Drift Reality

I will be the first to admit that I am not tracking the presidential campaign on a daily basis but some of the story lines in this campaign have been so prominent that they seem to just jump out and bite at you - and I think the most recent issue with Obama’s pastor is a little bit like that.

My first thought was, “I wonder who is behind this story…” I honestly found myself wondering whether this was simply one of the cards that the Clinton campaign has been waiting for the right time to play.

Throughout the campaign, Obama has done a great job treading the line between appealing to a black constituency in this country while presenting himself to the non-black majority of his constituency as a candidate who transcends race and represents the future of America.

The media coverage of his pastor’s remarks is a swift and strong reminder that Obama is a black candidate - and as much as we don’t like to believe or say it - there are certainly people out there who probably fear having a non-white president and this story plays on those fears.

Clearly, the people who benefit most from the story are the Clinton and McCain campaigns.

The people who are hurt the most are the American people, not necessarily because Obama is the best candidate to be our next president but because if the issue continues to gain momentum, we will start thinking about the presidential race in terms of race instead of looking at it in terms of who we think will be the best leader for this country over the next four years.

Additionally, I am probably going to catch some heat here - but I disagree with the claims that Wright’s documented comments are anti-American.

That’s just stupid.

Unless someone comes out and blatantly condemns another group - or condones hatred and violence, then I think it is quite pro-American to speak your mind.

When it comes down to it what this pastor is saying is simply that racism still exists in this country on various levels and I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue with that underlying message.

In fact, I was just on an airline a few weeks ago (I can’t remember which one unfortunately) and was sitting in the exit row. The airline attendant, a middle-aged caucasian woman came by and looked over everyone seated in the exit row and before beginning her primer asked me, “Excuse me - do you speak English?”

I glanced down at the copy of the Economist that I was reading and then looked over into the other aisle, where a younger black lady was giving me a look that I swear was sympathetic in nature. Eschewing the barrage of smart-ass comments that were running through my mind I simply answered, “Yes.” (Note - I later called the airline attendant over and reprimanded her for her comment in private)

At any rate, the reason I relay this story is simply because I believe it is a microcosm for the implicit beliefs held by certain people in this country - that if someone has darker skin and slanted eyes they might not speak English.

I guess for people of ethnicity it is not so shocking to hear public figures come out and say that there is still latent racism in the US - which at its core, is what I think Wright is really getting at (albeit a little more colorfully for my liking).

I just hope that people don’t become preoccupied with this and refocus on the other characteristics of the political candidates in this race.

It was over five years ago that a close friend from University visited me in DC. Like some other homosexuals I knew, this particular friend had come out of the closet in University and was telling me about her new life, fully immersed in the lesbian community.

I eagerly listened with the predictable and tacky excitement of a heterosexual male in their twenties to an amorous story my friend was recounting and when the retelling was complete managed a very profound response:

“Boy, lesbians are hot.”

My friend eyed me broodingly for several moments, as if deciding whether to lambaste me or ignore me, before finally deciding to be patient with an idiot and help me understand that,

“The heterosexual male sexual fantasy of two women together is sort of annoying to most lesbians.”

“Oh,” I responded eloquently.

That was probably one of my first lessons in lesbian culture and has stuck with me throughout the years.

In the past few weeks it has certainly popped up in my head as I have been recently introduced to the Showtime series, the L Word and I am not ashamed to admit that I have more or less become a fan of the show. The reason it has popped up in my head is because I would argue that the L Word supports my initial, naïve notion that lesbians are hot. At the same time, to reduce the value of a tremendously well written and produced series to a sophomoric male observation would be completely unjust.

So in honor of my new favorite show, I would like to present the following list of 5 things I think about the L Word:

1. The production crew behind the L Word is terrific – Cast aside, I think the L Word has a great production crew. Up until the current season, I feel like the writing has been top-notch. Additionally, I feel like the photography work is of a pretty high caliber for television and the direction is pretty solid as well. This season I sort of feel like the characters are falling into predictable patterns and I have sort of a feeling of déjà vu while experiencing some of the sub-plots but I don’t want to dwell on the negative. Over the six or seven seasons that the show has been running, I think the production work has been excellent.

2. The L Word is a cultural centerpiece - There are times when a television show develops such socio-cultural gravity that I would consider it to be a centerpiece. You can tell this has happened when people start:

A) Planning social events around the show - I know as a fact that there are L Word parties that happen and I have heard that you can hear a pin drop during these parties while the show is actually on.

B) Start defining themselves according to characters on the show – Have you ever heard someone say “Yeah, I’m sort of like Joey from Friends?” I have, and I instantly decided I did not like the person who said that to me – not only because they just said they bear all the traits of an individual who for all intents and purposes is mentally handicapped, but because they just used a character from the show Friends to define themselves. At any rate, my sense is that this phenomenon has already taken place with the L Word in the lesbian community.

C) Discussing and recounting the show uncontrollably – When I was in High School, I remember the day after Seinfeld, everyone would be re-enacting scenes from the show and laughing hilariously. Well, I am sure that in the aftermath of a new L Word Episode, there is a notable percentage of content in the collective conversations that occur between lesbians that is exclusively devoted to what just happened on the L Word.

3. The L Word suffers from CFS (Chronic Mainstream Fiction Syndrome) – Back in the 90s, Friends was criticized for unrealistically portraying what it would be like for a group of friends living in the City – they were too attractive, too happy and had too much disposable time and income. The same goes for other popular television series (Seinfeld is exempt however). Well, the exact same criticisms could be applied to the L Word. The cast is unrealistically attractive, successful and seem to have too much time on their hands. Although this makes for great, entertaining television it also can detract from the empathy that is possible – evident in my compulsive fast-forwarding of any scene involving Bette and her Father from season 2, a sub-plot I am sorry to say I simply found boring in its attempt to conjure gravity.

Not your typical lesbians

4. The L word manages to balance the real with the utopic in a tasteful manner – Yes I realize I just said I couldn’t empathize with the show because I did not believe that it presented a realistic texture to life and this point seems rather contradictory in nature. Then again, being truly entertained by a show and being truly moved by a show are very different things. For instance, I would love to spend a week (or a month) in the utopic image portrayed by the HBO series Entourage but have not really thought about the show (nor any of its characters) for one second when it isn’t on. There is something to be said for embellishing life on-screen and offering utopia to the world. At the same time, you are walking a fine line because the more you embellish and adorn, the less substance is left. I would offer this final point as a recognition that the L Word has managed to walk the tightrope between style and substance for several years now – and I hope they continue to do so for several more.

5. The L Word is not just for lesbians - I don’t feel embarassed saying I enjoy the show because the fact of the matter is that it is good dramatic television and I know as a fact that other heterosexual guys watch the show. I can assure you if the L Word didn’t have broad appeal, Showtime would have never slotted it at 9PM on a Sunday evening. The fact that they slot it at that time means that their research indicates that a large population of people watch and enjoy the show. The fact that the only people I hear who are vocal about the show are lesbians and women simply means that there is a large population of people in different demographics - including heterosexual males - who enjoy the show.