Sunday, May 31, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Taking Out The Gay
A few months ago on cable television I saw Moneyball, the movie starring Brad Pitt about a baseball manager's quest to use facts and statistics, instead of instincts and reputation, to build a team. At the time I knew the movie was based on real events and I thought what a wonderful film, a great story and aren't Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill amazing.
It wasn't until after the movie was over and I was thinking about the main character and didn't I know that name from somewhere? Billy Beane, Billy Beane; where had I heard that name before? And then I Googled it to be sure: He, famously, was one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay after he retired. Nothing of that is alluded to in the movie. In the film he's a single dad with a daughter on good terms with her mother.
The same is true of Robin William's character in Awakenings; the movie about a neurologist's experience with mentally ill patients experiencing moments of lucidity. The movie is based on Oliver Sack's book by the same name and chronicles his experience as a ground-breaking neurologist. While he writes candidly about his experience with love as a gay man in his new autobiography, in the movie he has no sexuality, straight or gay.
It strikes me as strange that nothing in the press, not even in the gay press, is mentioned about the neutered film portrayals of these unambiguously, famously gay men. This is strange considering the hue and cry that went up with Ron Howard's production of A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe that reduced John Nash's bisexuality down to a passing glance.
The life of the 20th century's most famous bisexual, Howard Hughes, was similarly straightened in Marin Scorsese's The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio, showing only one brief interaction with some effete men.
Awakenings and Moneyball both focus tightly on the main plot of the film, how the hero is trying to affect change, to improve the lives of his patients or the performance of his baseball team. And that would be fine except I can't think of one heterosexual character that was treated the same way.
Most biographical films include a wife or girlfriend or girlfriends to add a third dimension to the main character, to establish legitimacy and create empathy; she or he is interesting and good because these other people outside their work find them interesting and good. But in the case of Billy Beane, Oliver Sacks, and many other gay men and women, empathy and legitimacy are established by taking out their emotional life altogether and reducing their lives to two dimensions.
This not only is a disservice to these amazing people but robs gay people, and indeed all people, examples of smart, strong, driven, successful gay men and women who have made lasting contributions to our lives.
Read BrainPickings excellent review of Oliver Sack's On The Move here:
It wasn't until after the movie was over and I was thinking about the main character and didn't I know that name from somewhere? Billy Beane, Billy Beane; where had I heard that name before? And then I Googled it to be sure: He, famously, was one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay after he retired. Nothing of that is alluded to in the movie. In the film he's a single dad with a daughter on good terms with her mother.
The same is true of Robin William's character in Awakenings; the movie about a neurologist's experience with mentally ill patients experiencing moments of lucidity. The movie is based on Oliver Sack's book by the same name and chronicles his experience as a ground-breaking neurologist. While he writes candidly about his experience with love as a gay man in his new autobiography, in the movie he has no sexuality, straight or gay.
It strikes me as strange that nothing in the press, not even in the gay press, is mentioned about the neutered film portrayals of these unambiguously, famously gay men. This is strange considering the hue and cry that went up with Ron Howard's production of A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe that reduced John Nash's bisexuality down to a passing glance.
The life of the 20th century's most famous bisexual, Howard Hughes, was similarly straightened in Marin Scorsese's The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio, showing only one brief interaction with some effete men.
Awakenings and Moneyball both focus tightly on the main plot of the film, how the hero is trying to affect change, to improve the lives of his patients or the performance of his baseball team. And that would be fine except I can't think of one heterosexual character that was treated the same way.
Most biographical films include a wife or girlfriend or girlfriends to add a third dimension to the main character, to establish legitimacy and create empathy; she or he is interesting and good because these other people outside their work find them interesting and good. But in the case of Billy Beane, Oliver Sacks, and many other gay men and women, empathy and legitimacy are established by taking out their emotional life altogether and reducing their lives to two dimensions.
This not only is a disservice to these amazing people but robs gay people, and indeed all people, examples of smart, strong, driven, successful gay men and women who have made lasting contributions to our lives.
Saturday, May 02, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Quote:
“(Extreme entrepreneurs) fail in ways other people won't (and) they learn things other people don't.
- Justine Musk
- Justine Musk
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Word of the Day
Hove; past of heave.
“When the British had come up to the opposite side of the brestwork, having no gun, he picked up an empty barrel and flung it at them. Then finding an iron bar, he jumped up on the works and hove that at them.”
Library of America Story of the Week: “Like a Sea of Blood”
“When the British had come up to the opposite side of the brestwork, having no gun, he picked up an empty barrel and flung it at them. Then finding an iron bar, he jumped up on the works and hove that at them.”
Library of America Story of the Week: “Like a Sea of Blood”
Monday, December 22, 2014
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Protests
I can't condemn any of the protests in Ferguson, New York, or any where else. They have a legitimately grievous complaint and I don't know how I would react if my son or nephew or neighbor were killed in such a way.
Just as every kid needs to respond to their parent's first request to avoid getting yelled at, we must respond to non-violent protests before anyone feels the need to escalate. The marchers at Selma were not violent. It was the fire hoses, dogs, and night sticks of law enforcement that were violent. We listened at first, but then we forgot. So now they're yelling.
But beyond all of that; we, each of us, know in our heart what is right. We have a moral obligation to our God, to our selves, and to our fellow humans to proactively do what is right before any protests are necessary.
Just as every kid needs to respond to their parent's first request to avoid getting yelled at, we must respond to non-violent protests before anyone feels the need to escalate. The marchers at Selma were not violent. It was the fire hoses, dogs, and night sticks of law enforcement that were violent. We listened at first, but then we forgot. So now they're yelling.
But beyond all of that; we, each of us, know in our heart what is right. We have a moral obligation to our God, to our selves, and to our fellow humans to proactively do what is right before any protests are necessary.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Quote:
“I did not have a good start in life, but I tell you what, I am determined that I'm going to have a good finish.” - Joyce Meyer
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Quote:
"A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed. It feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." ~Richard Bach
Monday, July 07, 2014
Quote:
“Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who have proven that they are committed to misunderstanding you.”
Marc and Angel Hack Life
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Quote
Troy D. Davidson
Monday, September 23, 2013
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design into the present.”
“Do not fool yourself into believing that you must live the same day over and over again for the rest of your life, simply because it’s the responsible thing to do.
So many people live daily with unhappy circumstances, and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation. They somehow believe that conforming to their current circumstances will eventually lead to a life of comfort, security, and peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to their spirit.
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design into the present. The very basic core of the human spirit is a natural passion for exploration and growth. This growth originates directly from our encounters with new ideas and experiences that intrigue us; and hence there is no greater destination in life than to have an endlessly changing horizon – for each day to have a new and different sun.”
Marc Chernoff
Friday, September 20, 2013
Quote:
“Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgement, sorrow, shame.
We are, by nature, creative.”
Dr. Brene Brown
We are, by nature, creative.”
Dr. Brene Brown
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Mostly Harmless by Douglas AdamsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Last weekend I traveled with Andreas and Randall to Seattle to Keith and Glen's wedding. Andreas' research showed that flying into Portland, renting a car and driving to Seattle to be significantly less expensive than flying direct. That worked well except we should have left Portland earlier. As it was we got on the road to Seattle about 3pm on a Friday afternoon, hitting rush hour traffic in both cities and turning a 120 mile trip into a 4 hour drive. But we got to walk around beautiful downtown Portland.
The weather was perfect the whole trip; sunny and warm, not too hot or humid. The wedding was in Gig Harbor on a rocky beach steps from Puget Sound with a lush forested island in the background. Both the grooms were beaming. All of their friends and family that were there were super nice people and fun to share the event with.
Did you ever see, possibly in high school science class, the short film clip of the bridge twisting in the wind and finally collapsing? The bridge they called Gallopin' Gertie? That's the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Rebuilt it was known as Sturdy Gertie. A few years ago a second bridge was built right next to it so each bridge carried traffic in only one direction. Sturdy Gertie was closed for repairs so all traffic was routed over the new bridge, but going by it on the way from the SEA-TAC Holiday Inn Express to Gig Harbor I felt like I was shaking the hand of a celebrity. Here's a youtube video of the 1940 collapse of Gallopin' Gertie: http://youtu.be/j-zczJXSxnw
The drive back to Portland was much faster. We got through security quickly and had half an hour to kill before they began boarding our plane. On my way to look for bottled water to take on the plane I discovered a rather nice book store named Powell's. Apparently they have a huge store in downtown Portland which I didn't see. And it's a good thing, too, because if I had I wouldn't have seen anything else of the city. And that's were I picked up this used edition of Douglas Adams' Mostly Harmless; in a surprisingly nice bookstore near the gate in Portland's Airport.
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