Apparently this Dog’s bark is worse than his bite.

Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman was caught on tape deriding one of his sons over his black girlfriend, with the repeated use of the “N-word.”

When his show first came out in 2004, I wasn’t too crazy about it — I’ve never been a fan of the whole reality TV thing. But since moving from Hawaii to Washington in April, I’ve grown to enjoy it — mostly to catch glimpses of home, places I know and have been in Honolulu. One of my favorite scenes was when Dog found some crack-head in the dumpster at the Hideaway, a little-known bar off the fringes of Waikiki that I used to frequent.

I also thought his little lectures after apprehending a suspect were, while maybe a bit self-indulgent, seemingly benevolent. He appeared to be coming from a good place, with relatively altruistic intentions.

And perhaps that is still the case. Using a racial slur doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person. At best, it makes you an obtuse idiot.

I suppose it helps to realize that Chapman is coming from a time and place where language like this was not only tolerated, it was normal. It’s almost reminiscent of the old grandfather who is not quite up to speed on the most politically correct terms to describe minorities, homosexuals and others who haven’t had it easy. But using language like this — albeit during what was thought to be a private moment — is quite simply inexcusable.

What upsets me most about it is that Dog had become somewhat of an ambassador of aloha, representative of Hawaii and all its values. Back home he is — or, should I say, was — beloved. This ugly news is the top story of the day in a place that is starving for attention beyond just being paradise. Sure, there’s racism there, like anywhere, but in the islands, one of the most accepting places on earth, slurs like that aren’t heard very often. I’m saddened by the thought that this incident could change that perception.

I also find it utterly entertaining how the first thing a celebrity will do after putting his foot (or paw) in his mouth is book a spot on the Circuit of Sorry, thinking everything will be OK if you just admit you screwed up. Dog is following in the pathetic footsteps of Mel Gibson, Kramer (Michael Richards) and Don Imus. What, uh, colorful company to be in.

When The Rev. Al Sharpton (usually one of the first stops on the Circuit of Sorry) meets with Dog, perhaps the Eloquent One should cuff Dog and lecture him in the back of an SUV. And maybe offer him “one smoke,” like dog always does with his prey. At a time like this, with a disappointed public looking on, he could probably use one …

=Ben=

Related link:
‘Dog’ on leash after N-word rant

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.