Get the Feed
|
S I G H T S
Will Power !
Just think about it. Where would we be without jokes that begin "An Italian, a German, and a Pole”?" It would be a travesty. Retired guys in VFW posts all across the country would lose their material. Did you catch that? Ageism, front and center. See what I mean? I can’t kick the prejudice habit. What we’re ultimately talking about here is not the glorification of stereotyping or prejudice, of course, but the power of humor. Much has been made of the role of Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live in the last few years of presidential politics, but the most significant uses of humor are more subtle and pervasive in popular culture. Like many folks, I take the approach that sensitive issues are best approached through comedy. Ever see The Simpsons where Homer is afraid Bart’s gay? Priceless. And yet possibly the most demeaned form of art in America today is the television sitcom. At its best, however, the sitcom, by coating its message with a heavy does of the slapstick, can address - and possibly attempt to change - public opinion concerning some of our most pressing social issues. (Just consider All in the Family and Roseanne.) Unlike the political humor of the past few years, sitcoms do not simply satirize individuals; they go after entire groups. While this stereotyping takes the risk of further embedding our prejudice, it also has a big potential payoff. Sitcoms can be the one place where we face those stereotypes - our underlying social divisions - head on. With this perspective in mind, I tuned in to Will & Grace a few weeks ago for the episode in which Will (Eric McCormack) is shocked when his new boyfriend Matt (Patrick Dempsey) fails to admit his homosexuality when cornered by his boss. What should Will do? Break up with Matt and stay true to his "out and proud" principles, or play along for the sake of their relationship? At first, Will plays along because he’s been going through a dry spell and, well, Matt’s a hottie. But after some encouragement from best-friend-ever Grace (Debra Messing), Will finally bites the bullet and drops Matt when it’s clear to him he can no longer keep up the charade. But it was a tough choice. See, Matt is an up and coming sportscaster who spends lots of time in locker rooms and needs to develop casual relationships with male athletes to get the good interviews. Open displays of homosexuality could seriously hamper his career (enter missive on homophobia and professional sports here). Will understands, but he’s come to terms with his sexual orientation and he’s built a life on being proud of his identity. In the long run, Will can’t throw that away, even for the sake of love. Despite the humor infused in Will’s persistent dilemmas in finding a mate, the flamboyantly gay character of Jack, played flawlessly by Sean Hayes, is obviously the show’s biggest comedic draw. How? Usually by being so gay, you have to laugh. His skillful animation of many gay stereotypes puts mainstream America at ease because Jack is living proof that their preconceptions about gay men are to some degree true. Moreover, Jack makes them feel as if its OK to laugh, OK to chuckle at his overt gayness - which opens them up to accepting him for who he is. Bottom line is, it’s hard to hate someone who makes you laugh. By standing in so gracefully for every gay stereotype, Jack provides a potentially subversive representation of a likeable gay man. While his character might be leading mainstream America to tolerate gays more, however, he is not necessarily expanding or challenging society’s preconceptions about gay identity. For that task we must fall back on the representation of Will - who at times can seem as if he is simply playing the ’straight” man to Jack. The whole issue of homosexuality in a public space (like the airwaves) is a barometer for the attitudes we adopt in our private arenas. For me, it recently became very personal. A friend of mine from high school currently lives in the Deep South. He voted for Dubya, drives a Beamer, and used to make his own jerky from deer he killed himself. He just broke the news to me that he’s gay by asking me if I’d ever heard of the Log Cabin Republicans. He figured I’d be shocked by his announcement. I was a little surprised, mostly because I knew how conservative he was - and still is: He disagrees with liberals on more than 99 percent of social issues. He’s just gay, and that’s all. But that’s still unacceptable to many. I thought America reached a critical mass of sensitivity when I witnessed my father-in-law rent The Birdcage and buy a 40-inch color TV from a transvestite named Paula all in the same month. But evidently I was wrong. Otherwise Will’s new honey wouldn’t be retreating back into the closet quicker than it takes an Upper East Side Jewish princess to say "charge it." (How was that? Regionalism, sexism, racism, classism all rolled into one.) Clearly Hollywood humor can’t be the only way to bring enlightenment to the masses. Religion would be a great tool, but we all know where many churches stand on the issue. What else is left? Politics. Though from the misguided “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to President Bush’s early resistance to meeting with the Log Cabin Republicans, it seems as though our entertainment is light years ahead of our government. For a moment during the vice-presidential debate, however, some hope did emerge. Dick Cheney - along with Sen. Joe Lieberman - appeared sincerely torn about the issue of gay marriage. His response now seems like only a temporary bout of Republican insanity, as the regressive policies of the GOP continue unabated. Since Cheney’s daughter Mary is a lesbian (and her partner attended the inauguration), we might expect the vice president to use the authority of his office to promote civil rights for gays and lesbians. As if. This is the man who, after all, supported an anti-gay ban for the military, and is part of an an administration that chose John Ashcroft to be attorney general. Vermont’s legalization of civil unions shows a little bit of collective progress, but no state has followed its lead and the Defense of Marriage Act makes it difficult to imagine civil unions being recognized outside the Green Mountain State. In the meantime, I’m told there are enough homophobes out there to keep people like Matt (or my friend) afraid of expressing who they really are. Not that I know any of them. At least I don’t think I do. I’m a liberal white guy living in a college town whose family is largely Democratic and whose friends are mostly under the age of 30. I don’t live in the South, I wasn’t a member of the College Republicans, I didn’t join Campus Crusade for Christ, and I haven’t given any money to the NRA. So how could I possibly know anyone with a case of homophobia? (Did you catch all that?) Oh, will the madness never cease! To quote Arthur Miller, "A man is not a piece of fruit!" Which, in short, can be taken to mean it’s impossible to pigeon hole anybody, anywhere. Fears like homophobia exist across a huge demographic spectrum because there’s enough nurture in our nature to make each of us prejudiced against something - what that "thing" is, is arguably a matter of chance. Unless you went to Bob Jones University (darn it - I just can’t stop.) Maybe humor is the best answer. And what better way to deliver the message than through television? Credit must be given to Ellen for breaking ground. For almost an entire year, the lead character was openly gay, not a stereotype, and very funny. It is significant that the death knell sounded because the show stopped being funny, not because people were unwilling to watch a lesbian with her own TV show. Normal, Ohio failed out of the gates for a similar reason. It never was funny. But Will & Grace is hysterical, and as long as it continues to be so, homosexuality will be prime time. In the end, Will & Grace’s greatest strength is its genre - the situation comedy. There are gay situations and straight situations, and plenty of other situations with no sexuality at all. The overall message is simple: Gay? Straight? Bi? It’s all good. The final test of our national conscience may come when a sitcom is developed around a conservative president who just happens to be gay. Tom Selleck on The Right Wing? If Selleck’s character is out, Will might play the boyfriend. Joe Newman lives in Connecticut. He writes about rare books when he’s not watching TV. Enter the Pop Forum Related Sites
|
