# George Takei... Am I missing something here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959 "2013-02-21T11:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/21 "2013-02-21T15:12:01Z")
I’m not even gay and I think he’s awesome for bringing cool Asians to the forefront. And maybe allowing a few Asians to be gay and accept themselves - it’s still very difficult. And he’s just funny as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/22 "2013-02-21T15:17:31Z")
I was watching some news program the other day (Can’t remember which one) but a pundit on there made a very good point regarding modern day issues with gays. The media is slowly but surely portraying gays as normal now. They’re just regular folks like anyone else. It used to be that the word gay would conjure up images of a bunch of guys in flamboyant costumes marching in a Gay Pride parade. Now, when you hear gay,(on the media) it conjures up images of soldiers fighting our wars in the ME, conjures up images of people who just want marry the person that they love, ect… Real people with real problems. Not some caricature you see on some sitcom. I think George is the perfect embodiment of that. The normal guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/23 "2013-02-21T16:33:33Z")
I regularly share his posts. But he needs to stop plugging his book 14 times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/24 "2013-02-21T17:28:17Z")
Also (from the wiki page) on Nickelodeon’s **Supah Ninjas** ; “George Takei as Grandpa “Hologramps” Fukunaga, the sensei of the Supah Ninjas and Mike’s deceased grandfather. A hologram carrying the family ninja legacy, he guides and trains the Supah Ninjas and in an underground high-tech dojo under Mike and Martin’s home and uses a robot to guide them to fight.” ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/25 "2013-02-21T18:02:10Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Just to be clear, it’s not Tennessee, it’s a few right wing-nut legislators. The “don’t say gay” bill hasn’t passed and probably never will in the statehouse. > > On topic: George Takei is awesome. Okay, not actually Tennessee itself, but some of legislators from Tennessee and supported by their constituents from Tennessee who voted for them and will probably keep voting for them, but not Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/26 "2013-02-21T18:02:50Z")
I have nothing against George Takei; he seems like a decent sort. But IMHO, he is garnering so much attention mainly because he has become a sort of hipster touchstone. “Liking” him and sharing his posts is a way of saying, “I’m cool and accepting of people different than me and that makes me better than all you Neanderthals out there.” At least, that’s the feeling I get from the phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/27 "2013-02-21T18:07:11Z")
I never watched Star Trek, but I first heard of him on facebook with the “ok to be Takei” campaign. He seems like a cool guy, even though he’s like 112 years old. I don’t follow him on Facebook, but my mom does. She reposts his best stuff so I eventually see it. Really dug the 50 Shades of Gray reading recently, as well. OH MY! ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/28 "2013-02-21T18:07:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The recently revived bill has been modified to be even more evil than it was before. The new provision in the bill states that teachers are required to tell parents if a student confides that she or he is gay. It’s my understanding they will be required to inform the child’s parents if there is even a suspicion of homosexual tendencies. It really is one of the most disgusting, cruel laws I’ve ever heard of. As a future Tennessean (I move in 2 weeks!) it appalls me, and I hope it never passes. I will certainly fight it. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/29 "2013-02-21T18:36:44Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > It’s my understanding they will be required to inform the child’s parents if there is even a suspicion of homosexual tendencies. > > It really is one of the most disgusting, cruel laws I’ve ever heard of. As a future Tennessean (I move in 2 weeks!) it appalls me, and I hope it never passes. I will certainly fight it. As a Tennessean for nearly 20 years, I seriously doubt that it will pass, even with the Pubs having a supermajority in the statehouse. The yahoos there tend to sponsor some of the most outrageous legislation to get their constituants’ bowels in an uproar and quietly let a lot of it die. But it gets a lot of attention when it is proposed. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/30 "2013-02-21T19:20:09Z")
I love him because he’s so funny and open on Howard Stern and he post nice things on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/31 "2013-02-21T19:53:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 2.) He was Hikaru Sulu in the original _Star Trek_ and in the subsequent movies. At first it looks as if they wanted to make him a biologist or something (in the second pilot he’s fussing with plants) His first appearance is as “Physicist Sulu” > [@](#): > > So he became a navigator. Sulu was the helmsman. Chekov was the navigator. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/32 "2013-02-21T20:01:49Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I have nothing against George Takei; he seems like a decent sort. But IMHO, he is garnering so much attention mainly because he has become a sort of hipster touchstone. “Liking” him and sharing his posts is a way of saying, “I’m cool and accepting of people different than me and that makes me better than all you Neanderthals out there.” > > At least, that’s the feeling I get from the phenomenon. I’m about as far from a hipster as you can get. I have no hipster friends. He posts funny things. Most are quite innocent and not very hip (like Star Trek memes). He sometimes talks about marriage equality and other political issues but it is definitely the minority of his posts. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/33 "2013-02-21T20:02:00Z")
George is great. What’s not to like? He’s fun, he’s a 75-year-old guy who “gets” the internet (not only gets it, but grabs it with both hands and makes it do his bidding), he’s a good role model for gay kids and those who support them, he’s happily married/partnered to the same person for oodles of years, he’s funny, and by everything I’ve heard about him, he’s a genuinely nice guy. That’s even leaving out his contributions to Star Trek. I think the world needs more people like George. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/34 "2013-02-21T21:11:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 1.)George Takei has a LOT of exposure. He began doing vboioce-over work back in the 1950s (His voice shows up on the english language dubs of some _kaiju_ films from the 1950s). He’s in episodes of _Twilight Zone_ and other series even before _Star Trek_. > > 2.) He was Hikaru Sulu in the original _Star Trek_ and in the subsequent movies. At first it looks as if they wanted to make him a biologist or something (in the second pilot he’s fussing with plants), but I guess they realized that, if that were the case, we’d never see him, and (as the visible asian-ancestry cast member) that would never do. So he became a navigator. He was young and got to do nifty things like fencing with his short off, so he was highly visible and relatable, not just a random crew member. So he was “prime crew”, and showed up in the movies as well. > > 3.) He parlayed the fan affection by writing. He co-wrote a book with Robert Lynn Asprin (_Mirror Friend/Mirror Foe_ about a futuristic ninja that shows hiom on the cover bare-chested with a sword, like in that Star Trek _The Naked Time_ episode. He wrote issues of the _Star Trek_ comics.\* > > 4.) He continued his voice work. Partyly because of his experience, and partly for his familiarity, he became in demand. As Pepper Mill has noted, he became the “go to” guy for asian voices. He’s done a lot of episodes of _The Simpsons_, both in and out of character. He was the elder i n Disney’s _Mulan_. And other things. > > 5.) Now that he’s older and an ico n of the old Star Trek series, he appears on things like _Big Bang Theory_ and talk shows. He’s riding the Adam Westian nosdtalgia wave. > > 6.) Now that he’s come out (at a time when it’s trendy) he’s a visible and notable gay figure and quasi-spokesman. Don’t forget: > [@Caricci](#): > > I love him because he’s so funny and open on Howard Stern and he post nice things on Facebook. He’s really great on Howard Stern. Calling him “open” is an understatement. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/35 "2013-02-21T21:25:06Z")
He tweeted about the [satellite project](http://www.skycube.org) I’ve been working on, earning us probably a few tens of thousands of dollars, and even kicked us some funding himself. So yeah, he’s an awesome dude. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/36 "2013-02-21T21:48:02Z")
Takei also made [this clip on Youtube responding to homophobic basketball players a few years back](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s1iQODC5OI), which is both insightful and inspiring in addition to being completely hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/37 "2013-02-21T22:59:48Z")
Moving over to Cafe Society, which is just what George Takei would do. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/38 "2013-02-21T23:17:38Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > I love him because he’s so funny and open on Howard Stern . Yes, I know a “real manly man” type who cringes from teh gay, but listens to Howard Stern every day. A few years ago they threw George an on-air ‘bachelor party’ when he married his partner. (Party games: Guess What’s Up My Ass? and Prettiest Penis Contest. Oh, MY! :D) It was excrutiatingly funny, and ever since, this person thinks George is tha bomb and loves loves loves him, “he’s all right, ya know?” (plus residual love of the original ST series). ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/39 "2013-02-21T23:25:48Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > “Liking” him and sharing his posts is a way of saying, “I’m cool and accepting of people different than me and that makes me better than all you Neanderthals out there.” How is acceptance of people different from oneself _not_ cool? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959/40 "2013-02-21T23:28:32Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I have nothing against George Takei… Unless you’re slow-dancing and just can’t help it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-takei-am-i-missing-something-here/650959.md?page=3)