Stereotype Fail and Shatmanapalooza

[wook77]

My racism/minority groups class is depressing me and not due to subject matter, either. I really thought that in a class that has an entire segment of the textbook that addresses the fallacy of "some of my best friends are..." that I wouldn't receive a comment that stated that "over-the-top portrayals of gays is all right because one of my best friends is gay and he laughs at himself all the time". Um, dude, just cause you find campy stereotypes of gay people to be lolarious doesn't mean that everyone does. I shouldn't have to explain the segment of the motherfucking textbook to you. I also shouldn't have to explain that his vote doesn't cancel out my vote and that makes it all right that the only portrayals of gays on mainstream television are the campy ones that never have a relationship.

Ugh, I did it anyway but, still. So much depressing bits because I shouldn't have to do it in a class based on racism and minority groups.

Then again, this entire weekend has been filled with this. I had to defriend someone yesterday (and block them from my LJ) when they decided to post a vitriolic, Islamaphobic diatribe as an "honor to 9/11". It is not honoring the people that died on 9/11 to post nasty, hate-filled, accusatory and negative stereotypes in an attack on Muslims. Cause, guess what? There were some *gasp* Muslims that died on 9/11 that weren't the hijackers, so STFU, bigoted doucherocket. Stop using a tragedy to justify your hatred. Otherwise, don't be surprised when someone whips out the Oklahoma City Bombing as a reason to hate all Christians. Face it, there are extremists of every religion out there. I shouldn't have to explain this but, dude, guess I do.

I also spent the weekend working and shopping for books. I got a bunch of awesome old skool romance novels to laugh at read and enjoy in addition to some awesome cookbooks, fantastic movies and Wiilliam Shatner's Star Trek Memories. OMG DID I SCORE OR WHAT!? The Shatman's memories of being on the Star Trek set! EEEEEEE PLUS OMG! I got a cd of his music and three books that he authored! It was Shatmanapalooza!

How was your weekend?

Comments

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Ugh, what suckage. Though "doucherocket" made me LOL. ;-)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

It's my newest one. I was ranting to elanorofcastile and it popped out as sort of a gross amalgamation of two different insults. I enjoy it.

And yeah, I just do not get the whole thing. I'm sort of hoping that the girl in my class, at least, will get where she went wrong. The other person, well, there's no hope for. Thankfully, she's blocked and defriended so I don't really have to worry about seeing it anymore on LJ, at least. Now if they'd just stop it IRL, too.

[elanorofcastile.livejournal.com]

I bring out the best in creative swearing in everyone :B

[karaz.livejournal.com]

I'm picturing an actual douche that you shake up and it launches into outer space, spraying the world with vinegar water. Just so you know.

[inspiredlife.livejournal.com]

Eurgh, that's really sucky. Some people, man.

But go you with the book scores! I love me some cheesy old school romances.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Definitely. I really wish people would stop cloaking dumbass bullshit in religion. There are plenty of peaceful bits of religion, too.

YES! The book scores. Oh man. I should really take pictures of the covers and post them so you can get a look at them. They're srsly LOLARIOUS OMG. The one cover, the lady looks like she has a horse coming out of her neck! Another one has a guy with two different sized hands, one of which is totally taking over the lady's entire stomach and chest. I love them so much.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Yay books!

Eurgh, I try to keep a low profile on 9/11 because it really seems to bring the doucherockets (great word) out in force. There was a Muslim prayer room in the World Trade Center, for fuck's sake.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Books make me happy! The one booksale benefited the local library system so I spared a moment to think of all the librarians on my flist as soon as I saw it and had to shop. Tucson, as part of budget cuts, is trying to cut all the libraries but the citizens are really saying "no fucking way". There were so many people at the booksale for the library. The other booksale was for a local animal shelter and it had a bunch of good finds, too.

I really do, too, on the keeping a low profile. I'm just too close to it and I still can't deal very well. I get the shakes whenever I see a photo and I immediately want to cry. So, I admit that I reacted more strongly to that bit of nastiness than I would've had it been posted any other day. Normally, I would attempt a bit of polite conversation about why the rant and nastiness wasn't appreciated but I just posted something to the effect of "OH FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR STEREOTYPES AND STOP USING RELIGION TO BE A BIGOTED CUNTWAD". I also slapped a shitload of links at them. But, I also know that you should, at least, attempt to have a rational discussion. I just can't, not about this.

I admit that doucherockets came out of an amalgamation of two different insults as I was trying to yell at someone in traffic and it's really stuck with me since :D. I call people "kumquats" too because I sort of yelled that instead of "cuntwads" at a bunch of idiot drivers. Oh driving, taking me to new depths of jerk-ness.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

But, I also know that you should, at least, attempt to have a rational discussion

Eh, it's hard to have a rational discussion with irrational people. :(

I sometimes call my cats kumquats when they're being particularly ridiculous. It's a fun word to say.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

It really, really is. I hadn't realized the level of batshit this person had. They posted very rarely and I guess there was a reason why? IDEK

I love that word. I use it all the time when I try to insult people because I love their expressions as they try to figure out just how I insulted them and/or if they should be insulted. I find that it slows the crazy down, a wee bit, at least IRL.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

until I started hanging out with my harem, I never really thought about the gigantic spectrum of camp. most of the guys i hung out with were on the "no way you can't be gay because you love cars and kung fu movies" end, (which is one of the most annoying things i ever heard a real person say BTW) but there was a southern belle and an honest to god t-rex.

people are people which is why I watch and read so much about gender roles. I have never been comfortable with the boxes i was told to choose from for myself and i have it relatively easy as a straight Caucasian.

I wouldn't mind the over the top portrayals if they weren't the only thing out there. it is usually the lack of balance and the asexualizing that bothers me more than the individual portrayals.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's plenty of people out there with plenty of differences. I'm tired of hearing the whole "Well, he's not acting like Jack from Will & Grace" or something similar.

It's exactly what you said - that lack of balance and the asexaulizing. I wouldn't mind the campy dude if there was a hint that either he a.) was dating someone and interacted with them physically and b.) if there were other portrayals available. As it is, there isn't for the most part. Though I have to admit that I liked the portrayals of Kyle and Fish on, um, whatever soap opera that was. It just sucks that I have the attention span of a goldfish on crack so I would remember to watch more often. I also like Christian and Olli on Verbotene Liebe because they're not the only gays and they're not flaming stereotypes.

Meh, anyway, yes, word. I just want to see more actual interactions before I'm all right with all the camp, too.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

gosh it's been so long, I'm trying to remember a mainstream depiction other than the ones you said. most of the stuff popping into my head are niche parodies like "not another gay movie" and "make the yuletide gay".

and then of course i'm ,ixing things in my head from fanfic and books which don't count at all as mainstream.

Torchwood. i think they sort of dealt with the whole ruberness of sexuality pretty well but at some point things get muddled and messed up. and that isn't american mainstream anyway.

[umbralillium.livejournal.com]

I also shouldn't have to explain that his vote doesn't cancel out my vote and that makes it all right that the only portrayals of gays on mainstream television are the campy ones that never have a relationship.

I rather enjoyed Kevin and Scotty on Brothers & Sisters, but the show itself was a little too soap-opera for my taste and then Kevin and Scotty started talking about adopting. I have nothing against gays adopting, in fact I encourage them. However, they were talking about it like it was a foregone conclusion that, after they got as married as you can get in California, the next step was obviously adopting. I don't honestly know for sure if they ever actually adopted. It just annoyed the crap out of me that the writers went the whole heteronormative date, marry, have kids route like it's the only thing that could happen after Kevin and Scotty got married. Not everyone in the world wants to have kids. In fact, I find it refreshing that Peter and Elizabeth on White Collar have been married for ten years and don't have kids, because A) kids really wouldn't fit into their busy lives and B) kids aren't necessarily a requirement to living a fulfilled life.

*cough* Sorry, got a little ranty. Kevin and Scotty were cute right after they got together seriously and I would've kept watching if not for the reasons listed above. It was nice to see gay characters that weren't unattractive, cock-hounds, or flaming queens. They were just two normal guys who happened to be gay. Other writers could definitely take some lessons from the B&S writers.

[mindabbles.livejournal.com]

So, so exhausting. Why do people have to be idiots?

But Star Trek memories must soothe the sting, right?

[karaz.livejournal.com]

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD: I FEEL YOUR PAIN.

I think my LJ was mostly quiet on 9/11 but I haven't gotten back that far yet. However, facebook made we want to stab people. It's made worse by actually knowing those people in a real life, will probably see them again, context.

Cookbooks and Star Trek! You're on your own with the cheesey romance. I get enough of that in fanfic. >.>