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Is it generational?

Posted by: portenopete 06:12 pm EDT 05/06/15
In reply to: re: To all the irate posters below - Singapore/Fling 05:43 pm EDT 05/06/15

As a gay man of 50, I find I am not nearly so quick to label bigotry as "hate speech". I have been reading John Simon for over thirty years and was aware of a distaste for most (if not all) things rainbow, but I never felt an impulse to silence him or demand his resignation.

I think there are bigger fish to fry that make a difference across far greater canvasses than the New York theatre review-reading world. His is the opinion of an educated but egregiously dogmatic Eastern European who has refused to change his principles in the belief that it would diminish the whole point of having had them in the first place. He's of another era and the most effective action one could take would be to ignore him.


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re: Is it generational?

Posted by: ryhog 09:15 pm EDT 05/06/15
In reply to: Is it generational? - portenopete 06:12 pm EDT 05/06/15

as a gay man of the same approximate era, I don't find the need to label bigotry as anything. I'm not prosecuting him for a crime; if we agree it's bigotry that really should be all we need to know. I do not support repressing his or anyone else's free speech; in fact, I come from the school where having a bigot speak is actually a good thing, because it allows the rest of us to address his heinous words. That said, I do have an issue with sanctioning those words, something that prevented me from buying NY Magazine for many years, that has caused me to criticize the drama critics for allowing his filthiness to taint them and that certainly keeps me from clicking the website of some penny ante newspaper that has, for whatever reasons, chosen to give bigotry a platform.


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re: Is it generational?

Posted by: Singapore/Fling 06:32 pm EDT 05/06/15
In reply to: Is it generational? - portenopete 06:12 pm EDT 05/06/15

The older I get, the more that I realize everything is generational, in every possible direction.

In terms of Simon, I agree with you about ignoring him. And considering who he writes for, most people are ignoring him as well.

But since it turned into a statement of opinions and their validity to be held, I felt inclined to say something. I will gladly ignore John Simon, but I will not stand by as his point of view is tolerated.

(is that silly? possibly)


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re: Is it generational?

Posted by: portenopete 07:21 pm EDT 05/06/15
In reply to: re: Is it generational? - Singapore/Fling 06:32 pm EDT 05/06/15

"is that silly?"

I wouldn't characterize it like that. It's good to be passionate about things. I tend to err on the opposite side, but I wouldn't argue that my way is the right way. I tend to eschew conflict and disharmony because my constitution can't handle it :).

But tell me: where exactly IS this review? I Googled john+simon+fun+home and couldn't see it.


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re: Is it generational?

Posted by: Singapore/Fling 07:51 pm EDT 05/06/15
In reply to: re: Is it generational? - portenopete 07:21 pm EDT 05/06/15

The original post contains the link.


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