In the News ... 'The lifestyle'
This week's Sunday Scribblings topic is 'In the News'
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So ... what else is in the local news these days other than death (murders or motor-related), World Cup cricket, politicians/corruption, things about the oil/gas sector, smelters, public protests ...?
Every day (as of late) in the local papers, someone (article writer or Letter-to-the-Editor writer) offers yet another opinion on the latest and most inane of sagas: the Tobago pastors who are adamant that Elton John should not perform at the Tobago Jazz Festival since he is gay ... and, as there are locals who 'may not be sure of their sexuality', his presence could influence said islanders to adopt his lifestyle.
I haven't heard any of the radio talk shows and call-in responses. The public responses I've seen in the papers vary, but even those that attempt to sound 'accepting' and 'welcoming' of 'Sir Elton' are, in my opinion, still judgmental, with a tone of superiority (subtle, obvious, unwitting or otherwise).
There are:
(i) those who agree with the pastors and who start preaching in their letters-to-the-Editor against 'the lifestyle', sometimes quoting the Bible
(ii) those who say that Elton should by all means come and play as he is a great performer who has been kighted by the Queen ... etc. ... and just when you think they're not judging anyone, they end off with something cliche like 'hate the sin and not the sinner. God will deal with him when it is time."
(iii) those who admit that once upon a time they were homophobic ... until they made friends with a gay person/gay people and realised that 'they are nice people after all!'
(iv) those who ask 'what are the pastors carrying on about Elton for when HIV/AIDs, incest, child molestation and male beach-boy prostitution with tourists are all rampant in Tobago?'
(v) those who say that Jesus would not have been getting on the way the pastors are getting on because he walked with prostitutes and sinners and accepted them
(vi) those who say something to the effect that we need to value our gay people because they are our artists, our musicians, our actors and actresses, etc. ... and 'even' our doctors, lawyers and politicians (even?)
And so on.
So ridiculous.
The issue may die down after the Jazz Festival ... or not. Maybe this is only the beginning. At the end of the day, the real issue has nothing to do with 'Sir Elton'.
*
So ... what else is in the local news these days other than death (murders or motor-related), World Cup cricket, politicians/corruption, things about the oil/gas sector, smelters, public protests ...?
Every day (as of late) in the local papers, someone (article writer or Letter-to-the-Editor writer) offers yet another opinion on the latest and most inane of sagas: the Tobago pastors who are adamant that Elton John should not perform at the Tobago Jazz Festival since he is gay ... and, as there are locals who 'may not be sure of their sexuality', his presence could influence said islanders to adopt his lifestyle.
I haven't heard any of the radio talk shows and call-in responses. The public responses I've seen in the papers vary, but even those that attempt to sound 'accepting' and 'welcoming' of 'Sir Elton' are, in my opinion, still judgmental, with a tone of superiority (subtle, obvious, unwitting or otherwise).
There are:
(i) those who agree with the pastors and who start preaching in their letters-to-the-Editor against 'the lifestyle', sometimes quoting the Bible
(ii) those who say that Elton should by all means come and play as he is a great performer who has been kighted by the Queen ... etc. ... and just when you think they're not judging anyone, they end off with something cliche like 'hate the sin and not the sinner. God will deal with him when it is time."
(iii) those who admit that once upon a time they were homophobic ... until they made friends with a gay person/gay people and realised that 'they are nice people after all!'
(iv) those who ask 'what are the pastors carrying on about Elton for when HIV/AIDs, incest, child molestation and male beach-boy prostitution with tourists are all rampant in Tobago?'
(v) those who say that Jesus would not have been getting on the way the pastors are getting on because he walked with prostitutes and sinners and accepted them
(vi) those who say something to the effect that we need to value our gay people because they are our artists, our musicians, our actors and actresses, etc. ... and 'even' our doctors, lawyers and politicians (even?)
And so on.
So ridiculous.
The issue may die down after the Jazz Festival ... or not. Maybe this is only the beginning. At the end of the day, the real issue has nothing to do with 'Sir Elton'.
Labels: Sigh ...
posted by Elspeth at Sunday, April 08, 2007
1 Comments:
......dang, maybe the pastor is crying out his own sins. You know what they say, those who call the kettle black must look inside and see what they're hiding. I don't think the issue is all about sir Elton when there's more pressing issues to talk about. People and their fear of one's sexuality.
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