Last week I called Michael Brodeur after reading his review of the Cirque Du Soleil album. In his review he called the album "cosmic faggotry." I was concerned (And I'll be the first to admit this is the silliest issue ever, and could have been cleared up in about 5 seconds) because he hated the album, and used the word faggotry as a negative adjective - which it is not. Faggotry is something to celebrate right?Michael screamed at me on the phone, and repeated my name - Mark Snyder - before and after each of his sentences while I remained calm and tried to explain why I was concerned. He kept asking me questions like "why does it matter if I am gay, can't straight people say faggotry?" To which I responded over and over, yes straight people can say faggotry but not if they are using it against our community, I was simply calling to clarify how you were using the word." I even used examples of how to use the word faggotry in a positive and humorous way in the style of Margaret Cho. Michael only responded with anger and twisted my words around Tucker Carlson style because he was wrong.
The Original Review from the Weekly Dig:
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL DELIRIUMGENRE INTERNATIONAL CLUSTERFUCK VERDICT DEAR WORLD: CAN WE STOP MAKING THE WORST THINGS EVER THE MOST POPULAR THINGS EVER, PLEASE? LABEL CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MUSIQUE RELEASE 6.20.06 CIRQUEDUSOLEIL.COM
Ever wonder what drives the members of Cirque du Soleil to fling themselves headlong toward death day after day? I used to. Then this heap of cosmic global faggotry showed up and taught me to vomit in 15 different languages. If this is world music, I have a newly piqued interest in the space program. [MICHAEL BRODEUR]
Excerpt from our phone call:
Me: You hated the album right?
Him: Yes it was awful and full of faggotry Mark Snyder!
Me: So faggotry is a bad thing?
Him: Mark Snyder I didn't say that
Me: Are you perhaps ashamed of your own faggotry?
Him: Listen to me Mark Snyder (anger anger anger yelling yelling yelling)
Me: (calmly) It is about how you used the word as a negative Michael....
So Michael, here are some new examples for you:
Good: Wow! That dress is a frenzy of cosmic faggotry! I love it!
Bad: Wow that dress is hideous, it's like total faggotry!
Good: This year's pride parade was an explosion of fabulous faggotry!
Bad: This year's pride parade was a disgusting display of faggotry!
And look! LeftCenterLeft has had their own little run in with a bad review using the word faggotry!
Michael still does not understand why I called even after I explained it to him a million times. If you're going to use the word faggotry, use it as a compliment. Otherwise it will be interpreted as homophobia. Simple.... right? It is not using the word, it is how you use the word that is important right? No, Michael continues to twist and distort our conversation in this week's issue of the Weekly Dig.
The folks at the weekly dig use words like faggotry to give them edginess....to make them feel more hip than everyone else. The trouble is, they repeatedly use the words without any sense or cultural competency to back themselves up.
MEANWHILE: A Boston radio host has been kicked off the air for his own little fag remark.
2 comments:
That flow chart is totally heterodiculous.
I interned and worked and wrote for the dig years ago when they were just getting started. Though they try to be cool about their outright homophobic remarks, it just comes across as insensitive and very negative. I still read it semi-regularly but am turned off when they use "gay" as a bad thing. I'm all for "gay" and "faggotry" being used in a fabulous connotation! If they can pull it off, then they'll earn my respect ... if not then they'll be stuck in their juvenile mindset.
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