ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY is showing off "THE LARGEST TRANSGENDER CAST EVER" in this wonderful, GAY GAY GAY new issue. LAHHH DE DAAAAAH
Just a little...OVER THE TOP, isn't it?
The editor of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY is gay. The big stars on TV are GAY and GAY (Jim Parsons and ELLEN) and it's hard to flip the dial and NOT see some gender bender or other...a woman who was a man, a man who was a woman, Caitlyn being annoying, Jeffrey Tambor getting a bit carried away with herself, etc. etc.
"Not that there's anything wrong with that," to quote the infamous "SEINFELD" line.
Wouldn't it be nice to get to the equality of: "There isn't anything RIGHT with that" either?
I know, I know. It will be the Muslims turn soon. It used to be the Jews. "Oh, let's all see FIDDLER ON THE ROOF...oh, that Arthur Miller is clever...let's see what Philip Roth and Herman Wouk and Saul Bellow have written...." Then it became the Blacks. "Oh, let's all see the ALL BLACK VERSION OF THE WIZARD OF OZ...let's read Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison..."ROOTS" is the greatest show ever on TV."
In both cases, there was a lot of condescending creepiness involved. Woody Allen, in his stand-up days, once joked about being "the show Jew at the agency" where he worked. Yes, "hire him, he's Jewish, he has to be smart." And "hire him, he's Black, it will make us look progressive." Others who may have been better at the job, but WASPs, were denied. Which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes "affirmative action" is needed. But after a while...just find the BEST QUALIFIED, ok?"
After the Jews and the Blacks? WOMEN! You probably encountered somebody on election day saying "I'm voting for ALL THE WOMEN!" Damn right. The men made a MESS of this world! Oh those horrible MEN. So VIOLENT and CRUEL unlike female leaders such as Eva Peron and Marie Antoinette and Countess Bathory and the She Wolf of the SS and Margaret Thatcher and Marcos..."
This kind of reverse racism and sexism can only go so far before it becomes obvious and idiotic. Superiority based on religion, race or gender. REALLY? And nobody finds this OFFENSIVE? REALLY?
Surely, there are Jews, Blacks, Women, Gays and yes even WASPs, who have been made uncomfortable by a sanctimonious act of kindness. Let's include the "physically challenged," formerly known as the "handicapped." If you've ever been told "oh, I be you're SMART," because you're a Jew, or "I bet you're good with numbers" because you're Asian, or "I am sure you are empathetic and motherly" because you're female...do you take it as a compliment?
So, ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY is telling us that a drag queen is sexier than an actual woman, and we should pay attention to some guy because he likes to suck dick rather than eat pussy. Progress? There was a time when people simply went to a Tennessee Williams play or an Edward Albee play because IT WAS A GOOD PLAY. People read "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or "In Cold Blood" because it was a good read, not because the author was effeminate.
"SPECIAL LGBTQ" issue IS offensive. There's no "SPECIAL MUSLIM ISSUES" or "SPECIAL JEW ISSUE." You will NEVER see ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY put out "SPECIAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE ISSUE," pointing out all the great Bollywood films nobody knows about, or singers such as Mylene Farmer of France who is unknown in America. Why not do something about XENOPHOBIA, huh? Because the editor isn't from India or from France?
The issue has two pages on Shane McAnally (who?) and "how his sexuality hasn't been a barrier to success." Then what IS the point? To keep nattering about GAY in an all GAY issue when it's NOT an issue?
Another two pages is on Wilson Cruz (who?) and how this guy from some "Star Trek" thing or other is "continuing to break barriers" by...what...getting cast in cay shows ("My So-Called Life") and playing "let's make a character GAY" on that "Star Trek" thing? Mixed messages anyone?
Here's another mixed message. There's a page that lists dozens of movie, TV, and book projects that are GAY. In other words, there's no shortage of representation of gays in the arts. Is that a surprise? So why have a SPECIAL issue about all this? To celebrate? When you don't have a SPECIAL issue for some other minority group? When Asians are represented by one dumb sitcom? PS, "The Goldbergs" is not about a Jewish family like the old TV sitcom "The Goldbergs." In fact, even "Seinfeld" was hardly about Jewishness at all. Gosh, he and Larry David just went for being FUNNY? That's allowed?
The issue has a page "How You Can Help LGBTQ causes." Which has nothing to do with ENTERTAINMENT, in its list of LAMBDA LEGAL and the TREVOR PROJECT and other worthy causes.
Did the magazine ever do this with an issue on Jewish entertainers, and how you can "Help" the Jews by joining the Anti-Defamation League or the Weisenthal Center? That Jewish cemeteries are still be defaced, and people are being killed for being Jewish?
But...as mentioned up top, the Jews are OUT and the non-straights of all types are IN.
Did you also notice the familiar Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans initials have gotten AVENUE Q added to the route? Why zat?
Why is it LGBT and Q? It's...because some gays LIKE to be called QUEER. "We're Heeeeeeere and we're QUEEEEEER." They taken over the word QUEER. But not the word FAG. Interesting. But then again, we have that shading of NIGGER and NIGGA, which is debatable as well. Somebody decided NO, you have to add a Q, so now, there's a Q. Maybe there will be more. How about KW, in honor of Kenneth Williams? He was the hilarious British comedian who was celibate because he just couldn't bring himself to be gay. Poor guy. Why not honor or acknowledge people like him? If not KW, how about M for Morrissey? In his case, he seems to lean gay, but he's too much in love with himself to do anything about it?
All seriousness aside, it's a little tiresome that WE (that can be anybody) should care about a certain bunch of people because of their race or religion or how they get it on sexually. "Oh, let me watch that sitcom about an ASIAN family." Because they're ASIAN? Wouldn't it make sense to watch a sitcom because the characters are funny? Isn't it ridiculous to have "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and promote the stereotype that all gays are fashion wizards? What next, "A Jew Teaches You How to be an Accountant?"
Jackson Galaxy has a show that teaches cat owners how to deal with their problem pets. Should he be replaced by a woman because she has a PUSSY? How ridiculous do you want to get?
As gays become more and more mainstream (like, Anderson Cooper and Rachel Maddow no longer being gay or lesbian novelty items, but treated as what they are, TV journalists), ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY's editor may put aside the chauvanism and yes, move on to another group. Like MUSLIMS. Yes, the "SPECIAL MUSLIM ISSUE," which will address how some people nobody knows are Muslim are playing roles that aren't Muslim. PLUS a feature on how there should be MORE shows that SHOULD feature Muslim characters that ARE Muslim. As in, "How come the latest Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof didn't cast a MUSLIM as Tevye? If Off-Broadway could have a black woman play "Joan of Arc," what is WRONG with the world, where a Muslim can't be a Jew from Anatevka being kicked out of Russia?
PS, in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," Tevye was played by Alfred Molina, born in London, of parents who were born in Spain (father) and Italy (mother). Not Muslim, though, so NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Surely an upcoming issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY will either offer the news of a Muslim Tevye or...an openly gay one...or BOTH.
Let's hope there will be a time when somebody can say "I'm gay" or "I'm bi" or "I'm Lesbian" or "I'm Trans" or "I'm Queer" and add, "don't make an issue out of it." Especially an issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEAKLY.
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