How long is long enough?
Actor/comedian Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the 2019 Academy Awards this past Tuesday. On Thursday, he announced he was stepping down as host. What happened? A firestorm of criticism over tweets he'd made in the past.
That's just a small sampling. You can see a whole lot more in the video embedded in this tweet.
* * *
From the time he was announced as the host until his statement that he was stepping down, Kevin Hart had refused to apologize for his old tweets. Had he simply apologized in a sincere fashion, expressed remorse and talked about how he has evolved as a person since then, this might have blown over. He did not, and it did not.
Are we responsible for everything we say, for the entire remainder of our lives? How many people who would not think of telling a homophobic joke today had told them at some point in their lives? Is there no statute of limitations on our past words?
In the late 1970s when I was serving in the Air Force, humor was homophobic, sexist and racist. Jokes were told that I would not dream of telling today. In retrospect, I'm sorry I told some of those jokes way back when.
We do evolve in our viewpoints and beliefs. I'm still a fiscal conservative but after decades as a Republican, my beliefs have shifted to the progressive side of the aisle. We change over time.
Kevin Hart's offensive tweets appear to have stopped completely in 2011. That's right around the time he began achieving major success as a movie actor. I don't know if that was the onus for the change, or if his views did evolve. Since we cannot know what is in his heart today, we need to give him the benefit of the doubt that he no longer holds those offensive beliefs.
Actions and words are not equal. Sexual assault is worse than verbal sexual harassment. That doesn't excuse the words or lessen their impact. It is in how we deal with what we said in the past that defines our future.
I believe that Kevin Hart has evolved and with the passage of time may earn another chance to host the Oscars.
Lmao @ all of the woman asking me where the pic is, I'm not passing along a pic of a naked man!!! That would make me gay by association— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) August 14, 2009
I just saw a nigga put a whole chicken wing in his mouth and pull it out with no meat on it!!!!!! God damn that was gay— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) May 23, 2009
Yo we R abt 2 go c the movie "orphan" & @hgoodspeed said he cnt go b/c scary movies giv him NIGHTMARES!!! ths nigga is gay— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) July 31, 2009
That's just a small sampling. You can see a whole lot more in the video embedded in this tweet.
After seeing this @benfraserlee tweet, I did a search for every time Kevin Hart tweeted "fag," "homo," or "gay." It was…a lot. And he seems to have basically stopped tweeting those words after 2011 — i.e. the year his first stand-up movie became a hit. https://t.co/P8nTOilFgx pic.twitter.com/6uzPhnvt4F— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) December 5, 2018
* * *
From the time he was announced as the host until his statement that he was stepping down, Kevin Hart had refused to apologize for his old tweets. Had he simply apologized in a sincere fashion, expressed remorse and talked about how he has evolved as a person since then, this might have blown over. He did not, and it did not.
Are we responsible for everything we say, for the entire remainder of our lives? How many people who would not think of telling a homophobic joke today had told them at some point in their lives? Is there no statute of limitations on our past words?
In the late 1970s when I was serving in the Air Force, humor was homophobic, sexist and racist. Jokes were told that I would not dream of telling today. In retrospect, I'm sorry I told some of those jokes way back when.
We do evolve in our viewpoints and beliefs. I'm still a fiscal conservative but after decades as a Republican, my beliefs have shifted to the progressive side of the aisle. We change over time.
Kevin Hart's offensive tweets appear to have stopped completely in 2011. That's right around the time he began achieving major success as a movie actor. I don't know if that was the onus for the change, or if his views did evolve. Since we cannot know what is in his heart today, we need to give him the benefit of the doubt that he no longer holds those offensive beliefs.
Actions and words are not equal. Sexual assault is worse than verbal sexual harassment. That doesn't excuse the words or lessen their impact. It is in how we deal with what we said in the past that defines our future.
I believe that Kevin Hart has evolved and with the passage of time may earn another chance to host the Oscars.
posted by me at 7:45 AM
<< Home