According to Nikki Finke, Universal sent a trailer of the upcoming film The Dilemma, directed by Ron Howard and starring Vince Vaughn, to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in order to get their blessing. Universal claims that GLAAD had no problem with the trailer, but a press release issued by GLAAD says they did:
After reviewing, GLAAD called on Universal to remove the scene where the word ‘gay’ was used as a pejorative from the trailer. Today, after Anderson Cooper also spoke out against the scene, Universal confirmed to GLAAD that the offensive joke will be removed from promotional campaigns from this point forward, including in the trailer currently playing in movie theatres.
Kind of hilarious, isn’t it, that Anderson Cooper, who made plenty of jokes on television about “teabagging” at the expense of Tea Partiers, would complain about the word “gay” being used as a pejorative? But that’s neither here nor there. And the point of this post is not to debate whether saying “that’s so gay” or whatever is offensive enough to be scrubbed from the American lexicon, and whether one group should have the power to make that decision.
No, the point of this post is to ask some very serious questions: Why did Universal feel the need to send its trailer to GLAAD for their PC benediction in the first place? Does Universal send their trailers to other special interest groups for vetting too? What about other studios? Do they make it a regular practice to send trailers to GLAAD, the NAACP, PETA, NOW, CAIR, and others? And does it stop at trailers? What about scripts? Previews? Merchandising ideas?
Pardon me, but I was under the impression that true artistes don’t worry about what other people think. I thought the point of any kind of artistic expression was to, well, express oneself without regard to public opinion and when certain members of said public complain about being offended by said art, those “in the know” thumb their noses at the scoffers and call them Philistines, Bible-thumpers and other choice names.
But whatever. If Hollywood is worried about offending its viewing public, then Big Hollywood wants in on the pre-screening process. Our very own Sucker Punch Squad has been instrumental in exposing the bias against conservatives and conservatism in many movies. In fact, Big Hollywood as a whole exists to call Hollywoodists out on their bias and provide a platform for conservatives in the entertainment business to voice their opinions on the issues of the day.
We’re sure that it was a simple oversight on the part of Hollywoodists that Big Hollywood has yet to be consulted in the all-important matter of keeping movies free of material offensive to you, the conservative consumer.
Wouldn’t you agree that Big Hollywood could provide indispensable advice to screenwriters, directors, studio bigs and distributors as to what is considered offensive, demeaning and politically incorrect to their conservative audience? An audience that, according to a highly reputable polling group, makes up the largest demographic in America? Only a year ago, a Gallup poll revealed that conservatives form the single greatest ideological group in the US, including so-called moderates, with conservatives outnumbering liberals in all 50 states (yes, that’s 50 states, not 57 – check your atlas). And that was before Obamacare passed! With the upcoming midterm election looking to be a washout for Democrats and a watershed year for Republicans, currying the favor of conservatives could be a very wise move for Hollywood. Cha-ching!
So, Hollywoodists, take note! Big Hollywood is at your disposal. If your goal is to avoid offending conservative consumers who might want to spend their hard-earned money on your product, we’re here to help! We hope people like writer/director Adam McKay will give us a call so we can help him with his eternal quest to Speak! Truth! To! Power!
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