marklipton@tumblr

Stop me someone

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:25:03 -0400

A Dialogue With My 86-year-old Grandmother About LGBT Rights & Marriage Equality

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:01:00 -0400

I saw this article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/gay-activists-grandparents-marriage-equality_n_1310537.html

earlier this afternoon and I got suddenly curious how my 86yo grandmother felt about marriage equality and LGBT rights. Since she's often hilarious, I decided to interview her on the phone and post it here. I put it on speakerphone, recorded it, then transcribed it. She's in Miami, and Cuban-born, so this is translated from Spanish. She's a pretty feisty lady. I want to be her when I grow up. Here's what she said:

Me: Grandma, what do you think about this couple in their 90s supporting their gay grandkids in the fight for marriage equality?

Grandma: I think it's very nice. You have to support your family, no matter who they are. You can't reject people for things like that.

Me: If you had gay or lesbian family, would you do the same?

Grandma: I don't know if I could make a video like those people. They speak English.

Me: What about in Spanish? Would you make videos supporting marriage equality in Spanish.

Grandma: Ay... don't get any ideas. I don't want to make a video.
Me: But is it okay if I post this on the Internet? On one of my websites
Grandma: Ignorant people might yell at you.
Me: Oh, that's okay, I don't mind.
Grandma: Yes, you can put what I said on the Internet.
Me: Okay. So do you support gay and lesbian people getting married?
Grandma: I think gay people should be able to get married. Times have changed. Even my ideas have changed. There used to be a lot of ignorance and rumors about gay people, mostly because they had to live in hiding, you know, you couldn't be yourself out in public like they can be sometimes now. So I think people just made things up. But think gay people should be allowed to live their lives like everyone else.
Me: Would you go to a gay wedding?
Grandma: Yes, I would. It would probably be more lively than a regular one. I hate weddings. They're so boring.
Me: They really are. What do you think about people who protest gay marriage?
Grandma: Oh. Idiots.
Me: They're wrong?
Grandma: Idiots. Dumb people with nothing better to do. Out of all the things to protest. They should be out trying to do some good in the world instead.
Me: Do you think you would have felt the same way when you were my age?
Grandma: (Pauses) I don't think I gave it any thought. People didn't talk about these things back then. There was a lot of ignorance. Everybody knew gay people, of course, but people didn't talk about it in normal conversation, much less in public like on the news now. I think that's good. Talking is always good. When people know things, they can make up their own minds.I would like to think that maybe with a little information and thinking about it, I would feel the same way.
Me: Do you think gay people should be able to adopt kids?
Grandma: Of course.
Me: As a Christian, what do you think the Bible says about gay people?
Grandma: The Bible is very clear that Jesus doesn't care about race or gender or where you came from or anything. He loves everyone.
Me: What about the parts of the Bible that says gay people should be stoned to death?
Grandma: We don't stone people to death anymore...
Me: So you don't think that applies?
Grandma: I think God gave us some common sense to be able to figure out what parts were meant for forever, like "don't kill" and "don't steal" and "be good to people," and what parts were just a record of the society people lived in back then. We don't hide women in the dark during their periods anymore, either. Things like that.
Me: What about gays in the military? Do you think that should be allowed?
Grandma: You know, when I heard President Obama had helped made that legal, I was surprised it already wasn't. If you're willing to pick up a gun and go fight in some war somewhere for my freedom, I'm not willing to do that, so if you are, I don't care if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend or fifteen cats.
Me: Yeah, I think most people supported that one.
Grandma: It's like I told you. God gave us common sense for a reason.
Me: I know you've had a few close gay male friends. Have you ever had a lesbian friend?
Grandma: I did in Cuba. She was my neighbor and she did everyone's hair on the block. You couldn't really tell she was a lesbian, but she told me, after many years of knowing her.
Me: What do you mean by "you couldn't tell she was a lesbian?"
Grandma: Well, she was very glamorous. She looked like a movie star all the time - that's why she did everyone's hair. Some lesbians, you can tell.
Me: In English, they call the ability to tell if someone's gay "gaydar." Like "radar" but for "gay."
Grandma: Oh! I think I have that.
Me: You think you have good gaydar?
Grandma: Well, I was an artist, so I was around a lot of gay men. And I can usually tell, but Paula fooled me.
Me: The slang term for lesbians who are very conventionally feminine in English is "lipstick lesbian."
Grandma: She did wear lipstick!
Me: Do you think a lot of older people think like you do?
Grandma: I think so. A lot of older people keep up with the news better than you think. And you get to be my age and you realize a lot of past mistakes in your thinking. You realize that a lot of things you think mattered, really don't. And the people who don't think like that, it's mostly because they don't know any better. But even at my age, people can be taught.
Me: Thank you, Pupa.
Grandma: You should show me your website when you put this up. I hope a lot of people read it.

captaincadet: This is a full copy, hosted on Youtube, of the...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:47:33 -0400

captaincadet:

This is a full copy, hosted on Youtube, of the movie ‘The Yes Men Fix The World’. It’s a great film, which I hadn’t seen before but heard many great things about. Now I understand the hype. Basically, The Yes Men are a pair of friends who pull off some amazing pranks in order to try and make people realize the damage big businesses and “the free market” have wrought. The whole thing is super interesting and quite funny, despite dealing with many tender topics, including Hurricane Katrina and the Bhopal gas tragedy.

One of the things that struck me in this film was the fact that many of their biggest pranks were able to happen because they made good use of the internet. I’ve been thinking about the movie and how it relates to my class, Approaches to Media Studies. It’s really cool to think that they had the ability to fool people just by making a website. I think it really enhances the ‘value’ aspect of the Digital Projects we work on. A lot of value came from the Yes Men setting up their fake DOW website, seeing as they managed to appear at a conference and get a BBC World interview. I think of this tactic as a form of culture jamming. I think all of their work was a form of culture jamming, actually. The fake New York Times, for example. It took a popular form of culture and remade it in a thought provoking image. I think that this is proof in the power of these tactics. This is, too, the magic of the internet, and other forms of social media! This is why shows like The Colbert Report are so popular. Because taking the image of something that is wrong in society and perverting it to show the truth, or an ideal situation, is a very effective method of activism.

This movie really got me thinking about my own Digital Projects, and I think I will create a series of culture jamming images/websites and post them online. I’m excited to follow in the Yes Men’s footsteps a little bit. It may not have such an important impact, but it’ll get me thinking.

Anyway, this is a great film and if you haven’t seen it, check it out now. You can also torrent it, because they expressly request P2P sharing due to a lawsuit from The US Chamber of Commerce. Run, don’t walk. Watch the film.

"When Archie and Valerie first started dating back in 2010, I wrote about what it meant in the..."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:28:34 -0400

“

When Archie and Valerie first started dating back in 2010, I wrote about what it meant in the context of a company that in the past had treated interracial dating as something so controversial that obviously black characters were colored in the stories to have lighter skin. In fact, it was standard practice for years to introduce minority characters in twos so that they could pair off without having to date Betty or Veronica — a Nancy for every Chuck and a Frankie Valdez for every Ginger Lopez.

Archie and Valerie change all that, and the way that it’s been pulled off in the past by writer/artist Dan Parent, one of Archie’s strongest creators, has made perfect sense. They build their relationship on a mutual love of music and, in Archie’s case, the fact that he falls in love with beautiful girls regardless of race. As an isolated idea, it meant a lot, but in elevating it to this level, their relationship is being treated as something just as valid as Archie’s relationships with Betty and Veronica. The addition of a daughter, something that hasn’t been explored in the Betty or Veronica marriages and something that has traditionally been even more controversial in American history, goes even further — in a good way.

”

- Archie is Having a Baby with Valerie! (via captaincadet)

From my windowsill (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:55:46 -0400

From my windowsill (Taken with instagram)

VIA @taralynnelouise “Atticus Finch for Father of the...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:40:19 -0400

VIA @taralynnelouise “Atticus Finch for Father of the Year”

"Do something for someone who can never repay you."

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:04:39 -0400

““Do something for someone who can never repay you.””

- Lexi Manzo (via nicoleathana)

House Hippo VIA @Mattyy12 My students uncover the greatest...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:26:11 -0400

House Hippo VIA @Mattyy12 My students uncover the greatest things! #medialiteracy

Fotoshop by Adobé (Adobe) (by JesseRosten) VIA @JulienRutherford

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:56:27 -0400

Fotoshop by Adobé (Adobe) (by JesseRosten) VIA @JulienRutherford

bombtea: Semantic wristwatch? Sign me up! (via Design Milk)

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:21:30 -0400

bombtea:

Semantic wristwatch? Sign me up!

(via Design Milk)

digital project from my Media Studies class

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:19:11 -0400

digital project from my Media Studies class

VIA @ EricaKongvongxay

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:13:21 -0400

VIA @ EricaKongvongxay

VIA @emiliecoyle

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:08:13 -0400

VIA @emiliecoyle

VIA @andysuchann

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:36:45 -0400

VIA @andysuchann

via @arabinovits My students show me the neatest stuff!

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:42:18 -0400

via @arabinovits My students show me the neatest stuff!

Life Can Be Beautiful.: If I Ever Have a Daughter

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:41:45 -0400

Life Can Be Beautiful.: If I Ever Have a Daughter:

emaxie:

If I ever have a daughter, I want to raise her to feel good about her body, even though the media will constantly attempt bring her down, and make her feel horrible about herself. I will teach her that no amount of money will solve any “problems” she thinks she has.

I will teach her to not allow…

REMIX! popculturepirate: QueerMen: Don Loves...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:43:56 -0400

REMIX!

popculturepirate:

QueerMen: Don Loves Roger

Queer-positive Mad Men remix! <3.

cats

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:42:17 -0400

cats

Andrew_T in Montenegro (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:15:30 -0400

Andrew_T in Montenegro (Taken with instagram)

Bingo’s fame cuteboyswithdogs: bingofalafel loves his dad...

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:28:11 -0400

Bingo’s fame

cuteboyswithdogs:

bingofalafel loves his dad Todd (submitted by marklipton)