Actor Vince Vaughn defends "gay" joke in movie (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Vince Vaughn has defended the use of the word "gay" in his upcoming comedy "The Dilemma" after a week of controversy about whether it is a slur against gays and lesbians.
Universal Pictures last week pulled a promotional movie trailer for "The Dilemma", in which Vaughn's character tells a joke calling electric cars "gay", after complaints that the use of the word sent a message of intolerance at a time when gay teen suicides and bullying are in the media spotlight.
Some gay rights advocates have now called for the entire scene to be cut from the movie, which is due for release in January.
Vaughn said in a statement late Thursday that he supported "the people outraged by the bullying and persecution of people for their differences, whatever those differences may be."
But he added; "Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing divided lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop."
The gay community has recently stepped up campaigns against discrimination and bullying following a rash of gay teen suicides, including a 19 year-old college student in New Jersey who jumped off a bridge after his encounter with a gay man was secretly filmed by a roommate and put on the Internet.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
I just had to give my 2 cent, we all do it, we all say things that could be offense to some people when said in a meaner context, but we say it to ourselves, family or friends and figure it's okay e.g. You bitch, I'm a cow, I'm such a dumb ass, white people can't talk, all men are stupid, Get your black ass from in front of the TV, etc. We don't mean anything by it and maybe some of the stuff we say shouldn't be said at all because it's even bad to say it to yourself, but hey it's your right (if you don't like me because I'm black or a women, I really don't care, as long as you still treat me with respect and don't call me names to my face, just to express your dislike of my kind), And to censor movies and TV and music because we don't agree with something is wrong. If I don't agree with something in a movie or whatever I just won't watch it. I get it movies shape us and yes, most of use take movies too seriously, "Avatar Syndrome" anyone (I still don't understand that), but no one protested the movie because of that, they did because it was too much like Cowboys and Indians, but that another story. Unless it's a serious movie, we shouldn't take things serious.
I'm tried of hearing about this, the term "That's gay" isn't and shouldn't be offense to Gay people, I'm all for "Gay Rights" and I think it horrible that Gay people don't have the same rights as every other people in this country, I always vote yes and I hate bullying, it breaks my heart every time I hear or read a news story. And I'm so against the use of the "F" word or "S" word or even the use of the phrase "Homo". But I'm sorry the word gay just doesn't have the same liberties, for the simple fact that it has more than one meaning, it's not a word that was always use to describe a people, it originally meant to mean happy or glad. Honestly when I hear the word gay, that stupid song comes to my head that so cheesy and lame and just silly, "I feel pretty, I feel witty and gay", so when I hear someone say something is gay, I think just think is means lame or cheesy. The term "That's gay" is no different than saying, something is "getto". Or how we made the words cool and bad or even phat, mean something good or back in the 90's people were saying "that's so shawshank".
As a black female, I get that offense terms shouldn't be overly used and that, you can never really erase the true meaning of a word, like the "N" word, I don't care how many times people use it as just another word, or if it's okay for black people to use it, same, goes for Gay people who also use some of your more offense terms for a laugh or as a term of endearment, but because you are Gay, it somehow makes it okay or because you are black it somehow makes it okay, cause words like that, if they are ever said in their original context, no matter how many times you've heard or even said them to mean something good or something non-offense, when you hear with those words in the original context you know, what they meant and it hurts. That's why I never us the N word myself and I stop using other words.
Vince is right, it's comedy racial, sexist, political, or gay humor, you are suppose to look at the intent and realize they are just making light or trying to ease a topic, if we got offended at everything someone says in the name of comedy or a joke, we wouldn't have comedy and it's not like "that's gay" really makes fun of a people like black face, making you eyes go slanty, or even using the phrase "that's retarded", now that's offense, that phrase directly makes from of a group of people, so much so, that they had to stop using the word all together.
The the word gay, again, doesn't have that history, because it was original something good, it just meant to be happy and not to describe a people, like so many other words, that now have more than one meaning and can be use good or bad. There is a clear difference between "That's gay" and "I'm Gay" and people know that. We are so wrapped up not offending a people that we have become weak as an nation, I'm not saying name calling is good, I'm just say that, not everything said or remarked is a slur and doesn't need protesting against, this not the reason kids are killing themselves, the reason kids are killing themselves is because we as a nation have stop teaching and believing in the "Golden Rule, Do unto others, as you would have done unto you." We are too busy saying, "that's offense" and defending our right be whatever we want, that we have become selfish and easily provoked to fight over any little thing just to prove we exist or that we are better than someone else, It's because we know no other way to feel better about ourselves, that we don't care who we hurt or how they hurt we just want ourselves to feel better. We no longer respect and treat people as we want to be treated, especially when we don't agree with them and their views, that's why we have bullying. That's why kids are seeing death as their only option out of this hell, because we are just plan selfish and lack the social skills to realize when we take a practical joke, our jealousy, our views on a people or our lack of understanding something too far and it get's mean and hurtful. Not because we took a word and reverse the meaning
Besides, I've seen the original trailer for "The Dilemma" he explains the use the word in the movie and that he means no offense. Actually, I was more surprise that they were able to say, "Serious, Lady Wood", I'm not offended by it, but not sure it needed to be in a trailer that little kids can see.
The film makers have already re-edited the trailer without the "offense" scene, but you can still check it out, it looks like a good movie and I hope they don't cut the original scene from the movie. http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/thedilemma/
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