30 Days: Redneck in Gayville

Saw the episode of 30 Days where the country farmboy moves to an apartment in the Castro with a gay guy. Farmboy claims to have had a big conversion in the end–after the father of a lesbian confronts him with the “Did you decide to be straight?” line of questioning.

First of all, I can’t believe that he went most of the 30 days without the SOMEone hitting that argument. Either he was among the dumbest bunch of queens ever or…

…I’m not sure I buy that he actually changed his mind. I think Farmboy smartened up when the Lesbian Minister was pressing him earlier that day. It seemed that she wouldn’t be satisfied with anything other than a complete retraction of his previously stated beliefs. Those being: (a) that the Bible holds an explicit opinion on homosexuality and, (b) that it’s really, really bad. Like murder bad. Grave sin, teh ghey.

Which I don’t agree with but, y’know… I hate to be harassed about what I think once I’ve made it clear that I hear the other side, but still plan to stick with my first inclination. No matter how well-intentioned the persistance might be, that shit gets old fast. And sometimes the best way to get it to go away is to pretend to agree.

He didn’t give in to the pastor, but I think she keyed him in to what the show’s producers were expecting. And, being a rather eager beaver (the kind who would jump through the hoops involved in being on a television reality show), he made sure to give them what they wanted.

The real evidence for me was the behavior exhibited when a friend from home came for a one-night visit. Rather than seem even slightly embarassed by his friend’s overt disgust and crude jokes, Farmboy and his bud seemed to be on the same wavelength, and are–from all appearances–making fun of their hosts. They proceed to get trashed, then half-naked, and crawl onto stage at a gay bar named “Daddy’s.” They strip off their shirts and start in with the frat-boy homo-eroticization. They then get perturbed when other men approach them.

Now, I can hear the rustling in my feminist moral center. Shouldn’t everyone have the right to do as they please, to dress as they please… to appear in any way they please without suffering the unwanted advances of others?

Well, yes.

Does the fact that there is a reasonable expectation of a certain behavior change that?

It’s a fine line to walk, isn’t it?

I’m kind of unclear on what happened next. They go from showing the two Farmboys in their cage dance, to a curbside scene with the host gays giving them both what-for. Apparently they had enough sense to drag the drunkards out of the place before some dude got all on their package and a lusty bar-brawl ensued.

But still–just cause the straight guy gets into the birdcage? Doesn’t mean he wants to sing.

3 responses to “30 Days: Redneck in Gayville”

  1. Kat Says:

    The issue I have with that is that there was no way for the man who approached the Farmboy to know whether or not he was gay. He propositioned Farmboy, and Farmboy then became really insulted and started threatening violence, if I recall correctly. I was flabbergasted by his rudeness, I guess; if someone assumes I’m a librarian because I wear glasses (bad analogy, I know), I will correct them. But I’ll be nice about it.

    No point really, other than ‘ooh! ooh! I saw that one too!’

  2. Robust mcManlyPants Says:

    I thought it was a pretty weak episode. The only part I watched, actually, was some of the bar and the minister (I was sort of in and out of the room while The Boyf watched it). I remember wondering whether the minister was badgering him because here she was, in the Castro, on “safe turf,” and even there some farmboy with too much testosterone and a camera crew can roll up and tell her she’s wrong. I wasn’t impressed by either of them, or by the episode itself, ultimately, because it really seemed like it was less anthropological exercise and more hey, let’s put the redneck in gay town and watch everybody squirm, which isn’t very educational. Still, if somebody from Horse Shoe wheeled into my drive with a camera and said, “Here I am to spout my ignorant bullshit, what a learning experience!” then I would probably end up in jail as a result of my response.

  3. bascha Says:

    Agreed, on both counts. Farmboy was an ass, but folks like the Lesbian Minister weren’t any better. And that disappointed me.

    I know, I know. Expecting something worthwhile from Reality TV. What was I thinking?

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