Monday, April 21, 2008

Viva Hollywood, or How Homophobia is Alive and Well

And then people ask me why I am so vehemently opposed to Traditional Latin American values (read: machismo, homophobia, heteronormativity, etc. - which I agree, aren't exclusively part of the Southern part of this continent, but I grew up with them, so I take their portrayals, especially in the Latin American medium par excellence the Telenovela quite to heart).

Maybe it's because these sort of things happen (on tv nonetheless!)... and are condoned. Here was a perfect chance for a breakthrough: I have to applaud the fact that the show thought it could use with a same-sex scene, but instead of exploring (or full-on repudiating) Vinci's homophobia and using it as a pedagogical tool for its (I'm assuming, mostly Latino) viewership, the show - in all Reality TV beauty, turns it into petty emotional and unwarranted drama. Please notice how never does anyone in the show target the blatant homophobia but instead everyone in the show focuses on 'the nature of acting' and whats-his-face's ideas of being an "actor" (which, undoubtedly includes being in magazines - god how I it angers me that shows like this find ways to at once exploit and create 15-minutes-of-fame-crazed wannabe-performers).

[Thanks for The Film Experience for the Video]

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