Week Old Post

(I meant to post this a week ago, but ...)

Context, context, context.
I haven’t read too much about Kathy Griffin’s censored comments upon winning a Cable Emmy. Apparently, The E! Network has decided not to air her acceptance speech because while accepting an award, she said, according to the Associated Press, which I have to use because I haven’t seen the actual speech:

“Griffin said that ‘a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.’“She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, "This award is my god now!’"

I believe the off-color remark was, “Suck it, Jesus,” according to other sources who must have seen the tape.
The question isn’t whether Griffin’s comments are offensive. Of course they are, and she knew it when she made them. For someone to say that and not think people would be offended would be at best naive and at worst hopelessly stupid. She probably intended to offend people, and generate publicity, when she said what she said.
The real question is: How offensive was what she said?
In context, perhaps not as offensive as one might think.
Griffin is known for being outrageous and saying outrageous things. That’s what got her on TV; gave her her own cable show, “My Life on the D-List;” and got her considered as a permanent host on “The View.”
Last season, when she didn’t win the Emmy, she threw a comedic temper tantrum, and screamed, ''I was robbed and you all know it! Everybody can suck it!"
Further, a recent stand-up comedy show that aired on Bravo, the same network at “D-List,” was titled “Suck It.”
So, what she said was a running joke, albeit one taken to another level.
Further, and on this point I have to agree with Griffin, how many hypocritical people who pay no attention to their religion 99 and 44/100 percent of the time, and then get up and thank Jesus for helping them win an award?
Does God really care about the Cable Emmys? (How often do sports figures thank God for winning a game? Does God care if you scored a touchdown on overtime to win a preseason NFL game? If so, what does that say about the cornerback you burned on a deep pass pattern? If God loves you by letting you score, is that cornerback going to Hell?)
So, how offensive was what she said? Pretty offensive. Does context make it less offensive? Probably not to most people who were offended.
But, it does make more sense why she said it.
Does it make sense to know where the joke came from and the circumstances as to why she said it before condemning her to the same fate as the cornerback who blew the coverage? Yes.