ABC Network did a little test to see how people would react with a gay couple in a New Jersey sports bar. The scenario was set so the actors, a gay couple would display affection, a straight couple would do the same thing, and one man who was homophobic would react to what he saw.
The results of the video were interesting. Does this indicate that people maintain prejudiced attitudes but that society at large feels it is unacceptable to publicly display these prejudices? Has homophobia become unpopular, and been replaced by the call for tolerance by most sectors in society?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Open Forum: Is Homophobia So Gay?
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7 comments:
interesting to see Homophobes reactions when called on them, on camera.
Yeah, I think it is interesting how that guy went from "disgusted" to not caring. I think there is a sense of discomfort with being labeled bigoted, hence anti-gays say "I have gay friends" in an attempt to justify their hatred.
I was really happy that the first man spoke
up and told that actor to shut it up...
That is the way things should be...I'm also
so happy that that woman got up and was in that
guys face...Makes me proud of this country...
TACKLE YOU HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Laurie
Agreed. That woman ruled!!! And man, she was UPSET. I'd love to find a way to contact her and say, "Hey, want to give a speech at a rally? You'd be great!"
I'm paraphrasing a mini-analysis from feministing.com about this piece:
The man who retracted his harsh words and instead claimed he didn't care was probably acting on the peer pressure to be tolerant, which the host lady called a new "American" value. Unfortunately, this took place in New Jersey, a blue state that allows civil unions for same-sex partners already. It seems that tolerance is a regional value, or only determined on a state-by-state basis, so we have a lot of work to do still!!
Mollie's comment is right- they need to do this study in various states.
I'm sure you would get very different results in Texas or Utah. There, bigots are proud of their bigotry.
Tolerance, like so many contemporary American values, is very ambiguous. We call it "tolerance," when a religious group takes away the right of a gay man to marry. Not because his marriage affects religious people in the least. But, if that gay man protest loosing his right? He is called "intolerant."
Was Proposition 8 a bail-out for marriage? Or just another type of subprime mortgage?
Whichever, the bill still comes due, eventually.
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