2.15.11 Adam News & Info

Murly, NoAngel, and others who have expressed how you feel about the Joan Rivers "comedy"-- thank you.

I was angry last night about it, and being told on twitter that I shouldn't be shocked-- it's Joan, after all and that's her schtick-- didn't make me feel any better. I went to sleep thinking maybe I had over reacted.

But here's the thing-- and please, it's a personal story and in no way am I criticising any one or any race or any thing.

When I was 5 years old my dad, newly enlisted in the US Army, moved us from Hawaii to California. Up until then I had no concept of being "different" or a part of a minority. Everybody's in the minority here.
For the first time I was the "only." The only Asian kid in the class. When other kids started doing the sing song chinaman thing to me I didn't understand, not being Chinese. When I told my mother she advised me to just laugh and ignore it in order to get along.
So I did. For years. I got along and was part of the group and accepted, and if laughing at the way people made fun of Asians was part of it-- well, I did it. After, all they didn't mean to include ME as part of the group they found funny, right?

I don't know when it happened. I know I was already grown up and out of high school. I stopped laughing. I stopped pretending I thought it was funny just to get along and be part of the group I wanted to feel a part of. I stopped doing something (laughing) that made me feel dishonest and small and like I thought it was all okay.

People just don't, for the most part, use that kind of humor anymore. When Rush Limbaugh did the sing song chinaman thing talking about Hu Jintao many people called him out on it. Many did not and told us to "lighten up."
Why? That kind of humor is as old fashioned as humor based on black stereotypes. It's not acceptable any more. People and society have EVOLVED, for the most part.

I see this Joan River situation much the same way. Labeling gay men as women is, or should be, not acceptable any more. I see it as denigrating both gay men AND women. Why should we laugh along with the joke when it just isn't funny any more?

I have nothing against Rivers. I don't want to insult her or call her ugly. I just think we have EVOLVED, or should. And maybe, so should she.

Again, these are my personal feelings. Please don't take offense.