I’ve noticed this weird trend before with homophobics and racists-that when they think they’re around other white/straight people they assume everyone else has their homophobic and/or racist issues. I don’t know what that’s about…validation or something?

i’m thinking,

“I don’t know what that’s about…validation or something?”

more like just plain old stupid.

good for the city and its citizens. there’s hope yet.

I’ve noticed this weird trend before with homophobics and racists-that when they think they’re around other white/straight people they assume everyone else has their homophobic and/or racist issues.

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.  In high school someone would occasionally let a racial slur slip, then glance around and say it’s OK because there were no black students around so no one would be offended.  Then I would politely tell them that I was offended, and they would look at me like I’m a traitor or something.

When I did the Raleigh-DC AIDS Ride 10 or so years ago, a small town on the North Carolina-Virginia border, whose name I don’t remember, threw open its doors to the riders—many of whom were gay. Citizens would get out the lawn chairs and the water hoses (it was June and very hot), cheer everyone on and spray anyone who wanted cooling. They would hold a big party in the downtown with banners and balloons. Even the churches put up welcome signs. 

It just reminded me that the small town South doesn’t necessarily equal homophobic, a lesson Matt Boswell should learn.

Cue AEI offering Boswell a fellowship in 3… 2… 1…

Where do these people think gays come from? They are their children, brothers, and sisters. At my last job, I worked with gays from Nebraska, Utah, and small town Texas.

I am a white, gay, Christian minister.  But when I put on a suit, I look like a republican.  Often, when I attend various conferences and meetings, people feel perfectly comfortable making racist or homophobic comments in front of me.  I politely tell them that this is not acceptable speech in my presence.  I know that “you are a traitor” look well.

I’m thrilled that the town did this. I won’t be surprised if the next round is stacking the city council and issuing a resolution rescinding the decision, but it’s great that they did it.

Honestly though, regardless of the lyrics, that performance was so deathly dull that I think they should have decided never to pay him to perform again based on boring the snot out of the citizens. Perhaps his other songs were more upbeat, but I had trouble listening to it. He obviously assumed that the TV cameras on him gave him the chance to hop on his soapbox rather than show off his talent.

Maybe Carrie Prejean needs a back-up band?

Good for Reidsville. Here’s hoping lots of other venues follow suit.

What gets me about this is how hard Boswell felt he had to work to make sure people knew he’s a bigot. I mean clearly he’s a lousy songwriter, but he could have made slurs that were much more organic to the lyrics, or used dogwhistles, or any number of other less jarring tactics.

I think this might be a sign (as is Reidsville’s action) that the redneck bigots know they’re losing ground even with other rednecks. So they have to distinguish themselves from the people who shoot guns and drive trucks and wear cowboy boots but aren’t bigoted assholes.

Rewriting Merle Haggard because he isn’t sufficiently redneck.  You gotta be shittin’ me, junior.

Hector B., I don’t think they have any CLUE where gay people “come from”. My mom told me about a particularly hilarious comment from the parent of a friend (someone she can take only in extremely small doses out of politeness to said friend). This man said that we should legalize gay marriage- because then they would all marry each other and since gay people can’t have children, they would all die out.

Logic fail…

Miss Manners once printed a letter from somebody who dealt with bigoted remarks by coldly saying “Perhaps you didn’t know that my mother is _________.” Sometimes the hilarity of watching the bigots fall over themselves apologizing was multiplied by their puzzlement (because you could tell they were thinking “Wait, your mother is black? But you don’t look…” but were afraid to say so).

Miss Manners once printed a letter from somebody who dealt with bigoted remarks by coldly saying “Perhaps you didn’t know that my mother is _________.”

A good friend of mine, who is very blond haired/blue eyed/Nordic looking often startles bigots when she retorts her little (half) sister is black. Cue the shock.

“I only see one woman in overalls clap at the homophobic line added to the Merle Haggard song.”

Why am I reminded of the very brief scene during the “Camelot” number in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the music stops, the camera cuts to the dungeon, and the prisoner chained to the wall is clapping?

“But when I put on a suit, I look like a republican.”

jack, in some places that could get you beaten to death, and it’d be ruled justifiable homocide.

I’m reminded of the very amusing story that juvenile online gamers were adopting the word “ghey”, because they still wanted to insult people for being lame, but they didn’t wanna be homophobic.

When 13 year old flamers avoid your ideology as being repulsive, you have a problem.

Reidsville is my mother’s ancestral home such as it were, and I have a lot of extended family still there. Of all of my Reidsville relatives, I couldn’t name one that would stand for that sort of close-minded bigotry.

The ‘traitor’ look is actually a good thing…they’ve enlightened/educated themselves enough to realize that what they are saying isn’t actually fact.  They understand they’re being called out as the bigots they are, and they know bigotry is bad.

They’re pissed at you for pointing it out, you traitor, but somewhere in their lizardbrains they know they’ve been caught.

People like him really do a disservice to hillbillies.  I know from personal experience that there are plenty of people in the country and the south who are not bigoted, but bullshit like this ends up lumping all southerners together into one mushpile of prejudice.