Thursday open thread: That's very manly
Saturday Night Live, season 4, episode 18. The week's host is the legendary Michael Palin of Monty Python fame.
As you can see here, thirteen minutes into the video, the sketch is "Miles Cowperthwaite, Part Two: I Am Nailed to the Hull". In it, Palin finds himself on a ship as a ship's boy. The ship is captained by John Belushi. As ship's captain, he is very concerned with "manliness". Very concerned. And so are all the young, strapping, vital men sailing on the ship. Oh. So. Manly.
Forty years later, and this is still my favorite example of authoritarian homoeroticism. Until, that is, I saw the tweet above.
Holy Jesus on toast. The way Donald Trump's cult goes out of its way to depict their leader as something out of a leather daddy fantasy is something else. Trump as Rambo. Trump as a Viking. Trump as a caped superhero with a large, um, package. They may as well be screaming out "You look FABULOUS" in the most stereotypically lisping voice.
It's very obvious that their hatred of gay people is predicated on their own fears of their sexual desires. I mean, would any of us plant Joe Biden's head on top of some muscular superman? Of course not, because it's silly. All this is very, very silly, and very telling. It's telling that the MAGA depiction of masculinity wouldn't be out of place at a circuit party circa 1982. Oiled up muscles and suggestive featuring of male genitalia. And then, obviously, let's gloss over the adoption of the Village People's "YMCA" as the cult's anthem. What? Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" was too fay?
Trump's male acolytes are sexually stunted trolls who have never even tried to work out their issues. The only people who think about gay sex with any regularity are... gay people. And even they don't obsess over it like MAGA does.
In one respect it's laughable. Homophobes using gay tropes to express their virility. But it's also quite sad. If more people were able to deal honestly with questions about sexuality, they'd be much happier. And, of course, this dysfunction causes harm to others, as we see every day.
It would do us all a world of good if certain people would be less concerned with "manliness" and instead focused on being decent human beings. But that would involve a level of introspection which cannot be tolerated. Once you go down that road, who knows what disturbing things you might uncover about yourself.
This is your open thread.
***
Like what you're reading? Never miss another post! Get notified via email here.
Donate at the link below to keep us going.