May 27, 2013

In which I prove to be completely wrong

As part of its tireless commitment to being All Gay All the Time, the New York Time discusses the burning issue of: For propaganda purposes, who would be the ideal athlete to come out of the closet?

I had considered this exact same question four weeks ago, and came up with two names. I blogged:
There has been much anticipation in the press that Real Soon Now an active major team sport jock would finally come out of the closet. But I've noticed that there has been an automatic assumption that he would turn out to be a good player -- you know, like, Tom Brady would announce that he had been living a lie, just going through the motions with Bridget Moynahan and Giselle Bundchen.  

And at Marginal Revolution, I commented:
The media is desperate for somebody better than 1 point per game Jason Collins to come out. Ideally, it would be somebody who shatters stereotypes about gays not being, on average, terribly masculine: Ray Lewis, say.

Now, we have the NYT's judgment on that same topic:
Defining Progress and Significance for Gay Athletes
By JOHN BRANCH
Published: May 27, 2013
... A little more than two years ago, a conversation with Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski, the co-founders of Outsports, a sports Web site targeted to gays, led to a playful debate. If you could choose any N.F.L. player to be the first to come out, who would it be? 
One said Peyton Manning; with his vast popularity, such a revelation would be as attention-grabbing as anything imaginable. The other said linebacker James Harrison, then with the Steelers, because his perceived ferociousness would batter stereotypes.

So, I was completely wrong about what the media want: instead of quarterback Tom Brady, they want quarterback Peyton Manning; and instead of linebacker Ray Lewis, they want linebacker James Harrison. How could I be so far off in my understanding of the media mind?

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

The most important thing is to shatter stereotypes rather than reflect reality. Shatter stereotypes means report the lies.

Son of Brock Landers said...

Harrison only reinforces stereotypes:

After signing his big extension, James Harrison moved to a very nice neighborhood in Pittsburgh with his long time, white girlfriend and their children. Harrison's son is older than 2. (unmarried, illegitimate kids with a white woman, 3 for 3).

Harrison lives in a friend's neighborhood, and Harrison was brought in after Coach Tomlin moved in and found the neighborhood to be quiet and respectful of his privacy.

Anonymous said...

And they only enjoy the passive role! and they dress in women's clothes! and they're taking female hormones in preparation for the big surgery! and the hormones make them even better players, exploding the myth that women can't compete successfully with men in sports! If we're going to dream, why not dream big?

Alcalde Jaime Miguel Curleo said...

For a rather jarring/amusing sign of the coming of gay divorce--from reality! yukyuk--do read this Mother Jones explainer of why a Liberace biopic didn't get a citation at Cannes or a huge Memorial Day roll-out (or really, didn't it deserve both). At least anyone who stayed at a motel w/ HBO last month was assailed with endless ads for it, plus the printed promotional card that successfully put me off my dinner

Anonymous said...

Suppose Manning objected to the use of his name in the article. He would be accused of 'homophobia'.

Imagine if the incest lobby had the backing of powerful Jews and spread incestmania all over.
Imagine if a paper ran an article where some guy dearly wishes that Manning has sex with his (legal-aged)daughter or mother, and the paper gushed about it.

We are living in a sick nation.


jody said...

they don't seem that interested in an actual, live homosexual playing in MLS.

LA galaxy traded away a better player to make room for their new gay player. so at least picking up the homo made sense from a soccer perspective. er, wait a minute...

well, his gayness must count for a least a couple goals a year, right?

guest007 said...

Steve,

You also predicted that as gay marriage becomes a big thing that marriage could quickly become to be seen as a gay thing.

Now Atlantic Monthly Magazine has shown you correct. Not only are homosexuals smarter, hipper, and better than heterosexuals but they are also being shown as better at marriage. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/06/the-gay-guide-to-wedded-bliss/309317/

Of course, it goes without saying that such a theory does not account for the race, economic status, or education for the married homosexuals.

Anonymous said...

Fantasy football.

Johnny Reb said...

"Suppose Manning objected to the use of his name in the article. He would be accused of 'homophobia'.

Peyton is probably too p.c. for that, but I wouldn't be surprised if Archie would beat the stuffing out of a particular NYT writer.

DanJ said...

There will be extremely good sponsorhip deals for the first major athlete to come out of the closet. Maybe someone a bit "over the hill" in his game will take the opportunity to boost his pension by re-inventing himself.

hbd chick said...

ot - oh, no. there's a new malcolm gladwell book due out in the autumn:

"How to Beat Goliath: First Look At Malcolm Gladwell’s New Book"

"Malcolm Gladwell will publish his fifth book, 'David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants,' on Oct. 1 and Speakeasy has an exclusive sneak peek at the cover.

"The new book will be published by Little, Brown, and the publisher released the following synopsis for 'David and Goliath':

"We all know that underdogs can win–that’s what the David versus Goliath legend tells us, and we’ve seen it with our own eyes. Or have we? In DAVID AND GOLIATH, Malcolm Gladwell, with his unparalleled ability to grasp connections others miss...."


heh! *snicker*

Anonymous said...

Last week I ran across this fantastic comments thread on a Telegraph article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9972011/Jeremy-Irons-claims-gay-marriage-laws-could-lead-to-a-father-marrying-his-son.html#disqus_thread

The great thing about it is that although it is moderated and, I guess, abusive or profane comments are deleted, everything else gets published. There are actual different points of view in these comments. (And the anti-gay marriage commenters are clearly much stronger; the pro-gay marriage commenters have nothing more than whining about "fairness.")

This is so different from US mainstream publication comment sections, especially the New York Times where they might as well write the comments themselves. The only comments that get published are the comments the NY Times agrees with.

Can that suppression hold? Its only a few years old; the NY Times didn't used to be like that. If our media wants to keep promoting gay, gay, gay, they have to keep suppressing. If the simple truth is ever widely known, it all falls apart. The simple truth that gays are 2% of the population and of that 2%, only less than 5% will ever want to marry, and of that 5% hardly any will adopt children (or get inseminated or whatever). If they don't win at the Supreme Court this year, that truth is going to have to start coming out.

Anonymous said...

Funny that Peyton Manning should be mentioned in this context. While I've never heard any rumors involving Peyton, I have heard rumors about his younger brother. Like him being involved with a country music singer widely rumored to be gay. And that this involvement led to said country musician's divorce from his well-known actress wife.

Pat Boyle said...

Elsewhere in today's batch of your posting and their associated comments you are advised (begged?) to review "The Fast and Furious". Please don't.

Rather consider reviewing the new HBO feature about Liberace staring Mike Douglas and Matt Damon.

It's not the sort of thing I would ever watch myself, so I need a proxy viewer. Of course I will not watch this latest Vin Diesel car chase movie either, but for different reasons. I can't be sure that I've not seen it before. The naming and numbering of these movies are so confusing.

I see also that Cannes has honored some lesbian film this year. I would guess that since most men seem to enjoy gay sex scenes between women but are revolted by gay sex scenes between men, that the lesbian film will do better box office than the Liberace HBO will score ratings.

But what do I know? If I really had my finger on the movie going public's pulse I would go to Hollywood and be a mogul. But then, I suppose, I would have to watch these crappy movies myself.

Albertosaurus

Svigor said...

Malcolm Gladwell will publish his fifth book, 'David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants,' on Oct. 1 and Speakeasy has an exclusive sneak peek at the cover.

How to beat Goliath? Do what David did. Bring a gun to a knife fight. Shoot Goliath in the face. Celebrate your "heroism" and "pluck."

David & Goliath might be where Lucas got the idea for the scene with the sword-wielding Arab in Raiders.

FWG said...

Funny you mention that, hbd chick. Just this morning I googled "Steve Sailer" and at the bottom it prompted me to search "Steve Sailer Malcolm Gladwell", which I then preceded to do. Ironic...

Anonymous said...

Not enough that homos are angels in our culture. They must be gods.

The real purpose of this homomania is to quell any opposition to the homo agenda.
If declaring one is a homo is sooooooooo great, then critics of homo agenda will likely just shut their mouths.

What a culture we have.
The greatest glory is for some guy to say, "I'm proud to shove my penis inside someone's fecal hole" or "I like to wear woman's underwear."
And our culture is so celebrity-obsessed that good or bad hinges on the sexual orientations of famous people.
Since fame legitimizes certain behaviors, those who control fame also control pride and shame.

And the message is out loud and clear. It's great to be famous and pro-homo but evil to be famous and pro-real-marriage.

Mr. Anon said...

Good, I hope the NYT succeeds in gaying up the NFL and all other professional sports. I hope they make professional sports as welcoming to straight white guys as musical theater now is. Whites won't start realizing that things are wrong in this country, and acting on that realization, until such time as professional sports dies.

hoops fan said...

Well, everyone in the sports world knows that one of the greatest players in NBA history was gay... but ironically, gay activists can't out him because he's been so useful as proof that heterosexuals are at equal risk of getting AIDS: isn't that right. Earvin?

Camlost said...

Funny that Peyton Manning should be mentioned in this context. While I've never heard any rumors involving Peyton, I have heard rumors about his younger brother.

Well, if Eli is proven to be gay I will gladly take care of his wife:

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/Eli+Manning+Abby+McGrew+Sex+City+NYC+Premiere+cAMd8hmuhtpx.jpg

Anonymous said...

The main stream media must die.

Anonymous said...

Funny that Peyton Manning should be mentioned in this context

It was pure speculation on the part of some gay sports fans naming their ideal gay athlete or ideal gay NFL player. I'm sure they would be overjoyed with LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, or Roger Federer just as much. They just happened to be talking about football.

d said...

The movie about Liberace sounds like a hoot:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/may/21/behind-the-candelabra-review-steven-soderbergh

I wonder if gay liberation and all the attention now being paid to the realities of gay life isn't "be careful what you wish for."

Liberace was 40 years older than Scott.

Scott Thorson is in jail now:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/may/26/liberace-scott-thorson-behind-candelabra

"This experience has scared me straight," he said, in a slightly nasal tone that sounds vaguely like Liberace.

Really?

Anonymous said...

James Harrison, then with the Steelers, because his perceived ferociousness would batter stereotypes.


If they could find just one outlier, just one, it would prove the stereotypes wrong!

Except that it wouldn't. The stereotype is the general or typical example of x. And it continues to be even if you can find outliers.

What they really want is what cannot be. They want an alternate reality in which they are considered normal instead of defective. That reality doesn't exist, which is why they are so desperate to fabricate a facsimile.

Anonymous said...


Well, everyone in the sports world knows that one of the greatest players in NBA history was gay... but ironically, gay activists can't out him because he's been so useful as proof that heterosexuals are at equal risk of getting AIDS


erm, uh, proof?

They use him to insinuate that not to prove it because the numbers clearly show that ain't the case. Heterosexual white males have even lower HIV infection rates than heterosexual white females.

Anonymous said...

http://ivarfjeld.com/2013/05/18/eu-makes-sexual-perversion-a-human-right/

If you says homosexuality is perverted, you will be fined and prosecuted.

But homos can say you're 'sick in the head with phobia' if you don't support 'gay marriage'.

Anonymous said...

The new Peyton Place... dark side of the moon where the sun don't shine.

JeremiahJohnbalaya said...

Vikings' Adrian Peterson "Not With Gay Marriage"

where's the outrage said...

Did the Hollywood globalist elite bury the Liberace picture too? Despite rave reviews, timely music that kids still dance to, and Soderbergh's proven track record of success with his earlier works "King of the Hill" and "Sex, Lies & Office Space." Instead this refulgent insta-classic was relegated to cable. You need to investigate this, Steve.

Anonymous said...

Will there be a GAY-DL to ape the ADL?

Or an AS$PLC?

Anonymous said...

Funny how PR fails sometimes. MLS (Major League Soccer for those not paying attention) began a PR campaign #dontcrosstheline haranguing fans on equality of “sex and gender”* Then Rogers “retires” from soccer and announces he’s a homosexual. A few months later, after several stadiums have had “hate homophobia” banners (really—90 minutes of hate. Big Brother would be proud), Rogers un-retires, demands to join the Galaxy (another PR ploy, no doubt). A better player is traded away “for personal reasons” and Rogers takes the field to huzzahs!

And still no one pays attention to soccer in the USA. I hope MLS succeeds and soccer becomes known in the USA as the homosexual sport.


* The full phrase omits the usual “religion” from its list of groups against which one should not "discriminate."