Posted on 06/21/2005 7:03:40 PM PDT by sionnsar
If there's any question about the true message of the New York Times Magazine's cover story "What's Their Real Problem With Gay Marriage? (It's the Gay Part)," it's answered by the article's online URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/magazine/19ANTIGAY.html.
Yes, in Times author Russell Shorto's world, believing that homosexuality is—as the Roman Catholic Church and many other Christian and Jewish denominations believe—disordered behavior, equals being "ANTIGAY," which equals hating gays' guts.
The equivalent logic for gays would be: Believing in the Kinsey continuum—that most people are somewhere in between being 100% gay and 100% straight—equals believing that the sizable number of people who consider themselves 100% straight are likely misguided and therefore disordered, which equals hating those who consider themselves 100% straight. (The Times article is, appropriately, sponsored by the video release of the movie "Kinsey.")
What's most telling about Shorto's piece is the way in which he portrays the "ANTIGAYS"—who are, of course, universally Christian (no "ANTIGAY" Jews exist in the New York Times' world, despite Orthodox Jewry's opposition to homosexual marriage)—as working-class idiots.
For example, Shorto notes, traditional-marriage activists Jim and Evalena Gray still have their Christmas lights up in March because, says Evalena, "the grandchildren like them." They're "semiretired opticians" who do their infernal "ANTIGAY" work from their basement—"paneled, wall-to-wall-carpeted, decorated with Jim Gray's Confederate memorabilia (a portrait of Jeb Stuart, framed currency)."
The Grays' fellow traditional-marriage advocates Laura and Dave Clark live with their four children in "a ranch house...tucked cozily into the back of a cul-de-sac in a 1970's housing development," Shorto observes. "Inside, it is wall-to-wall carpeting and hand-me-down furnishings." No books to speak of, but "snapshots of the kids cover the refrigerator door. The couple's wedding album is prominently displayed on a table in the living room. Dave works for the federal government. Laura home-schools the 7-year-old twins, Grace and Cole, while also looking after 5-year-old Kayla and 3-year-old Jacob."
When their fellow traditional-marriage activists come over to meet Shorto, the Clarks prepare quite a spread: "sliced lunch meats, hamburger buns, tomato and onion slices, bowls of pretzels and chips, cookies and several two-quart plastic bottles of soda." What, no sushi? Guess there's no Dean & Deluca in the Clarks' little '70s time-warp nabe.
Contrast Shorto's descriptions of the Clarks and Grays with that of the one homosexual couple he spotlights: "Lisa Polyak and Gita Deane, a lesbian couple who have been together for more than 20 years and have two daughters" live in a "quaint house" that's "white-painted brick with a picket fence." No wall-to-wall carpeting here: "The hardwood floors are covered with Oriental rugs." In other words, the only home in the article that clearly doesn't need the Queer Eye.
Of course, Polyak and Deane, unlike the Clarks and Grays, actually own books other than Bibles and traditional-marriage propaganda: "[T]he living-room bookshelf is crammed with kids' books and photo albums." What's more, they have real jobs. "Deane works part time as a learning specialist at Goucher College," and—remember how Dave Clark simply worked in "government"? Polyak has an actual government-job title: "an environmental engineer for the U.S. Army."
The point is not that conservative Christians are in fact icons of hip. The point is that Shorto feels a clear need to stress their gaucherie (like leaving Christmas lights up) in order to make them look foolish. If a news article stereotyped homosexuals the way that the Times and many other media outlets regularly stereotype Christians, gay-rights advocates would quake with rage.
It's all about the trendy, impresse-yer-neighbor stuff for the New York Times, and, oh, yeah, being GAY.
What they miss is that they're saturated with a closed-society culture, as is, for the most part, San Francisco and a few other of our larger cities, simply because the minority culture is the most outspoken and generally publicity hounds. Most cities have this one aspect to publicize because the alternatives are just too grim: down and out unless you're in the 9-to-5 visitor groups.
And the NYT thinks because it's in their face, it's everywhere. Which the rest of us know to be wrong and actually disadvantaged but it's hard to tell that to anyone who defines their worth by their flat and their furniture and shoes and sparkly bits.
What, again, was the issue here? And, who even reads the NYT any more? I know I don't.
bmp
The Grays' fellow traditional-marriage advocates Laura and Dave Clark live with their four children in "a ranch house...tucked cozily into the back of a cul-de-sac in a 1970's housing development," Shorto observes. "Inside, it is wall-to-wall carpeting and hand-me-down furnishings." No books to speak of, but "snapshots of the kids cover the refrigerator door. The couple's wedding album is prominently displayed on a table in the living room. Dave works for the federal government. Laura home-schools the 7-year-old twins, Grace and Cole, while also looking after 5-year-old Kayla and 3-year-old Jacob."
When their fellow traditional-marriage activists come over to meet Shorto, the Clarks prepare quite a spread: "sliced lunch meats, hamburger buns, tomato and onion slices, bowls of pretzels and chips, cookies and several two-quart plastic bottles of soda."
Oh my God! What a terrile lifestyle - worse than we're treating those poor, misunderstood murderers at that Gitmo place...
Ghastly ... simply ghastly ... I expected him to say they shopped at Wal-mart, too!
The writer has many, many issues, not the least of which seems to be with "wall-to-wall carpet". I don't think he'd like my house either: wall-to-wall carpet, children, pictures of children, crucifixes, straight people, etc.
Just D@mn! I reckon that makes me too stupid to buy their paper.
I have trouble believing in the homeschooling family with no books, too. They probably didn't invite this putz into the bedrooms.
My guess is that the author probably saw books, but not real books like: The DaVinci Code, Living History, or anything by Chomsky.
I am a Christian, a working class zero, and anti-gay, and I don't mind being known as such.
Good point ... his preconceptions probably blinded him to, say, a complete set of Rod & Staff 2nd Grade curriculum.
New tag line
Well, for being so "normal", less than 3% of the population choose this life style. I wonder if they want us to know that.
I am sick of people trying to normalize deviant behavior.
Obviously it is NOT!! It's perverse...no matter how they decorate!
I am with you and no one wants to hear that hardly any gay guys even live to be in their fifties.
amen
What couple do you think is happier and more content? Which couples will have healthier and happier children? Which couples will have eternal life? Which couples will receive God's grace and blessings? Who is the most likely to have psychological problems and boughts of depression? Who is in such a state of complete lack of joy that they actually think displaying your children's pictures on the fridge is something of an embarrasment? What type of people are these pathetic excuses for mankind? When I hear such pathetic stuff, I can't help but pray for these people for the strength to stop taking satan up on his temptations.
When I hear such pathetic stuff, I can't help but pray for these people for the strength to stop taking satan up on his temptations.
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