30 years ago we use to play a game called “smear the queer;” a game where whoever had the football got gang tackled. It was a normal. If you had the ball, you were the queer, because no one else had the ball, and having the ball made you odd or “queer” in that respect. Of course, you could throw the ball to another player and the pack would quickly turn to smear that queer, without regard to his or her sexuality, I might add. Queer, gay, homo, fag meant nothing having to do with what you were attracted to and no one committed suicide, got beat up or even called names in that regard. That was my experience.
Then, about ten years later, the media and the ever-tolerant Hollywood (not), began portraying homosexual (men) on television and film as the “Funny” one or the one you felt sorry for – just to get us used to the idea. C’mon – who didn’t laugh at Paul Lynde or Charles Nelson Reilly? And not until Ellen demanded her character come out of the closet (which she was summarily fired for) did gay characters litter the big and small screen alike, whether it was important or not. ( Just to go a little further with this point, Hollywood will put “gay” characters in tv show/movies that are not relevant to the plot. They try to portray this as “Normal” America. I can tell you right now, when I’m tossing the football with my son in front of the house, I have never seen 2 men hand in hand prancing down the street. You?)
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5 comments:
He should get his facts, for lack of a better word, straight.
Ellen wasn't fired, her show was cancelled due to poor ratings.
Maybe 30 years ago the word 'queer' was acceptable, but, um, 40, 50, 60, plus, years ago, the N-word was also used liberally in society until people realized how derogatory and hateful it was and it went out of fashion.
Just like the word 'queer' when used to describe The Gays.
Joe ought to get his facts and then SHUT THE FUCK UP.
His fifteen minutes are over.
cosign w/Bob
Totally agree with Bob. Joe the Plumber's world is so fraught with lies and rationalization, it is scary. 30 years ago, 'smear the queer' was not referring to anything other than 'fags'. I graduated high school 35 years ago, where they sometimes played the that game. And when they called me or others faggots or queers, they were not referencing a bundle of sticks or being the odd man out. And the gay rights movement did not start with Ellen, it started at Stonewall, although work was being done before that as well. If he could only understand that his pigheaded, bigoted and whitewashed view of the world is as trustworthy as the facts surrounding his life when he washed up on shore with the rest of the wreckage of the SS Palin.
I really thought he'd milked his 15 minutes of fame already. I couldn't care what he thinks since "thinking" doesn't seem to be one of his strong points.
I'll continue to ignore him and wonder why others haven't decided to do the same.
I'm only going to agree with Joe The Plumber on one point. I played Smear The Queer when I was a kid, but it was only when I got older (around 8-9 years old) when I found out that queer had several meanings. As a result, I still loved the game but hated the name of it.
Other than that, Joe needs to STFU.
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