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Before I climb onto the ranting soap box, let me share a few words spoken by the subject of this commentary.

The "F" word to me, at that particular time, before this took off in this other direction in terms of sexual orientation, it meant something -- it meant to me, someone who is being weak ... a person who is not being treated ... is not deserving of respect.

That is Isaiah Washington, formerly of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" talking to Larry King on CNN last week about calling a who he claims to be a heterosexual castmate a "faggot." In the heat of the moment, when there are literally hundreds of words to choose from to describe someone as weak or not deserving of respect, Washington chose to use the word "faggot."

And congratulations, NBC. He's your newest employee!

I am very unhappy ... scratch that ... I am literally outraged by the fact that Washington is not only being given a second chance, but he's practically being rewarded for an incident he alone caused, and an incident that as far as he's concerned, wasn't even his fault. NBC not only offered him a five-episode stint on "Bionic Woman," but they also are giving him a series deal for next year which will try and make Washington a household name differently than he already is.

Some have said that this whole incident is much ado about nothing. Washington should be allowed to say what he wants, because hey, this is a free country, right? And it's not like he directed the comment to gay cast member T.R. Knight, so who did he hurt?

It hurt a lot of people, which is why such a word should never be uttered, in all places, a work site. Instead of stopping to say, "You know, that was wrong for me to say that, but I am human, and I make mistakes. I am sorry it happened, and I will work to make sure it doesn't happen again." Instead, we get a whole diatribe on "Larry King" and other places about how his firing has nothing to do with him using a highly offensive word, but because he's black.

I'm sorry, but I don't care what color you are ... if you use an extremely offensive word to put a co-worker down on company time in a work place, you should absolutely have to face consequences, which could very much include termination. If T.R. Knight had gone to Patrick Dempsey, started an argument, and then called Dempsey the "N-word," would it be OK for Knight to get off with a slap on the hand, and not have to apologize? If he were fired, would it be right for him to claim that it had nothing to do with him using a racial slur ... he was fired because he was gay? No. He would've been fired because he used a horrible word, and wouldn't take responsibility for using it. And Washington would be first in line to show him the door.

But that's exactly the hypocrisy Washington is showing, and basically what he told Larry King.

I tried to resign [from the show] twice. I tried to resign. I called the [network] president and I asked, I said, 'Look man, the NAACP is calling me, you know? Willis Everson is calling me. Dick Burke is calling me. Anda lot of people were outraged. Jesse Jackson wants to get involved. This thing is really turning into something else and I don't want to racialize this thing, you know? I don't want to do that here. So help me out. You know, I have shares in Disney. I want to be best of class. I want to do the right thing. But it was shut down.'"

Mr. Washington, if you wanted to do the right thing, then admit your mistake without feeling the need to blame everyone else. Without saying you were provoked by Dempsey. Without claiming that Knight was lying to the media because he doesn't "like his character" on the show. And without claiming that this is some conspiracy to get you because you're black.

It's 2007, but I will be the first to admit that racial prejudice is still a major problem in our society. But prejudice is not defined simply by race. There are a multitude of population groups affected by prejudice, and when you claim prejudice in place of simply taking responsibility for your actions, you end up hurting those people who really are suffering from prejudice. How is that right?

From a marketing standpoint, NBC performed a major coup. Not only are people talking about the network, but they're talking about its fall show "Bionic Woman," giving it the kind of buzz it will need to survive a grueling season schedule. And it will work, because viewers will tune in to see who this man is that the press won't shut up about. Who either is a horrible person for making homophobic remarks and not apologizing for real, or who was railroaded simply for exercising his right to free expression.

Just because it's good for the bottom line doesn't mean it's good from a moral standpoint. And I'm sorry, NBC, you just squeezed the last drops of morality from the very fiber of your existence. I just hope you can get it back.

Michael Hinman is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.

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