The other night, during a commercial break of the magnum opus known as Titanic, the conversation between myself and 2 friends switched to the cinematic tour de force of the moment; The Dark Knight. Having yet to see the film, I inquired about the performance of Heath Ledger, who is reputed to be the favorite for an Oscar win posthumously.
As to be expected, both friends I asked agreed that Ledger offered a dynamic, nuanced performance. One said it best when she opined "he is creepy, no wonder he couldn't sleep."
Ever the skeptic, I responded that I doubted Ledger could have topped his performance Brokeback Mountain. I viewed Ledger's stilted, tormented, yet indisputably evocative performance as Ennis del Mar is one of the foremost achievements in acting in this decade.
I preceded to enunciate the aforementioned to the two in the room. Almost immediately, I received a bemused, slightly mocking look from the female on my right. I asked why she cast that glance towards me. Keep in mind, this person is not some ignorant rube plucked from the backwoods of Kentucky, she is educated, and an avowed Obama supporter.
She scoffed again, and then proceeded to question, implicitly, my masculinity by asking, in a ridiculing tone, "why would you like that movie?" (I am straight.)
My response was simply "Why shouldn't I?, and that largely quelled her present incredulity, but I could tell she believed that her viewpoint was nevertheless in the right.
Afterwards I got to thinking about the incident. Two possibilities materialized in my mind: Either this is merely an anomalous situation, or her "soft bigotry" (it paints me to borrow Bush administration rhetoric) which manifested itself in her propensity to chide me for, as a straight man, having an affinity for a movie that is centered on a gay relationship.
Hopefully her conduct was merely a product of the former, an inclination that is becoming less frequently. Then again, the liberal, progressive party has a nominee that does not even support gay marriage. That the head of the Democrats can't even deign to support equal rights for homosexuals says a lot about how far to the right the framework for this debate has shifted.
Of course, despite that, progress has indisputably been made towards making our society more understanding and tolerant of alternative lifestyles. Realistic portrayals of homosexual relationships in mainstream media, namely television, is purported to offset the demonization they are victims off from right wing demagoguery. While gays are by no means ubiquitous, highly popular and acclaimed shows have dealt featured gay characters, from Six Feet Under to the Sopranos to Will and Grace.
How much progress has been made? Has media's portrayal of realistic gay relationships triggered a backlash epitomized by my friend's scorn at my love of Brokeback Mountain? Or, is this, as I am hoping, merely characteristic of a dying minority of people who have judgments rooted in a fading bigotry?
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