The Super Bowl and Stereotypes of Gay Black Men

I visited the blog Joe.My.God as I often do on a daily basis for gay news and came across a post that featured a video from In Living Color and their Men On... skit with a Super Bowl Theme.  One on hand, I must admit that when watching this skit as a young child, I never thought twice about it.  The skits made me uncomfortable as a gay young man (although I couldn't yet articulate that I was gay) but I thought nothing of the depiction the show constructed of gay black men.



My problems with the skit originated much later in life when I began to study representations of minority groups on television. Some people, on the rare occasion that I post comments on blogs, dismiss me as being overly analytical and in the case of this video assumed that no one looked to In Living Color to provide role models. And while that may be true that no one is actively seeking a role model from the show, the reinforcement of negative stereotypes about gay men (and black gay men specifically) cannot be brushed aside.

Noted cultural scholar and sociologist Herman Gray in his fantastic book Watching Race says, "This sketch and others features Antoine and Blaine activate and engage crucial debates about identity, sexuality, and desire within the discourse of blackness. Although the sketches are not specifically about gay black men, the body, dress, language and gestures are deliberately organized to construct and covey something about the characters' identities. Moreover, and perhaps this helps to account for their resonance, these parodies and the strategies of representations on which they depend join historical contemporary debates and representations in the black community about homophobia, black men, masculinity, sexuality and drag queens."

I believe that whether we want to believe it or not, television is a major socialization factor for us. It teaches us how to be and how not to be. Representations like those found in the Men On... sketches from In Living Color help to underscore why gay men and women are (and should remain) second-class citizens. Men On... makes gay men effeminate (in both demeanor and dress) and lecherous and helps some in the show's largely black audience reinforce their hatred for all things gay.

Collective Memory

Politicians and television talking heads, particularly right-leaning ones, have often talked about how things were so much better and simpler in times gone by. And while this Daily Show video lambastes Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, we're all a little guilty of mis-remembering events in our lives.  Cultural theorist Maurice Halbwachs gives us clues about how (and why) we think this were better than they actually are through his theory of collective memory.  Halbwachs was chiefly concerned with the ways in which we recount and mythologize the past.  He believed that the only way that past is made relevant for us is by social institutions (like the media) and collective actions of commemoration and festivals.

Even more disturbing is the opening speech at the Tea Party Convention given by former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo.  He believed that literacy tests as a prerequisite to being able to vote were a good thing.  What he fails to "remember" in his remembering how these literacy tests ensured that we had educated people voting is that blacks were denied all sorts of civil rights in addition to just being prohibited from voting.  Let's see... what could have possibly been happening to blacks when they were being denied the right to vote?  Umm, being routinely hosed down in the streets with high-powered hoses.  Oh yeah, another example is being lynched... and... one last one, having to endure a far inferior educational system (although schools have effectively been re-segregated thanks to differences in socio-economic status and "white flight" from urban schools).

Haiti is another example of collective memory.  This excellent essay remembers the facts of Haiti and why it is one of the poorest countries in the world -- not because Haitians are some kind of slackers, but because America (the very country now coming to its aid and trying to rewrite history) has had their foot on the necks of Haitians for decades.   

What we must work to do is remember events as they were and not as we'd like them to be. That is the best way for us to be more informed world citizens and not be told what to think by "the machine."

Bisexual Characters on TV

Here is a story for which I was interviewed about bisexual characters on TV.

What TV Characters Teach Us About Money

Here's an article where I was interviewed about what TV characters teach us about money for mint.com.

Weight a Minute

Full Disclosure: I am not a woman or a teenage girl. But I do pay attention to media messages and while I have been known to abstractly discuss issues regarding body issues among friends, I can rarely point to specific instances because they all tend to blur. On my Facebook page, I railed against Giuliana Rancic for comments she made to Kathy Griffin who essentially said she looked good because she was starving herself to which Giuliana replied that it didn't matter as long as she looked good. I vented about it and then I got over it. Well my dander was raised again last night upon watching Project Runway. On one hand, we know that runway models are tinier than most women and that when fashion designers choose to use what they call "normal" sized models (whatever the hell that is) a controversy ensues. But it somehow rubbed me the wrong way to have designers on a reality TV show bitching about having to work with "real women." The first slap down is, "Hello! You're on a reality show known for challenges designed to stress you out!" and then secondly, do you plan to make ANY money as a designer? If the answer is yes, then you're going to have to make things in a larger size than a 2.

What it boils down to is that it says that if you are a woman and can't fit into a sample size (usually a 2 or 4) that somehow fashion is not for you. To watch many of the designers struggle to make a dress that flattered a woman who isn't shaped like a prepubescent boy was truly infuriating. And when Tyra Banks allows "plus sized" models on America's Next Top Model (although no winner has ever really reached the "top") it reinforces the problem. Tyra Banks will often say she is trying to change the industry, but what she ends up doing when these women like Whitney (the eventual winner of Cycle 10) or Tocarra (from Cycle 3) are in the competition is reinforce the idea that they shouldn't be in high fashion because the designers with whom they are working often don't have any clothes (or unflattering ones) that will fit them.

Quality as a Brand Attribute

For decades, American consumers have haughtily disavowed American auto makers as being less well built/crafted than their foreign counterparts. Toyota was one of the beneficiaries of that sentiment. I even considered purchasing a Toyota, but opted for a Ford because two of my sisters, a brother-in-law and two ex-brother-in -laws all work for Ford and my father and my uncle retired from Ford. I bought my Ford Focus not necessarily because I wanted it, but because it gets great gas mileage and I could get a great discount through my father. But, it turns out that Toyota, like most of its counterparts is having issues with quality. Yes, American cars have suffered from quality issues for quite some time, but maybe now we'll start looking again at American made cars, like the Ford Focus which is made by an American company and is actually made in the United States. In the short term, American auto makers really have a prime opportunity to take back some of the market share from Toyota in the long term. The fact is, Toyota is -- and will remain -- a leader in the auto industry, but American automakers have been give a gift in a bit of leveling of the playing field. It's now up to them to take advantage of that opportunity.

This Senator Brought to You By...

As Americans, we like to pride ourselves on the idea that we live in a democracy. Our elected officials are (theoretically at least) acting in the best interest of "the people." But it's become increasingly clear that our elected officials don't really work in our best interest and have their own interests (or reelection) at heart. That is why while this Huffington Post story is disheartening, it's not surprising at all. Coupled with the recent (boneheaded) decision by the Supreme Court to allow unlimited corporate contributions to political campaigns, I'm afraid that the "traditional" idea of democracy is dead and that the idea of buying an election truly just became a reality.


I believe that most people are unwilling to take the time to educate themselves about political issues and rely on 1) soundbites from their favorite 24-hour news channel and 2) political ads. In other words, it's a dark day for "the people" that a democracy is supposed to represent. So, it makes sense that all politicians are looking to get on the good side of corporations who can dig into their deep pockets in November and buy an election for them. Meanwhile, we the people, are being sold down the river.