The Battle of Special Interest Groups

The saga of Grey's Anatomy actors Isaiah Washington offers a new opportunity to consider the battles of being offended when two special interest groups collide. Washington called gay co-star T.R. Knight a "fag," and the resulting firestorm got Washington fired. This would not be a story except that Washington is black.

Normally, as Don Imus demonstrated, if a white, straight guy offends a special interest group, he's toast; but who wins in special interest group versus special interest group? Frankly, I am shocked - I thought Washington's blackness would save him. Somewhere "fag" got elevated to the same status as "nigger," which is the most egregious ethnic slur. I did not get the memo ... I thought nothing was on that level ... and rightfully so.

Tensions between gay and black special interest groups is not new. The latter resents the former attempting to piggy back on the civil rights bandwagon and to equate the experiences of gays with those of blacks - a poor comparison at best. Regardless, in a new world where free speech rarely reigns, we should see more similar incidents.