Ron Howard: 'The Dilemma's' 'gay' joke will stay in as I do not believe in censorship

[defendandprotect]

Ron Howard: 'The Dilemma's' 'gay' joke will stay in as I do not believe in censorship


By Soraya Roberts
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, October 31st 2010, 10:38 AM

One of the characters calls an electric car "gay" ...

EXCERPT --


"I mean, not 'homosexual' gay, but 'my parents are chaperoning the dance gay,'" the character says.

Howard said he will not be scrapping the joke from the film as he does not believe in censorship.

"If storytellers, comedians, actors and artists are strong armed into making creative changes, it will endanger comedy as both entertainment and a provoker of thought," he wrote in the e-mail.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said that Howard was "contributing" to the problem of gay bullying by leaving the joke in the film.


http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/10/31/2010-10-31_ron_howard_the_dilemmas_gay_joke_will_stay_in_as_i_do_not_believe_in_censorship.html


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Ron Howard is an idiot in my opinion -- long have felt that way ....

but ESPECIALLY re this issue, because if homosexuals tell you it is offensive ...

then it is offensive!

And Anderson Cooper found the trailer unacceptable "in the wake of teen suicides."



Personally, I wish we had more electric cars and MORE homosexual-friendly movies -- !!!

Wake up, Ron!!

[vi5]

1. Don't like the joke, but also don't believe in censorship....

If he hadn't put it in the trailer, and it was just one line in the movie it would not have generated this much controversy. Plenty of movies have done that and while it's distasteful to me, it doesn't generate this much uproar even among the gay community. To me it's the idea that he felt it was so important a sentiment and so humorous a sentiment that he put it in the trailer as the first scene.

I don't think he should take it out if he feels it's part of the movie and doesn't want to cave. But he should have a little more tact about it and maybe have some dialogue around it and explain it a little better.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. Howard is a talented director, whether or not I

Like his films. He is no idiot. And, frakly, complaining about a joke, one scene in a movie, reminds me of why Code Pink doesn't have more support. They do silly things, when some more laid back approach would be far more effective.

[U4ikLefty]

3. WTF???

a cheap shot on Code Pink

[QC]

4. Code Pink was once much admired around here, but someone forgot to tell them

that they were supposed to stop protesting on January 20, 2009 at noon Eastern.

[sharp_stick]

5. They started to lose a lot of support

well before then.

[defendandprotect]

8. It's just more .....

of a few here judging Democratic critics by how FEARFUL it makes them feel!

We need more anti-war protests - - not fewer!

Especially since Dems promised to end the war in '06!

See video of Pelosi morning after .... "Dems were elected to end the war!"

[Scruffy1]

7. Yeah he stopped the last war just fine

[defendandprotect]

6. So .... you're homosexual, but you don't find the joke offensive .... ????

Actually, Ron Howard is an idiot --

unquestioning in what he is asked to do --

Da Vinci Code is but one example of that ....

Turned it into a car chase movie for 11 year olds!

CODE PINK certainly has my support and I imagine that of many other DU'ers here!

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Many would say a car chase for 11 year olds was taking the Da Vinci Code upmarket

The book wasn't exactly classic literature, was it?

[SidDithers]

13. +1...

the book was tripe. The movie certainly didn't ruin it.

Sid

[defendandprotect]

14. The premise was pretty classic .....

a challenge to male-supremacy and organized patriarchal religion ... did you miss it?

See he also directed "Frost/Nixon" and now understand why so many don't get how

criminal that administration was how it set the stage for what we've suffered since then.

Too often Ron seems to be doing work for the establishment.

Ron should stick to comedy --

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Having read over half way through "the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail"

before giving up on it as a badly written fantasy, I saw little point to spend time reading the rehash of it that Brown did, when the general opinion was that it was pretty bad writing. I saw the movie on TV (hey, that's only a couple of hours, and you can drink and make sarcastic comments during it), and thought the premise was still pretty much in the 'comedy' section. Challenges to patriarchy have to be serious, not silly.

[defendandprotect]

17. I don't think the illegitmacy of male-supremacist religion is a "fantasy."

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. The fantasy is "Jesus had children, and they went to France, and they have a tiny number

of descendants, and the Catholic church knows all this and has been secretly trying to kill them for a couple of thousands of years, but a heroic few always survive".

There are hundreds of true stories you can tell about male-supremacist churches. Why make up the central parts of your case? It destroys its credibility.

[defendandprotect]

22. The fantasy is that there was a "Jesus" at all --

but without a one-all male-god to certify male-supremacy, there would

be no such illegitimate movement!

I didn't make up the "Jesus" fantasy -- organized patriarchal religion did to overcome

the Yahweh fantasy.

The Old Testament was written to cement patriarchy --

The New Testament to introduce a new, kinder son --

Yes -- it's all fantasy -- based on patriarchy and keeping it going.



Patriarchy -- and its underpinning =

Organized patriarchal relgiion -- and it's economic system =

Capitalism =

The Unholy Trinity

[dsc]

10. ask yourself what it would be like

if every day, time after time a day, you heard that so (fill in what you are) to mean that is so stupid or lame. How do you think it might make you feel?

[digitaln3rd]

11. Don't like it? Here's a novel idea...

Don't watch it, then.

I hate these crusades against political correctness. Seriously, I'm gay and I don't even see what's the big deal. If I don't like what someone else is saying, I'm just not going to listen/watch/etc but I'm not going to go on and on about how they're not allowed to say it.

Get a grip, people.

[howaboutme]

12. +10000 - I agree 10000%

those who don't like what is said need to change the channel or don't watch it, but don't limit the ability of others to say it or watch it. Censorship is more of a threat than no censorship.

The only way I will ever support the politically correct police would be to prevent violent actions against others. Spoken words are not about violence nor are they about racism. Actions need to be examined, not words.

[defendandprotect]

15. That will also work for the corporate press .... and

preachings of organized patriarchal religions, I presume --

Yes -- ignoring it is one way to do it.

Anderson Cooper didn't however -- and I imagine others may not want to either.

[KittyWampus]

18. Once again, DU'ers condemn a movie they haven't even seen. It's sickening.

[cbdo2007]

19. So...should we remove all language from EVERYTHING that SOMEONE finds offensive??

Good grief, DU would be shut down in a heart beat if I put in complaints about all the bigotry and racism here that offends me.

Luckily I have a thick skin and just because it offends me, I don't let it upset me because people are going to be insensitive and rude throughout your life. It isn't about silencing them but using those instances to teach others about tolerance and acceptance.

[LynneSin]

20. It's simple - we need to boycott the movie

Personally anything with Kevin James in is pretty low on my list of movies to watch.