Girlie Man

[Ronn_Bman]

I know the remark was in poor taste, but 'blatant homophobia'? Even it it was anti-gay, and I don't think it was, wouldn't 'homophobic' be an over reaction?

Is girlie man indicative of homosexuality? The phrase comes from a SNL script, and I always thought it came from the same macho stream of thought as, 'you hit like a girl'. If any group should be upset, shouldn't it be NOW instead of gay rights lobbists?

Story From MSNBC Calif. Gov. not sorry for ‘girlie men’ remark Democrats blast Schwarzenegger for mocking lawmakers The Associated Press Updated: 2:04 p.m. ET July 19, 2004SACRAMENTO - Democrats aren’t amused by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s use of the mocking term “girlie men” to describe some lawmakers, although a spokesman for the governor said no apology would be forthcoming. Schwarzenegger dished out the insult at a rally Saturday as he claimed Democrats were delaying the budget by catering to special interests. Democrats protested that the remark was sexist and homophobic. “If they don’t have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, ’I don’t want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers ... if they don’t have the guts, I call them girlie men,” Schwarzenegger said to the cheering crowd at a mall food court in Ontario. The governor lifted the term from a long-running “Saturday Night Live” skit in which two pompous, Schwarzenegger-worshipping weightlifters repeatedly use it to mock those who don’t meet their standards of physical perfection. Democrats said Schwarzenegger’s remarks were insulting to women and gays and distracted from budget negotiations. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl said the governor had resorted to “blatant homophobia.” “Should Arnold have to apologize for calling California Democrats "girlie men?" Making a point? Schwarzenegger’s criticism of Democrats stems in part from their support of one bill prohibiting schools from contracting services with private companies, and another giving workers authority to sue their employers to enforce labor laws. Each side accuses the other of caving in to special interests. At a rally Sunday in Stockton, the governor gave a speech almost identical to the one he delivered in Ontario but without the “girlie men” remark. Spokesman Rob Stutzman said the line was dropped because Schwarzenegger had already sent the message he wanted to send, not because he regretted his remarks. “It’s a forceful way of making the point to regular Californians that legislators are wimps when they let special interests push them around,” Stutzman said. “If they complain too much about this, I guess they’re making the governor’s point.” Assemblyman Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat who is chairman of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus, said he was glad Schwarzenegger didn’t repeat the “girlie men” remark Sunday, saying it was “as misogynist as it is anti-gay.” “To disparage a group of law abiding tax paying citizens is just wrong,” Leno said. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a Democrat, said that while he wasn’t upset by the remark, his 13-year-old daughter was. “She’s a young girl who knows the governor and really likes him a lot and didn’t find the term to be a positive term, and finds it to be derogatory,” Nunez said. “It was no question a very, very insensitive comment to make. I personally am not intimidated or threatened by it, but I think it really is beneath Gov. Schwarzenegger.” © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[The Hierophant]

Arnie's popularity rests upon his charismatic tough-guy image. Whining and crying about percieved insults like this just makes 'Democrats' in question look weak, which is exactly what Mr Schwarzenegger is trying to do, as Rob Stutzman said. If the 'democrats' simply laughed this off and kept going with their legislative processes it may well have made them look stronger and made Arnie look like an asshole. But right now they simply look like hyper-sensitive wieners. [img]graemlins/1disgust.gif[/img]

[ 07-19-2004, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

[John D Harris]

ROTFLMAO It's called a joke, Procreate them if they can't take a joke. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[DBear]

Like Leno said, even the Queer Eye guys are saying to the complainers, "Shut up!" :crazyeye:

[Djinn Raffo]

The stupidest thing about this is that people calling Schwarzenegger homophobic are indirectly saying that they agree with the stereotype of gay men being effeminate. The ones coming down on him for using 'girlie-men' are the ones who have associated being gay with being a girlie-man.

[Timber Loftis]

Very true and ironic, Djinn. I definately know some fags that would fit the mold of non-girlie-men and who would support his view. I also know some heteros who fit the vernacular of girlie-men to a tee.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by The Hierophant: But right now they simply look like hyper-sensitive wieners. [img]graemlins/1disgust.gif[/img]

Ah yes and both sides are full of hyper sensitive weiners- the trick is oneside deflecting such critism by making the otherside look more like one. The "winner" is the side that does this the best.

[Chewbacca]

Whatever-a questionably humerous oneliner tagged on the end of a partisan diatribe full of stereotypes is hardly something to get all whiny about.

Sheesh we have real problems to solve and challenges to face and the best certain elected leaders can to do at times is call people silly names or whine about it. Foolish partisanship.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Why wasn't the term considered "insulting to women and gays" when it was being broadcast every Saturday night Live from New York??

Personally, I thought it was funny (althought ultimately ignorant) to hear Arnie use the term that was coined by a SNL skit designed by guys that were imitating him.

I say that it is ultimately ignorant because - while it played good to the crowd at the time and also reinforces his "tough guy" image - I'm afraid Arnie will learn the same lesson that Jesse "The Body" Ventura learned in Michigan. He was elected governer because he refused to play the "political game" and he especially refused to use "politically correct" speech when discussing issues. Jesse said exactly what he felt, which many people found refreshing - for a short time. Within two years, though, most Michigan voters were calling Jesse an "embarassment" and Ventura himself finally learned that he had to tone down his comments in order to avoid being fodder for the next days headlines. It got to the point that broadcasters only wanted to interview Jesse because they thought he would say something "controversial". I specifically remember one incident that occurred when missing documents regarding Whiterwater "mysteriously" appeared in Hillary Clinton's private quarters at the White House. Jesse was well-known for his disdain of the First Lady and one of the news programs had scheduled an interview hoping for a juicy comment - but Jesse refused to play along. The interviewer kept pushing Jesse to make some kind of off-color comment and Ventura finally said "I've learned to just keep my mouth shut in these types of situations, because anything I say today will be ripped apart by the media tomorrow." When the interviewer realized Jesse was NOT going to make some deragotory comment about Hillary, he ended the interview. He naver had any meaningful questions to ask, he just wanted to get Jesse to say something that would pump up their ratings that night.

Granted, Arnie has a much broader appeal that Ventura did, so that may help him. Besides, it isn't like insults aren't slung freely everyday by both sides of the political spectrum. A simple Google Search would likely return thousands of hits regarding "Senator/Congressman/Governor hurls insult at opponent". But it does give the Dems in CA something to whine and moan about in order to deflect interest from just how true Arnie's accusations about their involvement with special interests may be (and, yes, I'm sure the same can be said about Arnie and the Repubs too - just pointing out that focusing on the insult instead of the issue allows the Dems to temporarily avoid having to answer Arnie's accusation).

[Khazadman Risen]

I find this whining very funny. These are the same bunch who, on a regular basis, call their opponents on the right nazis, racists, and terrorists. Well you know what they say if you can't take a joke.