Lonewolf Diaries: Why ‘Gayness’ Can Be Funny
by Steven CrowderI’m sure that I’ll get some heat for this, but I feel it is timely to say… Folks, it’s okay to find flamboyant homosexuality funny. Somewhere along the “common sense line,” people have started to equate the ability to find the humor in life with hate speech. Does the idea (note: I didn’t say content) of a movie like “Bruno” offend you? Do you feel that the idea of somebody chuckling over a flamingly over-the-top gay man to be so repulsive that it borders on hatred? To you I say “Nay”! Read on to find out why.
Let me be the first to say it. My name is Steven Crowder and I happen to find blatant gayness funny. I mean really funny. I can remember my first “gay encounter” as a child. I was watching the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving morning. Al Roker was interviewing Richard Simmons. As nothing more than a wide-eyed four-year-old, I was completely vexed. Here was a man on my television set, complete with chest-hair and quadriceps fuzz. He was just…“off” to me for some reason. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until the light bulb in my underdeveloped noggin turned on. “Hey Dad,” I asked. “Why does that man act like a woman?”
Surely enough, my dad erupted with laughter. He couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the childish innocence that did it, or maybe it was a nervous laugh stemming from the fact that he was going to have to provide a long, awkward explanation.
As a four year old, I harbored no hate for Richard Simmons. As a matter of fact I still find him to be quite endearing, but to deny the hilarity of the caricature that he is would be dishonest. To a straight man, the notion of walking around as a coiffed, waxed, nail-polish wearing, lispy dude is uproariously absurd. As people, we find absurdities funny. That’s our first step in making sense of them.
For example: If right now a duck were to walk into your room wearing pajamas, you’d most likely laugh… Because in your mind, there is no place in the natural world where ducks are seen wearing pajamas. The same applies to blatantly gay men in rhinestone tank-tops and hot-pants. Nowhere in the straight man’s natural realm does that occur, and so the absurdity of it is funny.
Now I’m completely aware that not all gay people are “flamers,” but there are some who are. Just as Ned Flanders is a funny stereotype not representative of all Christians, the same can be said for “Bruno.”
Do you folks honestly believe that a “gay joke” automatically registers the joke-teller under the “homophobic” category? I say that instead of dealing with our differences through fear (i.e. tip toeing around the issue and handling it with care-knit gloves), we should allow ourselves to find the humor in everybody’s individuality. “Humor not hatred,” is what I always say.
Now before you go and get on your high horse and start acting all offended, please take into consideration… even Sean Penn has probably told a few “no-homo” jokes in his day. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
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168 Comments
I already said I was in for Bruno, Steven! And I am going to find some gay friends to go with.
PS. Sorry about your "gay encounter" at age 4. Should wait til you're older!
Jokiinnnggg….
You needn't look any farther than "Monty Python" to prove that Steven is absolutely correct………..
As a gay man, I can assure you I find Bruno hilarious. But then, I have a sense of humor. Sadly, he isn't as "over the top" as some guys I actually know.
Nice work as usual, Steven. I think YOU'RE hilarious, too. (And kinda hot.)
Will & Grace mined that comic vein for years. Jack was hysterical in his flamedness and the creators, one of whom was — wait for it – gay.
You make some interesting points. The difference, though, between Richard Simmons and Bruno is that Simmons really is gay and Sasha Baron Cohen isn't. In a similar vein, "Amos and Andy" was a very well written and hilariously funny radio program about two guys who, while not representative of all black people, were certainly representative of some. The trouble was, it had two white guys playing the main characters. You see the problem? It's the fine line between laughing with someone and laughing at them.
I'll withhold judgment on "Bruno" until I've seen it, but I can say that what I've seen in previews does give me pause.
Well, you're certainly not one to go with the 'Politically Correct' moniker – and it is proven in your writings. Thank God, for that!
You and Jon David on this site are my two favorites. Consistently funny, and consistently RIGHT.
Test: I think comments have gone whacky. My last one was instantly deleted by the administrator?
Let me try this again.
The original French La Cage Aux Folles was absolutely hysterical. The English remake, however, was a travesty. So, gay humor can be funny if done right. I'm just betting that Bruno is tasteless and crude, not funny, based on Cohen's previous outings.
anything can be funny, and that includes gay behaviour… it's just sad that the militancy has taken the 'joy' out of gay. Perhaps 'Bruno' can undo some of this- but considering the 'revisions' the gay community are demanding in the reshoots one holds out little hope…
[...] more here: Lonewolf Diaries: Why ‘Gayness’ Can Be Funny This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
oddly enough, 'Amos and Andy' on TV was an all black cast- and was funny as heck… but there is no greater killjoy than the PC Police…
So there was no trouble when Amos & Andy moved to the screen and the main actors were all black?
great minds think alike, Dom… as a wee tot that was our introduction to the black community. It was a sweet show with strong morals and family values, if one remembers correctly.
Of course that doesn't mean much nowadays…
That happened to me the otehr day.
>>other<<
I don't mind gay jokes as long as there is no hatred involved in them. But, Bruno is another story, not only does he stereotype gay men, but he also stereotypes the "typical homophobes", I'd like to see Sacha Baron Cohen go after real homophobes and gay bashers instead of drunk men in Arkansas thinking they're about to watch a boxing match and instead see two guys start groping each other.
He's not even close to being brave, and anyone that thinks he is needs to rethink their definition of bravery.
Two words for you: The Producers.
As for me, I always said if gay people wanted to be 100% equal, then they'd have to learn that it's okay to be the butt of the joke once in a while.
"To a straight man, the notion of walking around as a coiffed, waxed, nail-polish wearing, lispy dude is uproariously absurd. "
As a straight woman I have the same reaction.
me too and now it keeps coming back as "must be approved by administrator".
agree completely- the original was side splittingly funny, and it was only because of the concept- not 'queer' jokes which anyone can find tasteless- and that's exactly what we expect from Sascha Cohen, if 'Borat' is any guide…
In the early 80's there was a terrific show called "Brothers," in which three brothers were very different. One was your basic straight guy, one had just come out as a gay man, and one was what today would be called a homophobe [of course, in the end even he supported the gay one]. The gay brother was basically shy, but his best friend, played by the wonderful Phillip Charles MacKenzie, was intelligent, successful, and lived an open lifestyle. I liked it because it showed that not all gay men are "Flaming," just as not all straight men are sports-watching neanderthals.
no pooftahs!
I was replying to Anti-GOP a few days ago and found that "conservative" was a trip word. That was the only word in a test post and ID balked. On this site?!
Bisexual here with lots of gay friends, and most of them are pretty 'normal' acting not the stereotypical 'flamer.' There's nothing genetic or anything that makes one act that way, its a deliberate set of mannerisms some decide to adopt. They're really quite odd when you think about them and I don't find anything wrong with laughing at it. If you can't laugh at these sorts of things… I mean… how many jokes do black comics tell making fun of the frankly odd things upper class white people do?
Richard Simmons is Gay?
Ned Flanders is not a typical christian?
People need to lighten up and learn to see the humor in themselves and others.
The issue for me is whether someone is making fun of someone or having fun with someone. Comedy is usually at someone elses expense, but it usuallynot intened to be hateful. Watch the average roast, those people rip into their friends, but that is the key, they are friends. If this were done by a stranger in a different context it would be completely inappropriate.
If the Christians can laugh along with the Simpsons, gays can laugh along with Simmons and maybe even Bruno. It all depends on the spirit of the comedy.
Roger De Bris!
(And of course, Carmen Ghia.)
Hold it, The Bird Cage with Robin Williams and… that other guy… was bad? It was indeed a travesty how they unabashedly slammed conservatives as homophobic yet with a stick way up their butts, but come on! Robin Williams and non-stop flaming gay jokes? Remember the dinnerware pattern? It was hilarious! You are proving Crowder right both on this article and the "grow a sense of humor" one. That movie was funny!
i have had trouble with certain food words
Vinegar treated cucumbers
Small citrus fruit
the mental calesthenics to work around the words is more than I have patience for on most days.
i laugh at unPC stuff all the time. and i laughed when perez took it on the chin. not because he was hit, but because he was so surprised he was hit. (newsflash perez: the rest of us wondered what the heck took so long for karma to get you with its tasty right hook) and then has insisted glaad apologize to him. holy moly, it just keeps getting funnier and funnier…
I remember way back when hearing Simmons mention something about his wife, it was a long time ago. Checked Wikipedia which said he had been outed (and once briefly considered being a priest, take that as you will). I found this tidbit:
Simmons has appeared multiple times on The Glenn Beck Program on CNN Headline News.
Fire away.
Pickle pickles
Orange lemon lime tangerine fruit loops
I wondered if the system was treating replies to non-registered differently as I could use the word elsewhere.
Graham Chapman was the best at playing the "flaming" type. You will probably know better than me on this, so correct me if I am wrong. My understanding is that Chapman found the "over the top" gay men to be hysterical and that he actually wrote most of the skits that had themes like this. I don't think he wrote these just because he was gay, I think like the rest of us, he found something funny in it………
1) The thing is that in this case, humor = hatred, at least in the eyes of the homosexual community and the general culture which accepts it. These days there seems to be only one socially acceptable response to homosexuals and that is full acceptance of everything they do and everything they are. That's it. Anything less than that and you will be labeled "homophobic".
2) I personally don't find anything funny about homosexual men. (Or women, for that matter.) I think it is sad and tragic. There's a man who dresses like a woman who sits in my Starbucks quite often. This is not one of those cases where you're not sure if it's a man or a woman – this is a MAN, looking absolutely horrendous in makeup, a wig and women's clothing. This is not even one of those cases where the you can tell it's a man but he looks somewhat attractive – he looks awful! And yet everyone walks by like it's perfectly normal. This is supposed to be funny? We're just supposed to accept this as normal? This is a lost and confused human being. We should be brought to tears at the sight of people like that, not laughing.
I think Richard Simmons is very funny (in a good way). His gayness is what makes him endearing.
Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxkxG3DF4k
Of course "gayness" is funny. Watching men behave as women, with the stereotypical, but very accurate lisps, limp wrists, and general girlish behaviors was always funny because we know it's so very wrong. It's a pretend "condition" that the queers and liberals have drummed into society that should be protected and not ridiculed for the fraud that it is (i.e. a chosen lifestyle and not a biological sexual orientation). Maybe one day the truth will return and homosexuality will not be celebrated, but treated as the psychological disorder it is.
[...] post: Lonewolf Diaries: Why ‘Gayness’ Can Be Funny Comments (0) What Is The Proper Quantity Of Activity ?by John Jones Most of us are aware of the [...]
If it's not PC to make jokes about and stereotype Gay Men because they all like Liza and Bette's then, it should not be PC or funny to make jokes about Southerners, grits and NASCAR. If we aligned ourselves with the PC crowd, you would not be able to joke about anything. Except the white male, of course.
Och! That's a little harsh Indy. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, however speaking scientifically, the jury is still out on the "Lifestyle" question and there is still a lot of discussion going on with the new DSM V about that very question. Perhaps we can wait and see.
no, he was a proper English gentleman who happened to be gay. And the troupe was intellectually honest in their offensiveness, no one- and we mean no one- was spared.
See 'Life of Brian' for examples…
The bottom line for me, a gay man, is that over the top gayness can be a very funny joke, it's just not Cohen's joke to make.
The Amos and Andy comment above was the perfect example, nobody would dare. It's okay for a black man do Tyler Perry, but it would not be okay for a white man to invent the family or the characters he does. They would still be over the top and funny, but it's just not the same and it's just not right.
Of course we all need to laugh at ourselves, and believe me, I have known a few guys in my day who would make "Bruno" blush, but this is not a laughing matter. Gay people are funny, but it's not your joke to make.
Southern comedians who make fun of Southerners are for the most part Southerners, if not then you are just trolls like Garafalo and Stuart calling people "teabaggers"
This is a straight guy playing gay for laughs and that's all it is.
Sorry Crowder, you are wrong about this one.
"Except the white (Christian) male, of course" Sorry, had to fix that for ya……………….
I think also what makes it really offensive to me, is that Cohen is hiding behind a facade of "coolness" in order to get away with the gay joke. If it were someone who was not doing that, I think I would be less offended. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's that we gays are supposed to say "it's okay" because it's Cohen and we know he's part of the hip cool Hollywood crowd. If he was doing it because he just wanted to make fun of gays and was honest about it, I would just say "moron" and move on. Instead there is supposed to be some message in Bruno that if you are going about your every day business in life, and a wildly flamboyant homosexual comes up to you, you must either drop everything and be nice to him, or you are a homophobe. Even when he bares his butt.
It makes me angry how eager Liberal Leftis Hollywood is to use gayness as a punchline.
There that's my rant.
I do have to wonder just how far Cohen went in his research? He publicized bleaching his anus (because all gay men do that you know) but did he go as far as…you know…doing it with another guy?
Of course, Thank You.
I believe I died laughing at that….but just for a minute.
'Cept, as I've mentioned before, black is a race, gay knows no color. For some reason people forget that gay isn't a race. I suppose if it was, they'd come from Gaysia.
if we follow your line of thinking, can only women elected officials represent women?
If a white guy creates a black character "it's just not right"?
Straights can't play gays? Gays can't play straights?
You'd better let Hollwood know these rules. They break them all the time.
I have to disagree.
i tried kumquat and it wouldn't let it pass
let's see
Update: what do you know, Magic
Me let Hollywood know the rules?
How about you let Hollywood know the rules that it's okay for white people to make jokes about over the top black characters. Let the laughs begin!
"The trouble was, it had two white guys playing the main characters. You see the problem?"
Yeah. The problem is people who are hypersensitive about crap that doesn't matter. It would be like being ticked off about Braveheart because an Aussie played a Scott. (GET YOUR PITCHFORKS, MACDOUGLE!!!) Or even worse, a movie like "To End All Wars" which went out of the way to get "authentic" performers, so the Aussies were all Aussie, the English were all English, the Scotts were all Scotts, and the Japanese were all Japanese. The American? He was played by Keifer Sutherland…who happens to be Canadian.
I look at it and give a hearty "So what?" Why should it be offensive to have someone different from your race play your race? The only possible reason that would be ipso facto offensive is because *YOU* are the racist. The rest of us non-racists actually let the *CONTENT* dictate whether or not anything was offensive.
And that's the problem. One sees content, one sees skin color.
Most of us learned in kindergarten not to let our mouth write checks that our ass can't cash. Perez just got up to kindergarten is all.
I recall much the same confusion as you had with Richard Simmons. I thought Rip Taylor and Paul Lynde were the funniest men alive.
I was a sheltered child, and it was a different time, so I didn't realize that Rip Taylor was gay until I was a teenager, and I only found out about Paul Lynde a few years ago. (I'm not kidding! Unless they're actually skipping, I can't tell.)
If a duck were to walk into my room wearing pajamas, I would most certainly laugh. And If that duck was coiffed, waxed, lispy and wearing nail polish? I would laugh extra hard… it's true.
Well put, Steven!
I may or may not see the movie, but some of what I have seen is hilarious, and not at all because "Bruno" is "gay". He's just another preposterous character invention of Sacha Cohen. And the idea that he somehow must be gay before he can portray a funny character who's "gay" is absurd.
Laugh while we may. I can easily imagine one day making jokes about gays being prosecuted as a "hate crime."
P.S.
My initial reaction to Richard Simmons was much the same as Steven's, but he's definitely one of a kind, and I like that he's both taken seriously and (lightly) made fun of, and take it like a man, so to speak. Whether he's offended or not (as in when he's been on Letterman and taken a few Dave-jabs), he doesn't let on, doesn't respond, doesn't retaliate, he just stays the same decent, upbeat, one of a kind, live-life-his-own-way, kind of guy that he is.
That said, I'd love to see Richard Simmons do the TV ad for Guitar Hero spoofing Tom Cruise's dance from 'Risky Business'. He would be awesome, the ad would be hilarious, and I bet they'd sell a truckload.
Even the A.P.A. admitted in 2000 that there wasn't any biological connection to account for homosexuality, but the liberals are still searching for that elusive "gay gene." Although the A.P.A. declassified homosexuality as a mental illness years ago, there are many psychologists/psychiatrists who believe that its still a disorder, with proof to back the assertion. All the A.P.A. did was cave to pressure to remove it from the DSM. The underlying question is whether or not homosexuals can lead "healthy" lives and a cursory glance at other mental illnesses that homosexuals experience shows more than a casual correlation between the two.
I guess I'm wondering why everyone is focusing on the gay aspect of Bruno. His character is also German. Maybe it's Germanophobia that has everyone all worked up – instead of Homophobia.
I haven't done the research to know anything about the genetic component to "gayness", but lisping, prancing and etc., now that's definitely a choice.
If you want to hear about naive, I didn't realize that the singer in Queen was gay until I was in my twenties.
Pffft, Gaysia! Cheesy jokes FTW!
Hats off to you Steve for walking into this minefield. A good indicator of the power of a political group is their ability to limit "unfavorable" comments (humorous or otherwise) about themselves. By that standard the gay community has amazing clout. Under the rules of identity politics only a member of a particular group can portray (or speak negaltively) about that group. I wonder if it would be possible to revive "The Ritz", the gay bathouse farce (by Terrence McNally) that was filmed in 1976. It was hysterically funny but I doubt if it could be produced today without being described by professional gay advocates as "hateful."
[...] over-the-top gay man to be so repulsive that it borders on hatred? To you I say “Nay”! Read on to find out why June 23rd, 2009 | Tags: Big Hollywood, Steven Crowder | Category: Commentary, Gay Rights | Leave [...]
Since this is Big Hollywood, I feel it necessary to point out that Mel Gibson was born and raised in the United States until the age of 12.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Gibson#Early_lif...
Which makes three people in one minute I had not known were gay before.
Of course if one went by mannerisms I would wonder about the "men's hair stylist" I had for about two decades. Like Robin Williams in The Bird Cage, well groomed, colorful shirts showing off lots of chest hair, just enough gold for flash without being crass, few more things. Actually he is just Italian. Nice family, good kids, has boat.
ID filter screw-up of the moment: Will not take that name for necklaces and rings etc that is derived from a name for the religion of Moses. Go figure.
Does the "spirit" of the joke matter at all? I would like to think it does. If we are laughing with you, and not at you, I think the joke is ok.
Let's take Sarah Palin. Because she is different from many Americans (especially the media image of a typical American), there are many aspects of her that can be made fun of without being mean. She's from Alaska, she has an accent, she has lots of kids with funny names, she likes to hunt. Here's an example of what I would consider a good joke:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clip...
On the other hand, any jokes done by bitter Left-wing demagogues (like David Letterman) are done with the intent to be mean and belittle the target of the jokes. I don't think those are acceptable.
In the case of "Bruno", I haven't seen the movie but I did see the character when he was on HBO's "Ali G" show. I never got the sense he was making fun of gays. In fact, much like Borat, the character was used to make fun of people's reactions to him.
Best. Movie. Evah!!!111!!
Um,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgsoJrzplUI
Back in the 80' s I worked at a little market in Beverly Hills.
Richard Simmons was a regular customer.
The guy was a hoot. Super friendly.
But, the short shorts and midriff top …..wow.
Oh, and he smelled like old lady. Kind of a powdery, feminine hygiene stink.
That was one of my favorite "whose line" episodes EVER in the history of EVER. So damn funny. The kind of funny that has tears streaming down your face, or soda coming out of your nose or causes you not to be able to breath. Awesome.
That would be Nathan Lane.
Awesome! I laughed, I cried, I think I may have pooped!
You, Mr. Crowder, probably find Step-&-Fetchit, Amos & Andy, & the taped-eyelids-caucasian portraying Charlie Chan riotous as well as the stereotypical "screamer" homosexuals about which you opine. Such humour is nothing more than the perpetuation of racism, untrue & vile lies that serve to inculcate hatred into the youthful minds of new generations. Pathetic to see large numbers of hyper-privileged white males attempting to conflate erroneous "rights" to laugh at racist/sexist/homophobic trash with some supposed lack of "humour" on the part of the victims of long standing (often fatal) hatred.
Despite the attempts made by you & your clan of like minded beneficiaries of class privilege, populations of persons who have been victims of discrimination will not allow you to go unchallenged in your efforts to minimise, & delegitimise their valid struggles & hard won civil rights. Society will not be turned backward, Jim Crow & his ilk are history and social Neanderthals with outlooks like yours are headed to the rubbish bin of history more rapidly with each passing day.
Living in the NYC area I've had gay friends all my life. What I found to be annoying was demonstrated by the first friend I had who came out shortly after high school. He told several of us, at different times mind you, that he was gay all during our high school years and now that he'd told us, any change to our friendship would be because we changed, not him. But, as the months went by, he started carrying a shoulder bag, always wore platform shoes (it was the 70's, but always?), wanted us to try a gay bar now and then instead of our usual hangouts, was constantly regaling us with tales of how good gay sex was, and really turned into a queen before our eyes. And over time every one of us lost touch with him. The remaining five of our group has always remained close even across 30 years and large distances. So who really changed?
Absolutely wrong! Don Rickles made a career out of insulting everyone. Ditto Joan Rivers & Rip Taylor. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and a host of other black comedians devote(d) long parts of their stand up routines to raggin white people. Ever see white people get all up in arms? When gay men act like queens and flamers it is ridiculuos behavior and is valid fodder for humorous ridicule. When lesbians go all butch..same thing. Grow up. Like the old expression goes…..F**k 'em if they can't take a joke!
try spelling with a few asterisks……Je**sh
this is satire right? You're trying to be funny here right? Because you cannot be serious. If you are, dip into your savings and buy a sense of humor.
I have done research off and on for a few decades now, my earliest online debate was on Compuserve and I went to a university library to study. You know, back in the days of cavemen and mainframes before Wikipedia existed.
There is a possible congenital component, related to how some are born with "ambiguous genitalia." The default embryonic form is female although there are internal components for both sexes. At some point the Y-chromosome flares up, androgens are produced, the form transitions into male. The brain might not respond and stays at a female configuration. Or for a genetic female something can happen that triggers the changeover, thus a male brain in a female body. These are rare events and in no way cover all of those who feel "born in the wrong body," but it does for some. In a slightly-more PC presentation than when I first learned of it, the group of conditions is known Pseudohermaphroditism. There is also an associated genetic condition affecting a tiny number of genetic males in some very small population groups.
But an honest-to-goodness "gay gene" that accounts for practically all of them let alone the "expected" behavior? Nope, still has not been found, and as something that would be relatively common that has so far somehow escaped detection, I doubt it ever will.
No, Dom_Colangelo, pointing out the blundering racist, homophobic illogic of yet another hyper-privileged white male who complains about some minority being uppity is not satire. Perhaps you should invest some of your savings (if you have any) and take a few classes on contemporary social mores & a sensitivity workshop to help you with your feelings of being under threat by the "big-bad minorities".
Andrew is on Dennis Miller's show tomorrow. Maybe someone can get through to ask him why he's using Hugg-E-Bear's old software.
Jew
Okay, it will take Judaism, it will take the word with formatting to break it up, but it will not take something like "Mejewica" because it specifically looks for that three-letter combination.
That is completely inexcusably asinine. That was the problem before the upgrade, the only thing good about the change was the ignorant tyrannical filtering of the old system was gone. And now ID is trying to get it working again? Get rid of it! We are adults here, we can use the Report button if something is truly offensive.
The encroachment of a nanny state, inflicted on a conservative site. Such madness must be dealt with.
And neither are gay, nor is Hank Azaria, yet I don't remember the avalanche of protests about how insensitive the movie was. I guess gay people actually had a sense of humor back then. Maybe we need to change the word, "Gay" since it obviously is the antithesis of the sexual orientation at this point.
How about Christians who enjoy South Park (which actually had Jesus as a recurring character for several seasons). The PSP episode where Kenny became Heaven's "Keanu Reeves" was one of the funniest I've seen, yet was a direct shot at Christianity on several levels. Newsflash for the Left, Christians have a vastly superior sense of humor than Liberals do. You want to have your day turned into a complete drag? Go spend a few hours on the Daily Kos.
Stephen, excellent column. I also wanted to say nice appearance on Dennis Miller's show the other day. It was really enjoyable listening.
"…not all straight men are sports-watching neanderthals. "
Tell me about it. When I mentioned my love of ballet at work, the guys all started looking at me funny.
Um, no, Nathan Lane is very much gay, just one of the more quiet ones.
Kadaka, merely because you would have trouble stringing coherent sentences together, does not mean others are so afflicted. As for your mythical "liberal Professor", one stands in defence of the rights of all persons (not just the privileged pale) as a matter of principle, not for benefit/gain or individual adulation.
Heh, I knew that. It was a simple point, would that movie have been anything without Robin Williams? Way back then, it would have ended up in a bin at a dollar store, and I might have bought it so I could swap over the tape reels from another VHS cartridge that had a broken shell. Otherwise, nope, not even for target practice.
But currently it will not take a certain 3-letter word even if it is part of another word, unless you trick it with formatting.
Jew
Jewel
Jewelery
Jewish
Mejewica
Anything with the three letters gets "comment must be approved." Of course Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Judaism, Jainism, Heathen, Atheist, even Animism goes right through.
Worthless. Someone call the Anti-Defamation League, this should be actionable discrimination.
It should not be necessary. Black people have been making jokes about over the top white characters for some time now, and "fairness" and "equality" have been liberal mantras for ages. Going by your posts, you are all for fairness and equality all the time. Right?
Now I am wondering if there is some website where they can get these diatribes prepackaged, fill in the name of the offending party. It could be an offshoot of a term paper supplier. I can well imagine some liberal professor somewhere will be well impressed by such a "standing up against tyranny and oppression."
Your screen name is perfect. xeno=people, toxin=poison. You have a poisonous, ignorant attitude about people kid. And just how do you come to assume I'm white? Much of what's wrong with modern society is that classes like "contemporary social mores & a sensitivity workshop" are being taught in universities, instead of actual academic subjects. If you spent your time with that sort of pseudo-intellectual twaddle, you wasted a lot of your parents' money and haven't learned a damn thing that is of any benefit to society, like say critical thinking. You are the perfect example of who Mark Twain was talking about when he said" “we all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking”.
George Wallace (the melanin enhanced comedian, not the melanin deprived governor) told this joke while on the subject of the lack of humor in some people as dislayed here by xenotoxin:
"Two Je*ws, a wopp and a spi*k walk into a bar"
"The bartender says, "Y'all get the fu*k out!"
Hysterical, and right on point.
Comments are all cattywampus again. Someone at ID or BH needs to get this stuff fixed. toot-sweet.
We Brits have been laughing at 'camp as a row of tents' gay comedians & entertainers for decades (Larry Grayson, John Inman, Graham Norton etc..) They tend to over emphasise their campness for maximum comedic impact, but we must think their 'core' camp mannerisms are intrinsically funny to us (And they are). I think we also feel more comfortable with them as their obvious 'gayness' is out in the open, and is generally non-threatening.
You apparently have trouble simply using the "Reply" button, although it seems more likely simply doing so does not get you the attention you desire so you must broadcast your important pronouncements as a new thread. So much for your standing "in defence of the rights of all persons" not being for "individual adulation."
Nice use of the British spelling of "defense." You are not from around here, I take it? Good.
Nice quote!
One thing I love about this board is the level of education of so many members. I'm not always in agreement, but there are a lot of people here who make you think on a regular basis. Spend 5 minutes on Daily Beast, HuffPo, or Kos and tell me it doesn't feel like recess at the local High School.
SBC is annoying, not brave. Good point there.
But a to your comment about gay jokes and no hatred involved, isn't that a judgment on someone's intent and what's in their heart? If a joker makes a gay joke how do you know if there is hatred involved or not? Maybe they have a gay brother and love him dearly and though they find humor in the lifestyle? Or maybe they think all gays should be rounded up and sent to Delaware. Or maybe they find the lifestyle disgusting, but love the souls of gay people (love the sinner, hate the sin).
Regardless, I am not sure how you judge the jokes for hatred. You can judge them as to whether they are funny or not, but judging intent is a dangerous thing.
Only gays can make fun of gays. And only Conservative Female Governors can make fun of female Conservative Governors. You see the problem?
Yeah, that's it right there. If gay people can grow a thicker skin and let crap roll off them, it would do a lot more for the cause of equal rights than constant pissing and moaning about 'tolerance'.
One sign of confidence is the ability to laugh at oneself every once in a while.
Like Carlos Mencia said," if you can take a d@ck ,you can take a joke
I can get that impression reading the breitbart.com news article comments, pretty harsh crowd over there.
Oh, great one on the filtering screw-ups! It would not take "breitbart" at all, I just had to put the "e" in italics to get it through. The stupid system will not even let you use the name of the owner of the site!
John Inman was comedic genius. Gone too soon.
thanks for making the point better than anything anybody could have written in its defense. btw- do you have to wear a colostomy bag because your sphincter is too tight to pass anything bigger than a sewing needle?
What is it that people are supposed to do around the man in the Starbucks? Confront him about what – how he's dressed and that it offends people. Contrast it with the guy on the street corner who talks to himself – at full volume.
I don't think anyone finds these things funny or "normal" — but in such specific circumstances what are people supposed to do? If you feel that strongly about the man in Starbucks, approach him yourself and offer him some help. You may find out why people leave these folks alone…
ScottDS, therein lies the problem. They want equality and special treatment at the same time.
"We just want to marry like everyone else, but we also want you to face some sort of repercussion with your employer/law/whatever if you say something about us that we don't like. "
Speaking of twaddle, Dom_Colangelo, lets start with your definition of xeno: "xeno=people" wrong! the actual definition of xeno is: "Xeno, a prefix based on the Greek word "Xenos", meaning stranger." So begins your post with an outright lie, & it merely goes downhill from there. As for assuming that you are white, again your reading comprehension fails you, note that the reference to white in my post "…pointing out the blundering racist, homophobic illogic of yet another hyper-privileged white male who complains about some minority…" directly points to Mr. Crowder, & him alone. Finally you attempt the last refuge of the forensically challenged, ad hominem attacks.
0/10, must do better.
Jeez… people have a laugh at anybodies expense, who cares. PC is as boring as it is dangerous to a supposedly free society, God I miss the George Carlin’s of the world. We’re turning into a wussified country whose sense of humor is being amputated by scared little liberal busy-bodies whose self worth is dependent on what others think, grow up!
Never heard the radio show but the TV show was downright hilarious.
Once you start putting PC rules on Comedy, what's next? Does a filmaker have to be a veteran to make a war movie?
You see the problem.
Normal is subjective and I guess we could do the math on this one. How many men sit around this way. By definition, that would NOT be normal.
Then there is natural. I think it is clear that genetically speaking, humans were not designed to practice a homosexual lifesyle. Candidly, the plumbing is simply not designed for that use.
I have no issue with folks practicing gay sex but to claim that it is normal or natural is simply illogical. It may make them feel better but it is still illogical.
What is that old saying, "It depends on whose ox is being gored?"
If he (?) doesn't use the "reply" button, he may be able to slip through unnoticed.
[Although I haven't been getting notifications about replies for weeks. Anyone else having this trouble?]
Now you've crossed the line Steven–leave the ducks who wear pajamas out of this. What did they ever do to you?
You have it all wrong Mr. Crowder. Flamboyent gays are not funny. They (just the flamboyent ones) are a conspiracy! Parker and Stone had it right. They are really crab people in disguise working their nationwide plot to wussify American males so they can rise from the subteranian depths and rule the world.
Heck, Kad.. Robin Williams wasn't even the best actor of that movie… Seeing Nathan and Gene Hackman in some of those final scenes are priceless.
Bird Cage is an uproariously funny movie.. I disagree with you Kad about it going only after the conservative side of the argument.. it was also making a TON of funny of the flamboyancy that -some- in the Gay community show off, yes it went after the Hackman character, but Nathan was no "this is the right way to do things'.
Took you quite a while to pick up on that! (I guess they no longer teach Greek and Latin in British public schools.) Looks like Dom mistook "xeno-" for "geno-."
So you are what? "Stranger-poison?" That's nice.
Who were you referring to? Us? I think that's a valid assumption, no?
Your analogy to Steppin Fetchitt, Amos & Andy, and Peter Sellers would be something worth discussing, except this isn't about race. It's not even about sexual orientation. It's about behaviors which are inherently funny. Do you believe that homosexuals are unable to control their limp wrists or lisps? Those things are both funny and voluntary, so I have to believe they're done for a laugh.
Sorry, Dar.. but I think you're off on this one.. I'm siding with Steven (sort of.. As I'm not a Cohen fan at all, but that's just personal taste.)
If what you're saying is true.. then NOBODY is allowed to crack a joke about anyone outside of their own EXACT classification… Nobody is allowed to act, respond to, or talk about anyone that doesn't match their perfect census information.
Sorry, Dar.. but I think you're off on this one.. I'm siding with Steven (sort of.. As I'm not a Cohen fan at all, but that's just personal taste.)
If what you're saying is true.. then NOBODY is allowed to crack a joke about anyone outside of their own EXACT classification… Nobody is allowed to act, respond to, or talk about anyone that doesn't match their perfect census information.
Then how do you explain Mr. Garrison, Darkwolf? That's right, you can't!
Unless he's a double-agent?
Mr Garrsion hasn't made up his mind yet. He's not sure if he's gay, lesbian, he or she, or Spartan. I'll stop by Les Bos on my way home and ask him.
i agree with that take on it…sasha baren cohen is just generally tasteless and crude…i don't find him funny at all
"To a straight man, the notion of walking around as a coiffed, waxed, nail-polish wearing, lispy dude is uproariously absurd. "
Says the man with a suspicious lack of chin hair and perfectly coiffed 'do….
I'm gay and I don't mind if straight guys laugh at queeny gay men. It's far preferable to be laughed at than to be a punching bag for insecure "straight" men.
AMEN!!
By that standard we should all be outraged at the Beverly Hillbillies, since Buddy Ebsen was a midwestern Danish-American. Come to think of it, I don't believe any of the cast of M*A*S*H ever served in the Army……
so, you actually believe that when the dude was 4-years-old he knew that Richard was gay?? you are messed up…and i don't like cohen at all, but i DO have a sense of humor and will laugh at what I consider to be funny…do you consider ANYTHING funny??
oh yeah, if you think Steven's ilk is now going by the wayside, it only goes to show how much attention you actually pay to anything outside your little world
Perhaps the perfect quote comes from Albert Einstein:
"The majority of the stupid is invincible, and will be with us always."
Darogr..you have stumbled upon, albeit in a narrow sense, the trait endemic to 90% of the Left and the one that "dare not speak its name"…i.e. THE DOUBLE STANDARD. The Left can say whatever about whomever and it's okay because they couldn't possibly be racist, sexist, homophbic, jingoistic, hateful, rude or…..you get the picture. The Left can say "We're qu**eer"! But if I say Perez Hilton is a very qu**eer little man. (which he is, his sexuality notwithstanding), I am called a bigot. And the double standard applies to everything as far as the Left is concerned.
Elly May,why are you ascribing the "4-years-old" bit to me, when it was posted by CrisD? Can't be bothered to read what is posted by whom? Oh, yes there are many things in which I find humour, however hate speech disguised as humour is not one of them.
BTW, just how many constitute an "ilk"?
yes the "replies" aren't working, same can be said about much of the ID software.
I stand corrected re:xeno, but I was close enough. And even if you subsitute "stranger" for people", my breakdown of your screen name still holds water. You are a poisonous little troll. And you are a racist, no ad hominem there. Your own words betray you "yet another hyper-privileged white male", how do you know what kind of life Crowder has had? How do you know he's not bi-racial, like President Firefly? Your words my young guttersnipe, are a perfect example of an ad hominem attack.
Mike Kriskey, the interregnum between the post & my response was the result of bedtime arriving. Xenotoxin, colloquially, means unknown/foreign poison, also the subject of my first (back during the Palaeocene epoch) published monograph (Lancet).
In answer to your query about the target of the quote "Pathetic……homophobic trash…", your assumption was incorrect. While you(individually & severally) may fancy yourself(ves) the centre of the multiverse, in this case it was not all about you. You question the validity of my (in your opinion) analogy, however your interpretation thereof is in error. My assertion is not attempting to draw equivalence between race/sexuality/other, it is , rather about pointing out that any oppressed population will be harmed by the continuing dehumanisation inherent in culturally inculcated lies & vile stereotypes disguised as "humour".
In passing, the reason that I've been forced to not use the "reply" button, is that there seems to be a recursive 3rd level glitch (cannot post a reply to a reply) that makes it necessary to use the top level comment box in order to post a response to a reply under another post.
A c**ockatiel or parrot (hard to tell) is the perfect avatar for you xenotoxin. Along with your screen name, it displays a wonderful level of self awareness. I'll give you that.
Dom_Colangelo, have you ever read the on-line biographies available for Steven Crowder? Obviously not, or you would have noted that he is Caucasian/mono-racial single malt human, or whatever other term you prefer. But of course, mustn't let mere facts get in the way of calling names & ranting. Your lack of substantive data to refute any of my postings is amply evinced by your resorting to ad hominem attacks & school-yard name-calling. Unless you are over 60, you certainly have no status to refer to me as "…my young…" anything.
By the logic of some of the (more hysterical) posters above, it should be impermissable for a member of a particular racial/ethnic/gender/preference group to either portray or even comment on the members of another such group.. Some might remember the flap several years ago when the white British actor Jonathan Pryce was slated to play the Vietnamese pimp in "Miss Saigon" when the show went from London to Broadway. There was talk about not opening the show since an authentic "Asian" actor was not cast in the part. Producer Cameron Macintosh stood by his guns and the much-praised Pryce played the role. This sort of thinking seems to strike at the very foundations of theater. The whole point of being a performer is to assume an identity. Do you scrap a production of "Othello" because you can't find an actual Moor to play the lead? Can only a genuine hunchback play Quasimodo? Should be burn every print of "Viva Zapata" because the lead was played by non-Mexican Marlon Brando? This is verging on insanity.
Is your real name Arturo Bandini?
Look it up.
When I first saw it, on TV, Hackman was present, there was this "Lane" person whoever they were, and it was a Robin Williams movie, so I watched it, and I loved it. Oh yeah, I also recognized that woman playing the mother of the son, she was good.
Where did you get that "…it going only after…" stuff? Perhaps you should re-read my post, I found the conservative image portrayed was exaggerated to the point of being (mildly) offensive, but the flaming gay stuff, which was everywhere, was hilarious, on that we certainly agree.
Xenotoxin, nobody really gives a $hit, now go be miserable and have yourself a good cry.
well said you sexy man, can't wait for bruno!
StanH, in that you do not speak for the world's human population, nor even a significant minority thereof, your input is noted for the intellectual equivalent of divide-by-zero integer underflow that it is. If you feel the need to be emotionally invested in simple comment board posting back-and-forth, then please, take your own advice & have a prolonged moan & a cup of chamomile tea. Perhaps by then the cramping will have eased.
Xenotoxin, nobody really gives a $hit. You’ll make a good hall monitor one day.
I, for one, hope you keep posting here. Your utterly humorless, ultra-tight-a$$ed contributions to this thread are the most entertaining thing I've read in days. I don't doubt for a second you believe every word of your self-righteous, self-important, sanctimonious B___S___ with a zealous fervor seldom found outside of a radical mosque, which only makes it even funnier.
Rage on! Your self-inflicted parody is more damning than anything anyone has written in response to it!
xoxo
I, for one, hope you keep posting here. Your utterly humorless, ultra-tight-a$$ed contributions to this thread are the most entertaining thing I've read in days. I don't doubt for a second you believe every word of your self-righteous, self-important, sanctimonious B___S___ with a zealous fervor seldom found outside of a radical mosque, which only makes it even funnier.
Rage on! Your self-inflicted parody is more damning than anything anyone has written in response to it!
xoxo
10(6X + 4Y – Z)/4 + 25 = ilk
Or Kids in the Hall. I recall a majority of their sketches dealing with homosexuality.
"Hi. I'm Scott Thomson. <breathy whisper> The gay one.</breathy whisper>"
StanH, still unclear on the whole "you don't speak for anyone but yourself" meme, aren't you?
Xenotoxin–
You replied several times in short order after Dom's post, and then came the long break and your "gotcha!" moment. It's okay, nobody's perfect!
You used the wrong part of your quote: "…large numbers of hyper-privileged white males…" is the relevant section. (I even bolded it for you.) If not the posters here, who were you referring to?
'…any oppressed population will be harmed by the continuing dehumanisation inherent in culturally inculcated lies & vile stereotypes disguised as "humour".' So Jackie Mason isn't funny, now?
Man, you ARE Arturo Bandini.
Wait Until Spring, Bandini. Read it.
John Fante'
Odd that you conflate my positions favouring the absolute human rights of historically oppressed groups with the doctrines & philosophies found in, to quote you "…zealous fervor seldom found outside of a radical mosque…". Given that the intolerant, ready-to-kill, oppress the "other" mindset of Islamist radicals, is far more akin to the frothing, hyena pack behaviours exhibited here in defense of the "right" to ridicule & demean others.
T Y
Attababy! Thanks for not disappointing me AND you've figured out how to use boldface type- nice touch, and so much more refined than resorting to ALL CAPS, don't you think? Btw- are you somewhat schizophrenic as well as 'xenotoxic'? I'm just wondering because after somebody called you on the British spelling of "defence", you changed it to the Americanized (Americanised?) spelling in the above paragraph, and yet you still used "favouring" (or are you not aware that we ill-mannered Yanks don't employ the "u" in words such as favor, flavor, color, etc.?)
Okay- your turn. (You know your very raison d'etre depends on getting the last word…)
I've actually met Steven Crowder, didn't need to read his biography. Your accusation that Crowder, because he is a white guy, makes him "hyper-privileged" is a bigoted, racist assumption. Talk about a lack of substantive data. And my use of the phrase "my young" refers not to your chronological age, but your emotional one. Like the adage says, if the ad hominem fits…..
I'm glad your reply button started working.
I'm sensing a personality disorder here. Oh, and by the way: the moment someone uses phrases like "privileged white males," you know you're dealing with a postmodern, deconstructivist, politically correct type. In other words, a moron.
Oh, I think straights can do gay quite funnily…Ever watch "Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert"? All the leads are straight men, and Guy Pearce was the funniest of the lot.
Blond jokes stereotype blonds, but nobody cries about them but those who are blond (and that's only if they get it). It's still funny, though. If it's funny, laugh. PC-ness ruins the best of things. I'm not supposed to eat fried chicken and drink grape soda anymore because I'm too pale. Bah! Richard Simmons….short shorts….I used to point fingers and laugh….sometimes I still do.
Mr Crowder, you are *fabulous!*
A guy dressing up like a woman doesn't necessarily mean he's gay. You're equating two very different lifestyles. There are many straight men who consider themselves transvestites.
I wonder if laughing at certain lifestyles doesn't convey approval of certain lifestyles.
mrm-in-WC
so much more refined than resorting to ALL CAPS, don't you think?
I've never posted in all caps, thinking of someone else perhaps?
I'm just wondering because after somebody called you on the British spelling of "defence", you changed it to the Americanized (Americanised?) spelling in the above paragraph, and yet you still used "favouring" (or are you not aware that we ill-mannered Yanks don't employ the "u" in words such as favor, flavor, color, etc.?)
The post that you refer to was created from an office computer, which unbeknownst to me utilises the en-US locale, thus auto-correcting my spelling. Still lacking anything of real substance to refute my assertions, so you settle for playground level name calling? How predictable. As for your laughable assertions of "schizophrenia", judging by the content of your posts, perhaps you and the MMPI should get together for a revealing look inside your psyche. Now, I've given you a response, enjoy it, after all I practice charity even toward those such as you.
Richard:
I'm sensing a personality disorder here. Oh, and by the way: the moment someone uses phrases like "privileged white males," you know you're dealing with a postmodern, deconstructivist, politically correct type. In other words, a moron.
Where precisely did you obtain your psychiatric qualifications? It seems likely that what you sense is your own insecurities in the face of further erosion of the white privilege in US society. Let me fix those last two sentences of yours, When someone recognises the existence of "privileged white males", one can assume that one is dealing with a social egalitarian. Those that attack to deny the existence of such privilege are recalcitrant Neanderthals.
A heavy background in math and physics can come in handy every now and then.
WOW! What a very strange homosexual man Steve is.
Jammie Farr was in the Army and was stationed in Korea for a bit, although he was there after the Korean war had ended.
Darkwolf is right, Kriskey, Mr. Garrison changes about every season.
ah… Crowder, you're brilliant and ballsy, dude. And find yourself in the uneviable job of being a comian having to explain why something is funny…and worse, that's it's not hateful. HAAAAAAAA! Better you, than me, my brother. Having spent years in the theater and film biz, my interatcion with gays of all sorts is second nature. And those who are flamboyantly, over-the-top Gay — they know they're funny. They take great pride in making straight men laugh. And if they don't, the reaction then turns even funnier. No where does hate enter into it; and if it does, then it's on the hater, not the hatee. People need to lighten the f#%k up, ha ha ha.
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