HAUNTED MUSINGS FROM THE LAST AMERICAN NIGHT..
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
An Apology To The Fans Of Adam Lambert..
To the fans of Mr. Lambert:
Please read this with an open mind.
We live in a world that is crumbling before our eyes. Right now, there are entire families starving to death in our communities, children being victimized and brutalized without any kind of intervention, money is being siphoned from the commonwealth and lavished upon the rich, children are dying from preventable diseases, nearly 50 million Americans don't have access to health care or quality public schools. The situation is dire. Greed is running amok, hatred has become ubiquitous and fear, predominant. The power of ordinary people vis-a-vis their employers is in severe decline. Government officials want to tell you who you can marry, want to remove art, history and sciences from your schools and want to legislate morality from the bench, the docket or the pulpit. This country is in a deep state of disrepair.
The reason I point out this laundry list of cruel realities is in the hopes that we can gain a little perspective on this matter of my offensive tweet. In response, your vitriolic rants, threatening to “fire my ass”, wishing my son was burned in a fire, calling me a hatemonger, homophobe, bully, asshole and all other manner of insult seems crazy, especially over a JOKE about a pop singer that, truth be told, I've never even heard. It is unfathomable.
Ask yourself, in all seriousness.. Do you really think, even in the furthest recesses of your mind, that I was condoning violence of any sort? Have you listened to Patton Oswalt? Jim Norton? Howard Stern? It's called COMEDY. The only difference is that they're Good at it and I'm not very funny.
I make tasteless jokes all the time. It's a coping mechanism, albeit a juvenile one. It is not so much to overcompensate for an insecurity as it is for an inability to deal with and understand the world as it is. Humor (even the crass kind) has long been a weapon of defense against tyranny, oppression, religion, self-seriousness and my least favorite thing: political-correctness.
In addition, it is constitutionally protected. Free Speech is a big deal. I'm not kicking mothers out of homes or taking peoples pensions. No, I made a joke. A joke about a pop singer at that. A POP SINGER! I didn't rip on the Dalai Lama or Nelson Mandela or Sunday School Teachers. I am really worried that we're living in a country where telling 'A Priest and A Rabbi walk into a bar” joke is considered a hate crime.
But.. I digress. As much as I feel like being combative, I think there is an opportunity here that should not be glossed over. It doesn't serve to spew hatred and disagreements back and forth. Negativity breeds negativity.
So, in the interest of moving on to more important matters: I APOLOGIZE FOR HURTING ANYONE'S FEELINGS WITH MY JOKE. I mean it. No humor. No joke. I'm really sorry. Clearly, this Adam guy means a lot to you. So.. I'M SORRY! OK?
Now that it's out of the way, I'd like to consider making a deal with you. For my part, I will never utter another bad word about Mr. Lambert again. However, what particularly distressed me, upon reading the profiles and posts of all the people who sent vitriolic remarks to me, was that I noticed how few of you seem to be all that passionate about much beyond the afforementioned pop star.
So, I politely ask that in addition to quelling this angry discourse between us, you try to take that anger you're feeling towards me or towards this situation and put it to use in your community. They need your help, your love, your service. I will keep my mouth shut about pop singers of all varieties, but please take that anger and do something constructive with it. Please volunteer at a shelter. Help children get books. Go to the senior assisted living facility. Do something to make the world better. Adam Lambert will be fine with his millions of dollars and corporate connections. The starving families in your neighborhood, on the other hand, may not. They need your help.
Thanks,
Ryan
POSTED BY BROTHER RYAN AT 8:42 PM
30 COMMENTS:
cnpiv said...
I have known Ryan for just about 20 years.
He is truly one of the sweetest people I know. When bullies tried to beat me up when I was a tiny 13 year old in a new school, he was there. When nazi's beat up our neighbor, Ryan was the only person who came to his aid. Seeing him on Ocean blvd holding a sign reading "have you hugged someone today?" was a given for a while.
When my older brother was dying from a blood disorder, this man took him to Disneyland and told him he loved him when my brother wanted to give up.
His remark about Adam Lambert had nothing to do with him as a person, but as a musician. Just because we don't like an artist, doesn't mean we hate the artist as a person.
So stop turning a joke about musical taste into "Ryan condones violence" because I have never seen someone so offended by acts of violence as Ryan Duggan.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:10 PM
TuloKat said...
I was not upset by your foolish, humorless tweet which I took as the tweet of an ignorant person (and I mean that is the classic way of someone who lacks knowledge). I ignored it.
But your pseudo-apology troubles me. You do not know anything about Adam Lambert or his fans. And your post is filled with utter nonsense.
Adam's fans are connected to their communities. They are also connect to national and global causes. Adam fans have donated over $1,000,000 in Adam's name to support art and music public schools, bring water to people who need water, and combat bullying of LBGT teens. Perhaps you should take a moment and engage in a dialog with some Adam fans before you make these baseless assumptions.
I am an Adam Lambert fan, but I have also worked for over 30 years to support food banks and provide books to children and local libraries. I will allow other Adam fans to speak for themselves but do not presume to know anything about me.
Finally, you wished for someone, one of the most prominent gay people in the world, to be left in a burning building with a locked door. The fact that you thought this was funny is a bit strange, the fact that even hours later you do not realize it was hateful, is really disturbing.
So please -- drop the lecture -- just admit that a tweet where you express your desire to lock someone into a burning building is not funny.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:32 PM
sparkelize said...
First of all, Adam Lambert is much MORE than "just a pop singer". He is a humanitarian of the highest order and a sweet, generous, intelligent, humble, and extraordinarily talented human being, who never says an impolite or hurtful word to anyone. He exudes positivity and LOVE and sets an inspiring example for people of all ages, races, and persuasions. Secondly, your tweet in no way came across as a "joke", even a failed and unfunny one. It came across as hateful and mean-spirited about a man who is very much loved and respected. Thirdly, your assumptions that fans are not passionate about the world's problems are wrong and quite arrogant. We don't need your advice about how we live our lives. Fourthly, your defender above claims your remark was about Adam as a musician --- yet you admit you have never even listened to his music! That makes no sense.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:35 PM
TuloKat said...
cnpiv Ryan wrote,"specially over a JOKE about a pop singer that, truth be told, I've never even heard." So how can this be about music or a musician?? Ryan said he never heard Adam.
Sorry, but it only makes sense that it is about Adam and who he is.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:35 PM
b47ff71e-5f38-11e0-b672-000bcdca4d7a said...
To me you sound kind of like Ahmadinejad when he spoke at UN last week! If you know what I mean!
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:39 PM
cat said...
Mr. Ryan,
I hope you take this opportunity to learn more about Adam Lambert and also more about his fans. You say the fans are shallow? They donated more than $300,000 to American muscic and arts classrooms in our underfunded public schools thru the charity Donorschoose.org in the first 6 months after Adam had completed his American Idol journey and before his first record was released. For his birthday last year he asked for fans to look at a charity called Charitywater.org that drills wells for villages in Africa. Adam set a goal of 29 thousand dollars. His fans instead raised 290 thousand in less than 2 months. As we speak his fans are pushing toward a total 1 Million dollar charity goal that should be reached this week with donations toward the Trevor project to prevent teen suicide.
And on the subject of "it was just a joke" please do take a good look at the Trevor project and see if your humor and that of those other fine outstanding citizens you emulate could be a contributing factor towards kids feeling that life will never get better so might as well end it now. You may have met many tonight who listened to Adam instead of you and because of that are still here to give you a hard time instead of beneath a gravestone.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:43 PM
Mitla96 said...
Thinking you were well aware that a tweet mentioning Adam Lambert would attract hits. You evidently are NOT aware that the Glambert fan community has raised 100's of thousands of dollars for charity under the leadership of Lambert. You sir, are what you are. A man who prints a half assed apology while simultaneously hiding behind the poor. Revealing.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:43 PM
lissygurl said...
Over the last two years, Adam Lambert has proactively encouraged his fans to support giving back to the community, both at home here in the USA and internationally. Not long after Idol ended, he was getting so many gifts from fans and felt that he was already so fortunate that he wanted to channel that giving to those who could really use it.
Over the past two years Adam Lambert and his fans have raised approximately 1 million dollars total, split between DonorChoose (arts programs for kids in underfunded schools), Charity : Water (clean water for people in 3rd world countries that have no access to it) and the Trevor Project (suicide prevention of LGBT kids). While we may talk about Adam a lot on twitter, we also spend a lot of time putting our money where our mouth is finding creative ways to raise money for worthy causes.
I would have no problem with you saying that you cannot stand Adam's music. But that is not what you said, in fact your tweet didn't even mention his music.
I just wish all people would take the time to judge more than the surface impression of people they get from the short attention span wham bam nature of our today's world. In fact, I'm trying to do that right now. Despite the scolding nature of your apology (srsly I feel like I just got a lecture from my Dad) I think your heart is probably in the right place and you just made an unfortunate unfunny joke. Peace.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:52 PM
cassie said...
I see that others have already commented about the fact that many Adam Lambert fans are very active in their communities, their churches, their schools, and their civic organizations. Fans have contributed close to $1,000,000 to charities supported by Mr. Lambert. They have also mentioned that Mr. Lambert embodies a loving, positive attitude. I have never seen him tweet out something bitter or hateful, nor has he jokingly wished harm to anyone in tweets or interviews.
I think you have made a huge, and largely erroneous assumption about Adam Lambert fans. Those I know are ardent fans, not solely, or even mainly, because of his incredible vocal talent. We appreciate who he is as a person, and how he has inspired so many of us to open our minds and reach out in loving ways to others. But, hey, the first amendment grants us all the freedom to express even ignorant, insulting or just plain stupid opinions.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 10:58 PM
Pat H said...
Really? Do you have any idea how much Adam's fans have done for charities in the past 2 years? Obviously not! As of right now, just under 1 million has been raised for the charities, Trevor Project, Donor's Choose, Charity:Water, and Music Cares. Adam has donated song sales to Trevor Project. And has supported It Gets Better with both time and a video. He has received community and state awards for his support of organizations. Maybe next time you try to issue an "apology" you should try 2 things. First, do a little research on the fans that you are accusing of doing nothing for those less fortunate. Two, actually accept responsibily for your actions instead of calling it comedy and saying, "but everybody's doing it!" Isn't that the exact mindset of a bully?
Finally, check out some facts about Adam Lambert. You may be surprised what you discover about this wonderful man. Oh, and if this is about his music, try listening to it. He can actually sing!
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:00 PM
NBlake said...
Adam Lambert fans are made up of people who raise funds for people in need globally, raise money for children and schools to help improve education in America, raise money to fight the effects of bullying in our societies, and raise awareness of injustices in our communities.
We are activists that work hard to improve our world. We do care a lot about Adam Lambert because we recognize and admire this attitude in him as well. We also love his music and talent. I hope you will listen to it and learn about him with the open mind you urge us all to have.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:03 PM
NetMeg99 said...
Mr Duggan
I believe you are sorry, but I don't think you feel it. You make it sound like we do nothing for this world.. If you knew anything about Adam and his fans you would know all the good we do for the community, schools providing clean water to 3rd world countries that have no clean water.. How Adam's fans are so generous and kind helping each other out in times of need. How Adam has taught us that living your life being true to yourself is the best you can be. You act like our anger to you was unwarrented... it was not and I highly doubt if what you said was said about someone you love you would take it so lightly. You say you love music yet you've never listened to Adam .. why? He's very good. You might like him.. Who knows his music might touch you. Adam lives his life with so much hate yet he rises up keeps a positive outlook and it shows he puts everyone first before himself and is the most humble person I've ever seen in my life. He believes in lending his fame to a greater cause.. What do you do for our world .. not saying that to be mean just would like to know what you do to make it better.. and by the way I am not gay I am a straight woman that thanks God every day that he brought Adam into my life . Netmeg99
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:07 PM
talex said...
People are a little more sensitive than usual lately due to the bullying and deaths of several gay young folks. Your 'joke' was rather violent, included a death wish, all in the name of comedy?? You could have made fun of Adam in some other way perhaps.
Re. we fans having a shallow existence other than following our wondrous singer, look more closely,, sir! You'll not find much on our Twitter pages. I've just retired from 40 years of teaching at risk kids. Many of us have contributed funds to Adam's several charities, one of which just happens to be helping teachers in Joplin replenish their school supplies and California kids with the arts.
You get the point!
Terry
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:11 PM
saraplusadam said...
This post has been removed by the author.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:21 PM
hopscotch said...
your "apology" is offensive on every level. so because adam makes a living as a pop star his life is less valuable than nelson mandela? ALL life is important and to marginalize a person based on his profession is shallow to say the least. for someone who claims to be a "humanist" you display enormous disdain for others simply because you don't know them.
adam is a humanitarian, a leader, and an agent for change. he is the reason a lot of fans joined twitter in the first place so it's not surprising that their primary use for it is to communicate with each other about adam and the causes he supports. that fact that you chose to criticize people for that further reveals your nasty character.
as your bff @cnpiv said, you protected him from bullies in the past. so you should know how it feels when someone you care about is the target of undeserved insults. the fact that you CAN'T empathize with this is disturbing to be honest. i saw people on your twitter feed asking you how you'd feel if someone "joked" about your son in the way you joked about adam. to twist that into threats against your son in order to victimize yourself and deflect blame is cowardly.
everyone is entitled to an opinion, everyone makes mistakes and says stupid things. using your so-called apology to be condescending, sarcastic and defensive is a poor judgment call. you just made this a lot worse for yourself.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:30 PM
Lily said...
Somehow I missed your original tweet til now. What IS it about Adam that you dislike so much to make such a wish, to see him in a burning building with a locked door? It reminded me of those Saudi Arabian girls who were left in a burning building to die because they had no head covers on and therefore could not be saved because covering their hair was more important than their lives. Your tweet really stoops to that level and is unfunny.
You know nothing of Adam's music OR the man himself. If you did, I think you'd admire him, too. Open your mind and heart, and stop preaching to people you know nothing about.
Adam promotes other artists more than he promotes himself. We've donated almost a million dollars to Adam's causes in just two years because Adam inspired us and the causes are worthy ones.
We have forged friendships across the globe which has made the world a gentler, more loving place. And like Adam, we're having a great time doing it. I'm constantly amazed by the humor, creativity, and loving spirit of his fans.
It's too bad you're missing out on the fun, and too sad that you'd post such a hateful, horrific tweet about anyone.
"We could go so far, if our minds were open, open." ~from Outlaws of Love
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:38 PM
Stargazer said...
This post has been removed by the author.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:39 PM
devenlane said...
LOL DUDE, IF THAT WAS AN APOLOGY, YOU DID IT WRONG.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:44 PM
saraplusadam said...
I get that you tried to make a 'joke' even though that's far from what it was, even a failed joke. But to tell Adam Lambert's fans to take their "anger" out to the community to help? That honestly pushed me over the edge. I am an Adam fan, but I have never, ever seen any other fan base that is as generous as Adam Lambert's. The 'glamberts' donate more than any other fandom I have ever seen in my life. We have raised (probably by now) $1 million dollars for people we don't even know. We gave people in underdeveloped countries that didn't have clean water, well now some of them do, thanks to us. And kids in schools who lacked supplies, they have those now too, thanks to us. And the LGBT community who needed people there for them and constant support, well they have it, thanks to us. I don't think it was right for you to say that we should get more involved, Adam Lambert and his fans are more involved in community and charity activities than you could even imagine. I see people daily donating to people, and just simply being there for people. Now that you apologized to Adam's fan, in a way, I think you should apologize to the Adam, for assuming stuff about his fans and saying what you did, and being completely and utterly wrong. I don't see any other fanbases out there constantly donating money and whatever they can to good causes. Yes, some fans did send hateful things to you, but that's because they were protecting their idol, their inspiration, that you're "joke" basically attacked. The glamberts don't take things like that lightly, because he's constantly bullied because of the fact that he's gay. Whether that's what you think or not, this isn't about his music, because you haven't even heard of it, and I don't even know why you would mention him and a burning building and locking a door in the same sentence, I wouldn't ever say that as a joke or not no matter how much I disliked that person. You have upset many people, and have made assumptions about many people that aren't even true. Even the poorest glamberts, who can barely afford to keep themselves alive, are helping out the charities. Adam doesn't even have to ask, we just do. So, please, next time you want to assume stuff about Adam, or his fans, check your facts, please. And honestly, I don't care how nice you are, and what you support, what you said was not nice at all, whether you were trying to be funny or not. Plus, I don't see how making jokes makes our society better, and what it has to do with our country being in despair. That's not Adam's fault. That's not his fans fault. That honestly has nothing to do with this situation. But now you know, his fans DO things for the community, and yes, we will support Adam through thick & thin and back him up with "jokes" like yours.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:45 PM
Anna Z said...
@ryanduggan
I read your apology with an open mind and I'm trying to understand you, I don't want to send any hate to you.
Please be aware that Adam Lambert's fans are very active in donating to various charities benefiting communities all over the world.
~ some examples
Charity:Water
mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=12617DonorsChoose
www.donorschoose.org/adam-lambertTrevorProject
www.pennyroyalstudio.com/shop/signature-collection/adam-lambert-the-trevor-project/~ We have donated over almost a million dollars and counting and we are very happy to contribute to those in need.
You say "what particularly distressed me, upon reading the profiles and posts of all the people who sent vitriolic remarks to me, was that I noticed how few of you seem to be all that passionate about much beyond the afforementioned pop star."
Please be assured that we DO have active lives outside of Adam Lambert but at the same time we are very passionate about him because he is a very kind, intelligent, pacifist soul, he has an amazing multi octave voice range and a beautiful personality, twitter is our meeting place to gush over him, so that is the side you see of us...
You mentioned that you have never even listened to him sing ~ how can you judge or just totally dismiss an Artist without ever listening to him?
Please watch some videos below and see why we are all so passionate ~ I appreciate that you took time to apologize ~ yet I am still disturbed by your attempt, because still you don't realize the serious hatefulness of what you said...
If you are truly an open minded person, you would take some time now to listen to Adam's brilliant vocals and try to understand us...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEcUq0tmg9Y&ob=av2ewww.youtube.com/watch?v=TZACqNnO9-E&NR=1www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCsXPLDcD6cwww.youtube.com/watch?v=GrQ3IYw3UL8&ob=av2ewww.youtube.com/watch?v=vEkbLf_qWZQwww.youtube.com/watch?v=vGmm8-E4wzAwww.youtube.com/watch?v=iN-uAYum1Bowww.youtube.com/watch?v=wmXQFwlD7vk&ob=av2e"No matter how old you are, no matter what god you believe in, no matter who you sleep with, no matter what color your skin is, we can all party together." ~ Adam Lambert
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 11:58 PM
rosegust said...
A simple apology would have sufficed, but since you have layed it out for those of us you seem to believe are out of touch with the 'cruel realities' of the world we face today and that Adam Lambert is no more than a 'POP SINGER' with his millions, so he's fair game to wish death upon in a fiery blaze. It is horrible that harsh words were flung back at you, as most in his fan following are above this behavior.
Allow me to expand your horizon a little further about us, and the person we adore as we have come to know him. I doubt you peeked at my twitter profile as I came upon this incident a few hours later, and did not have anything to say to you directly, but if you had it would have been similar to a number of others. Don't presume to know a thing about me though from what you may have stumbled upon when looking at similar profiles and their feed. I only signed up for twitter to get updates concerning Adam and to stay in touch with many of the loving, creative, generous, and compassionate fans I've grown fond of along the way with our shared interest.
My fascination started out as no more than a momentary escape from the 'crumbling world' you've described. I work hard to provide for my family and give back to the community in multiple ways, both monetarily and of my time.
Whatever luxury in free-time I allow myself has been narrowed substantially in following Adam's artistry, and the beautiful person we've come to know, and in helping him gain momentum in popularity when I have the time to support that. He truly is one of the most talented vocalists and engaging performers to have come around in a long time. Sorry for your life if you are not aware of him, and the love and light he spreads to those open enough to soak it in.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 12:02 AM
tassiechick said...
One of the reasons people are so passionate about Adam Lambert is because he encourages and inspires others to serve their community better, promotes equality and justice and is generous to a fault with his time and money. One of the reasons I am so happy to have "met" Adam through his music is because I have also met so many warm, socially aware, committed and passionate individuals who share my love for his music. Tell you what - you can keep your heavily qualified apology (they mean nothing at all without a real understanding of why they are needed) and your promises not to make dumb-ass violent joke-threats against people you don't know anymore. That should be a given anyway - not something to bargain over. Instead how about YOU turn all that hate and holier-than-thou attitude around and try not to put people into stereotyped boxes or make sweeping generalisations about a richly diverse range of people and the man that they all admire so much. Cheers from an Aussie Music fan who loves Adam Lambert's music, rescues dogs, works as a community lawyer in the human rights field and lives a life dedicated to doing no harm and improving the lives of others.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 12:26 AM
barbls said...
@tuloka and saraplusadam Bravo! You said it all. Ryan, you don't even have a clue to why what you said was so wrong. Your assumption about us and tying to turn the spotlight from yourself onto us shows me who you are. This was not an apology at all. You just don't get it.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 12:34 AM
cassie said...
Seeing Anna Z post some links to Adam's performances, I thought it would be good to recommend that you watch his "It Gets Better" video. He obviously cares about more than just singing and the "millions" he has made.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_QVknV-M6UHe wrote the song "Aftermath" to encourage others to have the courage to face difficult situations, telling them that they will be okay when they do. This link is to his performance of the song on American Idol. At the end he talks about the message and the donations to the Trevor Project.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMRudJa9CS0Recently Adam and his mother were honored by PFLAG (Parents Friends, Family of Lesbians and Gays) for their work.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZut6b0IDXk&feature=player_embedded#!
As you can see, Adam is more than just a pop singer.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 12:38 AM
Anon8VaRegar said...
Classic strategy of manipulation: divert attention from issue at hand by bringing up unrelated information.
The state of the world/society and what Adam Lambert fans do in their spare time have nothing to do with your tasteless and HATEFUL "joke". No doubt bullies have their hierarchies of targets but that is not an excuse.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 1:42 AM
Lulu said...
This post has been removed by the author.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 3:02 AM
lnschatz said...
Adam Lambert, the POP Singer, has one of the most amazing,highly trained voices to come along in a long while. Experts have written numerous articles about his voice. Try researching them & start with On The Meaning of Adam Lambert. He can sing flawlessly in many gendres.
His new album on his RCA label will be out shortly in which he is the executive producer
& has written & co-written with the best people in the industry.
Hope you too will enjoy listening to this fine
man's music and will join us in our admiration
for this incredible human being.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 3:08 AM
Lulu said...
You said your comment "was over a JOKE about a pop singer that, truth be told, I've never even heard
@ryanduggan: Twitter suggests I follow @ adamlambert - I wouldn't follow him into a burning building... unless it was to shut the door after he entered.
It's a little hard to believe you've never heard of Him because you knew enough about Adam Lambert to have a negative opinion about Him and make threatening comment against Him.
I say threatening and not a joke because your tweet has no humor at all. You threaten to harm another Human being.
This blog posting is only a bad attempt at a defensive apology to Adam's fans.
Adam is a "Pop star" so you figure it's ok to threaten to Kill Him and write it off as a joke.
This blog posting should not be a apology to "Adam's Fans" it should be a apology directly to Adam Lambert Himself.
You tweeted a comment that is a death threat to kill Adam?
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 3:08 AM
SusieFierce said...
Forgive me if this is a duplicate, because I posted and then refreshed and my post disappeared.
Hi Ryan. First of all, many people have more than one Twitter account. We have personal, "hobby" and business accounts. Many fans of sport teams want to socialize with other ardent fans without subjecting their professional colleagues to play-by-plays of the Lakers or the Red Sox or whichever team they are passionate about.
Many music fans have accounts intended for the sole purpose of interacting with others who share their passion of an artist, band or style. It's our "play time" where we take a breather from our lives as parents, students, executives, activists, teachers, attorneys, physicians, journalists, you name it ...
Through Adam Lambert fandom I have met, formed deep friendships, and converse daily with people in at least 20 different countries around the globe. We support each other when we experience tragedy - we've gone through tornadoes, hurricanes and fires in the U.S., earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, and devastating floods in Australia together. These become very real to us because we "know" people who are right there.
We've opened our homes up to perfect strangers we've met through fandom and become loving, supportive friends who would have never met otherwise. We celebrate births of babies and job promotions. We mourn deaths and diagnoses. We network to help our friends who have lost their jobs and are trying to figure out where to turn next. We provide a laugh, trans-global hug or a sympathetic ear to those who may be going through chemotherapy, losing a loved one or just having an incredibly bad day, on the other side of the world.
As others have pointed out, we've banded together and raised just shy of $1 million to support causes that we learned about through our ardor for an individual who has the unique human capacity touched so many people in a profound way. When he requested we try to raise $29K for his 29th birthday over a several weeks, we raised it in a few hours. We crashed an international charity's website on multiple occasions.
On Adam's birthday, the new goal of $290K was surpassed and final totals are in the neighborhood of $320K. This money goes directly to digging fresh-water wells in Third World countries. You should read just some of the messages on the giving pages. People organized fundraisers, participated in matching programs, and children gave their allowances. A maid in Mexico donated the equivalent to a day's wages. Many donated in the names of beloved fans who are no longer with us.
The stories will humble and inspire you and hopefully open your eyes to the fact that "just a pop singer" is an artist and a courageous man who has had to endure a lot of arbitrary hate and venom from ignorant people who fear him solely for his orientation or because he has the uncanny ability to be exactly who he is, and perhaps they do not yet have that capacity.
Through it all, he continues to exude joy, love, positivity and humor (y'know, the funny kind?
- sorry, couldn't resist).
I certainly could go on (and on), but I think you get the point. Music is one of the most powerful cultural and generational unifiers and artists across all media are often the flashpoints of social revolution. Consider those points before you dismiss, please.
And I do not condone that some responded in anger with violent language. But that came from an impassioned (albeit reactive) "protect mode," whereas you did it for a misguided attempt at a cheap laugh. (Just sayin') Peace.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 4:46 AM
Sue said...
"Jokes" like yours are why The Trevor Project is necessary. The "POP SINGER" you referenced has touched more people's lives in a positive way-worldwide-than you could ever imagine, and he's accomplished it in a mere two years. Most Adam fans I've met are giving, caring, active, community-minded people and they embrace Adam because of his talent and spirit.
And if you have"never even heard" him, why would you say something like this? Seems hateful to me. You have just gotten a taste of the treatment and hate that Adam has faced a good part of his life. And HE did nothing to earn it.
Apology? No, it was an unnecessary lecture. The tone was appalling and the message demeaning.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 5:43 AM
- sorry, couldn't resist).
