Wednesday, February 06, 2002

 

Making sense; not making sense

I read two newspaper columns this morning that really made me think. One made some valid points. The other, while trying to make valid points, missed the mark.

The first, Rosie, if you're really gay, come on out, studies the conflicts most gay people have. The writer's main point is this: "It's too easy and natural for most people to assume everyone's straight, to never realize that we're involved in every aspect of society and, many times, struggling against discrimination and prejudice. If gay people hold any hope for equality, then we have to be willing to identify ourselves, however we can. That's not "cramming it down people's throats." That's just honesty. And the stakes are too high to let assumed falsehoods go unchecked."

The other column, 'Sopranos' not fit for public consumption, is just nonsense. It seems the writer (priest and novelist Andrew Greeley) doesn't like "The Sopranos" and feels it's his duty to tell us why we shouldn't like it either. He writes "Some of the episodes would be a cure for insomnia if the viewer didn't know that the payoffs of graphic mayhem and prolonged nudity were about to happen." What show is he watching?

He also addresses the controversy that comes up every time there's a mob movie/television show: the Italian stereotype. Well, I'm half Italian and it doesn't bother me a bit because I know "The Sopranos" is fiction. HBO never claimed it was a documentary on Italian life in America. Give people a little credit. Most intelligent people realize all Italians aren't involved in organized crime. It's the same as knowing not all Irish people are drunks, not all African Americans are good athletes and not all female talk show hosts are gay.

posted by Anne 2/06/2002 12:58:00 PM