Brokeback Mountain

Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to talk about a movie that has been making news both positive and negative and that is Brokeback Mountain. The movie is about pretty much two gay cowboys. I have not seen the movie nor do I have an interest in seeing it so I am not going to make any judgements on the movie one way or another nor am I going to advise you to see it or not see it. The choice is clearly up to you.

However that does not stop homophobic right-wing media to share their views on it. I'd like to give some quotes (courtesy of media maters) and I may note that most of them who are judging the movie have not seen it to judge.

First from Scarbourough Country with guest Catholic League President William A. Donohue:(this was on December 15th)

DONOHUE: Well, I heard that from other people that it is, artistically, a good movie.

So, I haven't -- going to see it. Gay cowboy doesn't interest me. I am going to go see King Kong. I suspect the people who make these kind of movies, though -- like gay cowboy -- would go to see a movie called 'The Gay Gorilla'. But that's the difference between Hollywood and mainstream.

Now Fox's James Gibson: GIBSON: Hollywood may, in fact, want to give every Oscar it can find to the first gay cowboy movie. But I think most people do not want to go into a darkened room with a tub of popcorn and munch away watching two guys get it on. I just don't.

[...]

I had one prominent writer say he wouldn't come on my radio show because I made hate-encouraging speech when I said I couldn't figure out which was going to be harder to watch, the guys smooching in Brokeback or [former CIA operative] Bob Bear getting his fingernails ripped out in Syriana.

I said, hey, I know people who are gay. I have nothing against them, but I don't want to see this movie.

This is from the Jan 17th Larry King Live with conservative talk show host Janet Parshall and Southern Babtist Theological Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr.:

PARSHALL: No, I didn't see the film and I'm not at all surprised that out of seven [Golden Globe] nominations Brokeback walked away with four -- and some might say that's an indication of what the Oscar ceremonies might look like later on this year.

KING: Why would you comment on it if you haven't seen it?

PARSHALL: Well, I'm interested in all of the buzz around the film. I'm not the least bit surprised that we're hearing so much chatter. After all, I think what we're witnessing, Larry, is the homosexualizing of America.

[...]

MOHLER: I've not seen the movie, Larry, and that's a matter of decision, not just a matter of chance. Like others, I don't feel any need to see the movie. I have read the screenplay. I know the short story and, of course, I know what the movie is about because it's out there so much in the media.

That's the main issue. I am not a movie critic. I really can't speak to the cinematography. I can just speak to what the cultural meaning of this film is and why I see it as a great challenge.

KING: Didn't the short story move you at all?

MOHLER: Well, no, actually --

KING: For example, you're a reverend. Didn't you have some compassion for what happened to the younger one of the two?

MOHLER: Well, absolutely. You have to feel compassion when anyone feels pain and when anyone goes through that kind of struggle. But, you know, I really am horrified to think about where that story ended.

You know, my main concern, Larry, is not with the gospel of heterosexuality -- even though I think that's very important -- it's with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and what I find lacking in the movie, the screenplay, and in the short story is any resolution that really brings these persons to know why they were created and how God really intends them to live, and how they would find their greatest satisfaction in living just as God had intended them for his glory.

This is from Jan 2 of Fox's Special Report with Brit Hume:

JIM ANGLE (Fox News chief Washington correspondent): I'm joined by our all-star panel, with or without crystal balls, to find out what they expect to see in this coming year. Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, Mort Kondracke, executive editor of Roll Call, and the syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, Fox News contributors all.

OK. 2006, Charles, what do you see?

KRAUTHAMMER: I see, number one, Fidel Castro dies. I say this not with any inside medical information as a doctor but he's actuarially due. Cuba becomes a free country and a decent one and a favorite American resort.

Number two, Iran reaches the point of no return in uranium enrichment, declares openly it's going to seek and acquire nuclear weapons. [United Nations] Security Council will do absolutely nothing.

To balance the bad news, number three, the [President Bashar Al-] Assad dictatorship in Syria will be overthrown.

And last but not least, Brokeback Mountain will have been seen in the theaters by 18 people, but the right 18, and will win the Academy Award.

ANGLE: Brokeback Mountain, the movie about gay cowboys.

KRAUTHAMMER: Exactly.

And last my personal favorite Bill O'Reilly from December 14th:

O'REILLY: Okay. You know, it's interesting because the polls show that Americans are going back to church in greater numbers than they were 10 years ago. But I believe that there's a segment of Americans that have -- are rebelling against the no boundaries deal, and they're so fed up that they said, "You know, maybe there's another way," and that's why that's happening.

But in popular culture, things are getting worse. You know, I can give you -- I could sit here and give you examples all day. Let me just give you this example, and this is a controversial example. This gay cowboy movie -- and it's going to win, you know, a lot of awards all over -- and their -- the media is pushing this like crazy. And I couldn't care less about it, to tell you the truth.

I probably will not go to see it, you know, just because I don't care about gay cowboys. I mean, it's -- to be quite frank. If it were straight cowboys, I probably wouldn't go to see it. I saw a lot of cowboys when I was a little kid, I loved the cowboys then. Right now, cowboys don't really mean much to me. So, probably not going to go and see it.

But you're going to see, over the next month, this movie being pushed and pushed and pushed by every media you can imagine. Why? Because they want to mainstream homosexual conduct. That's the goal.

Now again O'Reilly from January 17th:

O'REILLY: And I get a kick out of Brokeback Mountain. I get a kick -- I'm not going to go see it, because people have seen it. [Legal analyst] Lis Wiehl said it was boring. But if it were -- you know -- if I had gotten good reviews from the people I know who have seen it, I'd go. But, you know, I'm not really interested in sheep herders. They got two sheep herders and two guys, and they're in Montana. I like Montana. Or Wyoming. Maybe, they cross the border here and there. I don't know.

But they're in the tent together rolling around. It's not -- you know, to me -- I want to watch ESPN. OK. I'm not -- the pup tent rolling around -- I want to watch the highlights of the game, not the pup tent. Just me. You want to go? Go. All right.

By the way a movie theater chain in Utah owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller decided not air the movie breaking his distribution deal with the company.

Again I have no interest in the movie. If you want to see it that's your choice if you don't want to see the movie it's your choice but to turn it into a pollitical issue like the right wing media is trying to is plain wrong.br