Monday, June 21, 2004
What is offensive to homosexuals? (Other than legislation against them)
I am always wondering what the homosexual community thinks of the stereotyping of their culture on television and movies. I also wonder if there really is a "gay subculture" at all, or if in reality the homosexual community is as diverse as the straight one.
One of the most openly homosexual shows on television is "Will & Grace." I enjoy the show, because it is so wacky, and the characters are one step away from being cartoons. But I often wonder, do Jack and Will accurately portray the American gay male, or do they in some small way belittle their lives?
Will and Jack are catty, bitchy, obsessed with fashion and cleanliness, and constantly on the prowl for romantic rendevouzs. While this TV show makes many conservative Americans uneasy, and even angry, for some of us it is a rare glimpse into the gay lifestyle. But is it a fair and accurate portrayal?
My own curiousities were echoed on television last night on another comedy program. On the show Sea Lab 2020, the openly homosexual character (whose name escapes me) made the following comment; that in the near future, Americans will look back in disgust at Will & Grace in the same way we now look at Amos & Andy (a racist portrayal of blacks by white actors that once passed for humor). My own early exposures to homosexuals were through The Kids in the Hall. While this show was flamboyant and subversive, I grew to be comfortable with the notion of homosexuality (even if I did not get a fair glimpse into their true lives). I wonder if Will & Grace has the same effect on its straight viewers?
So I ask you; what do you think about all of this? Do you think you know how the homosexual community acts, thinks, and loves? I think it is important that we all try to understand these people, and to stop treating them like lepers. However, we may have a difficult time getting to know anything real about this lifestyle due to the overwhelming amount of misinformation that is out there. We are all people, and we all have hearts that beat the same way. Love is, after all, a mysterious thing.
See ya!
One of the most openly homosexual shows on television is "Will & Grace." I enjoy the show, because it is so wacky, and the characters are one step away from being cartoons. But I often wonder, do Jack and Will accurately portray the American gay male, or do they in some small way belittle their lives?
Will and Jack are catty, bitchy, obsessed with fashion and cleanliness, and constantly on the prowl for romantic rendevouzs. While this TV show makes many conservative Americans uneasy, and even angry, for some of us it is a rare glimpse into the gay lifestyle. But is it a fair and accurate portrayal?
My own curiousities were echoed on television last night on another comedy program. On the show Sea Lab 2020, the openly homosexual character (whose name escapes me) made the following comment; that in the near future, Americans will look back in disgust at Will & Grace in the same way we now look at Amos & Andy (a racist portrayal of blacks by white actors that once passed for humor). My own early exposures to homosexuals were through The Kids in the Hall. While this show was flamboyant and subversive, I grew to be comfortable with the notion of homosexuality (even if I did not get a fair glimpse into their true lives). I wonder if Will & Grace has the same effect on its straight viewers?
So I ask you; what do you think about all of this? Do you think you know how the homosexual community acts, thinks, and loves? I think it is important that we all try to understand these people, and to stop treating them like lepers. However, we may have a difficult time getting to know anything real about this lifestyle due to the overwhelming amount of misinformation that is out there. We are all people, and we all have hearts that beat the same way. Love is, after all, a mysterious thing.
See ya!
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