Which Way’s Up?

The private lives of public figures, whether actors, politicians, or even hot-shot lawyers, used to by off-limits for journalists.  An understanding existed between the media and those whom they reported on that what happened off the job was nobody’s business.  This vow of silence protected both philanderers and homosexuals in the public eye from any fear of exposure.  This vow of silence kept both JFK and Liberace free of talk show confessions and public apologies.

The picture of persistent bachelor.

However, as the public got a thirst for sexual scandal and politicians used a growing wave of “family values” sentiments to lift them into high office, this previously off-limits part of public figures lives became the amusement park of both tabloid journalists and moral pontificators.  Celebrities fell under the microscope as sexual escapades and drug binges became coffee table reading for the general public.  As “alternative lifestyles” became more prevalent in pop culture, social conservatives joined forces with the Republican party in the 1980s as the perceived “poverty of values” became a staple of stump speeches.  These sentiments reached their pinnacle in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal as social conservatives grandstanded against this moral decline in society until their hand-picked candidate took back the White House.  But even in a climate where heterosexual sexcapades of politicians were back in-bounds for journalistic inquiry, rumored homosexuality stayed off-limits.

As moral outrage became the order of the day, the notion that gay rights was the counterpoint to social conservatism grew in prominence.  In Kirby Dick’s new documentary Outrage this backlash is put against the backdrop of closeted politicians who have  voted consistently against any extension of gay rights.  ”The lady doth protest too much” becomes the thesis of the film as it chronicles the efforts of BlogActive’s Mike Rogers’ crusade to “out” hypocritical politicians.  The most enduring statement the film makes is that anti-gay agendas become the “evidence” that rumored homosexual politicians use to “prove” that they are in fact straight.  In much the same way in which children struggling with their sexual identity become the loudest homophobes in the schoolyard — a topic addressed in a story by David Sedaris from an episode of This American Life entitled “The Cruelty of Children.”  The depth of this self-deception is further extrapolated in this brilliant scene from HBO’s  Angels in America, citied in Outrage, in which Roy Cohn, the unabashed right-hand man of McCarthyism explains why he is not a homosexual:

It can be argued that forcing anyone to confront their sexual orientation before they are mentally prepared to do so does more harm than good.  But, would systematic “outings” of hypocritical politicians do more to advance the gay rights movement than anything done to this point?  Kirby Dick obviously believes it would.

OUTRAGE: Movie Trailer - Click here for more free videos

Which Way's Up? Politics gay rights, Politics, Republicans, TV last night

Last night before bed I was flipping through the channels and came across the Independent Film Channel, a favorite of mine for that last ditch effort to find something worthwhile to watch before I go to sleep. What I found was a really intriguing look at the MPAA, specifically the “voluntary” ratings system they impose on film makers.  Here’s the first 8 minutes:

The MPAA makes a lot of hay about their ratings system being voluntary, but in reality a film that isn’t rated is not allowed to show trailers on TV, will not be picked up by a major studio, and sees its marketing budget nearly disappear. Just as bad is the NC-17 rating. If a film gets stamped with this it will not get major theater distribution or video distribution in Wal-Mart or Blockbuster. Think about it when was the last time you saw an NC-17 film playing at the movie theater?

The charges levied against the MPAA (and pretty well substantiated) are:

1. They are of the studios, by the studios, and for the studios.
2. They are the only ratings board system in the world, in which the membership in the board is a secret, supposedly to keep them free from influence.
3. They are a censorship board, because an MPAA rating is the difference between having a film released and having it shelved.  An NC-17 is nearly impossible to overcome financially.
4. Independent Films are treated differently than studio pictures.
5. Sex is rated more strictly than violence.  

The first one is clear.  Just go look up the MPAA.  It is an organization that represents the 7 biggest studios in Hollywood that collectively control 95 percent of American Film Making.  

The second charge they have some “expert” tell us is true.  A cursory examination of ratings boards around the world, finds that most of them are government run.  And a first amendment attorney in the film, says this would be preferable to the current system, as at least someone would be accountable for the rating.  In the current system a film maker does not know who is judging the film, and upon appeal can not ask who the members of the appeal board are.  

Third goes hand in hand with the first.  They control distribution, they control which movie gets out and which one doesn’t.

Fourth is supported with anecdotal evidence from Matt Stone, that his independent film, Orgazmo, was given an NC-17 with the explanation being, that the general theme of the movie was “too adult.”  Nothing specific was mentioned to cut, because that would make the MPAA a censorship board.  Later, with South Park, a studio film, the MPAA gave precise guidelines of what to cut to make it an R rated movie.

Anyways, good documentary go check it out.  It’ll show you how the movie studios censor all American Films, and promote their interests while supposedly promoting the interest of “parents.”

Which Way's Up? On TV last night Movie Ratings, MPAA, TV last night