Alec. You might think the word ‘queen’ means what you say, but people hearing you say it, Tweet it, are not going to feel the same way. I have never heard that word said and not thought of a gay person—or, maybe, maybe, an actual queen—and adding to that your suggestion of violence toward the reporter is just as disgusting and offensive.

You used the word ‘queen’ as a put-down. You knew it was a put-down and, not being a stupid man by any stretch of the imagination, you had to know it would be perceived as an anti-gay put-down. So, save your apologies and try this: try removing that word from your vocabulary if the only way you know how to use it is as a derogatory name for someone who writes something about you that you don’t like.

It may not be the N-word, but I find your use of it, along with your threat of violence, to be upsetting, and disgusting, and very, very Paula Deen-like.

Baldwin also released this statement to GLAAD:

"I have worked, periodically, with numerous marriage equality organizations, especially over the past couple of years, to achieve the very rights that gay couples are earning by recent court decisions.

I would not advocate violence against someone for being gay and I hope that my friends at GLAAD and the gay community understand that my attack on Mr. Stark in no way was the result of homophobia.

As someone who fights against homophobia, I apologize. I have worked, periodically, with numerous marriage equality organizations, especially over the past couple of years, to achieve the very rights that gay couples are earning by recent court decisions. I would not advocate violence against someone for being gay and I hope that my friends at GLAAD and the gay community understand that my attack on Mr. Stark in no way was the result of homophobia.

Many Thanks, Alec Baldwin." 

And do not get me started on that whole “I’ve worked for gay causes” bull. That smacks of “Some of my best friends are fill in the blank” or of Paula Deen’s “We treat the black folks like family.” You can still be a bigot, a racist, or a homophobe, in your heart, when you use the wrong word, and then try to mangle some sort of ‘Oh no I didn’t’ out of it.

As Andrew Sullivan said, on the topic of Baldwin and his word choices:

"This is not just hate speech; it’s a specific call for other people to physically attack a gay man. It’s a call to violence against a specific person, which, last time I checked, was a crime. He’s a pro-gay liberal, so he may get a pass for this. He shouldn’t."

No, he shouldn’t. He should do as I have suggested Paula Deen do, over and over again, say, “I’m sorry I was wrong.” And then shut up. But no, always the one to get in the last word, Baldwin responded to Andrew Sullivan:

"I don’t think it’s a call for violence against a specific person because they’re gay, it’s a call for violence against a person who lied about my wife."

Oh, I guess calling for violence against a person who lies is appropriate now.

At least he didn’t call Sullivan a ‘toxic queen’ so there might be hope for him yet.

Until someone else pisses him off.

Oh yeah, and before any gays out there start defending Alec Baldwin and his rotten choice of words, think about this: what if it was said to you? What if, after a snippy little altercation with someone, they said, I'm gonna find you, you toxic little queen, and I'm gonna fuck...you...up. I'd put my foot up your fucking ass,  but I'm sure you'd dig it too much.

Not so nice now, eh?