© Neil Hall / Reuters
The tweet attracted more than 10,000 responses in two days, with the vast majority of the comments being very negative towards the 34-year-old comedian. Users lambasted Denny, calling him 'ignorant' and 'tone-deaf.' Many accused him of not understanding the history of racial relations in the US, or the actual meaning of the 'N-word.'
As tensions were brewing, even the Oscar-nominated black actor Don Cheadle decided to join the argument. The Marvel superhero film star didn't hold back his frustration.
Despite the onslaught of criticism, Denny stood by his initial remarks. "It really wasn't my intention to offend people; it was an honest reaction to a pattern I saw: saying "straight white males" are responsible for all evil in society," he wrote. "That's not true, just like a lot of the horrible things generalized about black people."
Based in Los Angeles, Denny hosts a podcast and stars in the show 'Ginormous Food' on the Food Network. Its goal is "to find the biggest and tastiest foods in America," according to the channel's website. Denny also is an actor and a producer of several TV series and short films.
Reader Comments
Instead, in the effect that John Lennon used it to describe women, I would say that being a white, straight, male is in fact the new N****r.
Where he (the comedian) is talking about terms or semantics (I assume from above), which does not make sense, since I would never feel offended even if straight white male was a derogatory term, I am talking about class or caste status.
If he is talking about it in terms of a "status in society" then I agree wholeheartedly and think he is absolutely right.
Straight white male has been given N****r status in our version of Western society right now. Just as I expect Japanese Americans probably felt that way during WW2 when they were being interred.
Either way no one has the right to tell anyone else how they feel...right?