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| re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 02:01 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - ryhog 09:32 am EDT 08/19/20 | |
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| I think in a comedy world sense it has to/should be acknowledge that there didn't used to be such a black and white view of "racist jokes", and joking that played on stereotypes or casually poked at or used more shocking takes on race relations etc were acceptable to far far more people, and were not seen as "racist" as a 0 to 100 kind of way, the way they much more often/likely are now. I'm not saying that was ok or not okay - I'm just saying there is a sensitivity and an awareness to the impact of that kind of humor now that there wasn't then. Some of it I think is right, and some of it is an overcorrection, but either way, my opinion is irrelevant, it's just a observable truth of how it was for people tweeting or writing or performing comedy then. I mean have you seen sets from people like Amy Schumer from back then? Stuff she'd never say now. Anthony Jeselnik (her ex boyfriend actually, and for awhile a much bigger comedian) was even more dryly insensitive and controversial on purpose, as the schtick, and had a whole tv series on Comedy Central based around it. Playing into dark and mean and insensitive humor that certainly played on stereotypes too. Playing on something also doesn't always mean supporting the idea that it is truth. But before recently, the sensitivity to the potential impact of the perpetuation of those things was not taken as seriously. But I think the main point is that nothing in Randy's career as a sketch and song comedian has made him seem anything but fully supportive to the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. And in fact I think often people that are, and are in that community, feel empowered to throw around words like "tranny"... I frankly don't think trans people would have been anywhere near as bothered by him saying it as a straight person. But we are at a point where it doesn't matter why or what empowered you to use it... however, it's not entirely fair or worthwhile to go back 10 years ago and judge in today's context. However, still, as I said in another post, GLAAD had already gone after a famous gay for using tranny on TV, and that person (Christian Siriano) apologized for it and stopped using it, 3 2-3 years before Randy's tweets. So he was almost definitely aware it was at least a touchy thing. This wasn't the 80s. But i agree that going after him for these given what his content has been in the decade since doesn't seem like a good use of time. |
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| re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface | |
| Posted by: ryhog 08:25 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - Chazwaza 02:01 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| I am not sure I follow the last thing you said. The context in the last decade is that these items were still online until a couple of days ago despite, as you point out, notice. So even through the heightened awareness of the recent months, RR did not take them down and they continued to be statements people could read and react to (whether positively or negatively). Is he being fully supportive when he fails to address his own nurturing of these racist and biased stereotypes for a laugh? Moreover, as noted, despite plenty of time to address the subject, the best he could come up with was a tweet about people giving him shit. This places him in distinctly different territory than Siriano. One more thing: I am not sure I would agree about gay vs straight speakers. There has long been prejudice by gays against their own (and of course transgendered is not necessarily "their own.") Many have bristled at the use of "straight-acting" on dating sites for a long time. |
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| re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:27 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Randy Rainbow’s old, racist, and transphobic tweets resurface - ryhog 08:25 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| i agree that he should have taken them down and should make a statement. And i am shocked at the stupidity and insensitivity that he left them up until now. Anyone with his platform should have scrubbed their social media accounts clean of anything like these tweets -- whether he personally saw them as offensive or not, just out of the fear of being cancelled. It makes him seem both stupid as a professional and insensitive as a comedian. And yes, i wasn't comparing him at all to Siriano... i was saying Siriano did it right, and it was something Randy would have known about as it happened before these tweets, i.e. he had no excuse really to think it would be seen as "ok" if anyone was gonna see his tweets, and obviously he is dealing with it the wrong way. I agree there's a problem with gays being prejudice against their own (and I agree transgender is not necessarily their own, so I'm not entirely sure why this is being brought up as if it is), that doesn't mean that gay people might have context to use the T word that wouldn't be as harmful or hateful or dismissive as the intention when a straight person might. It's a generalization that would need specific instances to illuminate and I don't have those, but it was definitely seen as different enough to be notable. I think for some gay people it was used as a term of endearment, reclaimed like f*ggot etc, but obviously is not ok if for no other reason because the gay men saying it weren't "trannies". But Randy wasn't using it that way. Randy's usage was more mean spirited and random. anyway, his tweets are awful and gross and he should have taken them down years ago, and he should be apologizing now. |
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