Hey folks, Harry here... You know sometimes 'rights' groups just piss me off to no end. Here's a case where GLAAD has been made aware that there is a great deal of the use of "gay" and "fag" in a derogatory manner in JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK. These terms are used by Jay in jest and in sport of his best friend since Childhood. There is no indication that Silent Bob was in fact gay, in fact given the arc of the overall series of films, it has been proven that Bob is in fact heterosexual given his 'Chasing Amy' speech. This is talk between two best friends. Two best friends that have most likely called each other harsher terms than 'gay' or 'fag'.. Not hateful. And there is actually a scene where Silent Bob seems to acknowledge within him the possibility of having homosexual feelings toward Jay, but only to us the viewer.
Mark Ebner interviewed Smith for the upcoming September issue of Premiere, and shared this with AICN as Kevin's response to charges of gay-bashing:
" I don’t see the movie as gay-bashing. I see it as being gay-embracing. So much so that we’re running into problems with the MPAA right now. ...Nobody knows that yet, and all their issues are with the gay-themed humor. I was the first to go, "Are they afraid that we’re bashing gays? And the answer is no. In terms of gay humor – the tagline for this movie should be "They’re not gay. They swear they’re not gay.".... ...And I never felt for a second that it was gay bashing. ...At one point Jay is like "Oh, you really would have sucked my dick,’ and storms off. And Silent Bob looks right at the camera and nods. Like, ‘Yeah, I would have." "
So in fact it seems that GLAAD is overlooking the entire subtext and underlying message of the film. As for the portrayal of obvious 'homosexuals' in the film... Actually, other than the gay characters from CHASING AMY that appear in brief cameos towards the end of the film, I don't know for certain if any of the other characters are in fact gay. The security guard that... well, you'll see. I would say that he is most likely a curiously sadistic buffoon, who gets a bit of glee from the position he finds himself in. And as for the hitchhiking gag (or suppression of the gag reflex as the case may be.) that is a JOKE. And a joke that swings hetero as well. However, this is an 'R' rated movie, meaning that there is material inappropriate for children without adult supervision. Which means, unless you are mentally a child, the humor in the film should be able to be understood by all upright walking adults of the human species... however, sadly that is not always the case.
Harry-
I'm sure someone else has alerted you of this, but just in case....here goes: the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has made their intention clear to go on the attack against Kevin Smith's newest film for it's portrayal of homosexuals and its use of terms such a "gay" and "fag" in a derogatory manner. Now, I appreciate most of GLAAD's efforts, but this is ridiculous. Kevin Smith has proven himself a friend of the gay community on numerous accounts (most specifically with the whole of his best film to date, CHASING AMY), and this seems to be little more than a sad, misplaced attempt at gaining some exposure by going after the corporate monster that is DISNEY, once again at the expense of Mr. Smith (remember the Catholic League vs. Dogma).
The greatest strength of Kevin Smith as a writer is his ability to speak in the language of younger generations (who commonly use the aforementioned terms with a negative connotation) to enlighten them as to matters that transcend mere slang. It's unfortunate that such terms are in the youth culture's lexicon, but this is a fact that can't simply be avoided. Kevin Smith is one of the few people that actually key in on the absurdity of this language to reveal greater truths, while helping his audience mature in the process. Now, he's going to be punished for doing so, and I think it would be wise for us to stand up in defense of the guy and say when enough is enough.
To get the full scoop read this link from Kevin's message board: CLICK HERE TO READ IT ALL
Then again, I haven't seen the film, so maybe I shouldn't talk. You have Harry. Was it really so hate-filled and homophobic that such a witchhunt has become necessary?
Sensibly liberal,
Skylewalker
