Ron Howard Defends Gay Joke...

[tomm2thumbs]

I guess wearing that hat all those years was also covering up common sense, and not just his genetic tendencies.

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=12012612

saying...'The Dilemma is a comedy for grown-ups, not kids', Howard acts as if that somehow makes it okay to perpetuate the use of gay in a comedy where the term is used merely for ridicule, not a message. 'I don't strip my films of everything that I might personally find inappropriate.'

Well I guess if this load of garbage were a serious movie with a message, he might have a point - but given this is junk popcorn peddling crap, he may as well stop talking about 'endangering' his supposed 'work' and step up to the responsibility plate and do the correct thing.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios told The Hollywood Reporter, "Unfortunately, by leaving it in the movie, they are now contributing to the problem."

______

I encourage everyone to do the responsible thing as well, and leave this movie in the dollar-movie bin where it belongs, and go watch a real film instead. Ron Howard obviously has no conscience, and no sense of what is going on in the world today. I guess he missed those 'words hit like a fist' commercials as he was too busy primping for Happy Days close-ups.

[Mumble]

1. What was the gay joke?

Then I will tell you if I like it or not.

[dsc]

3. Vince Vaghn's character is some sort of executive

who says something is gay in the way it often is used today as a synonym for stupid.

[alphafemale]

2. No one really uses the term "Gay" in that way anymore

I mean "Gay" as in "embarrassing beyond the limits of sanity" or "Gay" as in "complete loser."

As a child of the eighties I used this term before I even associated that the word also meant homosexual.

But I know better now. And so should Ron Howard. We also said things were "Lame" in the eighties. Want to insert that into movie dialogue Mister Opie?

[Scuba]

4. +1

[laconicsax]

5. Moron teenagers do. n/t

[Divine Discontent]

8. and their parents... sadly.

I heard a mom say it to her son about something he had on. I cannot believe people can be so juvenile.

[bear425]

11. It is still being used today as a pejorative term

for something being stupid. It is very much being used today.

[alphafemale]

13. I just know I haven't heard it in ages.

I don't doubt that it might be coming back though.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. Haven't seen the movie...but I have a question.

Would that be out of character for the character in the story who said it.

I mean, if you are doing Tom Sawyer, and intend to be true to the time and place, the N word is used regularly and offensively. In that case a director would be true to character and the material.

And my lesbian daughter uses "That's so ..." in exactly the way it is used by Ron Howard. Is this a case of being OK for her to say, because she is appropriating a derogatory term and depowering it by using it herself in the same way that the use of the N word by rappers is acceptable?

I am sorry if I offend anyone.

[Divine Discontent]

9. ugh... I am sorry she says that. I would never utter those words.

It's just something she has to break herself of, because she's saying, whether she believes it or not, that Gay = stupid/bad.

It's not so much about whether a character of a story in a movie that is just coming to theaters should say something offensive if it's in that character's vocab, it's the simple fact that the saying IS 'that's so gay', and it references something being negative. So, it just needs to stop, because millions of school kids use it daily - they're seeing this phrase thanks to people like Mr Howard and his actions in continuing a phrase that needs to be circular filed.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. OK. I understand your point of view. Thanks. n/t

[Creideiki]

12. The difference is that Mark Twain believed in racial equality

And he stated several times that the use of the word was meant to shine light onto people's prejudice. "No one died, Ma'am. Just some niggers," was supposed to outrage sensible people's sensitivities and force people to choose if they were going to be sensible or nonsensible.

Keep in mind, while being a humorist and satirist, Mark Twain, in many ways, also acted as the conscience of the nation. He knew that and respected that position.

I feel sorry for people who didn't have proper English classes. It's such a shame.

For your other point: "my lesbian daughter uses," I'll just point you to Derailing for Dummies

[alphafemale]

14. "No one died, Ma'am. Just some niggers,"

Or a plane crashes and the radio announcer says "It was just Deportees"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2eO65BqxBE

[MuseRider]

7. Oh god Opie get your head outta

your ass. I never thought Ron Howard would say or do something like that. I guess that shows how much I know. This is contributing to the problem and totally unnecessary to move the dialog. He could have said anything else without being insulting.

Ozy, my experience with this is that if you are not a part of the group being called an insulting name then for you to use it is an insult and you should not do it, it hurts others. However if the people who you are referring to choose to use it for whatever reason it is within their right to do so. I guess it is often called taking back the power of the word. For those of us outside that group to use that reason to continue to call people insulting names is just us making it look like we are being helpful. I had many huge discussions about this with my boys as they grew up. It took a lot to break through that way of thinking. They never ever had a mean or homophobic bone in their bodies but thought that they were helping take back the meanness of the word by using it when in actuality that was just a lame excuse coming from the privilege of a straight kid who wanted to be "cool". Nope. Does not work that way.