Sorry I'm posting this blog so late! In any case, I wanted to make sure everybody had a chance to check out the Poynter link referring to a "Gay or Asian" article that ran in Details magazine. I can't remember if I said this in class, but "Gay or Asian" was only one of a series. I didn't see the original spread until I looked for art for this post.
In retrospect, I think it's kind of hilarious that the author of the Poynter article talks about how offensive this is to Asians when, as far as I'm concerned, the series as a whole is (as far as I can see) intended to poke fun at gays. They all kind of made me laugh a bit. But I'm pretty surprised that some senior editor didn't even think to pull the plug on this one.
I think one could argue for having it published in a magazine like Out, something specifically for a gay readership, but I'm not sure about a magazine for men in general. It's kind of like the whole "I can make fun of my family, but you can't" paradox. Even then though, I think one should avoid the racial set up. I prefer "Gay or Socialite's Husband," for instance. Then again, it all just kind of perpetuates stereotypes and that's not something the media should try to do. What do you all think?
2 comments:
Clever, dry, sophisticated and like a grad course in innuendo. I think you're right: the context of where this runs is everything.
Thanks for writing this.
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