Well, the media didn't miss a step a hopped right on the butter behind Paula Deen branding Baldwin a raging homophobe.
There's a bit of irony in the fact that so many gay men have supported Deen in her alleged struggle despite the fact that she has chosen to make excuses and paint herself the victim rather than empathize, a woman who's done nothing for the gay community, yet quickly jumped on the attack wagon against someone who's vocally supported us for decades, even before it was popular.
Fame in the Age of the Internet
The new media is quickly proving that the double edged sword of fame might not always be worth the cash. As apologies from celebrities become more and more forced they seem less sincere even when they are.
As Twitter and Facebook make our icons more accessible, that access becomes less genuine. It's through no fault of our actors and singers who would probably prefer to do their jobs, but the internet is turning those with careers into inadvertent Kardashians. Most aren't fame whores; they're professionals, parents, children, and employees.
Baldwin and Deen aren't politicians professionally versed in public relations and probably just want to go back to work. While celebrities have publicists that handle the nightmares that follow their missteps, occasional outburst are nothing compared to how most civilians would handle the unjust expectations of the public eye.
I challenge anyone questioning Baldwin's actions to react to the accusation that your pregnant wife was misbehaving during the funeral of a good friend, an accusation broadcast to the entire world. Baldwin's comments weren't only just, they were understated.
Words are Words
In what the media undoubtedly wishes was the f-bomb, Baldwin called Stark a "toxic little queen." As a card carrying homo, I'm not only unoffended by it, I agree.
It's not a broad label that unfairly applies to a broad range of people, and the word "queen" itself has never necessarily been offensive. Let's get down to semantics here. The insult in that phrase is "toxic little." Stark is a queen, and his comments were toxic and little. We all agree that the paparazzi are the scum of the journalism industry, and most in the paparazzi likely agree.
When it comes to equality, we're just now seeing light at the end of tunnel. Perhaps we should take this time to consider how our community views the words that hurt us in the past. Let's say Baldwin did drop the f-bomb. Given his support for all of our causes, only the smallest of us would be so shortsighted as to ignore decades of public action and label him a homophobe for one slip of the Twit.
In light of Paula Deen's past comments there has been nonstop debate about how we view words, how some can use them and some can't. Although most agree the f-bomb isn't appropriate for anyone, the gay community has yet to publish an official language guide for political correctness.
Maybe we shouldn't.
Instead of segregating our vocabulary, maybe we should shrug it off. Let's face it, there will always be ass holes out there who utter obscenities. I just did. Maybe we should kill the power behind the word by shrugging it off with a, "yeah, I'm a fag, so what?" All of a sudden the word becomes as benign as "black" or "gay" and bigots are forced to struggle with the fact that their insults have no power.
The Double Standard
We often grant a free pass to friends, family, and those closest to us, but expect those we'll never know to stand motionless against public scrutiny. The next time you're at a family reunion and Uncle Eddie says "I like The Big Bang Theory, even though Parson's a little fruit," treat him like a celebrity. Call CNN. Post a blog about it. Send an angry mob to his house.
Celebrities are burdened with an unfair responsibility to act in a certain manner, to stifle opinions and comments we're free to make. In return - we tell ourselves - they're millionaires. Most of us will never know what it's like to face the court of public opinion, yet we claim to know how one should react. When a man's family is publically attacked, the public attacks the victim.
Any reasonable person knows that Baldwin's comments were directed at one person and only one person, but reason doesn't exist behind the cloak of the internet. Comments fueled by jealousy are masked behind the anonymity of the comments section. Anyone shocked that such an outspoken advocate for gay rights hasn't actually considered the fact that Baldwin is such an outspoken advocate for gay rights.
It's offensive to our own fight that we forced an apology from this great man. George Stark is a public figure himself and has done more damage representing our community as a toxic little queen, allowing us to tear apart a man who continues to fight for our cause, against some of his own family members, despite the fact that he doesn't have to.
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