Unfortunate Bastard: 02/17/06

Grossness and Brokeback

The comments at the bottom of this article on Brokeback Mountain have me confused. They are so way over the top that I have a suspicion that they were put their by anti-homsexuals to discredit the gay community. There is nothing at all wrong with what Bill Wundram wrote, and yet he is being flamed for not feeling comfortable with the sight of two guys kissing. The fact is that if you are a straight man then the idea (let alone actually seeing it) Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal kissing is disgusting. If these comments were to betaken seriously you would get the idea that being heterosexual and having heterosexual tastes is something that should be apologized for. The ridiculous sense of outrage at a relatively mild anecdote is almost comical.

Technorati Tags : homosexuality, gayness, brokeback, mountain, heath, ledger

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Ice Cube Sells Out

"Cube’s music was so affecting because it relentlessly questioned the sacred American themes of equality, opportunity, and progress. His most significant tracks were those that graphically detailed the manifold ways in which American society has failed to deliver on its oft-referenced ideals, particularly where young African-American men are concerned."
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=511342

This article reminds us that everybody, and I mean everybody, has their price. Artists (even though I don't that anybody would have regarded Ice Cube as such) live to sell out. The shift from badass to Cosby has been gradual enough that we barely noticed, so that Ice Cube still has credibility in some circles, even if he shouldn't, really. He now has an image to uphold. The man who made Amerikkka's Most Wanted now has to be kid-friendly. It amounts to a bribing of radical leaders, it's as if Malcolm X or David Duke sold out to the highest bidder and started doing Pepsi commercials. Like or not America needs radical voices, on all sides, it's what makes America America. It's what separates the USA from the rest of the world.