The Super Bowl, an annual National Football League (NFL) championship game between two competing teams, is the perfect opportunity to promote awareness on numerous issues. This year’s Super Bowl is scheduled to include a twelve-minute performance from Madonna during the halftime show, bringing national support for gay pride and awareness. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is also hoping to air an advertisement promoting an anti-gay bullying campaign (Wong). Nan Stein’s article, a thorough presentation advocating anti-harassment in an academic setting, can be compared to GLSEN’s strategic move to prevent unnecessary harassment towards the LGBTQ community. I will also deconstruct Theo Van Der Meer’s views on the cultural ontology of gay bashing to further analyze the effects of a national ad campaign. Although verbal and physical harassment may seem inevitable, the Super Bowl presents a supportive environment making it possible for anti-gay bullying campaigns to safely confront individuals for their misuse of the word “gay.”
According to Stein, the definition of bullying is determined by any act of cruelty, isolation, and verbal and physical attacks (31). In this case, we can confirm with GLSEN’s anti-gay bullying claim and support their case. Inappropriately using the word “gay” in replacement for words like “stupid” and “dumb” is, indeed, a form of bullying. While it does not sound as fatal as a physical assault, it is society’s unspoken acceptance of the misused terminology that subconsciously supports bullying. When bullying becomes unmanageable, it is necessary to apply strategies to resolve the disputes (Stein 33). GLSEN’s “Think Before You Speak” campaign to socially ban the use of all negative connotations of the word “gay” would reduce and reverse the social acceptance of young adult microaggression, a concept formally presented in lecture.
There can be many reasons why the term “gay” is socially used in replacement for other negative adjectives. Through my interpretation, peer groups are one explanation. Individuals who may not feel comfortable misusing words or partaking in immoral actions are sometimes pressured to act against their will because of the presence of their peers (Van Der Meer 158). According to Van Der Meer’s, this is an expression of claiming one’s social status and the ability to remain dominant is often ranked higher than moral beliefs. GLSEN’s campaign redefines the value of the word “gay” using social power of well-known celebrities, therefore, reversing the effects of peer groups. Grant Hill and Hilary Duff are a few proud voices that stand strong in the “Think Before You Speak” movement (Wong). To understand the value of Madonna and GLSEN’s gay awareness campaign, it is important to remember the event as a whole. The Super Bowl gathers millions of viewers nationwide, thus, drawing in a large audience for the halftime show. According to Stein, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals are constantly harassed in school settings on a daily basis (32). With that said, we can only imagine how often people mindlessly use the word “gay” through day to day conversations. Drawing in a large audience creates a strong and united atmosphere, acknowledging those who may have felt isolated, and revolutionizing world views one step at a time.
Works
Cited
Stein, Nan. “Bullying, Harassment
and Violence Among Students.” Radical Teacher. No. 8. 2007.Van Der Meer, Theo. “Gay bashing- a rite of passage?” Culture, heath, and sexuality, 2003, vol. 5, no. 2, 153-165.
Wong, Curtis M. “Think Before You Speak, Anti-Gay Bullying Campaign Produced By GLSEN, To Air At Super Bowl.” Huffpost Gay Voices, Huffington Post. Web.1 Feb. 2012.
It is good to know that there is national support for the LGBTQ community. Especially during a football game that is a very patriotic event in the United States. As the LGBTQ community was included, it gave people a view that they are a part of this nation, as much as they are, whether they like it or not. The LGBTQ community is here to stay. The fact that this nation have put being gay or transgender in the negative spectrum of what is a "correct" way to live one's life, it has put a positive spin on our education of LGBTQ individuals.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me proud to know that the LGBTQ community is getting the positive energy they deserve after all the years of constant ridicule for their lifestyle in the United States and around the world. As Nan Stein had mentioned in "Bullying, Harassment, and Violence Among Students", people need to be educated so they can understand others. The word "gay" has been manipulated to a negative connotation. It used to mean happy, and now currently means lame. People may not realize that it hurts to have a negative feel to something that they identify as. With the broadcast of anti-bullying on the LGBTQ community, has made the public more aware of the broader spectrum of sexuality and has made a difference. It gives hope to the future for the acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ identified individuals in this nation.
The misuse of the word gay and its passive effects is an important illustration of how homophobia is not taken seriously. For example, “Put-downs and jokes about “dykes” and “faggots” can be made without the slightest criticism where “nigger” and “chink” jokes, for instance, would bring instant censure or even ostracism”(Smith 114). This portrays the ideal that oppressive views on homosexuality are generally accepted. As people they have been damned based on their sexual preferences, because they do not meet the standards of a healthy heterosexual relationship. The strategy of using athletes, who epitomize masculine straight qualities, is effective. It clever displays people who “normally” embody “straight” characteristics as being accepting of different sexual orientations and recognizing the faults of exclusive language. Furthermore, the placement of this ad during the Super Bowl, which many would claim to be a masculine event, was the perfect situation to promote these ideas of tolerance. A majority of these viewers are male, and tend to have homophobic tendencies towards other males. Many males feel the need to use the word gay, as a way to reaffirm their masculinity to other males, so that they are not perceived homosexual. This ad provides a positive way of blatantly illustrating, that using the word gay in a derogatory sense, is unneeded and offensive.
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