So where's OUR angry mob?

So I think we can all agree that what occurred as a result of Don (SL)Imus' on-air bile-spewing was pretty much the right thing. While I hate seeing anyone's 1st amendment rights being stifled, I don‘t really think that‘s what happened in his case. What happened was capitalism. Advertisers and executives saw a cash cow‘s saggy old teets suddenly drying up, and got scared that said bovine‘s nasty little methane emissions would turn up the noses of otherwise reliable consumers. Yes, what happened was a result of public outrage and protest, but the bottom line was all about money. In this day and age incendiary hate speech is totally unacceptable, unless said speech will spark a controversy that will draw an audience that will buy advertisers' products. One of the few ways people can truly illicit change these days is by threat of voting from the hip...and by hip, I mean pocketbook.

The point being that Imus said some nasty things that were racist and sexist and people were not just offended, but offended enough to make a scene about it. And it got something done... that hideous cash cow has been put out to pasture. While I would ordinarily be happy about such a show of public decency, I can't help but draw a parallel to another public-hate-speech controversy and its eventual (but lesser) outcome.

By now most every homo has heard about the antics of Isiah Washington on the set of "House's ER Anatomy", or whatever the show is called. In case you are fortunate enough NOT to have gotten caught up the celebrity gossip circuit: Mr. Washington uttered the "F" word while in a physical altercation on the set with another cast member. No, not "fuck", but "faggot". This was said about a cast member who later came out publicly as gay, making the snotty remark a little more impactful.

So-as one would expect-gay rights groups got mad about it, and raised a stink. Enough so that he apologized...much like Don Imus did. The execs surrounding "Grey's Anatomy", however, did not fire Isaiah, despite many previous documented cases of hate speech and violence on sets. So, surely, one would expect that civil rights groups would rally against such an obvious ignorance of misbehavior. Boy, did they ever: the NAACP gave Mr. Washington an Image award, and GLAAD (Yes, that would be the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against DEFAMATION people) gave the show an award. What. The. FUCK? What's next, recognition for positive depiction of gays for that Super Bowl Snickers ad?

Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not a thin skinned person. I don't think that saying something nasty about someone should always be made a gigantic issue. In fact, quite the contrary, I think that it serves to give the loud-mouth who said it just what they want: attention (see Ann Coulter). And sometimes people just slip up and say something stupid (see Roseanne). The problem I have is this: why, after all of the civil rights struggles of the past, are us gays still the one minority group it's still ok to marginalize and malign? Why is "nappy headed ho" worse of an insult than "faggot"? And what's more, who are we supposed to rely on to right the wrongs and injustices against us, if not civil rights organizations? Can we trust them if they look the other way when encountering things they should be correcting?

So, obviously, it comes down to us. You and me, average joes. We should be voting with our pocketbooks, and fighting to make our voices heard, right? So why aren't we? Admittedly, some moronic actor spewing insults is nothing in comparison to the civil rights struggles we face with that hate monger we put in the White House. But if we can't even get organized and angry enough to make ABC/Disney think twice about letting hate speech get off easy, how will we ever keep our kind from being the constant scapegoat for religious zealots and bigots alike?

Why can't we, as a minority group, be bothered to care enough to fight for our rights? Why do we spend more time and energy on celebrity gossip and reality TV than standing up for ourselves? Why do so many of us care so much more about fashion, getting laid, and the gym than what legislation is being introduced that will push us one step furthur out onto the plank? Why would we rather vote to see who is America's next top model-actor-crooner, than on things that actually have some impact on our lives?

So I'll ask you, dear readers (yes, both of you) why do you think it is that we gay folks don't pay better attention to what's going on, and get angry enough about it to fight back? Where IS our angry mob?

(Ok, I'm off my soap-box now.)