ZRod Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I think that is a gay joke. The euphemism is clear, as you say. The scenario demonstrating that humiliating show of caving is a gay act. It's funny precisely because we all agree that a man doing this thing should be super, super embarrassing for him and make him the subject of general ridicule. It's also no more appropriate than to use this metaphor towards a woman.Not trying to act high and mighty about this, to be clear. I saw and chuckled at that Donald-Vlad mural a ton of times without ever thinking about this. Likewise this is far from the first Trump/Putin ha-ha gay insinuation joke we've seen on the airwaves. It's really low hanging, unoriginal fruit at this point.But that's exactly why it's not a homophobic joke, it could be used with any gender and interpreted the same. Its lewd and offensive but it's comedy, not homophobia. It's like calling someone a kiss ass really, or brown noser. Nobody cares about those, but they're sexual in nature if you think about it and could be taken exactly the same way. Link to comment
zoogs Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 A lot of what we consider crude funnies are based on agreeing how it demeaning and base homosexuality is. I think I'd call it habit more than homophobia. It's hard to disentangle this dimension from these jokes. Anyway that's the extent to which I will agree that the critics have a good point. This is not at all the same joke as calling him a kiss ass. The gay sex innuendo completely defines it and is a necessary part of the whole thing. We could also talk about how other crude sex jokes are cruel to other groups of people, but this particular one is directed at gay people. Part of jokes is that they're shocking and cruel and we can also talk about those boundaries. However I think it's fair to be disappointed that Colbert went for this line in trying to put a slam on Trump. We're opposed to the anti-gay agenda of the GOP and to illustrate that, we're going to say the politicians we oppose in this are c*** suckers? ... it's a bit cringeworthy. Link to comment
Making Chimichangas Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 A lot of what we consider crude funnies are based on agreeing how it demeaning and base homosexuality is. I think I'd call it habit more than homophobia. It's hard to disentangle this dimension from these jokes. Anyway that's the extent to which I will agree that the critics have a good point. This is not at all the same joke as calling him a kiss ass. The gay sex innuendo completely defines it and is a necessary part of the whole thing. We could also talk about how other crude sex jokes are cruel to other groups of people, but this particular one is directed at gay people. Part of jokes is that they're shocking and cruel and we can also talk about those boundaries. However I think it's fair to be disappointed that Colbert went for this line in trying to put a slam on Trump. We're opposed to the anti-gay agenda of the GOP and to illustrate that, we're going to say the politicians we oppose in this are c*** suckers? ... it's a bit cringeworthy. Ordinarily...I would agree with you on this point. However...Trump is a blatantly homophobic, racist, xenophobic, pseudo-"christian" bag of pooh. So implying "gay" on what Trump does is not an indictment of gays. Rather, it is an indictment of the super macho, hetero, bullsh#t culture he exists in. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 the only thing Trump's mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putins c*** holster in his opening monologueI don't think this is homophobic at all. Blow jobs are not a bad or demeaning thing unless you choose to see it that way. The only reason this could be considered homophobic is if the person hearing the joke thinks men who give blow jobs are degrading themselves. He was able to make this joke because that is how a lot of people feel, but that doesn't make the joke itself homophobic or degrading. The joke is another way of saying Trump is in bed with the enemy. How we react to it is the homophobic part. If I react: "wow he really slammed Trump with that" then it's because I think it's submissive or degrading to commit the act. I find the joke funny because I know how pissed off it would make some people (including Trump). I known how they feel about it, and that's what makes it funny. 1 Link to comment
zoogs Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 The point of the joke is not "isn't it weird how some people think this act is degrading", it was "this is degrading and we're going to tag Trump with it." No? Rather, it is an indictment of the super macho, hetero, bullsh#t culture he exists in. Ah, I guess I can see it this way. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The point of the joke is not "isn't it weird how some people think this act is degrading", it was "this is degrading and we're going to tag Trump with it." No? Rather, it is an indictment of the super macho, hetero, bullsh#t culture he exists in.Ah, I guess I can see it this way. I didn't say that was the point if the joke. The actual comment, saying a man is giving another man a blow job should not be a joke at all. The only reason it's a joke is because* many people are homophobic and many people think giving blow jobs makes someone lesser. * - that and the Russia part. It's an offensive joke. What makes it funny is that it's offensive, even though it shouldn't be. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 https://twitter.com/nytimesworld/status/860899616249839617 https://twitter.com/reuterspolitics/status/861172831895334912 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 The Colbert joke is demeaning to Trump who wants to be seen as an Alpha male because giving the blowjob is the passive, not dominant, part of that act. Blowjobs, giving or receiving, aren't demeaning to consenting adults. Trump isn't about consent - he's about taking, and demanding. His quotes about women depict how he views sex:"I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pu&&y. You can do anything." The point of the joke was to skewer the Alpha male poseur in Trump's persona. It was a well-guided strike, and you can tell it worked because he's trying to sic his FCC guy on it (except nothing can be done to Colbert legally because it was outside the "safe" window). Link to comment
zoogs Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 Going after the opposition: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332132-fcc-probing-colberts-trump-putin-joke Brought to you by the FCC chairman eager to take down Net Neutrality. Mea culpa: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/the-fake-news-liberals-dont-want-to-talk-about "When they start to take away our jokes, we should all be worried. All Americans. Regardless of party. This is not normal," comedian Mike Birbiglia asserted. Except an FCC investigation of obscenity complaints is normal. Really, really normal. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 my prediction is they won't use proportion. 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 So much for "America first." We have to rely on Russian sources for pictures from the White House. 3 Link to comment
knapplc Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 #MAGABOAWBTTR (Make America Great Again But Only After We've Bowed To The Russians) 1 Link to comment
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