Has anyone else noticed that lately in Hollywood there has been a lot of people coming out in Hollywood, and they are still getting jobs. I think that this is definitely a positive sign for our country, as it is leading to more acceptance and understanding.
When Ellen DeGeneres came out in both real life and on her show she started a revolution. She has just recently married Portia de Rossi, something that in the past was not only illegal, but would be a career ender. Then the television shows “Will and Grace” “Queer As Folk” and “Queer Eye,” and the movie “Broke Back Mountain” came out (pardon the pun). Most recently Clay Aiken came out. Lindsay Lohan has been unofficially dating Samantha Ronson for a few months now, and her behavior has improved dramatically. She is also still one of the most sought after actresses in her age range. Then there is Neil Patrick Harris a gay man, who has found major success playing the womanizing character of Barney on “How I Met Your Mother.” All of the signs are very positive in my mind, because they show how far our society has come.
It is my opinion that it will be Hollywood that helps to break down barriers in America. When people slowly become used to something, it eventually becomes acceptable, and I believe that is what is happening today. My hopes are that Hollywood keeps up the the they have started and don’t relinquish the cause halfway through.
i think that hollywood is providing a good example in terms of not discriminating against gay individuals for employment, as you mentioned, but i also think that hollywood perpetuates negative stereotypes about gay individuals. in many movies, hollywood uses homosexuals as people to laugh at and often portrays them as having AIDS or being overly flamboyant. Although these characteristics may fit some, they do not fit all. I agree that hollywood is doing something, but i think they could be doing more, like combating the negative stereotypes that they perpetuate in their films.
Hollywood is going to bring us up and further? I guess we can view the effect of the socializing and desesitization in this aspect as good. I was thinking though that if it can be admitted that it can change our minds about good things then we will have to admit it changes our mind about bad things too. If it can make us more accepting of diffrent people it can also make us more sexual and violent...
Love is like a box of chocolates; if you chose wisely you won’t be disappointed and have to spit it out.
~T
I completely understand what you are saying. I thought about including this in my blog, but decided to focus on the positive. I do think that Hollywood can make us view certain topics as bad, so all I can do is hope that they don't.
I don't think anyone was shocked about Clay Aiken, that was so obvious...But when it comes to Hollywood promoting equality and getting rid of stereotypes, i think they still have a lot of work to do when dealing with race. The way blacks, asians, and hispanics are being portrayed on the screen is not always accurate and sometimes insulting. In a sense, hollywood is the cause of many people's perception about minorities.
I completely agree with your argument that Hollywood is an incredible force at perpetuating stereotypes about minorities.
But as the writer of this blog and the comments suggest, Hollywood is really a double-edged sword. It has an amazing potential for change, but often sacrifices it for financial gain. Hollywood has produced powerful movies that help us break these stereotypes, but I think it depends on what the audience wants. I think that our nation seeks media that supports our assumptions and ideas that we are comfortable with. Often when Hollywood produces a piece that contradicts these ties, it may not be as popular and memorable (in terms of association with Hollywood) as the blockbusters that reinforce the stereotypes that the audience is comfortable living with.
I don't really know what blockbusters you are referring to. Most blockbusters are summer action movies, and those movies almost never have a social message. Maybe you just mean popular movies, but I can't really think of one, right now at least, that portrays gays in a bad way. I am sure they are out there, but nothing so major that I can think of one.