Thursday, January 18, 2007

"Fag"

I'm a huge fan of Grey's Anatomy. I have been since day one. I'm kinda obsessed, in fact. Like, most of the TV I watch—and I watch a lot of freakin’ television—but most of the TV I watch gets Tivo’d and then stored up until I have a moment to catch up on, say, my Ugly Bettys, or my Top Chefs, or my Standoffs, or whatever.

But not Grey's. Oh freaking no. Grey's Anatomy is appointment viewing, Grey's Anatomy cannot wait until tomorrow, Grey's Anatomy has gotta be watched when it's on.

It's, like, my drug: I gotta have it.

This whole Isaiah Washington fiasco makes me sad. It’s not gonna make me stop watching Grey’s because I love me some Grey’s (I told you, it’s my drug) and besides, Washington is not the face of Grey’s, he’s just a small piece of the Grey’s puzzle (and he keeps getting smaller, because the longer this off-stage debacle goes on, the less I care about his character--a character I used to love), but still: the whole situation is so fucked up. (I'm not going to get into all of the details of what went down because the story has been covered all over the blogosphere in the past few days and if you don't know what I'm talking about you can follow some of the links below.)

Washington just released a statement apologizing for his words, and that’s a good first step, I suppose, but still I feel like there have got to be repercussions for Washington’s multiple remarks. If you just slap him on the hand and say “don’t do that”—if there are no consequences—then what are you saying to the world? You’re saying that calling someone a “faggot” is not really that bad a thing.

I’m sorry, but it is.

It should be simple: calling someone a “faggot” is as bad as calling someone a “nigger,” (I'm almost embarrassed to write that sentence because it seems so, like, "duh") but I don’t think "faggot" is viewed by the world at large as such a hellacious word. That’s why the “legit” press chose to focus on the physical confrontation between Washington and Patrick Dempsey back in October, while they barely acknowledged the “faggot” part of the story—sure, that part of the story came out, but it trickled out slowly, and it didn’t get nearly as much coverage as it should have, or as it finally is getting, now that the word has been bandied about for a second time, at the Golden Globe Awards the other night.

I work as a substitute teacher and I have heard teenagers call other teens “fag” many, many times. It’s the insult de rigueur. Just today, in fact, I noticed a sidetable in the classroom with several magazines, including a recent Vanity Fair which had been vandalized with the lovely word. (I took a picture, below.) (The blue eyeshadow effect was made by my camera rather than the homophobic student who originally vandalized the magazine, but I think it’s a nice final touch, don’t you?)

It’s just a word. But it’s ugly. And we need to treat it as such. Because we’re raising a generation of kids who use it and they use it well. Let’s stop letting them.

(p.s. I love how T.R. Knight handled the situation on the Ellen Degeneres Show yesterday, and I didn't think I could love Katharine Heigl more [she wuz robbed at the GG's! she shoulda won], until she made these comments and won me over even more.)

34 comments:

christy said...

Katherine Heigl was SO ROBBED at the GGs!

And sigh...Dr. Burke...to use the phrase "God put it on my heart".

It makes me sad. Except for the fact that TR Knight is just about the most loveable man anywhere, ever, that makes me happy. In a frustrated kind of way.

Anyway. What I really wanted to tell you is at lunch today I said you "have a commanding presence." (I actually said, "He has a commanding presence." if you want to split hairs.)

I was eating with this girl (woman?) I'm temping with who is also becoming a sub, but she's a waif and seems a little bit frightened by the idea of a classroom full of students and I was telling her about what you were saying about the different grades, etc. and she wanted to know what you were like, physically, and then that seemed to intimidate her further which is so NOT what I wanted to happen to her over lunch with me.

Erik said...

Re: Katherine Heigl: sooooooooo robbed. I can't even remember who beat her now, that's how robbed she was. And I hate to pick favorites, but Izzie's definitely at least *one of* my favorite Grey's characters.

Christy, have you watched the clips of TR on Ellen? In the second segment, when he's talking about "the incident," he's pretty uncomfortable (however, still eloquent), but in the first segment he is unbelievably adorable.

THANK YOU for the "commanding presence" compliment! I like that. I don't think of myself as having a commanding presence. Loud sometimes, maybe. But commanding? I like that.

Erik said...

urp,

your comment just now got me teary eyed. thank you. i was thinking that katherine heigl is like a mama cub protecting her loved one, and it's nice to think of you as my mama cub, as someone who has my back like that.

and YES: change, change, CHANGE! it's comin'.

christy said...

oh, I only saw the adorable clip. i have to go find the other one.

Erik said...

OMG, how great was that scene at the end with George and Cristina???

Me: sobbing.

Erik said...

1. you spelled it right.

2. i also loved the scene where they were all sitting around the table and they had to decide what to do and the whole family was looking to George. that was a killer scene.

3. and i thing Addison and Karev are HOT, i am so for them.

4. and every episode i like callie more.

5. and the scene with Izzie and Bailey on the gurney at the end of the ep was killer also. my heart was screaming, "you go girl."

6. fantastic ep for tr and heigl, yes.

7. oh, and how great was the scene with the two moms (george's mom and the girl's mom) in the waiting room. i might be mistaken, but as a grey's junky i'm right here, and if i am: that was only the second time in the history of the show that there was a scene with a conversation between only two characters where both characters were series regulars. the first time was during the bomb episode, that one scene with christina ricci and the aenesthesiologist. (sp?) And yeah, i realize that George was in the scene with the two moms tonight, but the scene was really between the two moms (well, okay, it worked on a few levels, because the scene was also there for george to hear that info about his dad's cancer, but still it was a lovely scene between two women being hopeful and scared together). And it was a great scene.

8. And I love that Izzie baked, I love that that's a tic of hers.

9. and urp, i couldn't boycott either.

Erik said...

i meant to say "as a grey's junky I THINK i'm right here."

Anonymous said...

ok first, Mr. Washington needs to be canned. He's a smug fucker, who I'm sure is a sad DL closet asshole, who needs to be fired. I'm just as big a Greys freak as present company, and don't we all sorta hate him. "Oh I'm the best, my hand shakes, I can't talk to my GF cuz I'm a douche" whan whan whan, RECAST. The end.

BUT the thing about this post is (real) 1st: that you have a camera that gays up whatever it takes a pic of! That's priceless!!!!!

and 2nd, I sorta wanna think that that person who wrote fag across Tom's face did it like a political act, cuz he too wont come out.

and again, your camera is so gay, i love it!

Michal said...

Ok first of all, I know I' ve said this before, but I'll say it again... this show makes it very difficult to breathe. You're so right Erik, IT TOTALLY IS MY DRUG.

I will totally NOT stop watching because of this ridiculous fiasco. IW is just such a fool. The one thing I will say though, is that I found it very distracting to watch the scenes with him and George at the end... all I could think about was what a dick he is in real life! ugh.
And ya know... power to TR for his Ellen appearance. That took some major balls. And Katherine Heigl's comments just made me love her so much more. I could go on and on...

But last night episode was... sigh...

At one point, I noticed Jeremie staring at me with the most puzzled look on his face... HE JUST DOESNT GET IT.

so glad I found a support group here!

Anonymous said...

Somebody needs to hand over TR's awards for this whole dad's dying storyline NOW. Last night he was so out of the park great there are no words. That scene when he tells off the other doctors for going through with his father's request---Oh.My God. And don't even get me started with the round table discussion about life support. And I don't know if it was this week or last, that scene where George is outside his dad's room and he just says, so sad, "He's my dad . . ." Lord help me, he is too too good. I so want to take him home and hug him all over.

Anonymous said...

Christina's club sucks, but I do wanna join the mamma cub club.

On second thought, I don't think I have to join. I think birthing such a commanding cub puts me in the club. Am I right?

I so wanted Christine to hug George at the end, and it was so right that she didn't.
PAM

Anonymous said...

Yeah. her club sucks. i agree. krista vernoff has a great blog about it. i will post a link later. is anyone else having probs opening the blog? i can only open it on my phone for some reason. scary.

christy said...

I agree with everything everyone's said about last night's episode, but I only have to add, I mentioned it last episode too (erik your blog is SO a GA addicts support group)...

The guy who play's Meredith's dad is unbelievable. UN-FUCKIN-BELIEVABLE!

And when Meredith was asking Christina if it was weird that she was kind of jealous of George...that's EXACTLY what I was blogging about that one time. So I didn't think it was weird at all, even though Christina did.

Erik said...

YES, this is the Grey's Anatomy Support Group. I so support that idea. I love it, you all belong here.

Erik said...

Jesse.

My camera is SO gay.

Erik said...

I wish my camera phone put eyeliner on people too, and not just blue eyeshadow, but the eyeshadow is nice.

Erik said...

Michal, I agree with you that the IW scenes last night were distracting.

But still, it was one of the best episodes yet. I just hope that all of the crap offstage doesn't affect the quality of the show.

Have I already said how much I love the scene with Izzie and Bailey on the gurney at the end of last night's episode.

Erik said...

Here's a link to the Krista Vernoff post I mentioned above.

Erik said...

Doug, every single one of those scenes you mentioned: totally stellar. I agree.

Erik said...

PAM, you are th president of the Mamma Cub club!

Erik said...

Christy, yes, the guy who played his dad (George Dzundza) is a great actor, it's sad he won't get any more guest shots on the show.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the guy who plays Merideth's dad Mr Katims from My So-Called Life? The cool gay teacher? LOVED him. Don't even get me started on that show. I'm still in mourning.

Erik said...

DOUG, yes, the actor who plays Mer's dad (Jeff Perry) played the teacher on MSCL.

I lived for that show. So friggin good. Perfect actually. Almost, at least.

My three favorite episodes have got to be:

(1) the one where Angela finds out about the Jordan/Rayanne hookup, that ends with the girls doing the scene from Our Town. Whenever I see that scene, I want the drama teacher to shout "that's what I'm looking for! THAT IS GREAT ACTING!" because it's the most amazingly acted scene and it's just ridiculous (in a good way) that these two teenagers would act the crap out of Our Town like that, but it's because they aren't acting--it's all about what happened between jordan and rayanne.

(2) the world happiness dance episode, the one that brian krakow narrated

(3) the one where Jordan is trying to pressure Angela to do it--you know the ep, it ends with her on her bike riding over that hill crest and she takes her hands off of the steering wheel and says the thing about "sometimes just being yourself is enough."

and i can't stop at just 3 favorite episodes:

(4) the one where rayanne OD's.

I feel like a terrible MSCL fan because i used to know the titles of every episode, but i don't anymore.

Anonymous said...

OMG I can still see Rayanne's face in that Our Town episode. So great. And the image of Angela on her bike is burned in my brain---isn't that the last image of the show ever, Angela on her bike (not that episode you mentioned, but another)? The best part ever, though, as you've mentioned before: every scene featuring Clair Danes' quivering lip when she's about to cry. Like I said, don't get me started. I only vaguely remember the episodes, but there are images and moments that have stuck with me; that show was on when my dad was dying of cancer so it was a strange sort of catharsis to ache along with Angela during the whole thing with my dad.

Erik said...

No, the last image of the show was of Brian standing in the dark street, watching Jordan's car drive off with Angela in it, his hopes of ever being with her dying as the car disappears down the street. Brian was tutoring Jordan and Jordan wanted to win Angela back and they have a Cyrano thing--Brian writes a letter to Angela, finally saying everything he's ever felt about her, and then signs the letter "Jordan" and Angela is so excited and won over and she has never gotten a letter like this and she tells Jordan that she'll take him back but she wants him to talk like he did in the letter, but of course Jordan can't and he just keeps trying to kiss her, and then in the last scene Angela is waiting for Jordan to pick her up and Brian is there because he always loiters in the street (waiting for Angela to appear) (not that he was a stalker, he just didn't have anything else to do) (but love Angela) (and study) and then Angela figures out that Brian wrote the letter ("you wrote it didn't you? DIDN'T YOU, brian???") and he doesn't admit it BUT SHE KNOWS...and still...she can't. And then Jordan shows up and she gets in the car with him...

...and the show was over. And I imagine that Angela and Brian grew distant as he got more and more involved in AP classes and getting ready for college and then he went off to some big brainiac school like Harvard and met another brainiac girl and they had lots of brainiac children and occasionally Brian would bump into Angela when he went back home for the holidays, and maybe they'd even sit in the tree and talk, or stand in the middle of the street...

...and Angela? I imagine Angela dated Jordan for a while, maybe the rest of the year, but then he probably cheated on her, and then, finally (hopefully) she and Rayanne started talking again and they maybe became close but it wasn't ever quite like it was, but still it was nice--and then Angela went off to school and...who knows...but i feel like she did good things. she was a good kid, after all.

Erik said...

Urp:

yes, yes, YES. every time you watch that show, you hope. you ache.

the awkwardness of it all. remember that scene in the car where they kiss for the first time? how she's trying to talk to him and then he keeps kissing her and each time she pulls away, like, "Stop! What are you doing?!? I'm tring to talk to you!" And then, finally, when she's thinking that "this would be the perfect time for him to kiss me," he leans in to her...and opens the car door for her to leave. So painful, so true. That's why the show was so great. It was filled with moments like that.

so "wonderfully delicious," i could not agree more.

Erik said...

I love how this went from being the Grey's Anatomy Addicts Support Group thread...

...to the My So-Called Life Addicts Support Group thread.

i LOVE thinking of Angela as a successful writer, that's perfect.

Anonymous said...

Wow, look what I started. I love that you guys imagine what Angela and Brian and the rest moved on to. And now that you mentioned it, I do remember that last scene of the last episode and the delicious ache of loving how beautifully written it was and how sad you feel that it's all over. I kind of hope it stays over, though. No reunion show, please. I like that the show stays just the way it is with the ellipsis at the end.

Erik said...

Oh it's over. I can't imagine them ever being able to get that whole group back together for a reunion show. Whenever Claire Danes and Jared Leto talk about the show in interviews, I get the feeling that they have nostalgia for it but are v. glad to be adults now and have moved on. Like, the painful awkwardness that was the show was also their lives.

Freaks and Geeks ended on a perfect little ellipse too. I think My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks are definitely two of the best shows ever. When I watch them, they make me want to relive high school. Which is weird. Because of all of the awkwardness and pain of that time. But there's something so fresh about it too. Life was bigger back then...when every little crisis is the end of the world. As awful as it was, it was thrilling too.

christy said...

Not to interrupt your MSCL meeting, because I loved the show too but just started getting into it right before it was cancelled, and we've all talked about how the DVD on Amazon is like four-thousand bajillion dollars...

But I was talking about the actor who plays Meredith's dad (so I read your comment and panicked, thinking, "What do you mean he's not going to have any more guest spots!?"). George's dad was great too, though, and it is very sad he won't get any more guest spots.

The whole Meredith/real dad thing even though it is TINY in comparison to the George/dad thing has had this really deep effect on me in comparison.

Erik said...

Christy, my bad, you totally *said* Meredith's dad and for whatever reason (maybe I had a stroke) I read "George's dad."

Jeff Perry (who plays Mer's dad) is a terrific actor and hopefully he will be on hundreds of more episodes of Grey's. That was a great scene at the end of the episode when she found out that she gets her snoring from him.

Erik said...

Oh, and how sad is it that the other comment thread never got to comment #100?

So sad.

Anonymous said...

Can I just say I would also
THROW
DOWN
so hard for you.

Erik said...

THANK YOU, E.