At work yesterday, I overheard the following conversation about the new movie Brokeback Mountain:
Guy: Do you want to see "Brokeback Mountain"? Everybody says it's supposed to be really good.
Girl: I don't know. Gay cowboys? How believable is that?
Guy: I wanted to see it, but then I found out what it's really about.
Girl: Oh, yeah? What?
Guy: Well, I heard that they have families and are normal, but they have sex with each other. They wrestle to see who is the top and who is the bottom.
Girl: I'm not homophobic, but I don't want to see that.
I almost had a fit. If that's not homophobia, I don't know what is... I am not offended by the constant and excessive displays of heterosexual love that have been shoved down my throat my whole freaking life, okay...maybe a little offended. But I wouldn't boycott a film because Tom Cruise might kiss a girl, or Jessica Alba hooks up with Paul Walker. I would boycott those movies simply because they are crap. For those of you who don't know, homophobia is defined as: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.
I don't want to speculate on the couple having this conversation, but I will since they obviously have an "aversion" to this films content. I suspect that the Guy is secretly desperate to see the film, since he started the conversation, and can't wait to be wrestled to the bottom himself. And the Girl (hardly, in her late thirties) told me she was married to a gay man who left her and she tries to put up a good front, for the kid. "We are still friends, so I can't be homophobic," she says, but she is. I can understand that she may not want to face her demons in a movie theater, but let's be honest.
Brokeback Mountain is a love story that happens to be about two men. That may be too much for some people to take, but I can't wait to see it. When I heard the "wrestling for top" comment, I was impressed. It is a gay custom, dating back to ancient Greece. I have experienced this many times, and can easily admit to "losing" on purpose. It's homophobia that I don't enjoy wrestling with. Brokeback is a far cry from gay porn and I am positive that Ang Lee exercised a lot of discretion in depicting the intimacies of the characters. If you can't watch boys wrestle, better stay away.
9 comments:
well I'm guessing by this that u r gay. And by ur profile that ur a bit insecure, so have adopted an attitude and affectation. but I also acknowledge that you must have had some hard times because of your sexuality. Don't adopt an angry attitude by lumping all us heterosexuals in together. I'm on your side. And I (a hetero guy) am dying to see the movie. Top or bottom.
"Attitude and affectation"?
Yeah, I'm gay. No, not insecure. Yeah, I've had "hard times", but so does everybody.
I'm not "lumping" all heterosexuals together, I am simply saying that to say that you are not homophobic but that you don't want to see a film that may contain man on man action is a direct contradiction. That's all.
By the way, you said I am "insecure" and "angry" and that "you are on (my) side" .... Where would you like to be lumped?
I can't wait to see "Brokeback Mountain," and I hope the sex is HOT! I enjoyed the sex scenes in "Latter Days," the most graphic gay male sex I've seen outside of porn, and figure I'll appreciate the sex scenes in "Brokeback Mountain" as well. Jake and Heath are both extremely attractive human beings, and I think it will be enjoyable to watch two extremely attractive human beings get it on with each other, no matter what their sexes.
SO wrote: When I heard the "wrestling for top" comment, I was impressed. It is a gay custom, dating back to ancient Greece. I have experienced this many times, and can easily admit to "losing" on purpose.
I would add, this is a SEXUAL custom, dating back to whenever someone figured out that foreplay is fun. Remember Ado Annie in "Oklahoma"? "Every time I lose that wrestlin' match, I have a funny feeling that I won...." I've done it plenty of times as a straight woman myself.
P.S. And I would call the attitude of the guy and girl at work not only homophobic, but heterosexist.
fell upon this blog by chance...
saviour... I don't imagine you are insecure and of course we've all had 'hard times'...
and if that wasn't homophobia you spoke about in your post, I don't know what the fuck is.
it's truly amazing isn't it
if you don't support israel you're an antisemite. If you don't support homosexuality your a homophobe (and the biggest con is saying that heteros who dont like/agree with homosexuality are really closet gays. The real reason for that con is to stop heterosexual dissent).
I don't care how genetically f**cked up you are I am just glad that you can't breed. Hopefully the obscenity that homosexuality is normal and acceptable will be bred out or finally seen for what it is - a fault in the human brain.
Hey I noticed you moderate comments after writing this. Why don't you be a big brave homo and post it or is dissent and disagreement not allowed in your world.
Maybe I could be your homophobe poster twink (just a thought)
Hi Anonymous Poster Twink!
What amazes me is when big brave str8 boys like you take the time to search out blogs like mine in order to leave nasty comments.
And one more thing, homosexuals can and do breed all the fucking time, dumbass... You think it's genetic, I don't. I had a real redneck homophobe father like you, so let's just see how genetically fucked up your kids are....
I do moderate, but I have published every comment I get. Dissent and disagreement are welcome in my world, obviously, but anonymous assholes are not. Everyone else has enough balls to say what they have to say without hiding behind "anonymous."
At least I am being myself.
Who the fuck are you?
Hello! Happy New Year!
I do not have a Google or Blogger account so I have logged on Anonymous but will be happy to state that my name is Anthony and I am a married Catholic psychiatrist in Southern California. I will not offend by leaving coarse comments. The reason I am on this web blog is I am learning more about and trying to specialize in, counseling treatment for same gender attracted individuals who are dysphoric in regards to their lifestyle. In other words, they do not want to behave the way they do.
First off, to clarify, I am not 'homophobic'. A phobia is an anxiety disorder where there is a persistent and irrational fear of a particular type of object, animal, activity or situation. The phobic person either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress.
I do not avoid homosexuals out of fear and it does not cause me anxiety or distress to be around homosexuals. After all, I seek and offer to treat homosexuals. Out of a case load of 600 patients, I have 10 who are homosexual. I have offered and initiated gender reorientation therapy with only 1 patient. The other 9 were not unhappy with their sexual lifestyle so I do not offer them what they do not want.
The defintion you offer for homophobia broadens the actual scope of the medical term and includes political and social connotations that are not supposed to be included.
Someone who does not find a homosexual lifestyle to be morally, biologically, and/or socially appropriate is not a homophobe. They merely don't agree with the homosexual tendencies. I am not like to go to Magic Mountain because Valencia is too far a drive and I would rather read theology books, but that does not mean I am phobic over Magic Mountain. That would entail having heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, a sense of impending death, gastrointestinal upset and vomiting/nausea, physical trembling and all the other symptoms of a true phobia. Labelling opinions that don't agree with our own as a psychiatric abnormality is not accurate.
Second, I want to watch Brokeback Mountain. I want to see what psychodynamic underpinnings are leading each cowboy to their behaviors. I want to see what their philosophical maturity is regarding the term 'love' and what manifestations it has on their priorities in life. And I want to see how they transition in their lives to gender congruent life choices.
That's all. I don't care for the sodomy acts or the wrestling (although I like jujitsu) or the physical attributes of Heath or Jake. As a side note, I really learned a lot from "Jarhead" with Jake Gyllenhaal and I also enjoyed "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale" with Heath Ledger. But if I did not, that does not mean I am a homophobe. It means I did not like the plot or the actors or something else about the film.
Whew! Hopefully that establishs my charitable disposition regarding the topic of homosexuality and that my intent with my comments are NOT to insult but to communicate and understand.
Please feel free to comment on what I have said so far. I check my non-work e-mails about once a week so I apologize before hand for any delays in responding.
Dr. Anthony
What's your point?
Post a Comment