GenderLife Forum: The Information Exchange

Someday Marci you and I need to sit down for a latte.

How about we just let the subject drop? Everyone knows Letterman is an immature jerk and it was incredibly tasteless, but to perpetuate the situation just makes it worse.

I didn't see the skit so I can't comment on it. But I think Letterman caters to the Gen X'ers which on many levels enjoy dising and making fun of people. I've noticed this trend for quite a few years and now it's very prevalent in radio (shock jocks) and has made it's way into late night TV and some commercials also. I'll bet it was mostly about ratings as Dave has been known to get a little controversial just to stoke his ratings among younger viewers who for the most part are the only ones up at 11:30 pm EST. I say let it go and find more important things to get bitchy about!

Right on.

Or, as we Gen-Xers would say, "nah, it don't matter."

Most Gen Xers and Gen Yers I know are in bed by 10:00.

I'm seldom in bed before 1 - but most people I know don't watch television (myself included).

in bed by 10? Hah.
Well, I guess a lot of Gen Xers are all married with children and such, so that tends to shift ones schedule.

I actually laughed. But, I'm used to Letterman, and other similar talk shows, making jokes about politicians, governmental figures, and other groups of people. If they didn't poke fun at someone, would anyone actually tune in? Probably not.

I'm not saying that it was OK for them to essentially announce to the world that she is transgender, either. Obviously, not many of us would like to be outed to millions of people like that. I'm just saying that I'm personally used to talk shows making fun of people, in general. It's what they do and if you tune in, you probably expect it. Amanda didn't get slammed nearly as badly as, say, George Bush, who was the most powerful person in America.

And, depending on how you look at it, the joke could actually be on the guy who stormed off of the set, upset that she used to be a man. He was playing the role of the guy who finds out that a woman he thought was pretty (and maybe more)... "used to be a man." In a way, and depending on how someone interprets it, it could show that it's silly to judge someone like this. The skit exemplifies the fact that you can't always tell who is transgender and who is not. I think that's actually important, since a lot of people are convinced that they can always tell. I've been standing around guys who were talking about a girl who was trans around me and they were saying that they could tell she was trans... that they can ALWAYS tell. Yet, they didn't have a clue that I'm also trans. They were saying some degrading things about her and basically saying that she was gross. In a way, I sort of wanted to tell them that I'm trans, too, just to prove a point. But, I didn't because I didn't want them to then see me the same way.

So, even though the skit could be really offensive to some, maybe it isn't all bad.

And that leads to another ethical dilemma related to the point Marcella discussed a bit earlier in this thread. Do we stand up for our sisters and risk our own standing, or do we keep silent to protect ourselves, yet imply we're complicit with their viewpoint?

Well,the way I look at it is-As long as he doesn"t make a habit of doing it on a regular basis,it"s best to just let it pass.People get a laugh for a minute or two,no big deal really.The thing that would become a problem though of course as I said(and there would definitely have to be something done about it then),is if it became a habit.Otherwise,I'm not gonna get all upset and make a big stink about it.