Ignorance

It just must be my week for blogging.

TVGuide.com reported the following news piece this morning:

THINGS GET HAIRY: Mustachioed Today show film critic Gene Shalit has drawn fire from GLAAD for his Thursday review of Brokeback Mountain, in which he characterized Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack as a "sexual predator" who "coaxes" Heath Ledger's Ennis into "sporadic trysts." Deeming Shalit's commentary "gratuitously offensive," "defamatory, ignorant and irresponsible," GLAAD is asking for an apology from both him and Today.

Now, here's my general impression. Number 1 - Mr. Shalit obviously did not watch the movie. In my personal opinion, there is no way he could have watched the movie and made the statments he did, unless he is truly ignorant. Number 2 - sexual predator? Please, Jack is in no way a sexual predator. Number 3 - 'coaxes' Ennis into 'sporadic trysts'? Excuse me, I watched the movie and it sure as hell did not look like Ennis needed any coaxing at all. He did not have to respond to Jack's first postcard, or subsequent postcards. He was also the one who literally pulled Jack into an embrace, pushed him back under the stairwell and kissed him at their first meeting after their experience on Brokeback mountain. Had Mr. Shalit watched the movie, he would have noticed all of this; instead, he only allegedly (I just love that word) half-assed watched the movie and made allegedly inaccurate comments. Perhaps Mr. Shalit needs to retire from the movie critic business since he is unable to do a proper job without allegedly inserting personal, defamatory comments into his reviews.

Okay, my rant is done for the moment, dear readers, and I should journey back to my life. You can click on the above link 'asking for an apology' which will take you to the GLADD website and give a more in-depth article about the review.

On second thought, perhaps my rant is not done because I did not address the topic of the rant: ignorance. There is nothing worse than making a statement without all the facts. I made my statement after reading two news items and actually watching the review (also available through the GLADD website). Ignorance helps no one. Knoweldge is power. Before making his statements, perhaps Mr. Shalit should have really watched the movie, perhaps more than once, to truly understand what was happening in the film. Perhaps he should respond not of alleged personal bias and ignorance, but rather out of knoweldge. I do not expect an apology from Mr. Shalit. I truly do not expect NBC to respond. I believe the old saying is: ignorance is bliss. The only problem, mass ignorance helps no one, and hurts far too many. Perhaps 'Brokeback Mountain' will earn every numerous awarded it has so far been nominated for and prove that the alleged ignorance of some was truly that . . . ignorance.

S