How Far Should One Go?

[howeird]

Recently on leatherapron's pages, maestrateresa was pointing out my closed-mindedness in refusing to see Brokeback Mountain, a movie she enjoyed and which I object to as gayploitation.

If you want to check out the exchange, it's here.

The exchange raised a question for me: how far do you have to go to decide you think something is wrong?

In this case, should I actually go see a movie to decide it's a waste of money? Or should I trust reviews, trailers, friends, etc.? Because seeing the movie means paying the ticket price, which means enriching the people who made the movie. Even renting the movie puts a few cents in their coffers.

But in a wider scope, do I have to live in Iraq to know whether the war is bad or good? Do I have to take opiates to know they are bad? Or steroids? Do I really have to get drunk to know what it is like? Do I have to have a near-death experience to find out what happens after we die? Is it necessary for me to confine myself to qa wheel chair to be in favor of handicapped access?

And what about Naomi?

Comments

[peace-corps-grl.livejournal.com]

Personally I liked the movie, then again I’m gay and anytime gays on film are not the subject of comedy relief or the poster children for HIV/AIDS, I’m happy.

But not everyone has to go see it. And whatever reasons people have for not wanting to see it are fine.

And for the record they were not cowboys, they were ranch hands.

Cheers,

Meggan

Well

[leatherapron.livejournal.com]

My original post was more concerned with the marketing of Brokeback Mountain than the movie itself. If is is any consolation to you I, Leatherapron, am a homosexual and I have not seen the movie. My partner, who I hear is a homosexual, has not seen the movie. I may eventually see the movie at some point, not because it excites me but because I want to have something to talk about should I be invited to an Oscar party.
My partner flatly refuses to see the movie for reasons that I can understand. His reasoning is that the movie is similar to Titanic or Schindler's List. It is being marketed as a sancrosanct event that we should all be grateful for.
However, I disagree with your stated reasons as I understand them. Speaking plainly, I think the notion that there were NO gay cowboys is just as absurd as me claiming that all cowboys were queer. There is research and oral history that recounts the life of gay men (and lesbians) in the self same setting as Brokeback Mountain. If you were to say that you think the film looks like trite trash, or a big downer, or lacking in spaceships that I could deal with. As it were I thought your comment was rhetorical and decided to ignore it.
My problem with the film, and what keeps me from wanting to see it with any level of enthusiasm is that I really think it is a prepetuation of the myth that all queers are tragic and end up dead or victims. It intrigues me that the "biggest gay film" is little more than a run through of familiar stereotypes. I actually resent the message, "we are tragic let us love."
Now if they settled down and started a little rance together- like two supporting characters did in the novel set in the 1800's (based on fact) "A Thousand Pieces of Gold" by Ruthanne Lum McCunn --now that would excite me. (P.S. these characters are not in the PBS film so don't rent that).

Re: Well

[howeird]

I guess we pretty much agree, then.

I'm not saying there were no gay cowboys, I'm just saying that all the cowboys/ranch hands I ever knew would shoot anyone of the same sex who made a pass at them, no matter how attracted they were. Insinuating that a cowboy is gay would be about the same as going to the United Arab Emirates and shitting on a portrait of Mohamed.


Would spaceships have made it a better movie? Of course.

Re: Well

[leatherapron.livejournal.com]

Well, I think there might have been some playing by some (not necessarily of your acquaintance). There were/are men who have sex with men who don't identify as gay.

Personally, I am sick of victim movies. If there is going to be a victim in a movie they had better be chased by Jason or Freddy or I am not interested