Equivalence Befalls Us Homos
Jan. 17th, 2007 12:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fjOk, for the non pop-cult watchers, here is the recap:
Hospital show, 'Grey's Anatomy'.
There are tensions on the set. They seem to center around the working relationship between two actors: Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey. relevant supporting cast here is third actor, T.R. Knight.
During a taping of a scene, Washington and Dempsey actually come to blows they are so pissed at each other. Washington has a tirade connected to this where, on the set, he identifies Knight as 'the (or that, I am not sure) faggot." Knight is around the corner and hears himself being discussed like that.
The incident is all over the gossip circles. Knight calls People Magazine and comes out because he knows the question whether he actually is will come up anyway.
Now, months later, there's a cast and crew interview session for the Golden Globes. Washington answers a question about the incident where he says that he never called Knight a faggot, using the word 'faggot' again.
And here's is where it gets interesting: gossip blogs, news outlets, TV Guide columnists are calling for Washington's head for using 'the f-word' again. Seriously, the 'f-word' is how I heard it described on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Kiss FM thismorning, "rhymes with 'maggot'". Knight is going to be on Ellen Degeneres' talk show tonight discussing both incidents, and according to the transcript he is gushing over Ellen's courage coming out ten years ago, and Ellen talks about using hurtful words and playground taunts.
And I am looking at this and going, OMG, 'faggot' is the new 'nigger'! When the hell did that happen in popular culture, when was the critical mass accumulated to elevate faggot to that status? And what does it mean for us faggots? This is frickin progress like I cynically had not thought even on the radar five years ago, and here we are! The commenters can't even get themselves to say it!
And how are they going to distinguish one f-word from the other?
Hospital show, 'Grey's Anatomy'.
There are tensions on the set. They seem to center around the working relationship between two actors: Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey. relevant supporting cast here is third actor, T.R. Knight.
During a taping of a scene, Washington and Dempsey actually come to blows they are so pissed at each other. Washington has a tirade connected to this where, on the set, he identifies Knight as 'the (or that, I am not sure) faggot." Knight is around the corner and hears himself being discussed like that.
The incident is all over the gossip circles. Knight calls People Magazine and comes out because he knows the question whether he actually is will come up anyway.
Now, months later, there's a cast and crew interview session for the Golden Globes. Washington answers a question about the incident where he says that he never called Knight a faggot, using the word 'faggot' again.
And here's is where it gets interesting: gossip blogs, news outlets, TV Guide columnists are calling for Washington's head for using 'the f-word' again. Seriously, the 'f-word' is how I heard it described on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Kiss FM thismorning, "rhymes with 'maggot'". Knight is going to be on Ellen Degeneres' talk show tonight discussing both incidents, and according to the transcript he is gushing over Ellen's courage coming out ten years ago, and Ellen talks about using hurtful words and playground taunts.
And I am looking at this and going, OMG, 'faggot' is the new 'nigger'! When the hell did that happen in popular culture, when was the critical mass accumulated to elevate faggot to that status? And what does it mean for us faggots? This is frickin progress like I cynically had not thought even on the radar five years ago, and here we are! The commenters can't even get themselves to say it!
And how are they going to distinguish one f-word from the other?
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Date: 2007-01-18 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-18 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-18 04:30 pm (UTC)