Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell are notorious for their exchanges in which they mock one another's sexuality and level of masculinity, but Michael Slezak at PopWatch is calling them out on their "no homo" banter.
He wrote, "We live in a country where just last month, an 11-year-old Massachusetts boy committed suicide over schoolyard taunts that he was 'gay'. Could Idol maybe, just maybe, call a moratorium on homo-baiting playground taunts during the family hour, in the middle of our nation's most popular television program?"
I've never really thought much about this to be honest. Simon and Ryan's jokes always just seemed superfluous to watching actual competition. With that said, I think Slezak is making an excellent point here.
While their foolery may not bother me as an out and proud gay man, I could see how it could effect those who are closeted or uncomfortable with their sexuality. I've been there before myself, and jokes like these sure don't help the process of coming out.
– Dewitt
Photo credit: Nick KCA Press
Very good observation. There should be a point where adults of their profile should stop with the juvenile humor and actually do or say something that’s truly funny.
i think the homo banter is flirting with each other it is not looking like it is taking it to a meaner level to show kids that homo slurs our wrong this is just another ploy against gay bashing which i do not see it anything harmful
If individuals with high profile in the media are allowed to indulge in this type of negative “humor” at the expense of sexual differences, they should be taken off the air. They need to show some responsibility and not foment homophobia.
Paul, not quite sure what you are trying to say. Please use punctuation so we know where one sentance/thought ends and the next one starts. I am sure you have something positive to say, it just doesn’t make sense as listed.
Dale, Leave poor Paul alone….he’s just writing like anyone under 30 does these days-because he doesn’t know any better. I miss the days of grammar and punctuation, too, but, sadly, they’re probably gone forever…
I honestly believe this is being blown out of the water. Ultimately the matters lie in the hands of the parents or the individual. Not to say celebrities aren’t influential in peoples actions but parents have the direct relationship with children and influence them the most (good parents at least). So it’s more the schools fault for not taking more action and the parents of the bullies for not discouraging their children actions NOT Simon and Ryan. Children get picked on all the time at a young age and as in the case of the child mentioned they all don’t overcome it.
Gustaman, in a blog post about bias, can we leave the age-baiting at home? I can point to lots of 20somethings with excellent grammar/punctuation, and a lot of older folks who either lack it, or affect lacking it in some bid to seem younger.
Are there generational propensities towards one camp or the other? Sure, but lacking some sort of inside information on Paul, you can’t equate his practices with those of a specific age group.
Teh truly sad part is that no one really notices the banter, as the writer noted. The anti-gay message is so deeply ingrained in our daily culture that it takes a bright light with sharp focus to actually see it for what it really is. Sadly, we should all know better; and certainly should not be accepting it as a fact of life.
Edwin I do agree that a lot of the banter goes unnoticed, but I also believe that the portion that gets noticed is misinterpreted. Simon and Ryan do it for playful conversation but others might take it to the extreme of a insult, which might result in the influence of bullying those of the gay community. I think it’s taking it to the extreme to imply that gay banter had a large influence on the situation.
Ever since this retarded Perez Hilton crap, people have been just dying for a reason to play the gay card. As a fully-out person, this doesn’t offend me. What ever happened to “sticks and stones?” Why can’t we make fun of ourselves? And so what if it’s two heterosexuals? They don’t mean it in a derogatory way, it’s just a stereotype. Keep in mind though, stereotypes are BASED on truth. This is ridiculous, and anyone making a fuss out of this should go to some other country where free speech isn’t allowed.
If we are going to shine a light on the possible effects of the latent bashing of homosexuals, then we need to address all forms of latent bullying. i think it’s unfair we create such a ruckus over gay jokes, when children, and adults, are being singled out for being fat, nerdy, for having brown hair, anything. people commit suicide daily because of these types of social abandonment. if you are going to tackle one issue, you have ot be prepared to tackle them all. i personally do not think their comments intended for jest have a subliminal anti-gay agenda. people call things gay the same way people call things stupid or dumb. did anyone think that people who consider themselves stupid or dumb are adversely afected by us using these words as fillers? if you are going to support one battle of social injustice, you have to support the war. i don’t think a lot of people realize this goes a lot bigger then “the gays”
Let’s face it…who is watching American Idol? That’s right…13yo girls and gay men.
You people are Idiots who agree with this, haha!
Marc…seriously grow up.
I personally do not agree with any type of bullying, not just that which is directed toward homosexuals. The sad thing is, a lot of children are watching this show and although they may not pick up on a lot of the remarks, they are still being exposed to it. It does concern me that a closeted man would feel uncomfortable with remarks like the ones Simon and Ryan share, but what is more upsetting is the fact that bullying is being put into the minds of children who could grow up to be homophobes, etc. On the other hand, do people seriously still watch American Idol?