Serious question about Daily Mail readers and gays...

[sp1814]

And this is IN NO WAY a rant at Daily Mail readers, but a genuine question.

Have a look at this link about Neil Patrick Harris and his partner. They've done some (what I would call) genuinely beautiful shots for out.com:

http://www.dailymail....nce-open-romance.html

Now...spool down to the comments section and sort the comments check out what gets a positive rating and what gets a negative rating.

My question is simple - what do Daily Mail readers of this story have a problem with? I mean - almost exclusively, anyone who has written something nice or positive gets 'red arrowed'.

Is it homophobia or something more complex?

[Ankou]

"there is no story other than 'Here are some pictures of some gay people that appeared in another magazine'"

there is also the "they have children... with names...." abomination for dm readers to choke over their porridge with. cough splutter, they aint just wooly woofters, they is child breeders as well etc etc, cough splutter wave paper etc

[sp1814]

ludwig

No, naomi24 stated that the two chaps were "flaunting their sexuality".

I want to know whether pictures of a straight couple in exactly the same poses would be denounced in the same way.

Would it?

[Ankou]

i am still wondering how i could flaunt my sexuality. would i have to waggle me knob in the street to random women shouting "phwooar av it" or summink ?

if its a photo of me and mrs kou, the only inclination would be the twinkle in me eye and me hand on her arse. well in some of our wedding photos i'm holding a beer as well, and eyeing up the bridesmaids. me gay dear...?

[naomi24]

//..oh dear, did I just see the 'you're a closet homophobe' card being played? //

Yes, I think you did Ludwig. I too think there is something in what Jackthehat says - and like you I'm not interested in them either, or in Angelina et al. I just don't like hypocrisy.

SP, it's actually interesting that because I criticised this article, you automatically, and incorrectly, assumed that these pictures are stomach-churning to me. I think that says far more about the chip on your shoulder than any you perceive to be on mine.

[Ankou]

well it was the people you criticised and the photos really, not the article. is it the picture where they are in their pyjamas that you object to then naomi?

to me it appears not all that different to any catalogue photo for mens sleepwear.

[Baldric]

"I was never confused"

:o)

[sp1814]

naomi24

Would you think that a straight couple photographed in the same poses were 'flaunting their sexuality'?

I think that's the crux of the argument. I already said I'd misrepresented your opinion earlier (when I said that you found it stomach churning), but I'm still really curious as to this 'flaunting their sexuality' thing.

Would you REALLY feel the same about a straight couple, and if so, how do you navigate the minefield of a wedding album?

[Davethedog]

Do you not think there is an element of the "contrarian" here. This appears to be a positive fluff piece about a celbrity hios other half and his kids However we are all aware of the Mail's apparent stance on the gay community, so I for one question both the relvence and intent.

Its rather like their railing against the falling standards of society, but if you go to the Mail site you find nothing but stories that contain "celebrities" in bikinis on the sidebar.

[sp1814]

davethedog

There was a very funny screen grab from the Mail on that very subject. They ran a story about the 'outrage' caused by the BBC showing nudity in 'Sherlock' before the watershed, but running down the right hand side of the screen was literally shot after shot of either naked, or semi naked starlets (mostly of the Kardashian sort).

Beautiful hypocracy.

[sp1814]

davethedog

So a deliberate ruse to get the homophobes out of the closet (as it were)?

[naomi24]

SP, The minefield of a wedding album? What a strange thing to say. Anyway, that aside this is not a wedding album, and if pictures in a similar vein were printed of a heterosexual couple who were hypocritically courting publicity, as I think these men are, yes I would say they were flaunting their sexuality.

[Ankou]

but what image do you object to ? them in their pj's ?

look at these two hypocrites flaunting their sexuality.

http://s4.thisnext.co...imension/6F3BAED2.jpg

[naomi24]

Why do you think they're hypocrites, Ankou?

[Ankou]

and these two. disgusting innit.

http://image1.masterf.../55/700-00365576w.jpg

[naomi24]

No answer then?

[cathfromsaron]

as 'a daily mail reader', who doesn't comment online, i think that the red/green arrow code is pathetic and cowardly!

and yes the pics are v artistic and quite romantic!

cath x

[NOX]

I don't consider these pictures to be sexual in any way, simply demonstrating a love between two people. I have no idea why anyone would consider them sexual or unpleasant in any way or even as promoting homosexuality as they are simply just nice photos of a couple- I see nothing garish about them in the least or particularly 'poster boy'.

[pa___ul3]

had a little butchers and I reckon half the red arrows are from trolling, I mean even the "why the red arrows?" comment got 90 odd red arrows.
I'm no fan of the mail at all but I think this article is quite well done, it seems subtle and genuine.

[Davethedog]

Sp no I think its rather, look how posive we are, but as Ankou says know ing the effect on its little England readership.

Naomi - You know that Ankou doesn't think either picture is hypocritical or disgusting however in picture one I want the answer to 42 across 67 down.

[Backdrifter]

The DM exists partly to nurture outrage among its readership and it correctly decided that plucking this article from its source would be an excellent little blood-boiler for their readers when dangled before them. The green/red arrow thing is amusing, it almost seems like an automatic mechanism generating it, but that said on some occasions I've looked at DM comments there have been plenty of comments against the grain of the expected "DM reader" response and a fair number of typical DM reader responses red-arrowed so it's not always black and white (or indeed green and red).

The pics are okay. I'm not too interested in pics of other people's happiness but these are well-taken. Even on the basis the article and pics were in a publication aimed ostensibly at gay people, I find it odd that if they really did say they don't want to be poster boys, they participate in a shoot for a magazine that kind of makes them into just that.

This isn't aimed at anyone who's commented above, just that some of the discussion made me think in a more general way about this, but I tend to hear comments about sexuality being flaunted only when it's in relation to gay people; I can't recall ever having heard anyone comment in a similar way about people constantly pushing their heterosexuality at us. Which of course doesn't mean it never happens.