Pushing the Gaydar Alert Button

[ethics]

Several of the straight men have very intense experiences.... We anticipate a lot of both gay and straight viewers will have their assumptions challenged about what it means to be gay and what it means to be straight.

"In a naked attempt to outdo ABC's smash reality dating series The Bachelor and Fox's notorious Joe Millionaire, NBC's Bravo network (famed for its Gay Weddings documentary) has announced <a href="http://personal.news.yahoo.com/us/news/ratings/getavgrate.html?locale=us&prop=news&rateid=nm/20030527/leisure_boymeetsboy_dc&type=T&cat=597&ncid=">Boy Meets Boy</a>, which is basically a gay version of The Bachelor but with an <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/eo/11869">evil twist</a> that would make Joe Millionaire proud: some of the ostensibly-gay suitors are actually straight.

Now excuse my bitter post and I am truly not meaning to offend our gay members here but if I were gay, I would find this show offensive. Not offensive enough to try and ban it so others won't see it (the PC way) but offensive in a way that I am cringing for the gay folk. Imagine the reverse? Straight couple (so they think) and the woman turns out to be gay? The man?

Is there a limit to when this "reality tv" will stop at?

<small>Another disclaimer: This thread is not about gay vs. straight, or how you hate either one, it's about reality tv and taste, and we can definitely go from there. Thanks. </small>

[cdw]

I find all of those show offensive. I can't understand why anyone would participate in a show where the purpose was to lie and pull the wool over someone's eyes. To humilitate someone and on TV to boot! I don't watch any of them, I think it's terrible to promote such behavior and to throw money up into it just to justify it, is even worse.
Awful thing to teach kids as acceptable IMO.

lol... can ya tell I don't like it?

[ShinyTop]

I have been luck in that I was able to keep my wife from watching them. The few we saw had no appeal. But then I never understood why The Newlywed Game ran for so long or how people can humiliate themselves on Maury or Jerry either.

[BigDeputyDog]

I don't think "reality TV" has reached its limit yet... but I hope it does so soon! I, for one, am getting rather tired of it. Practically every station you turn to has their own version of a "reality TV" show. At least with the Springer show, you can get a good laugh! Most of the rest are pathetic and I've not wasted my time watching them. However, I have found "Survivor" to at least be somewhat entertaining.

IMHO, most of these shows are an assault on both my intellect and my sense of what is right. I'll not take the time to watch "Boy Meets Boy", just as I did not watch "The Bachelor", "The Bachelorette", or any of the other clones...

BDD...

[Andy]

As said by ethics Is there a limit to when this "reality tv" will stop at?

Not for some time to come. I think we soon shall see public executions again, as long as the advertisers are willing to sponsor crap, crap will go on air.

But this sounds like a dangerous combination to me. Does not anyone at that Network remember Jenny Jones' run in with someone finding out that a gay person had a crush on them?

[Steve]

Everyone, now! Put your right hand up to your forehead, palm out, index finger pointing straight up! Extend your thumb to your left, and curl the rest of your fingers down into your palm!

Now, repeat after me:

LOSERS!

[eakes]

I do not find public humiliation of someone to be entertainment. I have never watched more than a few minutes of any of the so-called reality TV shows. They are truly a waste of time.

[btdude]

I see the point of the show, but I ask myself WHY? On one hand, the show could bring education and understanding to a wide audience about sterotypes of gay men in general. As we know not all gay men are limp wristed tinkerbells. Leave it there. I would even go as far to say that IF the show was ALL REAL gay men, and not (forgive me) clouded or shrouded with staright men pretending to be gay, than MAYBE it would be ok. Here's why: Take a straight man who will "pretend" to BE and ACT gay. WTF is ACTING gay? LOL I can see the straight actors doing the whole limp wrist prancing thing, because that is the impression that they have been raised with, or learned about from other straight folks. This is where the cruelness to the whole thing comes in. HOWEVER GAYDAR WILL KICK IN, my friends, if the gay men or man, whatever the show will have, has any "training" at all, he'll know the guy is straight. Which, to an extent could show the strength of the gay man, and perhaprs the (not an insult) ignorance of the straight man for trying to damn hard to ACT GAY.

Second, I know what it is like to fall in love with a straight man. I WILL NOT WORK!! The guy could be the best sweetest, most masculine, open minded genuine guy on the planet, and guess what? HE'S STRAIGHT. To see a gay man fall for a guy KNOWING he is straight is one thing, but to put all those emotions and energy into someone who a gay guy THINKS is gay, but is really straight just to me, AFFIRMS that it is ok to let a gay guy go only so far, then yank the ground out from under him.

So, Ethics, I take NO OFFENSE to your post whatsoever. I am glad that you raised this. There are better and more effective ways for the gay community to be recognized, speculated about, and otherwise in the public eye, without making a spectacular floor show. Carry on.

[Violet1966]

Originally posted by cydweeks
I find all of those show offensive. I can't understand why anyone would participate in a show where the purpose was to lie and pull the wool over someone's eyes. To humilitate someone and on TV to boot! I don't watch any of them, I think it's terrible to promote such behavior and to throw money up into it just to justify it, is even worse.
Awful thing to teach kids as acceptable IMO.

lol... can ya tell I don't like it?

I'm a ditto with cyd ;)

[ethics]

I agree with everything you have stated, btdude, I think it COULD have been used for educational purposes (God knows this world--especially this country) needs it.

[Misu]

I agree with btdude - what if the gay guy falls in love with one of the men who turns out to be straight? That's plain cruel, and I can't believe this is actually going to make it on the air.

[Aria]

I am happy to say that I have not watched any of the Reality TV shows, and have no plans to. If I want to kill brain cells I'll take up smoking pot.

[btdude]

LOL But ARIA, YOU ARE the new AMERICAN IDOL !!!

[Frodo Lives]

Originally posted by ethics
I agree with everything you have stated, btdude, I think it COULD have been used for educational purposes (God knows this world--especially this country) needs it.

I have to disagree. Exploiting someones sexuality for edutainment is wrong.


I think most of reality tv is just plain crap. With a few exceptions of course.

One is Cops, and the police chases.

Another, along that line, was a show called The Getaway. Which pitted seasoned police from across the US against professional stunt drivers and race car drivers, for bragging rights and money. I don't think it made it past the pilot episode.

One talk show that has potential is the The John Walsh Show (http://www.johnwalsh.tv/html/safetytips/)

Did anyone ever see the X-Files episode where they did the COPS crossover? The best X-Files episode, ever.

But I drift OT :angel:

[Aria]

Originally posted by btdude
LOL But ARIA, YOU ARE the new AMERICAN IDOL !!!

I know I deserve it (you guys haven't heard me sing ;) ), but I'll pass. From what I've heard, that show and others like it is more about putting people down and catching their reactions on camera than finding new talent. I have no desire to be part of that. Besides, I'd never get far on that show, I'm not a size 2. ;)