You know, it just effing blows my mind that self-styled ‘progressives’ get a pass on this stuff…
Late Nite FDL: Faster, Pantywaist! Shill! Shill!
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dan Gerstein, Joe Lieberman’s director of media relations and Public Enema No. 1.
…a post at Firedoglake about a gay political aide to the Lieberman campaign.
I don’t know if it’s an ‘I’m such a hip white person that I’d show you by being transgressive, nigga‘ kind of thing, or just TBoggian assholery. But I’ll tell you the simple truth: if a key supporter of Lieberman (or Bush, or any of the other candidates the Netroots froths at the mouth over) posted something as offensive to gays as that it’d lead the news cycle.
TG is phonebanking for gay marriage at a GL center here in Los Angeles. I’ll ask her to pass this around and see what they think next time she goes.
As far as I know, Gerstein isn’t gay. But I am.
I had no idea that ‘enema’ was an anti-gay slur.
Pray enlighten me.
Even if he’s gay, the FDL kooks will get a pass. If you didn’t get the memo, it says: “progressives” can’t be racists, sexists, or bigots. It’s in their charter.
Well it’s certainly assinine, juvenile behaviour of the sort that almost turned me off political discussion entirely.
But anti-gay? Offensive to gays? That’s new to me, too. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
If nothing else, the FDL article was interesting for this line:
Not because they threw in with a weak candidate pitching a horrible platform, oh no. Once again, it’s not their fault they lost (might lose), it’s all because no one could hear their noble message above the evil Other Side.
I know the far left has been wallowing in denial for quite some time, but when did pre-emptive denial come into vogue?
I’ll ask her to pass this around and see what they think next time she goes
I don’t know how you can look at yourself in the mirror after posting this vile bit of racism.
(hey, one invented outrage deserves another, right?)
Interesting. I can’t imagine calling one of our gay friends ‘pantywaist’ any more than I can imagine calling one of my Latino friends ‘wetback’. Maybe I’m just too darn sensitive these days…
jpe, if you’re going to try and be witty there’s a basic requirement that you make sense. Try again?
A.L.
I suspect that the obsession with Gerstein is related to “the Gay Lieberman motif.”:http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21924_New_Lieberman_Art_at_Daily_Kos&only
Or maybe it’s just more of Firedoglake’s intellectual subtlety, which is on the order of “REPUBLICANS ARE RACIST F–KERS.”:http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/08/15/late-nite-fdl-the-real-republican-party
Who cares, when there are methamphetamine addicts who have more interesting things to say?
The Armed Liberal typed:
“But I’ll tell you the simple truth: if a key supporter of Lieberman (or Bush, or any of the other candidates the Netroots froths at the mouth over) posted something as offensive to gays as that it’d lead the news cycle.”
First off, you’re fertile imagination about what is offensive to gays seems to be way off the mark. What is it about the word “enema” that you think should be taken by gays (not you, I suppose) as offensive?
Second, how can this be a “truth” (let alone a “simple” one) if it is pure speculation? Is guessing now truth here?
I seem to recall a recent situation where Ann Coulter (a high-visibility Republican Bush supporter to be sure) called both Al Gore and Bill Clinton “Fags” on network television.
However, I do not recall any backlash (or leading of any news cycles) emanating from this.
Here’s a simple truth based on past events, not future predictions: Prominent Republicans like Ann Coulter, who have an audience many orders of magnitude larger than the good people at Firedoglake, get away with calling Dems and Liberals Fags (among numerous other slanderous, vicious, derogatory and racist names) and/or calling for their assasination on a rather regular basis.
But no more replies here until you “come clean” about why you think the word “emena” should be offensive to gays.
Andy – Really? Made any good ass jokes around your gay friends lately? I’ve got one who does combatives training – he’d be a good one to start with.
I’ve slagged Ann Coulter, Patterico has slagged Ann Coulter, pretty much everyone I know who isn’t blindly partisan has slagged Ann Coulter. She’s not a political figure – not even as much as Jane hamsher is – she’s a comic author who’s playing up her ‘conservative blonde’ schtick as a way to sell books. There’re lots of Ann Coulters on both sides of the aisles, and they’re boring and annoying.
And if I can do my small part to chase them away, I’ll be v. happy.
A.L.
Here’s an array of insults directed towards Andrew Sullivan from the right. “Here”:http://www.pamspaulding.com/weblog/2005/04/sully-hand-wrings-over-pope-ratz-and.html Seems to be a good array of rectal “humor,” including this dandy:
“Someone put Ben-Gay in Andy’s enema bag?”
Homophobic or fair game?
Assholes. Definitely assholes.
Every time the left hates someone, they accuse them of being gay.
If they actually believed there was nothing wrong with being homosexual, they would never dream of pulling such crap, they’d try in every way possible to purge the concept of all its pejorative connotations.
Deeds like these only prove how hypocritical they really are.
Oh, and you should have seen the post the other night about Republicans equaling the KKK. Complete with KKKlan photos for those too dumb to read. These people are insane.
So you’re saying that it’s public knowledge that Dan Gerstein is gay?
And I hate to point out the obvious, “butt” the quote excerpted is a play on “Public Enemy No. 1″….
Andy, whatever. The post was offensive if you just thought it was oddly scatalogical.
Once upon a time Liberals took pride in being more intellectually rigorous than Conservatives. (Remember the classic “Jane you ignorant slut” SNL skits? Maybe not.)
Bottom line, the Left has become exemplified by bottom feeders. Defend it if you like.
I’m not defending anything other than sound reasoning, Mark, and opposing blatantly stupid efforts to bash Liberals on the basis of imagined accusations.
Your contribution only serves to illustrate the idiocy of continuing in that vein.
So Andy, is it okay in your book to call a gay person a “pantywaist”? Sure it’s archaic and banal, but is it okay apart from that?
They also call him “Pickle Dick”. At least it wasn’t “Kosher Pickle Dick”, or I would really suspect them of harboring prejudice. Obviously the author has attended Middle School, or has an older brother who did. Just for fun, I’d like to see you explain why Pickle Dick is inoffensive and/or unrelated to sexuality.
Andy, I know you’re a slacker, but it helps to read the fricking context before you engage fingers on keyboard…please click through and read and then rejoin us.
A.L.
#16
You accuse me of not reading the linked article, while you yourself seem incapable of reading three simple sentences from the author of that piece deposited right under your nose.
The Gerstein article at FDL is one man’s opinion. That person came here to defend himself against your mindless bashing by posing several simple but obvious and important challenges in #1.
Instead, no one has directly replied to TRex’s challenges to your reasoning; instead, we get to read the predictable comments from the chorus extrapolating this single article as evidence that “The Left” or “Liberals” are all hypocritical gay-haters deep down inside.
You really have to wonder about the type of person who finds comfort in accepting such thoughts so easily and uncritically.
Once again, I ask a simple question: How do you know Gerstein is gay?
Your entire argument is predicated upon this assertion.
Please provide substantiation for this, or admit that you’re retreating from your initial claims to adopt the softer (should I say flaccid?) criticim against “juvenile behaviour” from liberals.
Coooward!
Andy, I don’t play with children. This comment puts you in that category – so my earlier comment about being interesting or amusing changes to a warning to make arguments or get banned.
There’s a fairly well-known East Coast gay activist by that name; I’m presuming they are the same person – so let’s chalk this up as assumption on my part.
Let’s presume that they aren’t the same person.
And Trex, being gay doesn’t make calling someone a ‘fag’ – or an obsolete equivalent – any less despicable. My kids learned that by third grade…you’re falling further behind.
Nuff said, and I’m done with this.
A.L.
AL
Unfortunately, it seems that juvenile behaviour on my part was what it took to get you to finally admit to being WRONG about Gerstein.
One questions whether the provokation or the backtracking handwaving response suggests greater immaturity.
I think the mature thing to do is issue an apology to TRex and retract this foolishness. Prove to us all what kind of a man you are.
However, if I were you, I would continue to run away from such an obvious and embarrassing gaff.
Well, I’m happy with my own manhood, so let’s look at this:
1) I claim that Trex posted something that was on its face offensive, and doubly so because the target was in the class offended.
2) I have cause to believe (and you can check – google “Dan Gerstein gay”) that there’s an east Coast gay activist named Dan Gerstein. Who may ormay not be the target of Trex’s charming post – I assumed he was.
3) If I’m wrong about 2) – which is unknwn at this point – the first claim stands.
People who espouse progressive values – which include respect for, among other things, gay rights and dignity – ought to refrain from using gaybashing terms, or racebaiting terms. That’s a simple value of mine. Because when a progressive – even agay one – calls someone a ‘pantywaist’ and makes assplay jokes about him, it’s kinda hard for the rest of us to stand up to homophobes who make ‘light in the loafers’ jokes…
So no, no apology or climbdown is required in my view. And I’ll end my part of the conversation now by saying that you’re welcome tostick around and criticize my points, and argue with me about ideas and facts, Andy – but you’ve made the last ad hominem argument you’re going to make on my threads.
A.L.