Slog - Comments on We Are Not the Enemy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy A "Savage Love" reader writes... I'm a California-bred Brooklyn resident aching over my home state's seeming support of Prop 8. I decided to start a picture blog called "We Are Not The Enemy." It'll simply consist of photographs of LGBT couples holding a sign that says "We Are Not The Enemy." (Similar to sorryeverybody in 2004.) I hope to give people a quick, simple, visual look at the great range of couples affected by harmful legislation and discrimination. So I'm looking for couples (or LGBT pals) who want to participate! We Are Not The Enemy is here, and you... Copyright 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:19:37 -0800 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:34:04 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by John Bailo
Gay couples are great.

What I fear are the single guys at Southcenter who were looking at me funny last Tuesday.

How many times do I have to say "no"?

]]> John Bailo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181623 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181623 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:27:11 -0800 Comment by just plain nasty Can we please refrain from posting the ugly couples that seem to make up 90% of these submissions whenever they're around? I'm talking about the white trash dykes and the fat ugly fags. They're hideous. I mean they are totally the enemy. Of everyone.

]]> just plain nasty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181624 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181624 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:28:58 -0800 Comment by scary tyler moore cut it out mr. poe! you're not foolin' anyone!

]]> scary tyler moore http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181643 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181643 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:40:17 -0800 Comment by mary the homophobes might not visit it, but as a queer californian, i will! and i'll feel that same solidarity with like-minded people that i did with sorryeverybody.



and damn, those are some cute couples!

]]> mary http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181648 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181648 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:41:04 -0800 Comment by do not want Ugh! nasty lesbians are NSFW!1

]]> do not want http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181654 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181654 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:43:25 -0800 Comment by kinaidos Speaking of ugly gay couples:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/23/jorge

It appears that the recently deceased Austrian fascist head of state was gay, as is his successor, and, his lover, also a fascist nut-job. I wonder how they'd feel about prop-8.

]]> kinaidos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181655 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181655 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:43:31 -0800 Comment by whatevernevermind They left No on 102 in Arizona off of their list, but I'm sure they'll get some e-mails telling them about it.

Even if it doesn't reach its target audience, it won't hurt to have pictures of happy people on the Internet. Never too many of those.

]]> whatevernevermind http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181656 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181656 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:45:33 -0800 Comment by whatevernevermind They left No on 102 in Arizona off of their list, but I'm sure they'll get some e-mails telling them about it.

Even if it doesn't reach its target audience, it won't hurt to have pictures of happy people on the Internet. Never too many of those.

]]> whatevernevermind http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181658 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181658 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:46:39 -0800 Comment by whatevernevermind So nice, I posted twice. Sorry about the glitch!

]]> whatevernevermind http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181659 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181659 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:47:34 -0800 Comment by Fnarf That Austrian Nazi loon is 27? He looks 57.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181661 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181661 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:48:03 -0800 Comment by Bellevue Ave @10, it's true!

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181824 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181824 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:21:49 -0800 Comment by Richard John at comment #1:

What part of Southcenter are the single guys hanging out? I'm sure I have some shopping to do this weekend.....

]]> Richard http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181827 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181827 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:22:28 -0800 Comment by Bellevue Ave Except that picture is of haider, not the lover.

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181828 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181828 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:22:34 -0800 Comment by SeaExile Oh, I don't know - I've been keeping an eye out for "soundbite" (picture-bite?) sized links to send out to my homophobic/fundie relatives (hey - they send me the e-mail forward version of chick tracts, I send kissing boys). This sounds like a great link-dropping thing.

]]> SeaExile http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181832 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181832 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:24:35 -0800 Comment by LST I think first of all, you need a new slogan. "Negating the frame supports the frame," says the linguist George Lakoff. Therefore, people see these posters and think, "hmm.. gay... enemy."

However, couples with average looks could help the cause. There's a chance that people feel more threatened by good looking couples, as it might partially arouse them and then trigger some sort of acquired Pavlovian response.

Or maybe its the opposite. The uptight heterosexuals whole fear of "losing" the "sanctity" of marriage is the notion that, because gays are bad, if they're allowed to marry it damages the name. They're afraid of being associated with gays because they see gays as immoral. The uptight right has succeeded in making anyone who hears "gay marriage" to immediately think of anal sex. Therefore, the threat is making their "pure" marriages somehow related to anal sex. That's one thing the gay PR needs to fight. How? not sure. Maybe showing beautiful gays will make the uptight right feel better by association.

Another thing: while polls show right now, Prop 8 has a majority of support, there's a chance they may underestimate the youth vote, which is far more sympathetic to gay causes.

One thing I just thought of that could help, is to show how gays are just like you. We need images gays who are everyday people.

]]> LST http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181834 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181834 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:27:21 -0800 Comment by John Bailo #12: "What part of Southcenter are the single guys hanging out? I'm sure I have some shopping to do this weekend....."

2nd level food court. It's open season (for gay guys) as far as I could tell. Nice females as well. Happy hunting!

]]> John Bailo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181839 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181839 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:30:01 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Americans like to live in Fear.

It's what most Americans do.

But they shouldn't.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181906 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181906 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:06:31 -0800 Comment by whatevernevermind @15 "...while polls show right now, Prop 8 has a majority of support..."

I'm happy to report that the very latest polling shows that the numbers have reversed once again, and Prop 8 is currently losing. In other words, the fundraising of this past month worked. Good job, Dan and all who contributed.

]]> whatevernevermind http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181940 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181940 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:21:43 -0800 Comment by clayton #15: Lakoff is an idiot. You might not think so, but he's the laughing stock of his field.

To the assholes: who gives a shit what the folks in the post look like? They're people, and that's what counts.

]]> clayton http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181959 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1181959 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:38:30 -0800 Comment by DZ Right on @19-they are people and they are not the enemy. Looks-do-not-matter!
Why can't everyone just figure out that we are all people and we are all the same on the inside-where it counts. This is a beautiful and touching site. Thank you!

]]> DZ http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1182312 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1182312 2008 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:21:32 -0800 Comment by LST @18 thanks for the heads up. thats good news.

@19 I'm not here to argue about Lakoff... I'm here to help. And since I take framing seriously, here's what I think the poster should say:

"We are people."

Much more powerful. Doesn't reinforce the oppositions frame.

]]> LST http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1182810 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/we_are_not_the_enemy#c1182810 2008 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:34:04 -0800