The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has high hopes for Brokeback Mountain. Hailing the release as "a historic moment in film history," the organization sees the movie's "potential to change hearts and minds." On opening night, GLAAD told ABC World News that Brokeback Mountain "might actually transform mainstream audiences."
I have been equally optimistic. Just look at Hollywood's impressive track record at making movies that dramatically change social attitudes.
Ever sense Guess Whose Coming to Dinner, interracial relationships are happily embraced throughout the land.
And remember before the movie version of The Grapes of Wrath when America didn't take care of its poor? Thank goodness that movie gave us the will to win that war on poverty.
Movies do change the world. If it weren't for Dr. Strangelove's nuclear wakeup call, the Cold War might have lasted well into the 1980s.
And in another landmark gay film, Philadelphia touched our hearts with the injustice of AIDS discrimination, and now, of course, people can disclose their HIV status at work without any fear of recriminations or stigma. AIDS stigma? Oh, that's so 1992.
When Jamie Foxx portrayed Stan Tookie Williams in Redemption in 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger was moved and insisted that this man should not be executed under his watch.
What a better world we live in now that transgender people don’t have to fear getting shot and stabbed to death since all the would-be hate criminals were, ironically, brought to tears by Boys Don’t Cry.
And where would we be today if American hadn't squashed the Bush-Cheney like a junebug in 2004 after seeing Fahrenheit 9/11?
Hey Mr. Snarkypants, you say, aren't you the guy who just called for girlfriends to drag their boyfriends to see Brokeback Mountain with the hope that a straight men's era of enlightenment will ensue?
Oh yeah, that was me. It's true that all of the movies above did change attitudes, but perhaps GLAAD and I ought to temper our great expectations that a cowboy love story, even a good one, can change the world.
Tags: Brokeback Mountain, GLAAD
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2 comments:
Hey Marty:
I'm also not too optimistic about the ability of a "gay cowboy" film to create some long-lasting shifts in our nation's attitudes towards LGBT Americans.
The film may win plenty of high-profile technical awards and may even top $100 million in ticket sales (the Hollywood mark of a profitable film). In real terms, though, this achievement will mean that only 10-12 million Americans would have viewed the film.
With a national population of 297 million people, 12 million ticket-goers comprises just 4% of all Americans. Of this 4%, many of those movie-goers will already be sharing the attitudes expressed by the filmmakers. Not much room to change the hearts and minds of a majority of Americans.
I believe that real social change occurs when Americans learn that their sister, brother, neighbor, co-worker, fellow church-goer, parent, elected official, child, teacher or plumber is gay or lesbian.
So, while some LGBT Americans are pinning all their hopes for equal rights on a single Hollywood movie, the rest of us will be doing the real work to foster social change to improve the lives of LGBT families.
Clark
Hey Clark,
You're right. I don't expect we'll be seeing Donald Wildmon and James Dobson toungue kissing in the lobby of the multiplex after screening Brokeback Mountain.
Robert picked up our tickets today for Friday evening. Yippee!
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