I said it way back in this thread, but that it is Kobe Bryant who made this comment is really a non issue, IMO. It's indicative of a larger cultural issue, which is the active marginalization and discrimination against homosexuals in US society. Bryant states:
It's pretty clear in this comment that he thinks he has no responsibility for the language he uses. The burden is evidently on those who are offended - they "perceived" his intentions wrong. But we all know what faggot means, and we know who this word targets. Even if, examining the situation, he was in that instance targeting the referee, he inadvertently targets and implicates homosexuals by using the word faggot. It doesn't matter whether or not he's aware of this (though clearly he is, as any adult should, and as he admits that his comment was "wrong"), because the larger cultural context is one that operates independently of individual action and speech. One might argue he was attacking an individual with that word, and that his actions should be understood in this way. But that ignores the very essential fact, that he uses a word which when critically examined, is tied directly and specifically to a certain social group, i.e. homosexual men. This is a group of people that has been actively repressed by the government, political groups and fellow citizens for decades. We are ultimately not having a conversation about the meanings of words - but how those words relate to how are society is composed and how we understand it.
However Bryant is a sports player, and his masters are corporate sponsors. Do I expect much fallout over this? No, the sponsors will take care of him, perhaps punishing him superficially. The public will demand an act of contrition, and voila, he'll have plenty of new endorsements. Hell, he might get some new endorsements out of this anyway; homophobia is prevalent enough in society, it surely exists among corporate executives.
