Trey Parker and Matt Stone also started out at Troma. But they still get their paychecks from being as offensive as they can possibly manage. But I guess since they're even more anti-establishment -- targeting Bill and Hillary Clinton, Obama, Trump, Bob Dole, Saddam Hussein... hell, everyone, they haven't warranted as concerted a teardown. Just nibbles around the edges from every direction on a more-or-less ongoing basis.
I know Gunn isn't ashamed of his past, per se. He acknowledged -- when this first came up, and again now -- that he was in a much different headspace then. I don't think he felt like he had to keep his head down lest his past come back to haunt him, as it already had. I imagine he's a little taken aback at why it's so much bigger of a deal now than it was a decade ago (hint: he wasn't as high-profile prior to GOTG). He had to roll back what he'd said then, too, only the stakes were lower.
Yeah we were talking at work. And you nailed it here... When Gunn was writing to be offensive, he wasn't thinking he'd be under the Disney banner or even wanting to make family friendly stuff. It's not where his head was at.
Matt and Trey will NEVER be making a marvel movie, so they can do pretty much anything... But then even they saw that their Asian character was too racist and wrote it back. Times change, not everyone is born "woke"... some learn it.
When I joined the industry it was around the time when "Spike and Mike's sick and twisted film fest" was the way to get industry notice. EVERYONE in my school was making final films that would get them paid at that time - not thinking they could be dragged through the mud for it today. One of our teachers, Mike Grimshaw, made shorts that would never be allowed to even be LINKED here. I remember being so offended that I actually couldn't stand him as a teacher. You can probably find them online.
Point being, none of those students thought anything of those films or being held to them down the line. They were immature in immature times.
One of those students, a good friend of mine, now is like a mom from a 1950's TV show - it's like leave it to beaver in her house. She used to be one of the most offensive people I knew.
I myself made a dog and cat fighting short like old WB stuff... cuz I wasn't into gross out humor... but I was also one of the few whose short didn't get bought up by the gross out companies acquiring them... But DAMN did I want to have a mind for gross out so I COULD sell my short. My buddy went to Australia for the money he got.
I'm not a shock guy, but I totally get why people fall into that. Funny thing is those films would NEVER have been made in that school today... or old ones shown. NO WAY. It's different now.
So one last time. I don't think Gunn's tweets were funny, or appropriate... but neither were some of my best friends short films or jokes being told around that time. They're great people... Not so much then, but Jeez, who hasn't changed their entire personalities in the last 10 years? I think Gunn's apology and explanation is well put, and I feel bad for him. He's known and talked about his past a lot, and how he's changed as a person. What more can he do? The internet doesn't forget.