stage door demo for Ripley's FAG slur Thurs. at 10 pm- Page 15
stage door demo for Ripley's FAG slur Thurs. at 10 pm
#350THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:30am
Hi Phyllis,
If you look at her facebook page, you'd actually see that many very well-known gay and lesbian people in the theater, besides Harvey, wrote messages on her page...many are younger, so their names may not be as recognizable to some.
Now, if some people are upset by me mentioning three celebrities in this note. But, it's to make a point. If I leave their names out, I cannot possibly make the point...
Max von Essen and I had a very brief facebook chat about my note, and he is a close personal friend of Alice's and knows she is no homophobe. And we all know she is not homophobic. Eccentric? Yes. Should be canonized? I have no idea what that means and who suggested that except regular fans who always say things like that.
Fans say fan things, fans are often worshipful of celebrities -- and of course performers are all deeply appreciative of the support. We know some fans support a celebrity no matter what... But what matters are what all of us colleagues of hers are saying, I think. The close friends of hers are who know her...
Speaking with Betty Buckley on the phone yesterday, she hadn't heard about it, and of course her first reaction was shock. But, of course, she doesn't think Alice is homophobic. But, it's very easy to quickly type a facebook status update without thinking, especially from a little phone. Alice's posts are often cryptic, funny and strange...and clearly impulsive, sometimes.
Lee Delaria wrote a post on my facebook page about it. Scott Nevins wrote in support...and many more...
And we all know Alice is not homophobic. It's just that simple.
I hope everyone will join Broadway Impact and march with the group in the Pride parade: www.BroadwayImpact.com
One thing that's interesting about all this -- What people are saying about her and others defending her is far more hurtful, hateful and absurd than the one word she blurted out from her little phone in response to somebody saying something quite nasty about her performing. It's all over this forum, and even MORE in others, which is why I came on here in the first place. It's unbelievable.
I wonder what purpose it serves those who engage in the vitriol? It's an interesting question for the vitriolic to ask themselves.
Attacks always compensate for vulnerability. Whenever we go on the attack or begin the insults, we are compensating for a perceived underlying threat or fear or "feeling of lack" about something going on with us. If there is a "charge" and reactivity in our response, we can know a vulnerability has been triggered. It's clear that happens a lot to people in this world. Hopefully, evolution will continue to happen and people will learn how to respect and love themselves more, and this will translate to being able to treat others more respectfully and with more love. But, it seems that will take a very long time indeed.
And again, as someone who is around creative people all day long (except when I'm message-boarding with my Cheetos, Wine and Teddy bear next to me), I can understand and appreciate the eccentricity and sensitivity and lack of God-like perfection among us...
Chillin' and teachin' acting and voice to muh Bway/Film peeps...
(Betty Buckley is teaching a workshop for me at my school, check it out.)
Updated On: 6/10/10 at 10:30 AM
isntitromantic
Understudy Joined: 12/4/05
#351THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:31am
isntitromantic.. Shut uppppppppppppppp
The Lord Work's in mysterius way, eh? Well hey there Mr. Christian. I'm a Christian to. So FORGIVE Alice Ripley and MOVE ON dude.
Sweetheart, I'm Jewish. Could I suggest Strunk & White's Elements of Style for you to work on your punctuation and syntax? Anything else you are unsure about you can run through a spell check. Or perhaps Jason Bennett can tutor you. Except he used the word "like" inappropriately, but that may have a been a riff on some of the writing evident on this site. Thank God he set it off with commas.
Don't assume everyone is Christian, Dearheart.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
chellie
Stand-by Joined: 6/7/10
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#355THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:44am
You can be not homophobic and say something homophobic. You can be not racist and say racist things, etc. I don't know why people can't see the difference.
And just because Harvey Fierstein excuses it doesn't mean I have to. I think it's great she has lots of gay friends, but I just wondering out loud what all she has done for the gay community, because people in this this thread keep talking about all the things she's done.
Also, your post really embarrasses me with all the name dropping. It's cringeworthy. Really.
How about you all join Broadway Impact and march with us when we demonstrate against the real homophobes in this world: BroadwayImpact.com
You do realize that the way you have written that says that the real homophobes in the world are BroadwayImpact.com, right?
Posters can continue their venom at her and others, but it's j just misplaced. Alice Ripley is not "as crazy as the character she plays." Ironically, but quite predictably, that is a far more nasty smear that anything she ever said.
Right, because she hasn't been cultivating the image of crazy for some time now.
Updated On: 6/9/10 at 10:44 AM
#357THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:47am
...I am wondering what kind of stuff does she do for the gay community? I mean, I personally don't know where her heart is or how her mind works, despite being told that by the Harvey Fierstein's ...
Alice did her first benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in 1995. That makes fifteen years of "stuff for the gay community."
Some of you are just too young to remember, some of you just don't know, and some of you just won't care, but 1995 was a time when it was it was still shocking for celebrities to admit in public they were HIV positive or had AIDS. Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, Anthony Perkins--they all were revealed to have AIDS when they were dying or dead. Magic Johnson was the only celebrity who was public about living with HIV.
When Olympic diver Greg Louganis came out as HIV positive and openly gay in a Barbara Walters interview in February 1995, the news was on the 6:00 and 11:00 news in every city and on the front page of every newspaper in the country, on Nightline, Oprah and NPR.
The "new drugs" were just coming out of the trials, so until 1996, many or most of the people who got infected died within a few years.
The Broadway community was decimated, in shock, angry and mourning for too many people at the same time.
So for any performer to lend his or her talents to a benefit back then was a huge deal--for BC/EFA (which still had a tiny budget and an overload of cases) and for the lesbian and gay members of the theatrical community...as well as for their grieving heterosexual friends in the theatrical community.
What has she done since? A simple Google search will reveal regular involvement and appearances, mostly with BC/EFA, for understandable reasons, including Broadway Barks. What more do you want?
Back in Act-Up, we used to have to admonish ourselves regularly: "Don't fight each other. Fight the REAL enemy."
This whole affair has been a ludicrous example of fighting the wrong enemy.
#358THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:48am
Both issues are now addressed in my edit, Phyllis. Thanks for the feedback. I'm sorry you're feeling embarrassed. I hope you feel better soon.
Oh, and I agree what was said was homophobic. And she is also not a homophobe, fully supports my equality, and has worked for these causes for many, many years.
Chillin' and teachin' acting and voice to muh Bway/Film peeps...
(Betty Buckley is teaching a workshop for me at my school, check it out.)
Updated On: 6/9/10 at 10:48 AM
#359THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:50am
Salad for me, Jordan, it's swimsuit season.
You know, Andrea Dworkin said all sex is an act of rape. Ave Q said everyone's a little bit racist.
Let's add to that: all heterosexual women are somewhat homophobic. Explanation: although they may like hanging out with the occasional mo, deep, deep, deep down, they resent men who have rejected them as sexual objects.
Let the games begin!
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#361THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:52am
"And it is very interesting that the public holds creative people to the absolute HIGHEST standards of consciousness around...case in point, this "controversy." It's also interesting to ask about that. Why are celebrities expected to behave with God-like perfection OR ELSE?!?!?!?!!"
You make it sound like ONLY creative people are held to high standards. That is not true. Anyone in the public eye is held to high standards b/c what they do is seen by so many.
"Let's focus on GW Bush's war crimes and treason against the Constitution. Let's focus on BP and the oil spill. Let's focus on the homophobes all over our government who won't let me have my fricking equality...Let's DO something about the problems, instead of attack people on our own team."
Maybe you're missing all the news, but I believe that there is plenty of focus on these other issues as well. It's not like we choose ONE issue and hone in on it to the exclusion of all else.
For such an enlightened person you sure do seem think in absolutes a lot.
....but the world goes 'round
#362THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 10:59am
I don't think she's a homophobe. I just think she made an incredibly stupid move by posting the status in the first place. And her initial reaction, where she came of as more annoyed than anything, bothered me more than the original post.
I do find it fascinating how some people will let these things slide when it comes out of the mouth of a celebrity they adore. Like I never understood when the boycott everything Morman craze was going on it wasn't ok to shop at a store owned by a Morman but it was ok to keep buying Twilight books.
#363THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 11:00am
Hey Erik, Good points!
And AMEN paljoey and thanks for your service! I always salute the veterans of the awful era that AIDS was/is.
Chillin' and teachin' acting and voice to muh Bway/Film peeps...
(Betty Buckley is teaching a workshop for me at my school, check it out.)
Updated On: 6/9/10 at 11:00 AM
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
isntitromantic
Understudy Joined: 12/4/05
#369THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 11:19am
Don't assume everyone is Christian, Dearheart.
"your avatar is Jesus on the cross..."
Yes, and Christ was Jewish.
Gosh, Jason, I didn't know Max Von Essen counted as a "celebrity".
I wonder what class will be like with you, though. You seem quite the Pontiff-icator. Or perhaps just a pendant?
irememberitwell
Chorus Member Joined: 5/5/06
#372THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 11:27am
From facbeook: "Seth Rudetsky: Just FYI; re; Alice Ripley. I hate the word "fag" and I totally accept her apology. We have to look at people as their whole life experience...she has always supported the gay community and she was PISSED OFF at the hostile posting. Why don't instead work to stop the casual use of "fag" in everyday conversation. I don't buy the whole "we're gay and we can say it because we've reclaimed it." Love, Seth"
Maybe some of you can find ways to insult and dismiss Seth, as well...
As I said, what's clear from this forum is that many posters consistently say far more nasty things than Ms. Ripley did for one second. Now we have a Broadway legend insulted, Max insulted, Tempestt, want to go for Seth, too? Harvey Fierstein?
For those of you who actually like to make the world a better place, join us marching for equality in the pride parade... www.BroadwayImpact.com -- You don't have to be a professional performer to take part...
p.s. - irememberitwell -- It only bothers me in that it makes me sad about the state of things in this world. It doesn't bother me, personally, at all...And I very much appreciate your post.
Chillin' and teachin' acting and voice to muh Bway/Film peeps...
(Betty Buckley is teaching a workshop for me at my school, check it out.)
Updated On: 6/10/10 at 11:27 AM
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#373THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 11:30am
The only really negative thing I have to say for Seth is that I don't think deconstruction means what he thinks it means.
I think it's fascinating the way she's excused for it because she was pissed off. That's going to be my response on here any time I'm called to task for something.
#374THE END
Posted: 6/9/10 at 11:32am
As I said before, I am dealing with other stuff, so my participation is somewhat erratic, but I'm just going to close out my end of this discussion with a couple of thoughts:
Jason - I'm glad you found a method of which works well for you and for which you are clearly enthusiastic. As I said before, there is no one magic method for everyone and as we move from decade to decade, more magic methods will appear and gain momentum and popularity. While Stanislavsky may seem archaic, there are core values that are essential to study if just to get an understanding of the mechanics of acting and the evolution of the schools of thought and their reasoning. While this means that perhaps the entire Stanislavsky method may not be essential or required, it also does not mean it has to be wholly negated, either. By subscribing to one school of thought (or believing it is necessary), you willfully limiting your own creativity, imagination, objectivity and intellectual reasoning. While I do think there is some validity to elements of the modern method, I also think it is not as scientifically sounds as it purports. There is a difference between imagination and reality, but the terms must be more clearly defined as it can be argued that reality is subjective. I actually did a lot of research on the influence of Einstein's Theory of Relativity and its effects in theatre using Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author as a specific point of reference. In short, I had to illustrate the difference between "truth" and "fact". My comparison to "imagination" and "reality" mirrors that in terms of acting, but I think maybe it differs for you in some way. At any rate, that could be an entirely different debate, but I'll just say, do what works for you. Just be open to the suggestion that it may not work for others. And that doesn't make them wrong.
And for the record, I believe the majority of the people here stated numerous times that they don't believe Alice is homophobic. Hey believe she used a homophobic word, but were more angry that she took it so lightly and was completely dismissive and unapologetic for so long. I think spreading the word that the BWW community is up in arms because they think Alice Ripley is homophobic is a gross misinterpretation.
Maybe you're missing all the news, but I believe that there is plenty of focus on these other issues as well. It's not like we choose ONE issue and hone in on it to the exclusion of all else.
Thank you, taz. I don't know why people keep acting like there can only be one possible issue at time that should be addressed. This became a particularly heated discussion because it was occurring in the here (like, specifically HERE on BWW) and now. So, we're not supposed to talk about it because nothing else is being discussed at all? To me, it just says that the finger-pointer is the one who is more focused on this topic if they are unaware of every other thread and news item in existence.
Anyway, I think I'm done now. I'm very tired. I'm very anxious. And I'm in a lot of pain, physically and mentally. So just a heads-up to everyone if my appearance on the boards is sort of spotty.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 6/9/10 at 11:32 AM
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