I need time to digest this whole Arnold running for governor thing. In the meantime we are pleased to bring you the following rant.......
..... What is wrong with people that they don't seem to understand how detrimental stereotypes are? This girl at work asked me and my friend if we saw "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". Which I haven't as I dont dig reality shows, unless its Cops. She then proceeds to tell us how cool it is because gays have great taste in fashion and they helped this guy with a make-over. I was like WTF is wrong with you? That is such a stereotype, although what is called a positive attribute stereotype, similar to African-Americans can dance great or are great atheletes, or Asians are really smart. I mean if someone created a show where 5 African-Americans took a white man and showed him how to dance, I have a feeling that would be taken as racist, albeit based on the "positive" stereotype.
Anyway...
She instead continued with the usual "some of my best friends...." and the "well it is true that THEY do..." Now I am all for pointing out that most stereotypes begin with some grain of truth but it must be noted that it is then used to paint a generalization of an entire people/group. While some would argue that indeed "gay men have great fashion sense" and use that as a positive point. I feel it necessary to point out that the idea of using a stereotype whether to bolster a positive or negative image is on the whole a negative and dangerous thing.
To praise a group and value them based on the positive stereotype is no different than to shun or ridicule a group based on a negative stereotype. Both marginalize a people based on a generalization. Imagine if people would only choose African-Americans to be on their sports teams, or Asians to be on their uh Math-olympic teams (ok thats a stretch) or only hired gay men to decorate their homes, or ....well I am sure you can get my point. It values people based on a generalization, whether it happens to be true or false in a particular case.
I have no control over Television shows, nor do I expect them to be sensitive enough to see these points. If that were the case then maybe Gay characters on tv(network) would be allowed to be serious. Or maybe Fat people would be allowed to not be funny. Take a look at old movies (before the late 60's), where everything in the movie is serious and somber, and then an African-American actor appears and then the music changes to some goofy ass tune and the comic relief steps in. They do the same with with Fat people and Gay people on TV and in most bland movies.
Just think about it, and listen to people as they hold a stereotype given to them as a badge and you may see just how empty and sad it really is when the stereotyped group accepts it and tries to wear it with pride not realizing they have just bought into the stereotype. And it's a package deal, if you accept the so called positive stereotype, just remember the other side of that is the negative attribute stereotypes, and if other people are allowed to believe the positive stereotypes, I garuntee they will believe the negative ones too.
::::stepping off my soapbox:::::::
Tomorrow's episode --- Arnold for CA Gov...Mandatory push-ups for all CA residents.