The above is from Mawuse Ziegbe's MTV report. With Anderson Cooper speaking out, people took notice. GLAAD announced, "Universal Pictures decided to open the trailer for their new Ron Howard-directed feature The Dilemma with the phrase 'Electric cars are gay' in an attempt at humor, but it's hardly a joke for LGBT audiences growing increasingly frustrated by use of the word 'gay' as a pejorative. GLAAD expressed these concerns directly to Universal Pictures prior to the trailer's release, who have now assured us that the offensive joke will be removed from TV and Media campaigns promoting the film from this point forward, including the trailer currently playing in movie theaters." However, Mallika Rao (Entertainment Weekly) reveals that Universal originally tried to hide behind GLAAD and claimed they'd screened the trailer for GLAAD and that GLAAD didn't object (GLAAD states they saw the trailer and they objected). It's all so sad for Universal which, in May 1990, became the first studio to offer health benefits to same-sex partners.
And it's all so sad for the country. Vince Vaughn's not a homophobe. In fairness to him, he was playing a character. But was the line ever really needed?
The phrase "so ____" appears here for the first time. The Saturday Nigh Live season opener featured a Weekend Update that we ignored despite it calling out Don't Ask, Don't Tell because the lines included "so ___." We don't use gay as an insult. We don't use gay as abnormal or weird.
In 2005, a remark appeared here that resulted in an online crazy saying we were homophobic. Rebecca made a crack about "Don't drop the soap." We spent four days discussing it before responding. We threw it around, we debated whether or not it was homophobic, could it be construed as homophobic, etc. We didn't find the line homophobic. We did see how some might be offended and we've never used it again.
By contrast, last week Dave Lindorff showed just what an ass he could be. This e-mail was sent to him:
FYI, I don't support homophobia. When writers like Betsy Ross pen an otherwise outstanding essay but use "tea b**ger," they not only lose me, they make me less likely to visit a site. Bob Somerby (Daily Howler) and C.I. (Common Ills) among others on the left have stood strong in opposing the use of homophobia popularized by MSNBC. I wish This Can't Be Happening would stop embracing homophobia (intentionally or not embracing it).
We edtied the t-word. We do not allow that word to appear here, nor does any community site. Dave Lindorff's reply was a rant full of foul words (including the n-word) and, curiously for a lefty, referrred to gay men as "homosexuals." He also wrongly insisted that the Tea Party movement had dubbed themselves the t-word because, well, Dave Lindorff isn't very well informed. To Dave Lindorff, homophobia's not a real issue and he can say whatever he wants. While he can say whatever he wants, that doesn't make his statements wise or informed.
In 2008, for example, Dave began his whoring for Barack Obama and vicious attacks on others -- lie based attacks -- and, when called on it, explained his support for Barry O with the following:
I think it is ridiculous not to acknowledge that a black candidate at this level is fundamentally different from all white candidates who have come before or who are now competing. the more so a black candidate who has risked jail by doing drugs, and who has relatives TODAY living in the Third World (Kenya).
We noted that ridiculous statement in February 2008 ("The Sad Rot of the Left") and were kind enough not to identify Lindorff but most guessed it was Lindorff within the week.
That's Dave Lindorff. When not issuing e-mails with the n-word, he's telling you that Barack's the best candidate for president because he "risked jail by doing drugs." When not allowing his site to overlow with homophobia, he's spewing curses as people who object to the homophobia.
The point of the e-mail a reader sent him was that the use of the t-word made him (the reader) reject an article he otherwise supported. To David Lindorff that didn't matter because he's not writing to inform or to reach, he's writing to wallow in his own hatred.
He'd rather promote homophobia, it's too much of a lark for the hate-filled Lindorff to give up his 'joke' that paints Tea Party members as gay or engaging in gay behavior because, to David Lindorff, that's the real joke. (To the rest of us, Dave Lindorff is the joke.)
Lindorff is far from alone. As Marcia pointed out Friday, Chicago Dyke (Corrente) wanted to celebrate coming out day in one post . . . after using the t-term to insult.
Lindorff, in his raging e-mails, is very adament that he will use whatever term he wants.
In the real world, Michael Wilson and Al Baker (New York Times) report the Latin King Goonies are accused of targeting gay men and boys, beating them, sodomizing them and more:
The attackers forced the man to strip to his underwear and tied him to a chair, the police said. One of the teenage victims was still there, and the "Goonies" ordered him to attack the man. The teenager hit him in the face and burned him with a cigarette on his nipple and penis as the others jeered and shouted gay slurs, the police said. Then the attackers whipped the man with a chain and sodomized him with a small baseball bat.
Yesterday, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference in which he stated, "Like many New Yorkers, I was sickened by the brutal nature of these crimes and saddened by the anti-gay bias that contributed to them. No one in this city should ever, ever have to feel afraid because of race, religion, or sexual orientation. Hate crimes such as these strike fear in all of us. And they chip away at the tolerance and equality that have always been the pillars of our great City." Bob Kappstatter, Ryan Strong and Jonathan Lemire (New York Daily News) report that some of the suspects are stating they did the crimes under duress, "The threats were allegedly made by ringleader Ildefonso (Cheto) Mendez, who orchestrated the homophobic assaults after learning that a 17-year-old gang recruit was gay." Would the threats have been as effective if the targeted victims were not gay? If the threats had asked them to target a different segment of the population, would there have been any resistance?
The New York crimes follow the suicide of Tyler Clementi who took his own life after his two peers (one of which was his college roommate) streamed his sexual ecnounters online.
And you hear of those stories and so many more and the big question is why would you want to use the t-word, why would you want to use gay as a pejorative? Why would you want to do anything that would add to the pain and suffering of a group of people who are already discriminated against and targeted?
Is Dave Lindorff's cheap little laugh really worth so much that he can't police himself? He can't let go of a word that promotes homophobia? Apparently so.
The good news is Dave Lindorff is a coughing, wheezing relic of that past and the future will be made by others. In fact, that's probably the best news of all. He's helped build the (to be generous) imperfect world we live in now, others can build a much better world.