Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Fast and the Bi-Curious: Don’t Worry, it Doesn’t Mean You’re Gay!
In last weeks episode of Saturday Night Live, they had a skit about the new movie “Fast and Furious” which they re-titled “The Fast and the Bi-Curious.”In this skit they made fun of the movie by making the two main characters (here played by Seth Rogen and Andy Samberg) gay. Throughout the skit these characters are in a garage, fixing their cars, ignoring a beautiful woman, and being sexually explicit toward each other.While I did laugh a little at this sketch, I didn’t find it as funny as most of the audience members seemed to. Personally, I don’t find it very amusing when a group of people that have been struggling for acceptance in society are laughed at and made fun of all in the name of comedy.
Throughout this whole sketch the narrator is constantly pointing out the fact that the two main characters are gay and that this should be laughed at. He describes the movie as being “just like the Vin Diesel version except slightly gayer,” which gets a big laugh from the audience; he also says that if you like this movie “it doesn’t mean you’re gay, just maybe you shouldn’t get married” which earned another big laugh. These two lines pointed out to the audience that this premise is ridiculous and it is OK to laugh at it; it allowed the audience members to make this joke into a “them” and “us” category by showing these two men as strange and laughable characters that are completely nonthreatening.
At one point in the sketch we see Seth Rogen lick his finger and attempt to get some oil off of Andy Samberg’s cheek (it doesn’t work too well, he just ends up rubbing his lips instead), while this is happening the camera quickly pans to the one woman in the sketch who is looking extremely disgusted by this (she even mouths the word “ew”). This quick display of another characters disgust during this scene allows people to feel that it is OK that they are laughing at homosexuality since a character is shown as being uncomfortable with it. It is, again, perpetuating the idea of an “us” and “them” mentality by showing that we, by being uncomfortable and therefore laughing at the homosexuality, are not alone and therefore not wrong in seeing this as something to laugh at. Seth and Andy’s display of homosexuality, while slightly amusing, was also problematic, in that they are showing homosexuality as something to be laughed at and pointed out, but never accepted.
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The skit was somewhat funny but I agree that it wasn’t at all funny because it was done at the expense of homosexual men while making what is a very serious issue a laughable and unacceptable idea. I think that SNL was trying a bit too hard and the laughter that you hear does appear to make the issues around GLBT people to be seen as something for mainstream, straight people to laugh about. GLBT people are struggling politically and personally right now for equal rights to marry, as well as, to be accepted and understood by all of society, it shouldn’t be so obviously accepted for a major show like SNL to single homosexual men out in this way and try to make light of the issues. People should see this as been just as unacceptable as making racist comments or jokes but unfortunately we aren’t there yet. This sort of media is irresponsible and just helps the religious activist and conservatives who don’t want equal rights for gays by leading people to believe that it’s OK to laugh at these issues and not to take GLBT people serious. Shame on SNL for turning issues that are very serious into something ridiculous just because same sex marriage and gay equal rights are all over the media right now. Couldn’t they have been a little more creative instead of just helping to single this particular group out in society and ridicule them, isn’t like they don’t get it enough without SNL adding to it.
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't find the skit funny at all, maybe because I haven't seen the new movie, or perhaps because I, like you, Do not see homosexuality as a Joke. I feel as though SNL risked a lot of fan base over that one unnecessary skit. It's hurtful to the gay population and the equal rights movement our country is undergoing. I can understand why people would laugh at it, because we laugh and make jokes about things we don't understand, things we fear even. None the less, to make a joke about a group of people, who are already horribly discriminated against, is just foolish, mean, and horrid. I don't watch a lot of SNL so I wonder, does SNL do any Racist geared comedy skits? Does SNL make fun of any other sub group? If they do, then what makes this particular skit any less offensive then other offensive comedy skits or jokes made on a regular basis?
ReplyDeleteI can understand that its not acceptable to make fun of others no matter what. SNL should be more careful on how they portray their skits or even what their skits are about, but in the end the producers and writers know what will get the most ratings and what the public likes. I'm sure they have feelings towards these issues too but it comes down to the business and making money. It is sad to say in our society but making money is all people care about these days.
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