When I first heard that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant mouthed a homophobic slur in the middle of a national game broadcast Tuesday night, and you know which word it was, all I could think of was a scene from the 2009 film “The Hangover.”
Here’s the dialogue (and video)
Stu Price: They are mature, actually. You just have to get to know them better.
Phil Wenneck: [yells from outside] PAGING DR. FAGGOT. DR. FAGGOT!
Stu Price: I should go.
Melissa: That’s a good idea, Dr. Faggot.
This scene comes just minutes after this line of monologue:
Phil Wenneck: [his answering machine message] Hey, this is Phil. Leave me a message, or don’t, but do me a favor: don’t text me, it’s gay.
This Phil character, and the film in general, connected with such a wide audience because this cartoonish meat head is so true to life.
And Kobe, a role model to many young men, is no better.
By Paul M. Banks
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