Wednesday, December 15, 2010

With apologies to What The Tee Vee Taught...

...I don't want to encroach on your territory, but I figured Australia was out of your jurisdiction.



AS IF the full array of standard gay stereotypes weren't ridiculous enough (the "normal guy," the leather daddy, the bear, and the prissy twink, from left to right*), you're really going to shove disability, non-whiteness, slight fatness**, and femaleness onto one token character? This is hilarious. I wonder how many board meetings and focus groups went into constructing that set of characters.

(It is, by the way, a promo from an upcoming Australian sitcom about gay sci-fi nerds. As seen on io9.)

*Because it's certainly been my experience that every group of gay men includes one representative of each of these types.
**The bear doesn't count.

8 comments:

fwoan said...

It would complete the character to have her be druid or some other obscure religion. Is she also gay? Also, she must use lots of slang and be "street smart."

p.s. I don't think I've ever seen a disabled character on television whose entire story revolved around being disabled as if it was all that defined them.

p.p.s - i love io9

Rachel said...

Notice how the (presumed) lesbian is posed with a ticked-off expression, too. Those non-whites and lesbians sure are angry! Gee, I wonder why.

Jack Crow said...

Eye of the beholder, on the woman. I see not "ticked off" but mistrustful, wary.

OMG, word veri: difemo

Ethan said...

I'm not sure if the character is supposed to be gay or not, but that would just catapult this into all-time status, wouldn't it?

I can see reading her expression as either ticked off or mistrustful, though I originally saw "smelled something bad" more prominently.

what the Tee Vee taught said...

You are, from where I'm standing, getting funnier.

I assume the non-white woman being in a chair is purely symbolic.

As for crimping my territory: nah. I'm pretty sure my blog title is routinely "misunderstood", by which I mean, the title's intent isn't terribly obvious... perhaps I'll clarify.

Jack Crow said...

Tee Vee,

Agreed. She's symbolic, but of what? Whoever posed the scene had a clear vision for each caricature of gay men.

He or she doesn't seem to know what to do with the token disabled/notwhite/woman.

She's all vague and ill positioned. Says much, I think.

what the Tee Vee taught said...

Jack,

Oh, I don't know, let's see: she is, to some extent, white-western-society's triple negative:

not white
not male
not hetero

Ohh for three — What is she good for!?!?!

I assumed the idea was to suggest she's playing a shitty hand, so make it shittier. Notice how the bald Queen is holding her down. She's also holding onto the right wheel, acting as a hand brake, unwilling to budge... or whatever

Ethan said...

wtTVt: Thanks! Although, wait, are you saying I wasn't funny before? Asshole!

Interested to see what this clarification you mention might be.