Transitions of GLBT characters on TV

(took the video from youtube, originally from the movie The Boondock Saints)

So as we talked in class about characters on Television more and more being gay, I thought to think about all the movies and shows I have seen with gay characters in them. One really popped into my head that in my opinion helped an audience relate to a gay character. One movie came to mind. The Boondock Saints. Talk about one of the most masculine and awesome films of our generation. Released in 1999 when there was a big transition in gay characters on TV. Not only was Willem Dafoe's character gay in the movie but he was a gay character in a very masculine film. His character Detective Smecker at first isn't portrayed gay, when you find out he is you don't really seem to care. My thoughts on his character were "whatever he's still a badass". Seen in the clip above he is in bed with another man but ends up calling this other gay man a "fag". So he's a gay character but he has a masculine side to him that everyone can seem to relate to. It seems to degrade the other gay man and put power in Smecker's hands. The audience watching this seems to not care after this that he is gay because he is almost a "bridge" between straight and gay. So this was a great transition character for acceptance of gay's in our movies. Since now that gays on TV are in general accepted as something that is just part of television we now see a move for Transgender characters being thrown around as ideas on shows like Real World. The Boondock Saints came out in 1999, so 12 years ago, in about 10 years are we going to have so many mixed characters on TV that transgender is just going to be the norm at that point? Is it just what gets the most viewers?

America and their need for a perfect wedding... WTF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_y_tQ8_lrM
Being a 21 year old single college student I haven't really considered the wedding scenario at all yet. This class has been an eye opener for some of the crazy things women go through before their big day. I never realized to the extent women seek "perfection". Above I linked a video on youtube I found on "Say Yes to the Dress". They advertise a once in a lifetime dress, specifically for one person at the cost of $45,000. YES FORTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. One of the weddings listed in the book was a on budget for only $6,000. With all these shows on TV are young girls today in the younger generation going to grow up expecting some spectacular wedding? If you look at different countries especially ones in Asia the white wedding doesn't exist. Not just the white part but the "perfect" expensive high fashion wedding. My dad married a russian woman back a few years (my now ex-stepmother) and the wedding was especially simple. She even wore a red dress, a simple gathering and simple dinner afterwards. This "perfect" wedding is definitely a thing of "western" society and I don't see it disappearing anytime soon. Here goes to forking over a 2nd mortgage for my future daughter's wedding. :)

Violent and Social

What we read on video games in class is what I feel is only half of the spectrum. Sure there are tons of video games out there that glorify masculinity and violence etc. However, we are missing the one part of video games what I like to call the other half. Behind all the gore and all the violence is the social aspect of these games. Sure there are ego's and rivalries among players but there is a social bond also being formed. MMORPG'S are a great example of this, behind all the battles and fights in these types of games are social involvements. Game developers encourage these social connections by making a game impossible to progress in without teaming up with other people. What makes some of these games out there like World of Warcraft so popular is that we are in an age of social networking. It is no longer acceptable to play at home against a computer, we have to interact with others and test our skills with others. (A clip below is a great example of this teamwork, although they end up losing the battle everyone seems to have a lot of fun). Most of the games I have experience playing could be classified as "war games" or violent but that is not what draws me to them. Since 2001 I have spent a lot of time playing video games. More than I am proud to say. There is a competitive aspect to these games especially for me Call of Duty has been one of the better experiences in my life. Sure the gore and killing is fun and great but the fact that you get to know who you are killing and associate names to faces is even better. Over the years I have traveled the country and met most of the people I play against. (this is for Call of Duty 4 competitive scene) At these tournaments, win or lose you have a lot of fun because you are interacting with people socially that you are playing against. Sure ego's come out and there is sometimes a confrontation but overall these people become your friends.


This is a video showing strategy among friends, and the social aspects that go into games. Also a hilarious ending.

There is also a part to be careful about and this is where some of the violence and social networking can be a bad mix. This is in the case of the "nut jobs" the guys who take it way too seriously. People who play these violent games and it only enhances what violence they were already brought up on or whatever. (I won't go into a psychology debate of why people are violent). These people can't tell the difference between violence in a video game and violence in real life and that is where a problem comes in. Take the following article for example : http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-05-27/news/27065615_1_stabs-man-knife-virtual-world

A man is so mad about losing the virtual fight that he takes it to the real world and almost kills a man. To this day after reading that (and many many many many articles like it) I can't see why someone would do this. Video games haven't made me who I am in a violent / non violent way. To me I don't see video games being the main reason there is negativity in behavior towards others. I could see about behavior towards one's life and lifestyle but that is a whole other issue entirely.