 by Michael Jensen
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#FOXFAIL: The network — and everyone else involved — needs to apologize. But who is going to make them?
Yesterday we posted an article titled How Fox Packaged Homophobia as Entertainment which examines exactly why last week's episode of So You Think You Can Dance was so blatantly homophobic and outrageous. What you'll find in it is an analytical piece that breaks down step-by-step what the producers deliberately did in creating the segment that humiliated Misha Belfer and Mitchel Kibel, the same-sex dancers who appeared on the episode. What you won't find in the piece is much emotion as it's a news article written to communicate a set of facts to the reader in as an unbiased fashion as possible. But that doesn't mean I wasn't feeling a great deal of emotion as I wrote the article. In fact, I was furious as I wrote every word. And you should be furious as you read every word.
I'm not sure I've ever been more angry over a single television program in my life. Why was it so offensive? Because the network set out to deliberately make gay men appear ridiculous and as something dramatically different from "normal" viewers. This wasn't an off the cuff comment made in anger by Isaiah Washington. This wasn't a petulant actor who wouldn't play gay on Heroes because he was worried about his career. This was the staff of an entire show using all of their skills to humiliate a same-sex couple by using every tool at their disposal. Every single aspect of the segment — the promotional teaser, the music chosen, the comments included, the footage shown — was carefully considered and calculated to provoke a specific reaction in the viewer whether it be laughter, discomfort or disgust. And the folks at SYTYCD had Fox's blessing.
It's ironic that this transpired the same week the California Supreme Court upheld the passage of Propostion 8 which stripped gay and lesbian citizens of that state of the right to marry. Why should voters anywhere take our rights seriously when a corporation as huge as Fox tells them how alien, odd, and "other" we are. Yes, Nigel Lythgoe later apologized for some of his remarks and his tweets. But neither Lythgoe, who is the co-creator and an executive producer of the show, nor anyone of the other 30+ people involved, has even addressed the rest of the blatant homophobia displayed in creating the entire segment, much less apologized for it. Indeed, despite my repeated requests the network declined to provide anyone to answer any questions about the show at all. They don't think they have to. They don't think we can do anything about it. Talk about arrogant. Unfortunately, they'll probably get away with it. After all, this happened over a week ago, which is a lifetime in the blogosphere. And Fox is counting on that. Unless gay people and our allies tell them they can't treat our community this way. We can do that several ways. Here is the contact info for Fox that GLAAD provided when they demanded Lythgoe apologize. I say it's time to call them up and demand an apology for everything else they did.
Jason Clark
Lindsay Luttrell
Of course, the real way to get Fox's attention is to get the attention of those who sponsor their shows. Let's ask them if they really want to be associated with a show that thinks it's okay to single out a minority group for humiliation on network television under the guise of entertainment. You know damn well what the answer would be if this had been done to the African-American, Hispanic or Jewish communities. So why should we let them do it to us? AfterElton.com contributor Ed Kennedy compiled this list of SYTYCD sponsors and their parent companies. I suggest readers get in touch with as many as possible to ask them if this sort of bigotry is what they wish to be associated with. And here is the first way you can help. I gathered as many contact numbers as I had time, but we need folks to find the rest of the corporate emails and phone numbers for each of these sponsors. If you find the right contact and post in the comments, I'll add the information up here so other readers can help make the case. And the second way you can help is to spread the word via Twitter, Facebook and plain old email. If you use Twitter, be sure to include #FAILFOX in the tweet so we can keep track of everything. But however you do it, be sure to let as many folks as possible know that we aren't going to stand by while a network packages homophobia as entertainment for the American public. Otherwise, we've really got no one to blame but ourselves. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SPONSORS Sponsor Parent Company
AT&T Wireless AT&T
Lipton Sparkling Green Tea Unilever & Pepsico joint
Old Navy Gap, Inc
Terminator Salvation Warner Brothers
Toyota Prius Toyota
Aveeno/Listerine Johnson & Johnson
Applebees IHOP
Walmart Walmart
Victoria’s Secret Limited Brands
L’Oreal/Maybelline L’Oreal
Weight Watchers Weight Watchers
Altoids Wrigley
Ford Ford Hardees CKE Restaurants Avon Avon Visa Visa The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 Columbia/MGM Mazda Mazda Verizon Wireless Verizon McDonalds McDonalds My Sister’s Keeper New Line Cinema Taco Bell YUM Brands/PepsiCo Ritz Crackers Kraft Honda Honda TJMaxx TJX Companies Dogtown National Geographic/Fox
Wendy’s Wendy’s/Arby’s Group
Nair Church & Dwight Group Sprint Sprint Up! Disney/Pixar Subway Doctor’s Associates
Hyundai Hyundai
HP Laptops HP
Payless Collective Brands, Inc
Coppertone Schering-Plough Healthcare
Macy’s Macy’s Breyer’s Ice Cream Unilever Submitted by on Fri, 2009-05-29 13:10. |
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two gay men?
I was speaking of gay men in a universal way as
ok, you know what...
i mentioned it before and didnt really get a response. its been reported and seen how simon and ryan on AI gay bait each other...for laughs.
why are more people upset at this nigel incident and not the AI stuff?
we can't get mad as hell at one thing and choose to just bitch about another thing. they go hand in hand
there has been news about 11 year old boys hanging themselves over perceived notions of being gay.....simon makes a joke about ryan being gay for laughs. one involves adults, one involves kids. kids are 10X more sensitive than adults, yes, but you never freaking know who will do what when they hear that stuff....
GET ANGRY AT BOTH. one is not better than the other. you want to get mad at nigel? better get mad at Simon and Ryan too. I constantly hear about those two and their stupid gay baiting. ENOUGH. right?
We have commented on the gay-baiting before and
yes i know...
yes, you guys have voiced your displeasure. i know that.
why is this worse though? FOX is behind American idol too, right? they dont mind gay baiting for jokes. they also dont mind making fun of gay people.
the message is "you're weird. HAHAHAA. WEIRDOOOO! let's all laugh and laugh at who you are, or who we think you are"
i just dont get why one is worse than the other. i will let you explain though. :-)
Focus
I don't see why Michael has to answer to you about A.I. and Simon in this thread, which is specifically about how Fox handled the SYTYCD episode.
This article is all about So You Think You Can Dance and how Fox packaged the segment. The focus is on this particular issue. Not on how Fox generally sucks with anything gay. Which they do. But , again, that's not the focus of this particular thread, and this particular campaign.
To me it's like trying to hijack a thread to make it about something else.
um, i never said...
I never said he HAD to answer me. if he wants to or not, that is his choice.
I know what the article was about. i read it, thank you. I was simply saying i thought the two situations were the same and i didn't understand why one seemed to get more attention than the other.
I wasn't trying to make it about another topic. the article talked about FOX, the network and how it handled it....AI is on FOX, simon and ryan's jokes are stupid and offensive sometimes, so yes, i decided to put it together.
sorry for not getting something, but i was not trying to hijack anything.
Let me try
I did an exceptionally long piece on why this was so wrong over in the news piece - I think it was longer than Michael's article - but I'll try and be concise here.
Simon and Ryan are two people who banter at each other (presumably) off-the-cuff with their grade school gay baiting. It's repetitive, but it's sporadic, and it appears to come out of conversation on live TV. So it's juvenile, but spontaneous.
SYTYCD did something different. Yes, there was the spontanteous, off the cuff banter from Nigel and Mary. Yes, they've done it before. I can almost choke that down and get past it. Nigel on Twitter was a step too far, but at least it wasn't to nine million people. And they "apologized for people who were offended by their choice of words,"which always chuffs me, because it's more like they're saying "sorry you have such a thin skin."
What makes this infinitely worse than Idol is the production of the segment, which they've never apologized for. Cut to one guy waiting outside the restrooms for his partner - whoa! It's a guy coming out of the bathroom, not the girl you expecting. Cue "It's Raining Men," for the walk to the stage. They had to make the choice to mock the same-sex pair,pick out the song, call ASCAP, and pay a license fee to play The Weather Girls.
The guys dance, Nigel and Mary look disgusted and act like twelve year olds on the playground, setting a great example for the kids in America. Cut to choreography, make the editing choice to send each guy away on camera, individually. Cut to the pair walking out of the theater, decide that them leaving needs a soundtrack to mock them, pick out a song (It's a Man's Man's Man's World), call ASCAP, pay another licensing fee, and play the music.
This wasn't just about the off-the-cuff remarks. This wasa premeditated decision on the part of the producers to mock these two guys. It went beyond gay baiting in the judges comments. It took time, thought, and hell, they had to spend money to do it.
And we won't even go into how it plays with the story of Travis Prodoko from last night, which BuddyTV covered and I quoted in my comments on the news article. You can read that yourself.
Do you now see why it's worse?
thanks ed....
thanks for not attacking me Ed. i guess i didn't see it that way before. (hey, i can be slow sometimes, i admit it)
but reading that and other comments, i definetely see why it is worse now.
No problem Liz
It's easy to not attack, because the discussion wasn't about you - it was about the show. You've been around the site much longer than I have (hey, it's less than 4 years old, so don't take that wrong!), and I knew if you weren't getting it, we needed to spell it out a little better.
You know I love ya, Liz!
P.S. - I know I owe you a picture of "little" me, but the last one I was restoring didn't translate well when shrunk to what AE needs. Mom's on vacation, when she gets back I'll ask her for the old photo albums to go through. I haven't forgotten!
hehe, love...
love ya too Ed.
I am glad you haven't forgotten! I always picture 'Ed' as a little blonde boy with overalls on now and giggle when i see a post from you. maybe we should all have our baby photos on display here. :-P
I think the difference is...
that this is about the editing and not so much something that was said. it is the way in which fox presented the idea of two men dancing in any way other than masculine and tradtional to be funny or weird and ridiculous therefore belittling us and those who are sensitive and easily influenced by things that are seen on TV i.e children and teens as they are more susceptable to what they see and read and also it gives teens who aren't gay fuel for the fire and excuses to then bully people who they only have to think are gay.
Again kudos for the article michael, i know not to start watching sytycd and to generally keep a look out for things like this in things like x factor and britains got talent.
OK rant over...=D
My tounge would catch your tounge...were the world mine :-)
Edit: woops seems i was a bit late replying to that one lol =D
The difference
I thought it was extremely
I thought it was extremely offensive, too, Michael, and I don't always see what's so bad about a lot of the things others are offended about! It really was egregious.
I am also very glad that you have brought up the editing and construction of the piece again, because I think a lot of people simply read Nigel's comments on blogs and things and didn't really get why it caused offense--it was the whole segment, not much a few bad comments. Simply, as I think you've talked about in some ways before, the audition shows have typical segments: OMG-I-am-amazed-at-your-dancing, what-a-hearbreaking-story, look-at-these-idiots, etc. etc., and clearly they used the look-at-these-idiots format for Misha and Mitchel.
The how-courageous or how-unique formats would have worked well enough, but I guess then, according to Nigel, the poor, masculine dancers of the world might be too afraid to go to dance class the next day.
And heaven forbid ballroom dancing should ever change or include more than just the heteros-only or man/woman norm!
Here is some more contact
Here is some more contact information.
Wendy's - (614) 764-3100, ext. 2032
Coppertone - 866-288-3330
Breyers Ice Cream - http://www.icecreamusa.com/contact_us/comment.cfm
Hyundai - (800) 633-5151
Payless - CustomerService@csr.payless.com 1-877-474-6379
HP Laptops - http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/contact/email_3.html
Excellent! Thanks, Greg. Just added those
You're never going to get these creeps to apologize
Allow me to offer an alturnative model
May I make this suggestion for a new internet activist model. You have #foxfail, which I don't really understand because I don't tweet so maybe someone will take a second to explain what #foxfail means.
You have a popular site here that receives quick and top placement in google. Use it to this advantage and make Old Navy and the Other sponsors come to us! I want to know why Old Navy are sponsoring Homophobia.
I would like to see a separate page titled:
.../michaeljensen/#foxfail-Old_Navy_ Sponsored_Homophobia.
A page that basically says: Old Navy Sponsors Homophobia by advertising on Fox's reality program: So You Think You Can Dance. providing the appropriate links and all. Then I can sign up to adopt that page and when I call Old Navy I can tell them that I am posting at a Blog about their sponsorship of homophobia and report there what they have to say. If I can point them to an page on the web that calls them out for homophobia, they will take notice and have to respond.
Of course we can all still call the sponsors, but without a response to these requests I would consider that it is a "boycott" of the brand until they do respond.
You will have a web page that will rank high on web searches when people enter "Old Navy" in the search box, Any google ads for Old Navy will rank higher there as well, ironically, so they would be sponsoring their own boycott.
Also I can write a direct appeal to Old Navy with a custom written piece that relates to their brand, advertising and programs. I would like to write a whole piece on how this goes against their brand and they are rip roaring hypocrites if they don't do something about this. Yes, all of my writing would be in the comments section, as well as anyone else's thoughts and experience with that brand.
Forced Apologies
I'm not really a fan of forced apologies. They are absolutely meaningless and are simply said in an effort to keep the peace. If FOX, or SYTYCD apologizes on their own, due to being made aware of how they have offended the dancers and our community, then I will be more accepting of their apology.
Nigel's lame Twitter apology was inadequate. Writing an apology which can be constrained down to 140 characters or less seems rather half-assed to me. In his larger apology of three or four paragraphs he continues to reiterate that he doesn't like effeminate dancing. Though I'm not effeminate, nor a dancer, I can't imagine that those male dancers out there who are effeminate took kindly to his inability to accept that some men are not as masculine as others.
I'm all in favor of helping individuals and companies understand the damage which they have caused with their statements or behaviors but I won't demand an apology - I won't threaten them if they don't apologize - I will take my business elsewhere if it suits me to do so.
I am curious about one thing: Are there no LGBT staff working for SYTYCD who might have seen that segments and said, "Hey, you know what? That might not go over too well."?
~ Dave
For me, it's less about an
For me, it's less about an apology than an indication that they understand our concerns and will try not to make fun of gay men or denigrate effeminate men on the show. I'm not going to watch it anymore because I don't want to get stung twice (and the apologies we've had already are, yes, meaningless).
Forget LGBT staff--what was up with all of the staff--gay, straight, whatever?
regarding forced apologies
I think "forced" apologies do make a difference, even if the apologizer does not feel genuine remorse. It shows an acknowlegement of the wrongness of the bad behaviour. If a somebody behaves inapropriately at work and is forced to apologize, that company is making a statement about the type of behaviour that is considered socially acceptable within their organization. By apologizing, Fox would have to pay a social penalty for incorrect behaviour, whether or not they believe they should have to pay.
It's like getting a parking ticket. Even if you believe you should be allowed to park wherever you want, whenever you want, the fact of having to pay a ticket will ensure you generally only park at allowed times. And it also ensures some sort of "restitution" to society for using up restricted resources, when people fail to follow the rules.
Request
To me, it's about SYTYCD, so
Well, I'm pretty exacting
Maybe you should leave?
Really?
Really? You wrote just to bitch about tagging? Are you that obsessive and anal that you need, NEED this to be tagged as #foxfail and not SYTYCD? This article is very specifically about SYTYCD as well as #foxfail. To whine about tagging just so you don't have to skip over an article is pretty petty and pathetic. Please learn to use your scroll bar.
I read RSS feeds of a number of sites and constantly have to scroll past the uninteresting articles. It's not a big deal.
foxfail SYTYCD
Thank you all for creating a forum on which I can post my feelings.
When I was raised in Missouri, over a half century back, I chafed, cried, fretted and raged at how people treated the subject and the reality of anyone who was not AngloSaxon Protestant (and from the right side of their own family, I might add). When I worked in a restaurant, I was told "If a black person comes in (my words, not theirs) and orders, no matter how they order, make it to go. Don't serve them in a booth." They were Jews, but it was either tell me that or have their business disappear. We were in a white neighborhood and if blacks were seated in the dining room, the white people would stop coming there. (Incidentally, the civil rights movement did not come to our city until ten years later than everywhere else in the country.)
Having lived in a life that had discrimination play such an open role in my life, I KNEW I could not come out, be myself, state my issues honestly, let alone demand equal rights.
Today, matters are very much the same with the entertainment industry. The policy is simple: don't come out. Don't promote gays. If you do, you will 'lose the center of the country' as viewers. That is the fear and the rationale that runs the whole sad shebang.
Sure, it's rationale, but it is as powerful as the forces behind the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany in the forties. In part, it is actually the same effort.
So, we that decry this, that shout it down from the rafters, that refuse to let it stand by just saying "Oh, those boys! They are always going on and on like that!" are fighting back.
Let's not fall out about a battle we might have missed. The idea is to fight the battles we know about.
Good for you, AfterElton and readers!
GET OVER IT!!!!
Holy Crap!!! Can you please just get over one little damn incident in one little episode of that damn show!
Nigel apologized! It's OVER!.... SO F*CKING WHAT if he doesn't like effeminate dancers... he's entitled to his opinion...
You are taking this WAY too far and it's really not THAT big of a deal...
I LOVE SYTYCD for their dancing and that great gay dancers like Nick Lazzarini, Danny Tidwell, Blake McGrath and Travis Wall were able to be showcased on national TV and be adored by the American public... so seriously... GET OVER IT!!!!
No effing WAY!
- duplicate post -
You have my support
OK, so I'm hoping I don't say the wrong thing here again...
I have been reading the articles and comments on this episode, and I have watched a clip of the audition. While I am offended by the episode, I'll be honest and say that I'm not as furious as other people are. I know that sounds lame, but I can't force myself to feel different. But that's also because I'm not one to get furious at something, and I have seen the judges be meaner to other dancers.
BUT, while the episode doesn't make my blood boil, and I have somewhat accepted Nigel's apology, I understand why so many people here are so upset, and they have every right to be. Some of the judges comments definitely crossed the line (likes to see men being men? wtf!), and the editing of the show was deliberately mocking.
And that is why I will stand with the community I love and support and won't watch the show this season. I know it doesn't seem like much, and it's not as aggressive as calling sponsors, but it's what I'm going to do. And depending on how this is handled, I will seriously rethink going to the tour the hold after each season.
You too can be saved by the blog! www.savedbytheblog14.blogspot.com
I may be straight, but I'm not narrow.
Balance
I think it's important for us to proceed clearly and firmly but not hysterically. The truth is, what is politically correct behavior for referring to minorities is a movable point. Reform of the kind we want and deserve doesn't happen all at once -- and, in fact, we don't ask for it all at once, because what we find intolerable and inappropriate is on a continuum.
Nigel's attitudes toward gay dancers has never been enjjoyable, but it didn't seem transgressive until this season. I think that's a little bit of him going further over the line, but it's mostly because we have become more attuned to what is disparagement against gay people. And that's a good thing, because it's not just us (the gay folk) becoming more sensitive and attuned, it's our whole country. Attitudes and behaviors toward black people and other groups didn't change overnight, but it happened, and our is happening.
I think we are making a more lasting impression now than in the past, and I think we can continue insisting on reform. But I don't think we need to go into triple-freak-out mode. There is a balance between standing up for ourselves and leaving scorched earth. Yes, it's possible SYTYCD could have gone back and re-edited all the taped audition shows once we made our objections known...but it's more idealism than realism to expect that. It's expensive to do that, y'all, and we are more likely to expect (and receive) change in the future than in the past. So I don't think we'll really be able to judge how we feel about SYTYCD this season until the live shows begin. At that point, if the judges (and producers) continue the gay-baiting (or, to be precise, the level of old behavior that we will no longer tolerate) then I would stop watching the show.
We are laying down a new line in the sand, and it behooves us to allow these people the opporrunity (and time) to accommodate it.
I'd love to enjoy the show again, but...
You know, I love the show, I love the principle, I love the skill, and I love the eye candy. I've learned to tune most of Nigel out. That may have been my mistake, because it just seemed to empower them to greater acts.
I'm actually not that angry any more about Nigel's childish behavior, or his tweets. I can cope, even if I think he's harming kids. I still haven't heard an apology, even one as weak as he issued for "Brokeback Ballroom" for the editing and the song choices. That was premeditated, and went beyond the in-the-moment comments. Not a single word of apology from the producers, Nigel, or Fox. And that's what has me angry still.
And it has me looking at some things closer - I'm watching it for a pattern. And I keep seeing something insidious, something pervasive about the production, with things like the tall dancer whose father is a football coach. And I find myself agreeing with BuddyTV that it felt like Nigel thought he was father of the year for loving his sissy son.
I've been digging around too - not obsessively, but a little. I followed Nigel on Twitter, which led me to Adam Shankmen. And he's been taking a lot of crap on Twitter, and apologizing for Nigel - even responding to @AfterElton with the party line. But when I looked at another response to someone else on the same subject, he swore that Nigel didn't have a homophobic bone in his body, but said he's had to read them the riot act because something similar happened in Vegas (for the record, Adam is a big Twitlonger user - he can't confine himself to 140 characters).
So I think we've got a bigger problem than Nigel's mouth, and for that reason, I think we're underreacting, if anything.
Love you to death Wags, but this time we'll just have to disagree.
I'll try to send
I'll try to send some emails to those companies relevant for the Netherlands too. Does anyone have an example of such an email I could take a look at?
I'm trying out this blogthing: http://vladivos.wordpress.com/
Example
It is always best if you do this in your own words, if you don't get an answer to your question or you don't like the answer -write again.
You can also provide a link to Michael's Article:
Good morning,
I am writing to you because you sponsor a show on Fox Network.
1) On May 21st 2009, Fox network broadcast the first episode of their new season of the show So You Think You Can Dance. The program produced a segment which was clearly meant to demean and humiliate a same-sex couple.
2) For more information please see
How Fox Packaged Homophobia as Entertainment
http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2009/5/sytycd-packaged-homophobia
3) I am writing to ask why your fine company supports such blatant bigotry and disregard for individuals in the GLBT community. It is shameful that anyone would support this, but I expect more from your company and I would like to know what you are planning to do about it? Since Fox is unwilling to address the issue, I am forced to turn to you. I hope that you are able to explain your continued support of the kind of bigotry that is tearing our community apart.
Signed,
Please respond by eMail or phone at:.
So....
we're not doing this anymore?
How do you call for a show boycott one week, and pimp the show the next? Talk about a a disconnect.