Well, The Amazing Race is over, y�all. It was actually a thrilling, neck-and-neck (well, almost�more like neck-and-ankle) ride, right up to the moment when the winning team finally hit the mat. I was a little conflicted, because all three of the remaining teams had gotten on my nerves at some point, but when David and Jeff screwed themselves out of their early lead, I felt a little better, knowing that both remaining teams (Kelly and Jon, Chip and Reichen) were among my original favorites. In the end, with apparently only minutes to spare, the first ones to reach the finish line were Chip and Reichen.
Now, I�ll admit that I am a little proud of the fact that the two gay men won, and for only the stupidest of reasons. I mean, it�s not like I had anything to do with their victory at all, and in general, I don�t buy into this whole, �Let�s prove to them that we�re just as good!� philosophy endorsed by every subset of society in regards to everything under the sun (�We just showed the world that birdwatchers are just like everyone else! Wooooo!�), because I don�t think such things should have to be �proven�. We�re all created equal, so just fucking deal with it. And anyway, wanting someone to win for a reason as trifling as the fact that they have something in common with you is pretty stupid -- shouldn't we be more concerned with whether they're good people?
But, on the other hand, I do get tired of people deciding for themselves what I am or am not capable of, based solely on something as benign as to whom I�m attracted. I get sick of people meeting me and immediately deciding that I like pop music, showtunes, San Francisco, shopping, gossip, and mixed drinks, and that I don�t understand cars, sports, flannel, monster trucks, or beer. And to be fair, some of that is true -- I do like shopping and mixed drinks, and I don�t understand monster trucks -- but I also don�t much care for pop music or showtunes, and I happen to like football and beer. Well, I sort of like beer.
I guess my point is that I�m glad they won, both because they were good competitors, but also because I think they did make an impression on behalf of homosexuals everywhere that we�re not all as dainty or ineffectual as it is widely held. However, even I have to admit that, after a while, the incessant chanting of, �We just showed the world that gay men can climb ladders real fast! Wooooo!� (or some variation thereof) got irritating. I guess it goes around, though, because by the time they got eliminated, Tian and Jaree were doing the same thing (�We just showed the world that women can eat hoagies, too! Wooooo!�). I ascribe to the particular belief that people should stop telling everyone they�re equal and start showing them.
Fact is, those feelings of persecution don�t develop in a vacuum, and the fact that Chip and Reichen were so defensive about their sexuality and how it related to their abilities and the way others perceived their abilities leads me to believe that at one time, either or both of those men must have run one hell of a homophobic gauntlet. But I guess that, as strongly as I feel about human rights, I also get so sick of everything being politicized. And I know I have a habit of doing just that (hello), but it�s exhausting, and I wish we could all just stop and live for a while.
Then again, if I stop pressing my viewpoints, my viewpoints will stop being heard, and eventually, I�ll just end up getting screwed. So press on and politicize we must, and press on and politicize we do, and we all end up exhausted and ultimately disgusted with the world. It�s the American Way, I suppose.
And what the hell does any of this have to do with The Amazing Race? I don�t know. But that�s why it�s such a great damn show.
Someone Got Here By Searching For: starting fraternal order �police �eagles And: little evil marshmallow pictures I�m Watching: Take a wild guess. I�m Talking To: My little brother, who is thoroughly disgusted with his friends (as he rightly should be), because they actually enjoyed Freddy vs. Jason, and not in an ironic way, either.