Slog
News & ArtsThursday, July 16, 2009
News One Fucking Minute: The Anti-Bruno Guy
Posted by Eli Sanders on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Sixty seconds with Jon Mejia, spokesman for Seattle's gay pride parade and author of "Et Tu Brüno?", a condemnation of Sacha Baron Cohen's latest movie. In the interview, Mr. Mejia responds to the Slog commenter charge that there must be sand in his vagina.
Previously: Lee Colleton, Jay Inslee.
1
Hey Jon dude:
The people who like the borat dude are your natural allies. Don't be slamming the ones who are on your side. Bruno is making people laugh at homophobia, okay?
And by the way, are you saying "gay rights = Julius Caesar"?? Your metaphor is off.
The people who like the borat dude are your natural allies. Don't be slamming the ones who are on your side. Bruno is making people laugh at homophobia, okay?
And by the way, are you saying "gay rights = Julius Caesar"?? Your metaphor is off.
3
He doesn't think the movie is a pro-gay-rights propaganda piece paid for by HRC? How....acute. OMG, it's a commercial product! And it's satire, which never seems to reach those with sand in there.
4
SBC is all about bringing the bigotry OUT of people so we can see it in the light of day and realize how horrible and powerful it is. Bruno is for homophobia what Borat was for racism.
6
If you actually listen to his point, it's very targeted. He says the Brueno production should do more with all the cash its making. That's fair/mild criticism.
7
Bruno is no better/worse for the Gay community than any of these movies & tv shows: Queer As Folk, Rick & Steve, Slutty Summer, Eating Out, Big Gay Sketch Show, etc.
8
@6 - You mean like give it to SOaP to help pay down their debt to the Seattle Center? Smashing idea. Because god knows year-round fundraising is so tiring and slow. Why do that when we can just publicly shame someone into givng all the money upfront?
9
Funny that he likes the Ali G character. Apparently it doesn't bother him that Ali G wasn't created by a non-profit group to promote positive images of gangsta wannabes.
11
Mr. Mejia's point sounds much more reasoned today. It's true that the studio could have worked with HRC or another LGBT group (and garnered a lot of admiration and positive attention for it!), but they are just a commercial ventrue, and I don't expect them to have much of a conscience without outside help. Did the studio that produced 'Day After Tomorrow' give money to greenpeace and the Sierra Club? doubt it.
Come to think of it, writing a (nice) letter to Universal or whatever to remind them of the goodwill they lost out on by not collaborating in some way with a gay-rights group would be a better way to get them to open up to that possibility in the future. honey/vinegar, right?
Come to think of it, writing a (nice) letter to Universal or whatever to remind them of the goodwill they lost out on by not collaborating in some way with a gay-rights group would be a better way to get them to open up to that possibility in the future. honey/vinegar, right?
12
So I suppose he's equally disappointed in Elton John? And he thinks Sting and Bono aren't meeting their imaginary humanitarian obligations as well?
13
I like Rick from fourfour's opinion better:
http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/200…
But I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know shit. However, I'll plug fourfour at any chance I get.
http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/200…
But I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know shit. However, I'll plug fourfour at any chance I get.
14
@10 it's all they do.
much easier to whine and play victim than to keep your local gay pride parade debt free.
because SBC didn't write them a big fat check for no reason.
because unless you give money to gays they will brand you a murderer and a liar.
nice PR strategy jon mejia. just cost you my financial support, permanently.
much easier to whine and play victim than to keep your local gay pride parade debt free.
because SBC didn't write them a big fat check for no reason.
because unless you give money to gays they will brand you a murderer and a liar.
nice PR strategy jon mejia. just cost you my financial support, permanently.
15
Eli maybe another fucking minute on WHY, exactly, SBC owes HRC even one dollar? Give me a fucking break. Making a satire about homophobia isn't enough - gays like Jon Mejia also expect you should pay them for the privilege?
SBC has done more for gays with one movie than Jon will do with 20 of his crappy parades. But Jon wants money and he won't stop at calling someone a murderer unless he gets it.
SBC has done more for gays with one movie than Jon will do with 20 of his crappy parades. But Jon wants money and he won't stop at calling someone a murderer unless he gets it.
16
I think that the biggest problem here is that he is now too famous for this to have ever worked as it was probably intended to. When everybody knows you're coming, it's really hard to truly catch them off guard, I would imagine that means their reactions are tamer and less genuine and when the 'homophobia' isn't truly brought to light ... well then suddenly people are pissed about his "gay black face." Had the homophobia really been pulled out of people (as the racism had been with Borat) then people would be all about the movie. Funny how that works. It's not really the character that bothers people so much as the character's failure to achieve an objective they could have stood behind.
I haven't seen the movie though, I am just guessing.
I haven't seen the movie though, I am just guessing.
17
maybe if "the gay" took a month and stopped buying top shelf booze and feel-good drugs, they could use the money to bail out their beloved march.
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