Shocked?

Michelle Shocked

By now you all know the story of the tragic breakdown of the once-promising alt-folk singer Michelle Shocked, who made a name for herself in the late 80's and early 90's. In the mid-90's (while gaining her greatest success with a song -- "Quality of Mercy" -- for the soundtrack to the Sean Penn/Susan Sarandon film Dead Man Walking), Shocked joined the choir of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal church in L.A. and subsequently became "Born Again." Honestly, I thought she'd given up performing, as I hadn't even heard her name in many, many years.

Of course, she got her name back in the press with her horrific homophobic rant this past Sunday at Yoshi, a club in San Francisco, where she declared that she was afraid that Marriage Equality would trigger the return of Jesus and the end of world, telling the audience (who walked out after) to "Go on Twitter and say that 'Michelle Shocked hates fags!'" Since then, 10 out of the 11 remaining venues where she had been scheduled to perform have cancelled her shows and LGBT groups have decried her statement all over the Internet. 

Today, Shocked issued an apology of sorts, stating she was merely expressing the worries of other Right-leaning Christians and the she (like Jesus) loves everyone.

Hmm. Too little, too late, Michelle. Or is it? Before this week, when is the last time you heard her name in the press (if ever)? I'd venture to say that no one born after 1985 had ever heard of her before this week. So I have to wonder... They say "There's no such thing as bad publicity." And Oscar Wilde famously said "The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about." So, my question is, was this a true melt-down or just a publicity stunt? I'm guessing it's probably a little bit of both. The gigs she lost will likely be replaced with invitations to perform at anti-gay rallies for groups like NOM and Focus on the Family, regardless of what she actually believes about gays and Marriage Equality. And she'll be fine with taking their blood money. 

Take it from the voice of experience - performers are whores. Each and every one of us. Most of us are just a little bit classier about it. If this is a publicity stunt, I hope it backfires on her. If it isn't, she's already lost her credibility as an indie folk performer and sent herself on the same path as anti-gay nut-job Victoria Jackson - another has-been, desperately trying to stay relevant in a world that has mostly forgotten her.

I actually sort of feel sorry for both women. Their careers shut down at their peaks; misguided by right-wing religion and desperate for attention, what recourse did they have but to make outrageous statements about marginalized people who are finally coming into their own? In the 1960's, they both would have come out against desegregation and mixed-raced marriage.  Sad, sad, sad, no matter how one spins it.

I can only hope that smart folks will see through the hate these women espouse.

More, anon.
Prospero

You have read this article Cynical / Hate / Homophobia / LGBT Rights / Marriage Equality / Michelle Shocked / Nonsense / Publicity / The Most Homophobic Thing / Victoria Jackson with the title The Most Homophobic Thing. You can bookmark this page URL https://tammycross.blogspot.com/2013/03/shocked.html. Thanks!

My First Hate Comment

I've been writing Caliban's Revenge for just over four years now and I have published just about every comment I've ever received, though they are sometimes few and far between. While I have less than 60 followers, I know plenty of people who read the blog regularly. Those who do comment, are usually polite and often agree with me. And even when they don't agree, as long they are civil, I approve their comments in order to present opposing points of view. I think I've rejected two comments in all that time, both of which were rude, but neither of which were outright hateful. That changed today.

In my Gmail inbox today, I found a request for comment moderation on a "Gayest Thing" post I wrote over a year ago about wrestling. Specifically, about a video that featured hot guys in sports set to the Backstreet Boys' song 'I Want It That Way.' I posted a picture of a wrestling singlet and talked about how some wrestlers get a little 'excited' when competing. It was all in good fun and two of my gay blogger friends, Michael Offutt and Pax Romano, both left amusing comments at the time. Anyway, I opened my Gmail tonight to find to this comment waiting approval by an anonymous troll:

 "F*ck you f****t! Wrestling is the least gay sport" (the stars are mine).

Needless to say, I did not approve the comment. But I still felt I should share it because it goes to prove how far the LGBTQ community has to go in making people understand that we are not sick, evil, pedophiles who want to turn everyone gay. Seriously, I'm actually glad that men like Newt Gingrich and Bryan Brown aren't gay. Ew! And honestly, how can anyone say that "Wrestling is the least gay sport?" What other sport lets men roll around in Spandex onesies, grabbing each other's crotches and butts while trying to assert their dominance? Seems pretty gay (not to mention lots of fun) to me.

So I am dedicating the probably NSFW videos and photos below to you, Anonymous, homo-hating troll. I hope you enjoy how manly they are:

Of course, the phenomena is not just limited to wrestlers:

So, Anonymous, I guess wrestling is the least gay sport, as long as you define "gay" as men who don't get boners while wrestling. Oops!

More, anon.
Prospewro

You have read this article Boners / Gay / Hate / Homophobia / NSFW / Sports / The Most Homophobic Thing / Wrestling with the title The Most Homophobic Thing. You can bookmark this page URL https://tammycross.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-first-hate-comment.html. Thanks!

Who Would Chuck Norris Hate?

Before I start another rant, I really must apologize for embedding that stupid "motion poster" for Conan, instead of just linking to it. If you haven't figured it out yet, you can turn the audio off by clicking the button at the bottom right corner of the poster. Another couple of posts and it will move into Older Posts and you won't have to bother turning it off, anyway. I promise to not make that mistake again, no matter how amazing the poster is.

Anyway, just when I thought it was safe to return to nonsense as usual, real-life nonsense reared it's ugly head again in the form of none other than ultra-conservative martial artist-turned-actor-turned ridiculous Internet meme, Chuck effing Norris, who has weighed in about the gays. Or should it be "the Gays?" I'm never sure... Anyway, the Bearded One has written an 'article' for Conservative Christian "news" site, WorldNetDaily in which he claims the American education system has been co-opted by the LGBT community and turned into"progressive indoctrination camps."

Now look, no one is really taking the political opinions of Chuck Norris seriously. Well, no one with half a brain, anyway. And as incensed as I initially found myself when I first came across the article on Towleroad, I finally went to the site to read it for myself, and was just slightly more than amused to find that an article on "Education" should contain the following sentence (and I am quoting verbatim, here):

"It is also no surprise that an average of 6,000 students every year is leaving the approximately 94,000 public schools in America."

Really, Chuck? 6,000 students... is leaving...? Seems to me that someone who has no business writing a letter home to Mom, shouldn't be opining on things which are also none of his business. Or maybe you is one of them kids which left school. Either way,

In a show of good faith and since I'm never afraid to admit when I'm wrong, the above passage has been retracted, and replaced with this paragraph. I can't be a pot calling a kettle names... especially when so many  Grammarians agree.

I hope to never visit this post again, but had to restore it after being vindicated by consulting an actual English major. The verb "leaving" refers to the action of the students, not the average  (which is a concept, rather than a person and logically cannot take action) and since "students" is plural, the modifying verb is conjugated in the plural: "6,000 students... are leaving..." 


Had I written the sentence, it would have read: "An average of 6000 students leave our approximately 94,000 public schools each year, but then I'm a douchebag Republican mouthpiece who'll say anything for money. Oh, and I hate queers." That's what I would have written for Chuck Norris' little essay on Education...


But I digress... back to the rest of the original post:

I have some news for you, Mr. Norris...

Society, Mr. Norris, has been progressive since its dawn. If it hadn't been, you'd be a Gladiator instead of pretending to be one. Or you'd be an indentured slave on a trade ship. You certainly wouldn't have been an actor. Nor would you have had the right to voice your backward opinions. Someone smarter and richer would have owned you Mr. Norris, if society hadn't progressed. Now, please go back to making bad movies and shilling exercise equipment, because there are a bunch of really backward people who will think their Redneck uberman actually knows what he's talking about. And that's really scary to the "progressives" who throughout history have only wanted to make life to be better for everyone. "Progress," Mr. Norris, is what allows you to type on a keyboard and transmit your narrow-minded article into the homes of tens of thousands via the Internet. I ask you, sir... without progress, where would you be? My guess is you'd still be cowering in a cave during thunderstorms, certain you'd angered a malevolent god in some way. 

Come out of your cave, Chuck and join the 21st Century. It's not at all what you think you're afraid of...

Okay - enough pontificating. Just to lighten the mood, here are some Dramatic Animals (via), after reading Norris' article:

There... that's better. I promise nonsense, next time.

More, anon.

Prospero

*This post has been modified twice since it's original publication. Most recently on 3/11/11.

You have read this article Chuck Norris / Clips / Education / Grammar / LGBT / Nonsense / Ramblings / The Most Homophobic Thing with the title The Most Homophobic Thing. You can bookmark this page URL https://tammycross.blogspot.com/2011/03/who-would-chuck-norris-hate.html. Thanks!

The Most Homophobic Thing You'll See This Week

I was planning on watching Rubber On Demand this weekend, but then I read Pax's review over at Billy Loves Stu and decided to wait and spend my money on something else. I still want to and will see it, but not for full price. Pax is a good guy,  a fellow Jersey Boy and he loves horror movies as much as I do. If you don't already read Billy Loves Stu, you should check it out.

So... There's some very odd stuff going on tonight, including the picture on your right and it's relevance to what I really want to to talk about. And no, Mr. Lucas please don't sue me, I am in no way implying that Ewoks, you, your company or your movies are homophobic, but it was one of the top 3 results I got when I Googled an image using a specific combination of words, which I promise I will tell you  about after I discuss tonight's main topic. Once I reveal that search combination, you'll be as puzzled by this picture's inclusion as the #3 suggestion as I initially was. Number 3! What, are you kidding me?

But I digress. Regular readers may be familiar with my "Gayest Thing" posts, in which I, in good humor, point out something particularly gay (and about which no one has ever complained or posted negative comments). In other words, if I ever offended anyone on my blog, they've never told me so. I would post it and respond accordingly and move on.

Then I saw the commercial posted below for Foster's Beer, an Australian import of which I have never been a fan (and trust me - I may be a martini snob, but I am a beer aficionado). If someone knows better, please correct me if I am wrong, but I remember being told by an Aussie that Foster's was made for export and most Aussies despise it. Trust me when I tell you, Foster's is not a very good beer. While Uncle P prefers darker, bolder and more interestingly seasoned beers, I would honestly have a Budweiser or a (Heaven forfend) Miller over a Foster's.

"Where the hell is all this going?" you are asking yourself, if you haven't already given up and gone off to play World of Warcraft or Angry Birds. Well, watch the commercial and then come back. I promise it will all make sense (or at least I hope it will).

Why is Advertising (as an industry on the whole) still okay with being homophobic? Is everyone in the industry a giggling straight, white boy scared that gay can be "caught" like the flu, through certain activities and associations? Is Don Draper still in charge? It makes me crazy for so many reasons.

First, are straight men really all that freaked out by gay men, anymore? Survey says: Not the ones I know. The vast majority of my male friends are straight, and it just seems to me that they've all long ago moved on to real issues. It gets better for everyone, it seems.. well, mostly everyone. Not Foster's. Or Frito-Lay:

And nor Frito-Lay's parent company, Pepsico:

Why is ridiculing being gay still funny? Or rather, why do advertisers continue to insist that it is? I can't believe that no one working for these ad companies wasn't the tiniest bit offended by their employer's product? Really?

Well, some folks are speaking up. I had never heard of actor Avan Jogia (who looks to me in that picture  like a young Brendan Routh - I said, "don't get me started!"). In fact, the only credit on his IMDb page I recognize is the short-lived SyFy "Battlestar Gallactica" prequel, "Caprica." He is also apparently known for a Nickolodeon series. But I know his name now, and you should too. He's lent his opinion and talents to an anti-homophobia video for the non-profit Straight but Not Narrow (via):

I suggest you check out Straight but Not Narrow. They have a different straight ally opine every Friday.

Okay, I know... So how the hell in the name of sanity is an Ewok even remotely related to any of this?  Well, I will tell you. After seeing that Foster's commercial and deciding to make homophobic advertising tonight's topic (as well as creating a new label), I went in search of a rather specific image. I wanted either a can of Foster's or their logo inside a red circle with a line through it. You know, like Ghostbusters, but with Foster's instead of a ghost. Or a cigarette. Or Ugly Chicks.  I figured just about everything's out there, right? So I went to Google Images and searched "Foster's + 'no' symbol"). Google tried (I guess), but the random Ewok picture as the number 3 suggestion just kind of made my day. And it is on that very round-about ending of a story that I shall move on to other things, and let you do so as well.

More, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article Ads / Commercials; Promos / Gay / Homophobia / LGBT / Ramblings / The Most Homophobic Thing with the title The Most Homophobic Thing. You can bookmark this page URL https://tammycross.blogspot.com/2011/03/the-most-homophobic-thing-you-see-this.html. Thanks!