True Blood, "Gay Issues", and Good Christian People

Alright so this week’s blog is late because I’m busy trying to tie up loose ends before I head to NYC on Saturday with the BF. We’ll be there for 9 (count ‘em NINE) days, so next week’s blog will come to you all the way from the Big Apple. Since I’ve never been east of Indiana (unless you count those trips to FL, but since we didn’t leave the state…) it promises to be one of those life changing experiences. So we’ll see.

I’ve been looking around for some interesting news stories and things to comment about and I found a lot if disparate issues in very small news stories. I also would like to write a small review on the beginning of Season 1 of True Blood.

I managed to procure a legitimate copy of the first season of this new vampire series which is being produced/aired or whatever on HBO. I figured since I wasn’t going to be getting into Twilight anytime soon I should at least get some sort of vampy thing to slake my thirst. (I have a feeling bad puns are going to be floating around this post a lot). I’m unsure if you’d want to read the review, because there are going to be some spoilers, so you’ve been forewarned.

Granted I’ve only had the time to see the first 3 episodes, and I already thing that the whole show has a really good feel to it. I especially like the fact that the vampires have severe weaknesses, which could actually kill them. Most notably, they never go out in the sun. Another thing which I think is very interesting is that in the beginning they show one of those signs that are in front of churches where you can customize the letters, and the sign reads “God Hates Fangs”. One of the more overarching issues of the show is the issue of vampire equality, now that vampires have “come out of the coffin” and wanted to become a part of society. This mirrors in a huge way the struggles facing the gay community at this point in history. Even more poignantly the fact that a sign that reads “God Hates Fangs” is only one letter away from letting people know that God also hates cigarettes from the UK. But overall, after 3 episodes, I like it. I think its going to be a decent show, especially with all the vampire hype. The only thing that I wish was explained more was how that damn waitress got to be telepathic in the first place… I also am tickled to say that I love the whole feel of the show, from the attitude of some of the characters to the fact that there’s even a black gay character. One con, I suppose would have to be the preoccupation with sex, as that seems to be the favorite pastime in the little imaginary town of Bon Temps, LA. You can’t go 5 minutes in the show without seeing someone banging someone else. Kinda irritating, but the boys are good to look at so I suppose that makes it okay…sort of.

In the same vein (there’s those puns again) as talking about True Blood, I discovered this story about the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which are what the television series True Blood is based on. I like the fact that she seems like she’s just a (forgive the expression) “down home” southern lady, who’s just a writer of fictions. But I also think that if those books are as good as they seem to be (I have yet to have the pleasure of reading them, but HBO made a series out of them!) then she’s a literary genius. Okay, well maybe not a literary genius, but at least she has some good sense to write about something of which there is already a huge hype about.

Moving away from True Blood, (which I’ll say again, is amazing. Makes me want to get HBO since they also did Six Feet Under, which I didn’t find out about until after it was over, so that I can watch these shows. Which annoyed me) there are a few interesting, and very small stories that I’d would like to comment on.

I’m wondering if the bigger issue with this article should be more about the rights of business owners to turn away customers or about sexuality. On the one hand, I can see how this is just a huge ploy for some major gay publicity, but at the same time I can see where the one owner, Zaharakis, is coming from. Speaking as a gay man who goes out clubbing (probably more that I would like to admit) I don’t want to go out and see a bunch of women partying it up. I go out because I like to people watch and I like the eye candy, and a bunch of women who are celebrating heteronuptuals and feel like they can get totally plastered because there’s no chance that they’re going to be taken advantage of in a gay bar, are not my idea of a good time. But, and I’m glad the article mentions the other side of the issue, in that some business owners may want to tap that market such as Binninger, who then started offering a whole night for women who want to do that. I suppose that’s the wonders of the Capitalist society of the US. Notice this is also happening in Chicago, pretty close to where I live.

Even closer is this story, which I cannot believe. Not only am I infuriated about this issue because it’s an issue that is essentially a “gay” issue, and in my home state no less. It’s also against everything I believe as a bibliophile because it’s a total throwback to the middle ages. I would like to think that we as a society and a culture, and an intelligent race have moved beyond the need to destroy literature simply because we don’t like what it says. Not only that, but it’s also a censorship issue, which I’m also against, because books are written to be read. If you don’t like the subject matter, don’t read the book. Problem solved. If you read the article take note of this passage (Please note that this is a direct quotation from the source, and not in any way altered by me, nor does it reflect my views or ideas):

“The CCLU claim describes Baby Be-Bop as “explicitly vulgar, racial, and
anti-Christian,” and charges that the four plaintiffs, “all of whom are elderly,
claim their mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book at the
library” because the book contains the word "nigger" and derogatory sexual and
political epithets that can incite violence and “put one’s life in possible
jeopardy, adults and children alike.”

So a few questions that I have about this are what are elderly people doing in the young adult section of the library anyway? And provided they were there with grandchildren, why are they calling attention to this instead of just ignoring it? I’ve been in libraries before, if you ignore something (a book) it’ll get lost and ignored in the depths of the stacks. Not only that, but they claim that “their mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book…” What did they do, read it? Again, if you don’t like the subject matter, why read the book? They also claim that it’s anti-Christian. Having never read the book, I can’t say that for sure. But I can infer from the language used that they are attacking it on those grounds due to the added clout/publicity that it gives the suit and also because the book deals with homosexuality. In regards to the N-word that the book uses, I have yet to see a group of elderly people want to change the language in Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, which I have read, and also contain that word in a derogatory term. As far as people’s lives being in jeopardy, I can only say that the only way people’s lives will be in jeopardy is if we allow this sort of censorship to occur and keep knowledge away from the masses. It is ignorance that causes violence, not knowledge, at least in the wider sense.

An addendum to this, which is more of a story than anything else: I remember when I was younger, my mother was very into watching the television show The Waltons and there was one episode that really stuck out in my mind. It was an episode that was set during WWII and the hype surrounding the Nazi’s and their regime. These good Christian folks living on the mountain got wrapped up in a hate filled mob and decided to go out and find all the German books they could and burn them. Well one of the Walton kids, who also discovered a woman living nearby that could read/speak German, was very upset about the book burning, and got this woman to read from a book and translate. What she was reading was the Bible, in German, which these Christian people were horrified to discover they were about to burn.

Another issue we have with good Christian people, and homosexuality is this story. I think this is a sham, and totally uncalled for. I agree with what James Cole says about this opening a can of worms that cannot easily be closed about how therepists and counselors deal with clients. Not only that, but it was my understanding that as someone who provides such services, you have a duty and are ethically bound to help the people who come to you. And if you can’t help them, due to whatever issue you are unable to help them, you’re ethically bound to refer them to someone who can help them. This crap about not having to even refer someone based on the fact that their sexual orientation or some other issue somehow causes problems due to the religious beliefs of the therapist is crap. I’ll have to keep an eye on this story to see what happens.

And finally, this story illustrates just how crazy school administrators and things can be. While there are children being bullied for even appearing/seeming to be gay by the perceptions of others, and committing suicide, school officials would rather keep a student from graduating for a little showboating at a graduation ceremony. I think this is a total waste of time and resources, and it effectively illustrates the skewed priorities of our educational administrators and those in charge of school policy. Stop worrying about little things like this and start worrying about the lives of the children in your care!

Next week: Blog from NYC!

A few things that have been bothering me

Alright, so there are a few things that have been bothering me which, since there aren't any decent things in the over publicized news and the over political arena of the USA.

Ok, so first. I know that there are untold numbers of people that would like to believe and have poured a lot of money, time, and resources into proving that being gay is not in any way a choice (consciously or otherwise) which leaves only a biological element to the issue of homosexuality. Which is fine. I'm not going to get into my personal views about what makes a person gay or not, but I will tell you that I'm vehemently against any definitive proof that there is such a thing as a gay gene.

I mean I understand the desire to have the whole issue explained and to shift the blame of the state of being homosexual from the person to some obscure biological entity (however small it may be). But if you move beyond that blame idea, and move forward with it a couple of decades into the future there's a really scary possibility out there. Which would be screening for the so-called 'gay gene' and possibly (further down the line enough) a gay cure. I'm not saying that it would ever happen in my lifetime, but if it ends up being a purely biological thing rather than a socio-biological thing with many different factors, it could be said that, given enough time and scientific experimentation, these things could come to pass. Which is a very scary thought, at least to me.

Another thing that has been bugging me lately is the double standard of the sexes in the workplace. I'm not against women in the workplace, at all. But what I am against is the double standard of what is acceptable behavior between the sexes in the workplace. I work in an office comprised of 98% women. I was also raised by a lot of them, and shockingly birthed by one. And I am constantly reminded (at least one week a month) that I am incapable of doing anything right. Usually I am reminded of this rather harshly and pointedly in the middle of some sort of reprimand for something very tedious. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this sort of behavior, because that's the nature of the employer/employee relationship. But to have my job threatened and be given the cold shoulder due to emotional issues is greatly unfair. If a man were to do that sort of thing in the workplace, he'd be fired without a second thought, but women are constantly given leeway. Which is crap because I've known a lot of women who manage their emotional turmoil and still achieve normal workplace decorum. There are drugs one can take to help deal with this sort of behavior, as well as strength of will. As my mother and recently deceased grandmother would always tell me (and my female cousins) "If you don't mind, it don't matter". I mean women have fought for equal treatment in the workplace, equal pay, and to prove that they are just as capable as men in the workplace to be taken seriously. So why then do some women want special treatment, aka leeway, for dealing with their emotional issues, especially in the workplace. If you can't learn to separate your emotions/personal life from the workplace, I'm sorry, but that's not fair to your subordinates, co-workers, or boss. I'm not saying women with this difficulty should be fired, but it should be made clear that this is not acceptable in the workplace. That's all I'm saying.

Speaking of the employer/employee relationship, can I just mention that I think it's incredibly horrible that an employees job/position/whatever is solely dependent on the whims of the employer. There's no job security, and what job security that does exist is directly proportional to how happy you can manage to keep your employer, or how much ass you kiss, or how far you can bend over backwards to get things done. I think that it's a huge abuse of power for employers to base your employment solely on personality. While I think that it plays a part, I would have to say that ones performance should play a much bigger part in determining your employment rather than how much your boss likes you.

I've been listening to a lot of progressive talk radio. I have to say that I noticed something very interesting. I've been listening to Ed Shultz. But as I grew up my stepdad attempted to indoctrinate me to the far right point of view by telling me how amazing Rush Limbaugh is. I'm now politically apathetic so all attempts have pretty much failed. But my position allows me to make interesting connections like this: I think Ed and Rush look very similar, and sound very similar. Which leads me to believe that the spokes people for our two most dominant political parties are both fat, rich, white, businessmen. Funny that...

Speaking of politics, can I just say that I'm very fed up with the infighting of the Democrats and the Republicans. I was listening to Ed Shultz this afternoon and he said something about one not being able to be an "Ed-Head" unless you have the desire to crush the Rebublican party entirely. Can you imagine how much more we could accomplish in this country if both sides would stop trying to destroy each other, and fighting with each other, and stop attempting to deal with their little agendas, and actually focus on the welfare and the betterment of this country? Instead of trying to crush each other, why don't they use their incredible powers of discourse and attempt to communicate in an effective way that will benefit the nation and the people? Why, because politicians, like all people, are fallable and not really capable of thinking about anything other than themselves.

Moving into a different direction, can I just say that I'm totally against the little device known as a Kindle? Why would you have an electronic device that allows you to read, but is dependant on batteries, or other power sources, and is also yet another screen for you to look at. I have to say that in my opinion, books are so much better, and, I will go so far as to say that books are among the most perfect forms of entertainment. They are self contained, require no batteries, cords, or assembly, and they're incredibly durable. So why would you, under the guise of advancement, go backwards. It boggles the mind.

Okay, I think I'm thoroughly spent. I know that I said initially that I would try to keep this blog more about commentary about what's going on in the world, but there's a LOT of publicity and coverage about a very small amount of issues. So this weeks' blog is dedicated to my opinions and thoughts on a myriad of things. Take it with a grain of salt because its my opinion(s). Hopefully, regular posts about various other issues will resume next week.

It's been a busy week

Alright, so it’s not really Wednesday, but I had a really rough week with the unexpected death and subsequent funeral of a close family member. That'll put a crimp in anyone’s week and plans for blogging. But, all is not lost as I have managed to accumulate a whole slew of interesting tidbits that I found as I've been poking around.

So in reference to my disdain for Adam Lambert who we all knew was gay, but managed to keep his fame alive by not actually saying the words "Dude, I'm gay" or some other trashy Lambert-esqe equivalent, I came across this which I was going to use to make my point. Unfortunately as keeping news around doesn't seem to be a big deal for interweb archiving, it's gone. But you can see my point by the "keep guessing" part of the headline. (Another post will be devoted to the idiocy of keeping historical records on something as fleeting as computers, and the utter stupidity of the Kindle thingy).

Now for a repeat issue, (even though I feel like I'm beating a dead horse) this really irritates me. Not the whole anti-bullying legislation (which has been a LONG time in coming) but the reaction to this from the Christian groups and the Catholic Church that is mentioned. I find it reprehensible that the bishop in question would compare a legislation that would protect children from being bullied by their peers and offer sanctions to those who would continue to bully others using homophobic language with the gay marriage debate. That's like comparing apples and pineapples. There's absolutely no correlation. And to say that this legislation is a prelude to allowing gay marriage, is just plain ridiculous.

Not only that, if you read the article the one faith based group is afraid that "...if the bill passed it would lead to the expansion of the state’s hate crime law and anti-discrimination laws to cover gays." I'm sorry, is that such a bad thing? Perhaps in your eyes, at this point in time, it may be so. However, I cannot believe that if one of your children was beaten to death for being perceived to be gay, you'd be in the front lines of trying to get a hate crime legislation passed in your state, if only so you could see justice done for your child. Even if that's not the case, hate crimes are very real, and I for one believe that they are under-punished (or whatever the term is).

Another interesting story caught my eye, and I just couldn't resist making a really interesting comparison. We have fought over keeping religion out of public schools and other institutions that have ties to the state for, well, for most of my lifetime of (nearly) 24 years. And from what I can see we've been incredibly successful. This is fine, if you’re going to go all the way and completely separate church and state. But isn't it interesting that we don't want religion in public schools, but religion and religious institutions have a great deal of influence when it comes to marriage which grants all sorts of civil benefits and rights?

Along that same line this article by Time Magazine illustrates just what I've been saying ever since I started paying attention to the gay marriage debate. If you don't believe me, just find a previous post about gay marriage on this blog, I'm fairly certain that it's around here somewhere. But it’s about time that someone with a touch more clout than I have finally decided to take the idea and run with it. Good for you!

I'm pleased to see that someone else also dislikes the bad boy/pretty boy combination vampires (that break all vampire rules) that Twilight has introduced to mainstream society. Although I'm intrigued by his new book about vampires and the interesting take that he's bringing to them, I have to say, as I've said before, I'm a vampire purist and that's what I look for in a vampire tale. Ok, enough with the vampire proselytizing.

I discovered something interesting about blogger.com, which is that you can post your blogs by email. This is a nice idea should it actually work. So needless to say I tried it and if failed. No worries, there will always be more time to blog. Also, if anyone out there who reads this darn thing knows anything about formatting block quotes in blogger, let me know, because your skills are in demand. At least from me.

Regular Wednesday updates will resume next week, provided that nobody else in my life keels over and/or the world doesn't end