The Adventures of QueerPenguin

Schadenfreude

OK I admit it, I'm deriving pleasure from seeing the Aussie Queer Guy and X-Factor knock-offs crash and burn. There is something indescribably wonderful about enduring weeks of the hype and "buzz" that Channel 10 does so bombastically well, seeing the smug faces of vacuous hosts and "stars" looking o-so-confident that their show will be the next Big Brother or Oz Idol, only to see it instead mutate into a HotHouse or Resort and picturing the multiple heart attacks Channel 10 execs suffer when the ratings come in.

Queer Eye is not a television program, it's an advertisement. Gay men become as much the exploited commodities as the hair products, face creams and Ikea furniture and all the other products so shamelessly and gratuitously placed in this advertisement. For years we've fought for positive, non-stereotypical representation, and all that hard work is destroyed in one fell swoop as we once again become hairdressers, interior designers and superficial gym bunnies. And yes, I know a lot of us are those people, but we're also writers, actors, politicians, athletes, activists, astronauts and jelly wrestlers. No offence to the Aussie Queer Eye boys - obviously in their various careers they've done pretty well - but they're tools of consumerism, little ad breaks posing as 15-minute celebrities. The sooner they're relegated to spots on Bert (not literally), the better.

posted by Sam @ Tuesday, February 22, 2005