Originally Posted By Daannzzz In the spirit of the Academy Awards, we would like to present the front runner for the most homophobic state in the union award: Florida. A new bill being considered in the Florida house would make movie and TV productions with gay characters ineligible for a tax credit that is usually used to lure Tinsel Town to the state. Current state law gives tax credits on productions that are "family friendly," i.e. no smoking, sex, nudity, or profane language. In its newest form, the tax credit would increase, but the field of disqualified productions would expand, including any production that included gay characters. It's pretty much impossible to find a movie or TV show without at least one gay character or drug abuser or drunk, all of which would be classified as "nontraditional" under the bill. So basically, the state wants to only back documentaries about Mickey Mouse or picking oranges. The specific wording is a production that includes any "exhibit or implied act" of nontraditional family values and gratuitous violence. The bill was proposed by Orlando Republican Stephen Precourt, who claims he's not targeting the gay community, but said he doesn't want to invest public dollars in shows with gay characters. Beyond the financial fallacy of excluding critically-acclaimed films and hit TV shows that include homosexual characters such as Oscar winner "Brokeback Mountain," ABC's Modern Family, NBC's The Office or Jersey Shore, the bill threatens to take TV and cinema in Florida back about 50 years. "Think of it as like Mayberry,” Precourt said. “That’s when I grew up — the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?” No, we don't.
Originally Posted By Daannzzz The link. <a href="http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/Meet-the-No-Gay-Films-in-Florida-Act-86925947.html" target="_blank">http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/p...947.html</a>
Originally Posted By plpeters70 << nontraditional family values>> I'm assuming this means that no shows that have single parents will be allowed either, right? I mean, isn't that a nontraditional family?
Originally Posted By ecdc Here's hoping this gets out and enough production companies just say they won't do business in Florida and the bill goes up in flames.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>You mean like "Andy of Mayberry"? Not a mom in sight on that show.<< LOL!
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan It's interesting that right wingers always use "Mayberry" as an example of their vision of the world. Andy Griffith has always been a lifelong Democrat, making films like "A Face in the Crowd" that punctured windbags of the sort right wingers love. Andy was a government employee. And he didn't carry a gun. Barney was more of a right winger, and his over the top gung-ho tendencies were played for laughs. Andy Griffith endorsed Barack Obama for president.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Oh, and since Otis the town drunk regularly stumbled in to lock himself up for the night in the jail cell, "The Andy Griffith Show" wouldn't qualify.
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance I'm continuously amazed that people feel the need to treat gays/lesbians any differently than anyone else. And when I see things like this, that purposely try to take rights away from them and give them to someone who isn't gay or lesbian, It just blows my mind. I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that someone would care one way or the other about someone's sexual orientation. It shouldn't play into anything!
Originally Posted By FaMulan You mean like "Andy of Mayberry"? Not a mom in sight on that show. << I've always wondered about how Andy and Aunt Bea were related. She was the "mother figure" on the show, but she was not Andy's Mother or Sister I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that someone would care one way or the other about someone's sexual orientation. It shouldn't play into anything!<< I'm right there with you. My general belief about a lot of things is, if it doesn't directly affect me, then live and let live.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>It's interesting that right wingers always use "Mayberry" as an example of their vision of the world.<< In addition to all the fallacies about Mayberry 2oony pointed out, there's another issue with this conservative pining for "Mayberry." It's my experience that, more often than not, those who claim to love this country the most know the least about it. Many Americans have this idyllic notion of the 1950s in their head and they lament that we can't get back to the "good old days." They don't get how insulting they're being; the "good old days" weren't that good for blacks, women, gays, single-parents, etc. They picture this white, nuclear middle-class family and they think that's what it was all about. They're completely ignorant of reality. I also think they pine for it because it's such a black and white (no pun intended) view of the world. The 50s were full of good guys and bad guys - capitalists vs. communists, patriots vs. subversives, etc. Again, they are ignorant of the complexities of reality. I'm as nostalgic as the next guy (actually I'm probably way more nostalgic than the next guy) but that's just not how it was.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I've always wondered about how Andy and Aunt Bea were related. She was the "mother figure" on the show, but she was not Andy's Mother or Sister > I think she was supposed to be his dead wife's aunt.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Wikipedia says she is "Andy's paternal aunt, Opie's great aunt." But then again, any Goober can post on Wikipedia.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<I'm as nostalgic as the next guy (actually I'm probably way more nostalgic than the next guy) but that's just not how it was.>> It's really sad, and a complete re-write of what history was! I get the feeling that what these people are really "nostalgic" for is this fairy-tale, perfect white-people world that is depicted in the tv shows. Nevermind that it never actually existed - they want it anyway, and screw anyone else!
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that someone would care one way or the other about someone's sexual orientation. >>> Because for those that are practicing Christians, this was one of Christ's core messages. That's why so many Christian churches preach about it so much.
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance Yeah don't get me started about that either. I'll politely excuse myself from the table instead.
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> The bill was proposed by Orlando Republican Stephen Precourt, who claims he's not targeting the gay community, but said he doesn't want to invest public dollars in shows with gay characters. << This sentence only makes sense to republicans - because they're delusional. He proposes a bill that singles out gays and lesbians for special disapproval, and then proceeds to say he's "not targeting the gay community". And his supporters nod and smile.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It's no longer acceptable in polite society to be OPENLY bigoted. So things like this are always prefaced by "this is not anti-gay or anything against gay people, but..." It's a close cousin to when someone says "Look, I'm no racist, but..." More often than not, you know you're in for something racist after the "but." Hell, VA's new governor rescinded existing non-discrimination law - singling out "sexual orientation" as the only thing removed, while it's still illegal to discriminate on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. - and had the gall to say it was "nothing against gay people."
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>It's a close cousin to when someone says "Look, I'm no racist, but..." More often than not, you know you're in for something racist after the "but."<< Yep. Or the current variation: "It may not be 'politically correct' to say it, but..." Lookout for what follows.
