Posted by
Green Faerie on Sunday, November 04, 2007 10:31:37 PM
The latest celebrity embarrassment involves Dwayne "Dog" Chapman, star of A&E's hit series Dog: The Bounty Hunter. Chapman was recorded speaking to his son on the phone (I don't think the kid's ever been on the show), urging him to dump a girlfriend. Chapman apparently didn't trust this girlfriend but what stirred up the controversy was his frequent use of the n-word. The kicker is that said girlfriend is black.
As Chapman figured in the recording, the fallout resulted in A&E putting the t.v. show on hiatus immediately. A&E is a relentlessly p.c. network so don't go looking for the program to return any time soon.
It's hard to defend Chapman. I love Dog: The Bounty Hunter. It's always fun watching crooks get their just desserts and Chapman is portrayed as a tough guy who's lived a hard life but nonetheless has a heart of gold. Often after they take down a fugitive, Chapman and his family are counseling him to change his life. I still don't think he's a bad guy. I know that in some socioeconomic circles, the n-word is just tossed around as no big deal. They say it because everybody around them says it. But Chapman knows better and the recording indicates he knows full well that using the n-word is at the very least controversial if not flat out wrong. If he's so concerned with the public knowing he uses racist language, why not make a concerted effort to try and change it? Is it really that difficult not to use the n-word?
Yet he's not the only pinhead in this situation. The person who leaked the recording to the National Enquirer is none other than the son who was arguing about the girlfriend. How bad is this young man's relationship with his father that he has to betray him like that? For all of Chapman's faults, this was a family issue. Now it's public and the entire family has to suffer. What a selfish, vindictive creep.
If Chapman ever ends up back on the air, let's just hope that aside from the expected trips to rehab or some other sort of contrition, he gets some family counseling as well.