Roland Martin Suspended By CNN For Remarks On Super Bowl

Anything you say on Twitter can and will be used against you. At least that’s the stance many large corporations have taken the last few years concerning employees’ actions on the social media site. The latest victim of said policy is CNN political analyst Roland Martin whose off-handed comments about the David Beckham Super Bowl commercial and a man in a pink suit have landed him in the penalty box.

Far from blatantly bigoted, both of the comments were along the lines of something a fourteen year old male might say to his buddies during a watch party, but considering the inherent stupidity and borderline offensiveness, CNN decided to put its foot down. Five years ago, it’s unlikely the network would have acted at all, but nowadays, you really can’t get away with saying either of the following remarks…

Neither of the aforementioned comments is wildly over the line. Instead, they’re more representative of the subtle bias many straight men have against actions and articles of clothing that can be interpreted as homosexual of effeminate. It’s unlikely those thought patterns will ever totally disappear from society. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem for men to make jokes about things they interpret as gay, but because there are many people out there who aren’t joking and actually hold biases, said comments often end up doing more harm than good.

According to The Associated Press, Martin has been taken off the air indefinitely for his comments. He’s already issued a statement apologizing. I’d expect him to be back on the air in a month or so, which seems like the appropriate penalty for putting one’s foot in his mouth.