Is this really that offensive or is it typical politcal correctness gone wild.



http://news.aol.com/entertainment/television/tv-news-story/ar/_a/jay-lenos-gayest-look-sparks-uproar/20080401152409990001


Jay Leno Apologizes for 'Gayest Look'
AOL
Posted: 2008-04-01 18:40:05
Filed Under: TV News, Viral Video
(April 1) - "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is giving his most remorseful look after making what some in the gay community felt were homophobic remarks during a recent interview with actor Ryan Phillippe.

Leno, 57, apologized in a statement to PEOPLE, saying his attempt at banter "came out wrong."


Photo Gallery
NBC Strong Reaction to
'Gayest Look'1 of 3 Ryan Phillippe refused to give Jay Leno his "gayest look" during an interview on March 19, but hundreds of angry viewers have done just that on a new Web site, My Gayest Look. On April 1, Leno released an apology, calling the remarks "dumb."

"In talking about Ryan's first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong," the host said. "I certainly didn't mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize."

On March 19, after a lengthy chat with Phillippe about his first major role on TV -- he played a gay teen on the soap "One Life to Live" -- Leno asked the actor to show him his "gayest look."

"Can you give me, like -- say that camera is your gay lover ..."





With the audience laughing but the "Stop-Loss" actor saying "I will not" and squirming in discomfort, Leno continued, "Can you give me your 'gayest look'? Say that camera is Billy Bob – Billy Bob has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming."

"Wow," replied Phillippe, 33. "That is so something I don't want to do. Are you just going to embarrass me tonight, or ... ?"

"No," said Leno. "I got more stuff. This is the least of it."

Among the TV viewers not amused by Leno's humor were "Avenue Q" playwright Jeff Whitty and blogger Melissa McEwan, who quickly co-founded MyGayestLook.com to give visitors a way to showcase their "gayest" expression.

The site urges people to send in photos and so far hundreds have participated, with most flashing the middle finger. "It's a fun way to get across a serious message," McEwan told AM New York Tuesday.

The site, she says, "raises awareness about the fact that gay jokes really just aren't funny."

Whitty said he has "no doubt that in the big picture, Jay Leno's a decent guy. ... There's just this one dated thing that bothers me about his comedy."

or is it typical politcal correctness gone wild.:yeahthat



Among the TV viewers not amused by Leno's humor were "Avenue Q" playwright Jeff Whitty and blogger Melissa McEwan, who quickly co-founded MyGayestLook.com to give visitors a way to showcase their "gayest" expression.


The site, she says, "raises awareness about the fact that gay jokes really just aren't funny."
:crysoup:


Hey, remember when the word "gay" meant "happy", before it was hijacked and perverted by homosexuals?!

now i know why most stars are crazy. they are afraid to say anything because it might offend somebody. seriously, peope! get a life. it was a friggin' joke. remember those?

now i know why most stars are crazy. they are afraid to say anything because it might offend somebody. seriously, peope! get a life. it was a friggin' joke. remember those?
werd

now i know why most stars are crazy. they are afraid to say anything because it might offend somebody. seriously, peope! get a life. it was a friggin' joke. remember those?
:yeahthat
Can't we ship these damn "PC police" to another planet or something. That way they can all live together in their sad, uptight little world :rolleyes:

I can sort of understand the controversy, tho I think they're taking it too far. Leno kept bombarding Ryan about the fact that he ::::gasp:::: played gay on a soap 16 years age like it's such a shocker and unheard of and taboo. Ryan tried to change the subject to about how hard it was to play on a soap period, but Jay was hung up on the whole gay issue. He was the same way when Hal Sparks was a guest, going on and on about Queer As Folk and the fact that ::::gasp:::: Hal's character was gay on that show. I think it was basically just a big culmination of years of comments from Jay that reached the boiling point with the Ryan Phillippe interview.

However, I don't agree that gays are crybabies, because gays were called crybabies over wishing the gay couple would kiss on As The World Turns, but yet it's okay to show characters getting raped and the sort, but two guys kissing is off limits in 2008 :rolleyes:

I can sort of understand the controversy, tho I think they're taking it too far. Leno kept bombarding Ryan about the fact that he ::::gasp:::: played gay on a soap 16 years age like it's such a shocker and unheard of and taboo. Ryan tried to change the subject to about how hard it was to play on a soap period, but Jay was hung up on the whole gay issue. He was the same way when Hal Sparks was a guest, going on and on about Queer As Folk and the fact that ::::gasp:::: Hal's character was gay on that show. I think it was basically just a big culmination of years of comments from Jay that reached the boiling point with the Ryan Phillippe interview.

However, I don't agree that gays are crybabies, because gays were called crybabies over wishing the gay couple would kiss on As The World Turns, but yet it's okay to show characters getting raped and the sort, but two guys kissing is off limits in 2008 :rolleyes:

I was curious about how you felt about this. Since you thought that it kind of went to far, do you believe that it needed an apology from Leno? I understand why he did it. It was better to do it than face the controversy.

I was curious about how you felt about this. Since you thought that it kind of went to far, do you believe that it needed an apology from Leno? I understand why he did it. It was better to do it than face the controversy.
Why are you curious as to how John felt abt this issue?


If Jay Leno had told a guest who was gay, "Give a straight look"...that would be funny as hell. :lol: Wanna know why? Because there is NO DIFFERENCE on giving a gay or straight look. That is why there should have been no issue here. :crazy:

I was curious about how you felt about this. Since you thought that it kind of went to far, do you believe that it needed an apology from Leno? I understand why he did it. It was better to do it than face the controversy.
I don't really think an apology was necessary, it would've blown over anyways. I do think Jay focuses too much on if someone played gay on a show (keep in mind, Ryan also did Ellen to promote the movie and she spent less time talking about his OLTL stint) but I don't think he's this evil master "homophobe" that militants are making him out to be. I mean, it's nice that he apologized but it wasn't really necessary. He was just trying to be funny, but it just didn't go over as well as he hoped.

Why are you curious as to how John felt abt this issue?


If Jay Leno had told a guest who was gay, "Give a straight look"...that would be funny as hell. :lol: Wanna know why? Because there is NO DIFFERENCE on giving a gay or straight look. That is why there should have been no issue here. :crazy:


He's a gay man, right? Unless I have read things wrong on here.

He is but still, I think I would think if you make a thread you are directing the question or issue to everyone here, regardless if they are gay or not.

I am not gay. But I have a gay daughter. Still, I have an opinion on the matter.

He is but still, I think I would think if you make a thread you are directing the question or issue to everyone here, regardless if they are gay or not.

I am not gay. But I have a gay daughter. Still, I have an opinion on the matter.


I was directing it towards everyone hence all of the other replies. Once he posted on the thread I thought I would ask him directly. I have no clue you why assumed that it was directed at gay people only. No where did I say that.

I was directing it towards everyone hence all of the other replies. Once he posted on the thread I thought I would ask him directly. I have no clue you why assumed that it was directed at gay people only. No where did I say that.
No you didn't say directly that it was geared to any one person. But it appears that you were waiting for someone who was gay to give their opinion and see if in fact Jay was wrong, if he should have apologized, etc. As if John's being gay gives him more credence somehow.:lol: Just letting you know how I read that. Nothing more, nothing less. ;)

No you didn't say directly that it was geared to any one person. But it appears that you were waiting for someone who was gay to give their opinion and see if in fact Jay was wrong, if he should have apologized, etc. As if John's being gay gives him more credence somehow.:lol: Just letting you know how I read that. Nothing more, nothing less. ;)
I think you're right, and so what. You've weighed in on gay topics, citing your gay daughter, as if it gave your opinion more credence. And it does. John's opinion as a gay man does matter more, in the sense of a gay person being offended, or not, by what Leno said.

I think you're right, and so what. You've weighed in on gay topics, citing your gay daughter, as if it gave your opinion more credence. And it does. John's opinion as a gay man does matter more, in the sense of a gay person being offended, or not, by what Leno said.
I think me and John will always see the funny side of stuff that happens to be of a gay issue. That is because we don't see the difference that anyone else might see, such as those folks who felt offended. There will always be two sides (or more) to an issue or story. There might even be some straight people here who think Jay was out of line. :lol: My sister for one.

It's amazing how you can have a show that's mostly jokes, that's INTENDED to be funny, yet people are still offended by it. :crazy:

It's amazing how you can have a show that's mostly jokes, that's INTENDED to be funny, yet people are still offended by it. :crazy:
Exactly! Jay means no harm. He is funny. There should be no offense taken. ;) There are some people who spew out worse, a whole lot worse.

a lot of militants are ready to damn Leno, but I think a lot of people have forgotten that if it wasn't for Leno, Ross The Intern would've never had a career in the first place. If Leno was this notorious gaybasher, he never would've had him on his show in the first place IMO

a lot of militants are ready to damn Leno, but I think a lot of people have forgotten that if it wasn't for Leno, Ross The Intern would've never had a career in the first place. If Leno was this notorious gaybasher, he never would've had him on his show in the first place IMO
Ross rocks!!!! :rock: ;)

I can sort of understand the controversy, tho I think they're taking it too far. Leno kept bombarding Ryan about the fact that he ::::gasp:::: played gay on a soap 16 years age like it's such a shocker and unheard of and taboo. Ryan tried to change the subject to about how hard it was to play on a soap period, but Jay was hung up on the whole gay issue. He was the same way when Hal Sparks was a guest, going on and on about Queer As Folk and the fact that ::::gasp:::: Hal's character was gay on that show. I think it was basically just a big culmination of years of comments from Jay that reached the boiling point with the Ryan Phillippe interview.

However, I don't agree that gays are crybabies, because gays were called crybabies over wishing the gay couple would kiss on As The World Turns, but yet it's okay to show characters getting raped and the sort, but two guys kissing is off limits in 2008 :rolleyes:

I haven't seen the clip or anything, but they were talking about the whole thing on the radio this morning. On this particular station (a classic rock station) they're normally "super macho" and will tell gay jokes etc., but it's all in fun. I was a bit surprised how against Jay there were on this issue. Not even so much the "gay look" thing (which they said was just plain "strange" and I think I agree), but how he kept pounding it into the ground. Also, there was some indirect reference to Broke Back Mountain, which of course costarred Jake, who is now dating Phillippe's ex pretty heavily. They just felt he just kept putting his foot in it and it was a really awkward - not a funny situation.

In a sense, considering the 17 years he's been on, this is basically his first contraversy - just give a quick apology and move on I say. (And to me, it should be more directed at Philippe personally than anything).

Hey, remember when the word "gay" meant "happy", before it was hijacked and perverted by homosexuals?!

It was not hijacked by homosexuals. Words go through evolution as they're expressions of living beings who also go through evolution. It was once acceptable to call an African-American a negro, but it is now often considered offensive.

It was not hijacked by homosexuals. Words go through evolution as they're expressions of living beings who also go through evolution. It was once acceptable to call an African-American a negro, but it is now often considered offensive.
Not the same thing. The definition of the word "negro" wasn't changed; different words(black, African-American) were just substituted.

Homosexuals took the word "gay" and adopted it as their own, changing the whole definition of it in the process. Therefore, yes, they hijacked it.

I missed the Apologizes.

Not the same thing. The definition of the word "negro" wasn't changed; different words(black, African-American) were just substituted.

Homosexuals took the word "gay" and adopted it as their own, changing the whole definition of it in the process. Therefore, yes, they hijacked it.

Relax, drama queen, gay still retains its original meaning.

gay (gā) adj., gay·er, gay·est.

Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.

Showing or characterized by cheerfulness and lighthearted excitement; merry.

Bright or lively, especially in color: a gay, sunny room.

Given to social pleasures.

Dissolute; licentious.

Not the same thing. The definition of the word "negro" wasn't changed; different words(black, African-American) were just substituted.


Fine. The word suffer was often used to mean to permit, but now is more commonly used to mean to endure suffering.

Relax, drama queen, gay still retains its original meaning.

gay (gā) adj., gay·er, gay·est.

Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.

Showing or characterized by cheerfulness and lighthearted excitement; merry.

Bright or lively, especially in color: a gay, sunny room.

Given to social pleasures.

Dissolute; licentious.

Well, I'm glad it's in there somewhere. Of course, you would never know it nowadays.

...Drama queen, now that's a new one.:lol:

Fine. The word suffer was often used to mean to permit, but now is more commonly used to mean to endure suffering.

That's nice.
Though suffer is still used with both definitions. You'd be hard pressed to find the original meaning of the word "gay" used anywhere now.

That's nice.
Though suffer is still used with both definitions. You'd be hard pressed to find the original meaning of the word "gay" used anywhere now.

In Romance languages, it's still customary to use homosexual to say you're gay. It's mostly an English colloquialism to use gay for a homosexual man and lesbian for a homosexual woman. English evolves differently because it is considered a universal tongue and it adopts words from all languages with little problem. Thus, even though in French you can say "Je suis gai," it's more customary to use "Je suis homosexuel." Gai is typically used for happy in French. It is not the fault of homosexuals if happy is used more regularly now to express an emotion and not the word gay.

Consider this from Wikipedia:

Development of modern usage
The use of gay to mean "homosexual" was in origin merely an extension of the word's sexualised connotation of "carefree and uninhibited", which implied a willingness to disregard conventional or respectable sexual mores. Such usage is documented as early as the 1920s. It was initially more commonly used to imply heterosexually unconstrained lifestyles, as for example in the once-common phrase "gay Lothario",[3] or in the title of the book and film The Gay Falcon (1941), which concerns a womanizing detective whose first name is "Gay".

Look up gay in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Well into the mid 20th century a middle-aged bachelor could be described as "gay" without any implication of homosexuality. This usage could apply to women too. The British comic strip Jane was first published in the 1930s and described the adventures of Jane Gay. Far from implying homosexuality, it referred to her freewheeling lifestyle with plenty of boyfriends (while also punning on Lady Jane Grey).

A passage from Gertrude Stein's Miss Furr & Miss Skeene (1922) is possibly the first traceable published use of the word to refer to a homosexual relationship, though it is not altogether clear whether she uses the word to mean lesbianism or happiness:

“ They were ...gay, they learned little things that are things in being gay, ... they were quite regularly gay. ”
—Gertrude Stein, 1922

now i know why most stars are crazy. they are afraid to say anything because it might offend somebody. seriously, peope! get a life. it was a friggin' joke. remember those?

If he made a stupid comment about any other group or race of people, he would have been fired like Don Imus. It is OK to insult gay people though, isn't it?

Jay Leno is an imbecile. He was a poor replacement for Johnny Carson and he is among the worst of the late show TV hosts.

There is a difference between making a supposed comment that you truly believe to be true vs. a joke. IMHO.