That was stupid.

Is anybody else sick of Mr. Poe?

Depressing. As bad as life in the 21st Century can be, it's inconceivable for me that someone would be more comfortable in the 11th.

There's nowt so qware as folk.

@2: Yes, totally sick of Mr. Poe. Not funny, not interesting, not worth the pixels he gobbles up all day long.

Islamo-fascists are followers of a religion of hatred, ignorance and anti-semitism.

In Judaism even Orthodox Jews can wear eyeliner and hold hands in public. Only Christianity and Islam are homophobic. Israel is a gay paradise.

i thought it was a cultural norm kind of thing for men to hold hands in afghanistan. it's one of those things the US military dudes were freaked out by when they got there and tried to make them stop.

I may have missed it, but I can't see the gayness either SLOG or Slate sees in this video. Some people see gay stuff everywhere, like that Abraham Lincoln was gay because he slept in the same bed every night with another man. Fact is, different cultures see things like men sleeping together as innocent. In our strange culture men can only be close if they're linked sexually. Same for this Taliban stuff. It's just a bunch of young guys, some of them young enough to still look boyish not manly. The fact that some want to see them as gay says more about us than about them.

In many middle eastern cultures the men are very affectionate. They walk down the streets arm in arm and sometimes hand in hand. It's the same in Argentina-- where the men even kiss hello-- and Italy. There is nothing gay about it. It's just their culture.

Issur- what then of the "Jews for Jesus" ministry? Since they reject the core fundamental beliefs of Judaism are they not considered one of your fold? Then, if they gay, are they also banished by Christians, who so soundly accepted them in the first place?

even the strictest moral police since the puritans can't control their own footsoldiers from indulging vanity.

to consider the taliban & al queda a serious threat to Murka is laughable.

Oh, come on now. Mr. Poe is the Andy Rooney of Slog. Every one loves the wry curmudgeonly wisdom of Andy Rooney, right?

@12- rooney is only funny cuz his overgrown eyebrows make him look like a smarmy scottish terrier.

#2, 5, 12

You need to do a better job of hiding that you're the same person.

@7

What?

I'm not 2 or 5 Mr. Rooney.

This is great!

@7 Someday read the book "The Construction of Homosexuality," by David Greenberg or look at "Homoeroticism in Classical Arabic Literature" by JW Wright. Or perhaps read Rumi's poetry and consider his relationship with Shams. All include lots of examples of man-man love that is passionate and non-sexual. Very edgy stuff for our modern culture that believes true love is only between opposite sexes and that same-sex love is only sexual.

I didn't really see "the gay" in all that, nor would I confuse the customs of some Islamic countries as such.... BUT, Afghanistan is also known as a place where it is common for anyone with money or stature to "own" a boy-slave, and male prostitution is an epidemic comparable to SE Asia. Vice, of publications, did a great piece on it.

@18 Send a link if you can. Sounds like an interesting article.

@14---I know it's hard for you to believe there's more than one person that finds you witless, annoying, and most of all...boring. But...it's true.

It isn't hard to believe at all. But it's obvious you're the same person. Which is funny.

#19; I don't think Vice archives articles one their site, it was about 2 years ago in a print issue I read it. I'm sure you could Google some info, but it seemed like a pretty incredible article, since female prostitution is/was punishable by death under Taliban law.

I guess that's why the Romans thought of all Middle Easterners/North Africans as namby pamby queers. Although, the Romans certainly could've learned a lesson about stones and glass houses.

@20 Continual reiteration of a statement that cannot be supported by facts doesn't make it true. You are sounding less like Andy Rooney and more like Tim Eyman.

I found it all very romantic, but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

They look so sweet, holding hands, with the halo/rainbows behind them.

Sigh.