Can’t Stop the Music

November 21, 2007

AE: Since you’re so well-versed in politics, I wanted to talk about the candidates in the upcoming presidential primaries. Are there any candidates you’d care to throw your hat behind?
NM: Dennis Kucinich is good. For a Republican, Ron Paul is good. This early in the game, I find it disheartening that some of the candidates continue to play Republican-lite on the Democratic side. If there was ever a time, when people were ready to hear the truth or ready to be spoken to honestly, it’s now and they are blowing it.

AE: Would you have considered voting for Stephen Colbert?
NM: (laughs) I heard he liked my stuff, so maybe I should.

AE: For someone who’s known for her liberal politics, what qualities do you like about Ron Paul?
NM: Well, I like things that call for less government intrusion into our lives. I think that’s really important to talk about now, because now it’s easier than ever before. Our freedoms have been given away without any fuss or debate. That’s a real problem.

Soundbytes

Urban pop is rarely political, but on Matthew Duffy’s latest release, Healing Machine, the Tisch School of Arts graduate ditches throbbing reverb for C-SPAN electronica. Hell, he even manages to snag introspective Cat Stevens cover, “The Wind” and a catchy little number about the environment. “This album is about me commenting on what’s around me,” Duffy told GayWired. “It’s silly to assume people don’t want to think when they listen to dance music,” he added.

Submitted by

Dennis Ayers

on Wed, 2007-11-21 00:48.

TAGS ::

Why is herpes funny?

Submitted by

kwik (6 points) (1 post)

on Wed, 2007-11-28 13:14.

"It’s fitting that Blackout was banished into the runners-up position like some overeager partygoer with herpes."

I can't imagine anyone at this site writing "It’s fitting that Blackout was banished into the runners-up position like some overeager partygoer with AIDS," so why is it still acceptable to giggle like high-school girls about herpes?

In terms of shame and acceptance, despite being far more wide-spread than HIV, Herpes has a long way to go. It's still considered a dirty disease. Sure, a celebrity can be honored for opening up to being HIV+, but you'll never see a celebrity openly state they have herpes.

Just because one disease is deadly and the other isn't doesn't mean the less deadly one is funny. Herpes, though being far from fatal, has real implications for a person's ability to pursue relationships and to be able to be intimate in them--especially when cultural attitudes such as yours are maintained and promoted. There's a lot of lonely people out there who you just pushed further into the corner.

no votes

see individual ratings