Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Charlottesville, VA, USA. more »
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19 replies on “You let one openly gay man into the legislature…”
I don’t get it. Is your point that gay people are as likely, or more likely, to introduce weird pieces of legislation? Or to be concerned with sangria? I think this blog post is a joke, but I don’t get the joke. Are you making fun of gay people? Are you making fun of people who make fun of gay people? I’m not trying to be dense, I really just don’t get this one. Sincere request: Can you elucidate?
Come on. Don’t be absurd. Clearly Waldo isn’t saying all gay people like sangria. That would be ridiculous. He’s just saying all people who like sangria are gay.
So if there were some weird piece of agriculture legislation introduced by a black lawmaker, one that contained some odd contrived waivers or allowances for watermelon crops, would you be equally comfortable making public jokes about black people and watermelons? I’m not kidding. I think some of us supposedly “progressive” people need to take a serious look at our heterosexism. Most people I know tend to be pretty sensitive to the issue of racism, and would never make fun of a black person, but I hear gay jokes all the time from supposedly liberal-minded people. Ask yourself, why are you so comfortable with queer jokes, when you know you tend to (a) stop yourself from making racial/racist jokes or (b) be innately sensitive enough not to want to make racial/racist jokes in the first place?
Come on. Don’t be absurd. Clearly Waldo isn’t saying all gay people like sangria. That would be ridiculous. He’s just saying all people who like sangria are gay.
Hah!
Anyway, as someone who appreciates sangria, I have to say that this legislation is quite welcome. It allows restaurants to make sangria, which is pretty much illegal to serve commercially in our commonwealth, since your liquor license doesn’t allow you to combine wine and spirits.
I’ve heard that La Tasca, a regional chain of tapas restaurants around the DC metro area, has been busted several times for making proper sangria. I’ve actually ended up seeking out (and finding) restaurants that break this law, rather than settle for a law-abiding sangria that’s little more than wine with fruit in it.
So if there were some weird piece of agriculture legislation introduced by a black lawmaker, one that contained some odd contrived waivers or allowances for watermelon crops, would you be equally comfortable making public jokes about black people and watermelons?
Sweet googly moogly, yes, I couldn’t possibly pass up that opportunity. It would be like a WASPy legislator introducing a bill requiring all letters from the house clerk to be signed with “Cheers.” It would kill me not to say something. My head might explode.
Ask yourself, why are you so comfortable with queer jokes
I’m pretty comfortable with straight jokes, too. (I love me some Will Truman rejoinders.) Does that make me a heterophobe? Or do I just have a better sense of humor than you? :)
Waldo, I really like your ideas about a lot of (most) issues, and the few times I’ve met you, you seem like a really nice person: funny, thoughtful, and not mean or unkind or bigoted. All that notwithstanding, I think that you might benefit from doing some reading about white privilege and extending that awareness and understanding to the concept of straight privilege. I’m not being snarky or disrespectful to you, and I’m not slamming you. I’m gently suggesting that you might want to consider having an open mind about the idea that overt racist bigotry and homophobia is not the end point of racism and heterosexism. Here’s a link to Peggy McIntyre’s essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack” Try substituting sexual orientation for race, and maybe you’ll see what I’m getting at.
Poking fun at WASPs who sign off “cheers!” is different from poking fun at minority groups or societally oppressed groups, and I think we tend to intuitively understand why that is. Persons much wiser than I (edumacated scholarly types) have written books about this sort of thing and they do a better job than I do of explaining it.
Anyway, as much fun as it is sometimes to use humor to deflect criticism, and as much fun as it is to banter in a tongue in cheek way, I hope that you can also hear the real point I’m trying to make. And I hope you’ll check out the link. Hope the link works.
I cannot begin to tell you how many such things that I have read and participated in. I took a whole class in obesity and “genetic discrimination,” another one in women’s studies. I’ve been to more racial-unity workshops than you can shake a stick at. I’ve read easily a dozen, maybe two dozen books on the topic of white, male, Christian, wealthy privilege. I aided my wife in studying, writing papers, and memorizing everything required for her to get her degree in women’s studies from the university. Seriously, there’s not a word in McIntosh’s essay that I couldn’t have written myself, had I been so moved. I get all of it.
But, my god, can’t we get over ourselves sometimes? There’s a reason why the humorless PC liberal is such a widely-held stereotype — because it’s based on truth. (I hope it’s OK to make fun of them or else I’ve got nothing left.) As a possessor of all standard forms of privilege found in the west, somebody of such delicate constitution could be offended by any humor from me. (It’s the fault of The Man that the poor turtle has to cross that road in the first place! A rabbit, priest and a minister? So you hate religion, eh?) I refuse to accept the notion that we may only make light of those things that we judge to be somehow superior to us. Life’s funnier than that.
I love entries like this — I get a laugh from the original post, and then I get a laugh from the uptight responses.
Here, I will give another example:
(eye rolling) Yeah, ‘openly’ being the key word there.
See? It was painless, and I doubt any of my gay friends, like Delegate Ebbin, for instance, thinks I am a horrible human being for making a little jokey joke. Not even a particularly good one, I might add.
However, in this instance, it is those who are gay and do not wish to tell the rest of us, or are hypocritical about it, (more to the point) that are having a problem if they are reading that.
Forgive my transgressiveness. (yeah, I know, I just made that up too.)
I just want to know what problem this bill fixes.
I just want to know what problem this bill fixes.
Part of making sangria is mixing brandy and wine. Serving wine mixed with spirits in Virginia is against the law, and as I posted earlier, at least one regional chain around me has gotten busted for doing it on multiple occasions.
Properly made sangria is significantly tastier, too, so I’m pulling for this bill.
I took a whole class in obesity and “genetic discrimination,” another one in women’s studies.
Back when computering was a punch-card/mainframe endeavor I took a course called “Computer Science for Liberal Arts Majors” because it was 95% women. The study sessions were glorious! So what was your excuse.
The terrible, terrible overcrowding at Virginia Tech, due to underfunding, meant that I had to sign up for absolutely any class that I possibly could.
A problem with at least a 35 year history. There used to be a thing called a “force-add form” that an instructor could sign to get you into his/her class despite the bureaucratic restrictions. It was the golden key.
Dear ChrEliz:
My boatboys mock my sunburned visage with taunts of “Bumbaclot Bubby”. By all standard definitions I am the Oppressor Man here, since they are black and in my miserly employ. However, they refuse to play their role, or present oppression. Would you and Ms. McIntosh have me 1)express outrage for their slander of my disfigured whiteness, 2) express outrage for their vulgarizing of women, or 3)smile and acknowledge the ridiculous state of my appearance? It all seems to be harmless good fun amongst bulls however, I’m feeling guilty that I may not be properly advancing the cause.
Yours in solidarity,
Bubby
Bubby,
(1) and (2) but definitely not three. Not only do I think that racist and hererosexist jokes are unfunny, but I think that all humor should be avoided at all costs. In fact, I think that smiling, ever, is a bad idea.
; ) ChrEliz
Oops, heterosexist. My misspelling of the word, above, was not intended to be a mockery of people who speak English as a second language. Nor is this correction intended as a holier-than-thou commentary on people with poor spelling skills, who might not have caught the error. Gosh, I should just go flush my head down the toilet now. I might have offended someone. ; )
See ChrEliz, this is a minefield of exposed toes and raw nerves. It gives me the willies. I feel compelled (upon advice from my attorney) to declare that engaging in dialog with me may expose you to “heterosexism”. I don’t really know what that is, and my spell-checker says it isn’t even a word, but this is my disclosure statement: I’m crazy about them women, and I don’t like the way men look, or smell. I may be a heterosexist.
Gosh, Bubby, I don’t think I can help you. If you don’t like the way men look or smell, well, next thing you know you’ll be firing all your male employees (those dudes who are teasing you about looking like a used sanitary napkin). And since they’re black, you’ll be sued for unlawful termination because of sex AND race. Next you’ll be hiring chicks to replace them, because they look and smell so good… but then you’ll be compelled to hit on them good lookin’ yummy smellin’ gals. So then you’ll be slapped with a sexual harassment suit as well! Whew. Sometimes you just can’t get a break. Better just keep your head down and try to muddle through as best you can. Just make sure not to say anything funny and you won’t offend anyone. : )
I don’t get it. Is your point that gay people are as likely, or more likely, to introduce weird pieces of legislation? Or to be concerned with sangria? I think this blog post is a joke, but I don’t get the joke. Are you making fun of gay people? Are you making fun of people who make fun of gay people? I’m not trying to be dense, I really just don’t get this one. Sincere request: Can you elucidate?
Come on. Don’t be absurd. Clearly Waldo isn’t saying all gay people like sangria. That would be ridiculous. He’s just saying all people who like sangria are gay.
So if there were some weird piece of agriculture legislation introduced by a black lawmaker, one that contained some odd contrived waivers or allowances for watermelon crops, would you be equally comfortable making public jokes about black people and watermelons? I’m not kidding. I think some of us supposedly “progressive” people need to take a serious look at our heterosexism. Most people I know tend to be pretty sensitive to the issue of racism, and would never make fun of a black person, but I hear gay jokes all the time from supposedly liberal-minded people. Ask yourself, why are you so comfortable with queer jokes, when you know you tend to (a) stop yourself from making racial/racist jokes or (b) be innately sensitive enough not to want to make racial/racist jokes in the first place?
Hah!
Anyway, as someone who appreciates sangria, I have to say that this legislation is quite welcome. It allows restaurants to make sangria, which is pretty much illegal to serve commercially in our commonwealth, since your liquor license doesn’t allow you to combine wine and spirits.
I’ve heard that La Tasca, a regional chain of tapas restaurants around the DC metro area, has been busted several times for making proper sangria. I’ve actually ended up seeking out (and finding) restaurants that break this law, rather than settle for a law-abiding sangria that’s little more than wine with fruit in it.
Sweet googly moogly, yes, I couldn’t possibly pass up that opportunity. It would be like a WASPy legislator introducing a bill requiring all letters from the house clerk to be signed with “Cheers.” It would kill me not to say something. My head might explode.
I’m pretty comfortable with straight jokes, too. (I love me some Will Truman rejoinders.) Does that make me a heterophobe? Or do I just have a better sense of humor than you? :)
Waldo, I really like your ideas about a lot of (most) issues, and the few times I’ve met you, you seem like a really nice person: funny, thoughtful, and not mean or unkind or bigoted. All that notwithstanding, I think that you might benefit from doing some reading about white privilege and extending that awareness and understanding to the concept of straight privilege. I’m not being snarky or disrespectful to you, and I’m not slamming you. I’m gently suggesting that you might want to consider having an open mind about the idea that overt racist bigotry and homophobia is not the end point of racism and heterosexism. Here’s a link to Peggy McIntyre’s essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack” Try substituting sexual orientation for race, and maybe you’ll see what I’m getting at.
http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html
Poking fun at WASPs who sign off “cheers!” is different from poking fun at minority groups or societally oppressed groups, and I think we tend to intuitively understand why that is. Persons much wiser than I (edumacated scholarly types) have written books about this sort of thing and they do a better job than I do of explaining it.
Anyway, as much fun as it is sometimes to use humor to deflect criticism, and as much fun as it is to banter in a tongue in cheek way, I hope that you can also hear the real point I’m trying to make. And I hope you’ll check out the link. Hope the link works.
I cannot begin to tell you how many such things that I have read and participated in. I took a whole class in obesity and “genetic discrimination,” another one in women’s studies. I’ve been to more racial-unity workshops than you can shake a stick at. I’ve read easily a dozen, maybe two dozen books on the topic of white, male, Christian, wealthy privilege. I aided my wife in studying, writing papers, and memorizing everything required for her to get her degree in women’s studies from the university. Seriously, there’s not a word in McIntosh’s essay that I couldn’t have written myself, had I been so moved. I get all of it.
But, my god, can’t we get over ourselves sometimes? There’s a reason why the humorless PC liberal is such a widely-held stereotype — because it’s based on truth. (I hope it’s OK to make fun of them or else I’ve got nothing left.) As a possessor of all standard forms of privilege found in the west, somebody of such delicate constitution could be offended by any humor from me. (It’s the fault of The Man that the poor turtle has to cross that road in the first place! A rabbit, priest and a minister? So you hate religion, eh?) I refuse to accept the notion that we may only make light of those things that we judge to be somehow superior to us. Life’s funnier than that.
I love entries like this — I get a laugh from the original post, and then I get a laugh from the uptight responses.
Here, I will give another example:
See? It was painless, and I doubt any of my gay friends, like Delegate Ebbin, for instance, thinks I am a horrible human being for making a little jokey joke. Not even a particularly good one, I might add.
However, in this instance, it is those who are gay and do not wish to tell the rest of us, or are hypocritical about it, (more to the point) that are having a problem if they are reading that.
Forgive my transgressiveness. (yeah, I know, I just made that up too.)
I just want to know what problem this bill fixes.
Part of making sangria is mixing brandy and wine. Serving wine mixed with spirits in Virginia is against the law, and as I posted earlier, at least one regional chain around me has gotten busted for doing it on multiple occasions.
Properly made sangria is significantly tastier, too, so I’m pulling for this bill.
Back when computering was a punch-card/mainframe endeavor I took a course called “Computer Science for Liberal Arts Majors” because it was 95% women. The study sessions were glorious! So what was your excuse.
The terrible, terrible overcrowding at Virginia Tech, due to underfunding, meant that I had to sign up for absolutely any class that I possibly could.
A problem with at least a 35 year history. There used to be a thing called a “force-add form” that an instructor could sign to get you into his/her class despite the bureaucratic restrictions. It was the golden key.
Dear ChrEliz:
My boatboys mock my sunburned visage with taunts of “Bumbaclot Bubby”. By all standard definitions I am the Oppressor Man here, since they are black and in my miserly employ. However, they refuse to play their role, or present oppression. Would you and Ms. McIntosh have me 1)express outrage for their slander of my disfigured whiteness, 2) express outrage for their vulgarizing of women, or 3)smile and acknowledge the ridiculous state of my appearance? It all seems to be harmless good fun amongst bulls however, I’m feeling guilty that I may not be properly advancing the cause.
Yours in solidarity,
Bubby
Bubby,
(1) and (2) but definitely not three. Not only do I think that racist and hererosexist jokes are unfunny, but I think that all humor should be avoided at all costs. In fact, I think that smiling, ever, is a bad idea.
; ) ChrEliz
Oops, heterosexist. My misspelling of the word, above, was not intended to be a mockery of people who speak English as a second language. Nor is this correction intended as a holier-than-thou commentary on people with poor spelling skills, who might not have caught the error. Gosh, I should just go flush my head down the toilet now. I might have offended someone. ; )
See ChrEliz, this is a minefield of exposed toes and raw nerves. It gives me the willies. I feel compelled (upon advice from my attorney) to declare that engaging in dialog with me may expose you to “heterosexism”. I don’t really know what that is, and my spell-checker says it isn’t even a word, but this is my disclosure statement: I’m crazy about them women, and I don’t like the way men look, or smell. I may be a heterosexist.
Gosh, Bubby, I don’t think I can help you. If you don’t like the way men look or smell, well, next thing you know you’ll be firing all your male employees (those dudes who are teasing you about looking like a used sanitary napkin). And since they’re black, you’ll be sued for unlawful termination because of sex AND race. Next you’ll be hiring chicks to replace them, because they look and smell so good… but then you’ll be compelled to hit on them good lookin’ yummy smellin’ gals. So then you’ll be slapped with a sexual harassment suit as well! Whew. Sometimes you just can’t get a break. Better just keep your head down and try to muddle through as best you can. Just make sure not to say anything funny and you won’t offend anyone. : )