Since the world of 30 Rock isn't exactly all that far removed from our own (I like to think of it as a pocket universe, one wherein everything is planned ahead of time by comedy writers, which makes everything way funnier), the NBC comedy finally tackled the issue of Tracy Morgan's homophobic rant during a comedy show last summer by . . . well, having his character, Tracy Jordan, do the exact same thing.

So did it work? The short answer: about as well as you would expect.

The long answer: the show got in some great talking points about how Morgan's comments, no matter how stupid or inane they may be, do have an impact on people. They also got in the fact that Morgan wouldn't be where he is today without the help of his numerous gay co-workers and friends, and that Morgan needs to grow up and stop being a colossal moron.

And then it sort of segued out of it by having Morgan turn around and claim that he was discriminated against for being stupid. So ultimately, no one really learned anything from this.

On one hand, as far as televised wish-fulfillment goes (in that audiences were hoping Morgan would actually apologize within the show for his actions) it felt like a bit of a cop-out. Granted, it's a two-part episode, so there's always the chance that Morgan will see the error of his ways by next week. But ultimately, this may be the most realistic outcome. One wherein we have to deal with the fact that some people are just idiots and will never learn that no matter how often science and logic and common sense beat them over the head with the truth: that we deserve the same rights and respect as people who are straight and cissexual. 

Also, did anyone else kind of think Denise Richards may have been a tad hard on herself by declaring herself an idiot? I mean granted, she dated Charlie Sheen, but I still feel like she may need some cheering up. 

So, last week, Tracy Morgan (or is it Tracy Jordan? So confusing...) went full-Kramer at a comedy show, saying that being gay was a choice and that he would stab his own son in the head if he were gay. Normally, joking about stabbing your son in the head really does not the funny times make, so you can imagine the class-five shitstorm that has ensued because of his comments. 

To which I say: Seriously? You're only picking up on this now?!

Jesus... Did you guys learn nothing from Charlie Sheen? Remember when Sheen got high, locked a pornstar in a closet and started trashing a hotel room? Everyone was freaking out while the sane people sat in the background saying, "How do you not remember the time he shot his fiancée then almost stabbed his third wife? This shouldn't be surprising."

Look, I'm not going to try to defend his actions because what Morgan said was both inexcusable and inappropriate in any circumstance. This is a classic case of "stupid money" syndrome. Basically, it works like this: if you are willing to pay someone to act like a stupid asshole, they will eventually find ways to act like an even bigger, stupider asshole. It's the same principle that has made Speidi, Tila Tequila and Brent Corrigan famous, despite the fact that they have the collective IQ of a grapefruit. 

I'm not saying you should forgive Tracy; I'm just saying don't be surprised. He's pulled this same, stupid fuckery before. He's serving you the same bullshit, just in new and exciting ways. If one thing has come out of this, at the very least, it's that it finally exposed homophobic violence for what it is: the stupid, thoughtless actions of a petulant man-child too dumb to accept the world and its people for whom they really are.