Would The £20M Spent On This Over The Top Opening Ceremony Been Better Donated To The Charity It Supports, That Being Unicef?

[anotheoldgit]

And was all this at all necessary?

/// BARROWMAN'S GAY KISS ///

/// John Barrowman, the Scottish-American actor, singer, dancer and presenter, kissed one of the performers during the ceremony. ///

/// In what was seen as a clear message to the 42 countries of the Commonwealth where it is still a crime to be gay, Glasgow-born Barrowman reached out to kiss the man before holding his hand during a sequence to celebrate Gretna Green. ///

/// Craig Drummond tweeted: ‘It makes me strangely proud to be Scottish that John Barrowman can kiss a man on live tv.’ ///

/// Barrowman is openly gay and married. ///

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2703216/Tunnocks-Tea-Cakes-Irn-Bru-Forth-Bridge-Gretna-Green-Glasgow-opens-Commonwealth-Games-world-Scottish-flavour.html

[sp1814]

AOG

So, to some it's not a pleasing sight.

It would be a strange for gay people not to show affection in public because of that.

Especially whilst straight couples are free to hold hands, kiss each other goodbye at train stations etc.

Perhaps a better solution is for gay people to be openly affectionate with each other in public, so that people get used to it, in the same way that mixed race couples can now hold hands in public, without fear of rebuke of attack?

Of course, there are *some* who are still offended by the sight of mixed race couples, but I am not convinced we should spend our lives catering for your bigotry.

Perhaps the same holds for this?

[Zeuhl]

/To some it is not a pleasing sight/

That is their problem
They need to deal with it in a responsible and mature manner
and not expect others to alter their behaviour simply to pander to a minority's funny little ways

It would be exactly the same if fundamentalist muslims complained about immodest dress

[sp1814]

AOG

"but we all know that the Scots hate the English"

Very broad brush stroke.

[Zeuhl]

/Perhaps a better solution is for gay people to be openly affectionate with each other in public, so that people get used to it/

excellent reframe

and fundamentally true in just about every social context i can think of

[grizzly bear]

Argh. Barrowman and Rod Stewart's singing! The 42 countries have been duly punished for having their own opinions on their own soil. They can consider themselves duly reprimanded while guests of our Queen.

[sp1814]

AOG

Typo!!!

That should have said, "their bigotry", not "your bigotry".

Seriously - that was a typo, not an intended insult.

[whiskeryron]

// Is it not hypocritical to suggest that Barrowman kiss should not be seen? If so, why is his kiss different from the thousands of kisses we see on the street and on television every year? //

Presumably because it was on the lips as in Heterosexual, should a Homosexual kiss be on the back of the other guy's neck AOG ?

[grizzly bear]

on a serious note , I shudder to think of the consequences for any gay man awaiting trial in a country that doesn't support homosexuality as a result of 'barrowboy's actions - they will use it as an excuse to say that all gay men are camp and moronic.

at least Scotland has proved it can be as preachy as London or Birmingham etc and tell people how to live and what they should think. I was beginning to think only good old England did that.

[sp1814]

grizzly bear

So do you think the jusicial process, say in Nigeria could be directly impacted by this?

I think you need to stop shuddering, because the likelihood that John Barrowman would come up in cross-examination is slim.

Also, why is the kiss preachy, and what exactly is it 'telling you to what to think'.

Did the commentator point out the kiss and scream at you, "Accept this"?

I didn't hear that when I watched the clip.

Odd.

[Caribeing]

All opening ceremonies football etc are too long and become boring, this ceremony was as well just lets have the Queen come on and declare the Games open and then the bagpipes to close! As for Barrowman's kiss (excuse the pun) but it was in bad taste, can't have an opening ceremony or event these days without everyone wanting to exploit their sexuality!

[sp1814]

Caribeing

What's wrong with him kissing a bloke when there were straight couples in the same sequence that did the same?

[pixie373]

It should have been a Glasgow kiss- THAT would have been controversial....:-)

[Svejk]

perhaps they should behead someone at the world cup opening ceremony in Qatar.
You know, in the spirit of these things. We know you don't like it and are offended by it but its part of our culture so up yours.

[sp1814]

Svejk

They don't behead in Qatar.

[Zeuhl]

^
and even in countries where they do, I doubt judicial killing is considered appropriate as part of a cultural celebration or to welcome visitors.

[Zeuhl]

I don't recall any choreographed shootings in the back of the head during the Beijing Opening Ceremony

But they did have thousands of children drilled into robotic mass displays

- I dislike that, but accept it is part of their culture

[Svejk]

its academic whether they do or don't, and if they did I doubt they'd put it in an opening ceremony. What I'm saying is, why 'provoke' other people's sensibilities(even if you consider them wrong) You only seem to look at anything from your own perception(s)
For the sake of argument lets say all your perceptions, laws, customs etc. are right and all(or a lot) of foreign peoples are wrong, is there any need to poke and prod at them(all the time)
Bullfighting theme at the next Spanish opening ceremony, anyone?

[Svejk]

don't know why I'm arguing. Surely only a half-wit watches this kind of drivel, lol.

[Zeuhl]

/Bullfighting theme at the next Spanish opening ceremony/

Well if it was I think many people would boycott it.

But svejk, was 'Gay kissing' the theme of the Ceremony?

I thought it was 'everyone is invited'; equality etc

as such it is reasonable that many aspects of Scottish life and people are celebrated

As i asked earlier, as there were Muslim guests there, why aren't you taking issue with the short (above the knee) skirts worn by most of the volunteer dancers?

As there were music lovers there, why have Susan Boyle and Rod Stewart singing?

why are you choosing to draw attention to one brief innocuous incident?

[Svejk]

I'm quite sure the whole thing was patronising drivel from beginning to end. I thought this thread had a 'gay kiss theme'.