Screaming Queens at 10 O'Clock

[andrewducker]

I went to see The Producers a few days ago, and came out of it feeling remarkably unsure of my feelings.

Not about the movie itself (it's a competent filming of a fun musical stage-show.  Worth seeing, with some wonderful moments.) but about its portrayal of gay people.

The director of the musical within the musical is gay.  And screamingly camp.  As is his "live-in" entourage.  All of whom delight in dressing up as members of the Village People and prancing around.  Except for the lesbian, obviously, who wears a shirt and is dumpy.

In other words, they're remarkably obvious caricatures.  Who are then used to make jokes about gay sex and campness.

Should I be offended by this?

I mean, I'm not gay.  And I know there _are_ remarkably camp people out there.  And also butch lesbians in shirts.

But if the caricatures had been similarly broad takes on, say, black people - we'd have been watching blacked-up white people doing a modern Black and White Minstrel Show, and a huge fuss would have been made.

So I feel like I should have been offended, but I'm not entirely sure.  Anyone else got a take on it?

Comments

[dougs.livejournal.com]

There are also broad caricatures of Nazis, and of rich little old ladies, and of female office assistants, and of accountants. None of which warranted mention.

[andrewducker]

Caricatures of belief systems and jobs seem different to me than caricatures of groups that people are born into.

[marrog.livejournal.com]

You may have hit on the problem right there. It could be, and is argued that screaming queers choose to behave and dress in that way.

Instead of making the comparison with offensive charicatures of black people, what about making it with AliG-esque apeing of obnoxious hand waving bling wearing ganstas? Is it still offensive?

Or is it only offensive because people don't know that all queers aren't like that, whereas they're assumed to know that not all black people are like that? And do they? And is that the fault of the comedians? Is it our duty as joke-tellers to stop telling Scotsman/Englishman/Irishman jokes because some people think Irish people are thick?

I should add that I'm just picking a random side here. I have no opinion, strangely enough. I tend to go with a gut "Does it make me uncomfortable?", and I haven't seen the film yet.