As I was channel-surfing last night I stumbled across an episode of Real World: San Diego. In-between commercial breaks of The Ultimate Fighter, I watched snatches of the MTV program. Taking the temperature of the pop culture.
From what I can tell, this is the set-up: the producer is trying to create a narrative to advance his political agenda. Zach is the foil. The stereotypical gun-tottin' redneck alpha male jock. A throwback to the caveman. That’s how the show depicts him. That’s why he was picked for the show. To play the villainous homophobe.
He pairs off with Ashley, a cheerleader type. They form the heteronormative couple. Of course, from the viewpoint of the producer, that’s bad.
Then you have Alexandra, who’s the embodiment of liberal enlightenment. Think Guinan.
Finally, you have the two queer characters. This is what the producer is trying to promote.
At least from what little I saw, which was more than enough, their behavior ironically subverts the political agenda.
You have Sam, who poses as the butch lesbian. And you have Frank.
Both of them keep assuring the viewer of how “proud” they are to be homosexual. Problem is, they spend far too much time trying to convince us–and themselves. Men and women who are truly at ease in their own skin don’t feel incessant need to prove themselves to others.
Despite their protestations, they dissolve into tears when Zach and Ashley refuse to participate in their “Gay Pride” event. But if they’re so sure of their alternate sexual identity, why do they feel so threatened by Zach and Ashley? Why do they so desperately pine for heterosexual approval? Zack and Ashley certainly don't seek validation from their queer roommates.
Fact is, both Sam and Frank crack under the strain of pretending to be something they are not. Sam’s body language is so tense, so rigid, wrapped so tight that she’s almost a mannequin. And Fred is a whiney, high-strung sissy.
While Zach and Ashley are secure in their identity, Sam and Frank are both a bundle of nerves. It’s hard to keep up the act 24/7. You don’t have to work at being normal. That comes naturally. But try to rebel against nature–now that takes effort. Practice all you please, it never becomes habitual.
Wow, they're still pushing that contrived scenario? What you described sounds exactly like the Real World episodes I watched ten years ago. How pathetic.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis, Steve.
If everyone is truly heterosexual and homosexual orientation is a myth perpetuated by people who are just trying to "subvert" the natural order, why do so many "ex-gays" (who are clearly motivated to change and desire to do so) eventually come out and say reparative therapy causes more harm than good?
ReplyDeleteWhy do some who insist on the efficacy of reparative therapy later get caught with young male escorts they meet off of "rentboy.com"?
In any rate, reality tv does not, in fact, portray the reality of the life of most people, gay or straight. They pick emotional, volatile and even exagerrated personalities. It makes for better television.
Why desire others to be accepting of you? Well, it beats being physically assaulted or fired from your job, I'd think.
James,
ReplyDeleteThe video on your first link doesn't give us any reason to think "reparative therapy causes more harm than good."
The man who claims that people who go through these programs are harmed later shows his hand by saying that he thinks homosexuality is a natural thing that should be embraced.
How do we know his assessment isn't simply a product of his broader worldview that says homosexuality should be embraced?
As to your second question: because people are sinners.
And most homosexuals are not under threat of being physically assaulted or fired. So that explanation won't work for most cases.
JAMES SAID:
ReplyDelete“If everyone is truly heterosexual and homosexual orientation is a myth perpetuated by people who are just trying to ‘subvert’ the natural order…”
I didn’t say MTV was trying to “subvert” the natural order, although that’s true. Rather, I said the two queer cast members were unwittingly subverting the political agenda of the producer.
Regarding reparative therapy, to my knowledge, no psychological therapy has a very high success rate. Recovering drunks and junkies also relapse. Does that mean it’s futile to kick the habit? Once a junkie, always a junkie?
There are success stories as well as abject failures. What works for one person may not for another.
To the extent that homosexual orientation is due to deficient socialization growing up, that’s not directly reversible. If a man (or woman) was psychologically damaged by his upbringing, he can’t step into the time machine and repeat infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The phases of the lifecycle are irreversible and unrepeatable. Certain things have to happen in a certain order at a certain time to turn out right.
On the other hand, that doesn’t mean nothing can be done to alleviate the damage. We are conscious, reflective creatures. We are capable of learning, unlearning, relearning. For good or ill, we will always be marked by our childhood, but as adults, we can also engage in compensatory conditioning. To some degree we can train or retrain ourselves.
“In any rate, reality tv does not, in fact, portray the reality of the life of most people, gay or straight. They pick emotional, volatile and even exagerrated personalities. It makes for better television.”
True, “reality tv” selects for unstable participants. But there’s no such thing as a normal homosexual. That’s inherently unstable.
“Why desire others to be accepting of you? Well, it beats being physically assaulted or fired from your job, I'd think.”
i) Homosexuals ought to be fired from certain jobs.
Conversely, we now have discrimination against homosexuals. Indeed, the point of the show is to intimidate the straight cast members.
ii) No one knows you’re homosexual unless you advertise the fact. Unless you flaunt your perversion.
iii) That’s not why Sam and Frank carry on the way they do. They just can’t stand to be in the presence of a normal man or normal couple. They can’t stand disapproval. The mere physical proximity of someone like Zach makes them feel inadequate, defective. They are hypersensitive to “judgmentalism” because they are so hysterically insecure about their sexual identity.
iv) The “bullied” meme is a fabricated narrative which the liberal establishment is trying to entrench in its ongoing war against boys.
James,
ReplyDeleteFired from your job? What we're hearing now is that people are being fired from their job for civily and privately believing that homosexuality is wrong. So, if it's wrong to fire someone for being a homosexual, do two wrongs make a right?
Steve,
Spot on. Internal conflict is generally a good indicator for sin. Psychosis may be the best example of an exception to this, but among "normal" people looking for the internal conflict is like following the money trail.
Steve writes: "Homosexuals ought to be fired from certain jobs."
ReplyDeleteWhich jobs, in particular, should allow not just the option to, but have the moral obligation to fire a homosexual? I'm sure you not so extreme as to suggest "any" job, but rather those that involve, say, children?
If so, you're suggesting we have an obligation to fire someone not for what they've done but for what they might do because of the real or imagined crimes of the demographic they fit into.
If that's the case, shouldn't banks be free to discriminate against African-Americans? It's a fact that nearly 1 in 10 African-American men has been or was in prison (compared to 1 in 100 Caucasians). Statistically, they're far more likely to commit a crime. Shouldn't banks be able to watch out for their own financial interests?
Maybe it's not what they might do but rather what their ideology and behavior is. If that's the case, isn't there a similar obligation to fire Mormons since their beliefs will land them in Hell alongside the gays?
"Regarding reparative therapy, to my knowledge, no psychological therapy has a very high success rate. "
ReplyDeleteIf the aim of reparative therapy was to assist the person in their ability to bring their behavior in line with their religious beliefs, there's no problem. That's the focus of Christian therapist Warren Throckmorton.
That's not what reparative therapy is. It's junk science that claims to be able to modify the person's orientation through useless, often harmful means based on faulty assumptions regarding the cause of it. It's not even science. It's voodoo.
Frankly, adults should be able to choose to enter such treatment if they wish. Their money. I take issue with parents forcing minors against their will into such unproven and harmful treatments as I do with parents withholding medical treatment from them because they believe Jesus will cure them if they just pray hard enough.
JAMES SAID:
ReplyDelete“Which jobs, in particular, should allow not just the option to, but have the moral obligation to fire a homosexual? I'm sure you not so extreme as to suggest "any" job, but rather those that involve, say, children?”
The military. Law enforcement. Judges. Jobs involving minors. Public policymakers.
“If that's the case, isn't there a similar obligation to fire Mormons since their beliefs will land them in Hell alongside the gays?”
That’s a threat to themselves.