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Barack Obama's favorite character on The Wire? Gay thief Omar.
In a recent interview with The Las Vegas Sun, Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama spoke about what is apparently his favorite TV show: HBO's fascinating The Wire, which meticulously decontructs the urban dystopia of modern-day Baltimore. When asked who his favorite character is on the show, Obama answered: I gotta say Omar's a great character ... He’s this gay gangster who only robs drug dealers, and then gives back. You know, he’s sort of a Robin Hood. And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s gay, you know. And it’s really interesting. It’s a fascinating character. First, it would be hard for anyone to pick a favorite character among the 500 or so that populate the complex universe of the show, currently in its fifth season. And second, with a show so groundbreaking in its diversity and its focus on urban black communities of all stripes, for Obama to pick the lone gay character is encouraging. Although not altogether surprising: when I attended the premiere screening and party for the new season last week and the cast was introduced individually, the crowd went nuts when actor Michael K. Williams, who plays Omar Little, was introduced. Not familiar with The Wire? NetFlix it now from the beginning - I guarantee you won't be disappointed, and when was there a better time than now, when there's nothing new to watch? For more on the groundbreaking gay character that's stealing the hearts of Presidential hopefuls, check out our interview with Michael K. Williams. Submitted by on Tue, 2008-01-15 09:06. |
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Did anyone else react om
Did anyone else react om "And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s gay, you know"?
It almos sounds like Barack things it's is surprised or finds it interesting that the toughest, baddest guy on the show could be gay as well, kinda implying that gay men are sissies or at least shouldn't be the toughest, baddest guys in the hood.
Gay blogs have had the same reaction
Based on the stereotype
Based on the stereotype that the general media portrays gays, I can't blamed him for being surprised that a gay man is a bad ass. He could have phrased that WAY MORE offensive than he did. (Personally I'm not offended)
"And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s gay, can you believe it"?
"And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s into dudes, you know"?
"And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he lives the homsexual lifestyle, you know"?
"And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s faggot, you know"?
I am not offended, but blaming the media is too easy.
I am plesantly surprised that in an age in which the media looks to "shock and awe" for the sake of a headline, Obama apparently answered a simple question honestly. I would have expected him to pick a "safer" choice (one of the law enforcers) and then use the choice for political rhetoric.
We certainly need to push for more gay diversity in the media, but Obama knows how tough we can be as shown when he pulled a page out of the Bush playbook by integrating homophobic gay basher Donnie McClurkin in his South Carolina road-show. If one wanted to "elevate" his Omar rationale, one could compare it to Bill O'Reilly's shock at the civility of black diners in Harlem and I bet CNN would report it as breaking "news."
If voters based their decisions on how the media depicts black people, especially males, Obama would be in serious trouble. The news media needs to chill on the small things and dig deeper; however the candidates are not going to allow for that. As such, maybe the Edwards campaign could get in on the fun by declaring that Mrs. Edwards knows all about tough gay men as she loved watching Oz on, it's not TV, it's HBO. I'd vote for her.
It's Alright
Yeah it seems to me this is
Yeah it seems to me this is pretty clear cut. Obama brings up the character's sexuality simply because it is part of the character he appreciates. I think what he is trying to say is "look at this guy, he's tough and rough and disproves the stereotype of effeminate homosexual men, and I enjoy that."
People just always like to see the bad. Combine that with the anonymity of the internet, and you have a recipe for jack-assery 24/7.
Sorry about that little rant, I just get tired of the blogosphere being so... Harsh to the point of stupidity.
I think it's more that he's
I think it's more that he's just a bit ignorant on the LGBT community. He might be genuinely surprised that the toughest, baddest character on a show could also be gay. There might not be any malice behind it but he might just have been really surprised when he saw it.
Chalk it up to whatever you wanna think caused it, but how many gay people has Obama known throughout his life?
Can't tell, they keep finding God.