# Uncle Bruce's Cabin: A Media Rant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 13, 2001, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983 "2001-08-13T02:45:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/1 "2001-08-13T02:45:23Z")
I just finished watching tonight’s episode of \* Six Feet Under\* with yet **another** dysfunctioanl gay guy having drunken, unsafe sex with a male hooker in a Vegas car park. WTF? There are the selfish, shallow queens on \* queer As Folk\*,; there are the drag queens in _The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_ and _To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar_, and how can we forget Jack 2000 and his eunuch pal Will on \* will & Grace\*? Would it absolutely **kill** the entertainment industry to give us a positive gay image on a TV show? I’m a masculine gay man who does not do drag or sprinkle witty and sarcastic comments in every sentence I utter or does anything remotely fabulous. I’d like to see a nice, sensible, un-fucked up gay man who is the hero, not the gay neighbor or the flaming fucking comedy relief or the negative, drug-addicted, AIDS-getting queen. ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Rubin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billy_rubin/32/3622_2.png) [@Billy\_Rubin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Rubin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/2 "2001-08-13T02:49:13Z")
What fun would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Rubin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billy_rubin/32/3622_2.png) [@Billy\_Rubin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Rubin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/3 "2001-08-13T02:51:08Z")
I’m very sorry, I couldn’t resist. Hollywood eidently doesn’t find anything normal to be entertaining. Doubt they’ll ever make a good role model for anything. Again, sorry about the wisecrack. b. ---
**Author:** ![Lesath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df788c/32.png) [@Lesath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lesath)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/4 "2001-08-13T02:53:56Z")
The day they give gay men a positive image is the day they hire a woman with small breasts. Because there are more homosexuals declaring their love, there could be someone who will actually break the rules. All we can do is pray and maybe bash some skulls. ~Lesath ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/5 "2001-08-13T02:58:13Z")
One of the things I liked initially about _Six Feet Under_ was how matter-of-factly they handled the relationship between David and Keith. I’m still hoping that they will get back together. It seems like Keith is that type of “nice, sensible, un-fucked up gay man who is the hero” character if they will allow him to be. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/6 "2001-08-13T02:58:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lesath \* > The day they give gay men a positive image is the day they hire a woman with small breasts. Ever watch Ally McBeal? ---
**Author:** ![Lesath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df788c/32.png) [@Lesath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lesath)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/7 "2001-08-13T03:03:45Z")
True, but then again, most of them are anorexic. The woman who plays Ally McBeal looks worse each episode. ~Lesath ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/8 "2001-08-13T03:06:58Z")
Mind you, the actor playing the male hooker was HOT! ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/9 "2001-08-13T03:10:23Z")
I think that Six Feet Under portrays homosexuality better than any other show I’ve ever seen. As **JeffB** says, it’s matter of fact, and it’s not a characiture. Tonight’s episode just shows how low David’s sunk. And, it’s not just a gay thing, straight guys get drunk and have unprotected sex with prostitutes. In general, I think it’s pretty positively portrayed on 6FU. It could be worse… ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/10 "2001-08-13T03:24:06Z")
I was pretty impressed with the gay characters from **Four Weddings and a Funeral**. Devoted to each other, loving, human, and an example to the rest of the characters. Other than that, there’s not a lot of role models out there, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/11 "2001-08-13T04:17:37Z")
I remember Matt on Melrose Place before he became Michael’s stoodge. He seemed to be the only one with his shit together-he just sort of seemed to look at everyone else like, “You’re fucking out of your gourd.” ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/12 "2001-08-13T04:27:56Z")
What a Faaaaaaaaaaaab rant goboy. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/13 "2001-08-13T04:42:57Z")
From what I’ve seen of “Spin City”, it seems that the character named (I think) Carter is a pretty normal, decent, respectable gay man. He’s also got to be practically the only black gay man on TV. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/14 "2001-08-13T07:16:35Z")
Care to explain just exactly what this… > [@](#): > > Would it absolutely **kill** the entertainment industry to give us a positive gay image on a TV show? has to do with this? > [@](#): > > I’m a masculine gay man who does not do drag or sprinkle witty and sarcastic comments in every sentence I utter or does anything remotely fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/15 "2001-08-13T07:23:05Z")
I just assume that a portion of the supporting characters whose sexuality is never alluded to are homosexual. ---
**Author:** ![SFCanadian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@SFCanadian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SFCanadian)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/16 "2001-08-13T07:28:31Z")
I think that David on 6 Feet Under is a great portrayal of a self-loathing closet case… and his ex-boyfriend Keith is a great example of someone who respects himself and is a normal Gay person… From going to the HBO website, the guy who plays Keith has billing right up there with everyone else… I have the feeling he’s gonna be back… And after all, David in just a few weeks was outed to his brother and brother’s girlfriend, his sister, and now his mother… Maybe he’ll start going to the Gay Church with Keith yet! But I don’t think he’s the only lousy role model on the show… Let’s see - the mother had an affair before her husband died, and squirts total strangers with garden hoses, the daughter was doing crystal when she found out her father died, Nate and Brenda had sex in a broom closet at the airport when they first met (unsafe I believe too), and the father had a secret apartment… Oh, and let’s see - Brenda’s brother is Manic Depressive and is turning out to be a wacko, and Brenda’s parents are totally fucked up psychotherapists who let their kids be analyzed for years by someone who wrote a book about them… I think David is looking more normal by the minute, come to think of it! SFCanadian ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/17 "2001-08-13T07:36:13Z")
I dunno. Maybe as a \*non-\*normal, _non-_“straight”-acting, _non_-monogamous, _non_-butch faggot, I rather enjoy seeing myself reflected, especially seeing as how most of _gay_ media seems to be predicated around denigrating, denying, hiding, and vituperating my existence. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/18 "2001-08-13T14:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamia \* > \*\*From what I’ve seen of “Spin City”, it seems that the character named (I think) Carter is a pretty normal, decent, respectable gay man. He’s also got to be practically the only black gay man on TV. \*\* Um, point of fact – Keith on _Six Feet Under_ is black and gay. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/19 "2001-08-13T15:10:19Z")
> [@](#): > > I dunno. Maybe as a non-normal, non-“straight”-acting, non-monogamous, non-butch faggot, I rather enjoy seeing myself reflected, especially seeing as how most of gay media seems to be predicated around denigrating, denying, hiding, and vituperating my existence. In DC, drag is out and very obvious. Most bars have a drag night, there’s Drag Bingo at Club Chaos, the most popular emcee at gay events is a drag queen named Esther Goldberg, and the media covers all of it. In fact, there has been at least [one](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20081-2001Aug1.html)article on drag queens in the Post. Nobody’s vituperating your existence, but flaming queens are, with the exceptions of Carter on _Spin City_ and David on _6FU_, the face of Gay America. If you see a gay guy in a movie, he’s an effeminate weakling, like the pathetic, sad queer played by Greg Kinnear in _As Good As It Gets_, or evil, like the serial killer in _Silence of the Lambs_ There have been a few positive gay-themed movies made by gay filmmakers, like _The Broken Hearts Club_, but they are only shown in art theaters and go unnoticed by most of America. And as a sidenote, I wish you would get it through your hesd, **Matt** , that you might want to go through life as a non-monogamous, drag-wearing, shock-the-middle-class, gay guy, but the antics of your tribe are only fuel for the anti-gay Right. It’s really hard to argue that most gay men are decent, tax-paying regular folk who want to adopt kids and get legally married when the drag queens show up waving signs saying, “We want to seduce your sons.” (real sign in a gay pride parade in SF) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983/20 "2001-08-13T15:20:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JeffB \* > \*\* > Um, point of fact – Keith on _Six Feet Under_ is black and gay. \*\* I’ll take your word for it, since I don’t have HBO (or Showtime, or whatever pay channel _Six Feet Under_ is on). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-bruces-cabin-a-media-rant/75983.md?page=2)