Support NeoGAF

[planar1280]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...wl_n_1263276.html#s666301&title=rolandsmartin

CNN announced Wednesday that it is suspending Roland Martin in the wake of the pundit's controversial Super Bowl tweets.

The Washington Post's Erik Wemple posted this statement from the network:

“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”
The move came three days after Martin caused an outcry by tweeting that people should "smack the ish" out of any male fans of an underwear ad starring David Beckham. He also made fun of a New England Patriots player who arrived wearing a pink jumpsuit. "He needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass," Martin wrote.

Gay rights groups such as GLAAD accused him of condoning anti-gay violence, and pointed to columns he had written, such as one in which he compared homosexuality to alcoholism. Martin first said that he had merely making fun of soccer players, and then issued an apology of sorts, saying that he regretted "any offense" he had caused.

CNN did not initially make any statement about the controversy, and Martin was on the air for the network's election coverage on Tuesday night.

After news of the suspension broke, GLAAD issued a statement of its own.

"CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community,” GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro said. “Yesterday, Martin also spoke out against anti-LGBT violence. We look forward to hearing from CNN and Roland Martin to discuss how we can work together as allies and achieve our common goal of reducing such violence as well as the language that contributes to it.”

some of his tweets

If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl

Ain't no real bruhs going to H&M to buy some damn David Beckham underwear! #superbowl

Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass

Link has also exchange between him and other tweeters on those tweets. it got worse as it went on. should have been fired.

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

Yup. SHould have been fired.

 

[SolKane]

Looks like it was Martin who got a visit from #teamwhipdatass

 

[Yen]

CNN sacked the ish out of him.

 

[Sol..]

when keeping it real goes wrong....

 

[Imm0rt4l]

when keeping it real goes wrong....

.

 

[Brobzoid]

got his ish pushed in it seems

 

[SimleuqiR]

I was like "Who?"

Clicked the link:

Oh, shit! That guy!?

I no longer watch CNN - they are as bad as Fox News, in their own ways.

Edit:

Then I remembered this

 

[Trojita]

#teamwhipdatass

Someone is in the closet.

 

[Miggytronz]

Real Talk Dawg!

 

[vitaminwateryum]

He sure loves to talk about H&M underwear.

 

[Gaborn]

I'm sure his wife (who just LOVES those sinful gays she tries to convert through prayer) is just crushed at his bigotry.

And to be clear, I have no problem with people who have a religious objection to homosexuality, you're free to believe what you want there, but when you then claim you have no problem with gays and proceed to stereotype and make bigoted remarks, then you damage your own credibility as well as your faith's.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

when keeping it real goes wrong....

word.

 

[Clevinger]

I no longer watch CNN - they are as bad as Fox News, in their own ways.

Pretty much. Replace "horrible right wing propaganda" with "general gross incompetence" and they're just as awful.

 

[Flink]

I think calling those tweets "homophobic" is stretching it a little, and I'm gay.

50 Cent, however, has had very homophobic tweets. There was not enough outrage about them...

 

[vas_a_morir]

I think it's homophobic to imply that a man who wears a pink suit is gay.

 

[Zzoram]

I was like "Who?"

Clicked the link:

Oh, shit! That guy!?

I no longer watch CNN - they are as bad as Fox News, in their own ways.

You're kidding right? CNN is way better. Their pundit conversations are much more friendly and balanced with conservatives and liberals.

Fox News is a conservative circle jerk where they occasionally bring on a liberal to yell at him.

 

[Dr. Malik]

never did like him nor his Obama praising

 

[Cyan]

There must be more to it than the tweets in the OP.

 

[SolKane]

#teamwhipdatascot

 

[El Sloth]

I came across this gem he retweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/itsgabrielleu/status/167234701512294401

Ma weave got "flagged" by the bodyscan at security. TSA required a hair patdown. No lie...they coulda just asked if it was the temple hair

 

[Gaborn]

I think calling those tweets "homophobic" is stretching it a little, and I'm gay.

50 Cent, however, has had very homophobic tweets. There was not enough outrage about them...

I agreed with you until I saw his previous comments on gays.

 

[CliqWriter]

Why would you post anything at all if you are at that level in your career..

 

[planar1280]

There must be more to it than the tweets in the OP.

more tweets in the link. Also look at it in context with his previous comments

 

[Stealth Editor]

I like beards that shows where the jawline would be if not for the massive excess weight around the neck.

Clever

 

[Something Wicked]

The ones that really should be ashamed are the ones who actually follow Roland Martin's Twitter account.

 

[levious]

I think calling those tweets "homophobic" is stretching it a little, and I'm gay.

I can't see what isn't (at least slightly) homophobic about this one:

If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl

 

[PhoenixDark]

Stupid tweets and he should have been suspended. On one hand I can't say I'm innocent of saying things along the line of "any dude who likes x needs to gtfo" but he took things to pretty ridiculous levels.

 

[Dude Abides]

Guy who wears an ascot suggests other guys are foppish.

Argh. Beaten.

 

[SimleuqiR]

You're kidding right? CNN is way better. Their pundit conversations are much more friendly and balanced with conservatives and liberals.

Fox News is a conservative circle jerk where they occasionally bring on a liberal to yell at him.

Nothing to do with that. It is more of:

"Why are they talking about this on CNN? There are bigger issues at hand, why is this stupid stuff on this channel?"

 

[mr. puppy]

http://cdn1.newsone.com/files/2010/05/RolandMartinBPOilSpill-newsone.jpg[/im]

#teamwhipdatascot[/QUOTE]

that is fucking hideous

 

[vas_a_morir]

I can't see what isn't (at least slightly) homophobic about this one:

Oh yeah, that one could be offensive for sure! The pink suit? Well, for fashion reasons, he should get a visit from teamwhipdatass

 

[perfectnight]

when keeping it real goes wrong....

Haha

 

[Quadrangulum]

I felt kind of sorry for him when Jon Stewart was making fun of his ascot.

 

[xbhaskarx]

There must be more to it than the tweets in the OP.

Super Bowl: CNN’s Roland Martin tweets jokes seen as anti-gay

Roland Martin may have gone a step too far this time.

The CNN commentator is known for his cheeky tweets, but a series of comments he made on Twitter during the Super Bowl are being questioned for seeming to advocate violence against gay men.

Martin has denied the tweets were homophobic or meant to encourage violence. But LGBT-rights group GLAAD has said that’s not enough, urging CNN Monday to fire the commentator.

"Never said someone watching was gay. Folks are making ridiculous assumptions,” Martin tweeted afterward. “It's hilarious when idiots ... see my Beckham tweet as homophobic when I rip on soccer all of the time.”

...

On his Web site, Martin has called the actions of gays and lesbians “sinful behavior” and wrote that as a Baptist minister his wife “has counseled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle.”

When comedian Tracy Morgan last year said he would “stab” his son if he was gay, Martin defended him on his site.

 

[planar1280]

Erin Burnett is the best thing for CNN, after her its Anderson Cooper, then we get the lol.

 

[MattKeil]

The comments on that article are way more disturbing than anything Martin tweeted. Holy crap.

 

[DarkKyo]

Roland Martin is a fruit himself. Only a democrat deep in the closet would say stuff like this.

 

[Flink]

I can't see what isn't (at least slightly) homophobic about this one:

I mean, I probably would get annoyed at a man all excited about it too! Haha. He's probably a homophobe, but I'm just not overly offended by his tweets. *shrugs*

 

[DarkKyo]

Erin Burnett is the best thing for CNN, after her its Anderson Cooper, then we get the lol.

I like Anderson Cooper but Erin Burnett is pretty lame. I remember her making fun of occupy protesters on one of her first episodes. She's a product of wall street herself and it made me cringe to hear her mocking people who are going through hard times.

 

[Switters]

Methinks he doth protest too much.

 

[akira28]

There's not a damned thing wrong with being foppish. I draw the line at being a dandy, however.

 

[Cyan]

Super Bowl: CNN’s Roland Martin tweets jokes seen as anti-gay

Ah! Much is clarified. Thanks.

 

[perfectnight]

The comments on that article are way more disturbing than anything Martin tweeted. Holy crap.

Holy shit I immediately regret scrolling down to the comments.


"Communist news network" lol

 

[WillyFive]

Pretty much. Replace "horrible right wing propaganda" with "general gross incompetence" and they're just as awful.

Yes, but I'd feel a lot better leaving CNN on in the hotel lounge waiting area than Fox News.

 

[El Sloth]

His response to the controversy.

Based on several tweets I made on my Twitter feed on Super Bowl Sunday yesterday, I have been accused by members of the LGBT community of being supportive of violence against gays and lesbians and bullying.

That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused.

I have consistently said on television, radio, and in print, that I am steadfast against bullying. As I wrote on CNN.com, as well as said on the nationally-syndicated Dr. Phil Show, I believe parents and schools need to take an active role in ending this epidemic that afflicts kids nationwide, gay or not.

In fact, I was bullied in school, and watched another middle schooler pulled a knife on my father when he boarded our school bus and came to the defense of me and my brother. My position has been unequivocal on this issue, and will remain so.

When we witness violence in this country against someone because they are gay, or being beaten because they are Black, that speaks to a vicious cycle that seems to be never ending.

My joking about smacking someone, whether it was in response to a commercial or food they prepare for a Super Bowl party or wearing an opposing team’s jersey, was stated in jest. It was not meant literally, and in no way would I ever condone someone doing such a thing.

As I said repeatedly, I often make jokes about soccer in the U.S., and my crack about David Beckham’s commercial was related to that and not to anyone’s sexuality. To those who construed my comment as being anti-gay or homophobic or advancing violence, I’m truly sorry. I can certainly understand how someone could come to a different conclusion than the one I meant.

I’m disheartened that my words would embolden prejudice. While public debate over social issues is healthy, no matter which side someone takes, there is no room for debate as to whether we need to be respectful of others.

As someone who has spoken out forcefully against bigotry against African Americans and other minorities, as well as sexism against women, I fully understand how a group who has been unfairly treated would be offended by such comments, and, again, I am sorry for any offense my remarks caused.

But my focus has been steadfast and resolute in being a strong voice against such issues. My conviction has always been to speak progressively on issues confronting this country, and I will continue to do so.​

 

[Kinyou]

Is there a list that shows how many careers twitter has killed so far?

 

[THRILLH0]

I think it's homophobic to imply that a man who wears a pink suit is gay.

This. You'd think that GLAAD would know better than to perpetuate gay stereotypes.

 

[Gaborn]

Super Bowl: CNN’s Roland Martin tweets jokes seen as anti-gay

I've always been fascinated by the way very religious people treat gays. I mean, publicly they're all "hate the 'sin' not the sinner" but if you actually look at their comments, such as him defending Tracy Morgan - has he ever unprompted wrote a positive column defending a gay person being bullied? Has he ever spoken out against bigotry and hatred against gays? I've always hated this kind of religious person because it's such a cafeteria approach, only this time he's cherry picking the hateful parts rather than treating people as people.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Perhaps the best thing about this is that now conservatives can't say "if a black person said something homophobic on television nothing would happen!"