Monday, October 11, 2010

Dear Bleacher Creatures -- Suck My Dick (You Know You Want To)

What kind of "queen," exactly?

While I often mock the Yankees and their fans, probably a bit too much, I'm well aware that part of that behavior is rooted in some level of jealousy I hold toward them. After all, it's more fun if your team wins, and those fuckers in the Bronx win more than, well, anybody. But as I said, at least I'm aware of it.

Along those lines, it's not even surprising anymore when someone (say, a prominent politician or religious leader) who spends a lot of time bashing gays turns out to be gay himself. Obviously, not everyone who's ever used the word "fag" is a homosexual, but if Thomas frequently directs over-the-top, unnecessarily angry, aggressive language or behavior (especially when unprovoked) at someone else or a group, that's usually a decent indicator that Thomas is trying to cover up or compensate for something about himself. People don't generally hold that level of hatred for anyone but themselves.

For example, from a recent Yankees/Twins game:
I have proudly lived in New York City for over two years, and, unlike the often-heard stereotypes, have found this city's inhabitants to be kind, respectful, and even polite. This changed the night of Oct. 9, when I attended the New York Yankees game against the Minnesota Twins. As a Midwest native showing up to the game in my Twins regalia, I expected to be picked on. I expected to be heckled. What I did not expect was to hear homophobic and anti-gay cheers sung by the crowd.

During the traditional singing of YMCA, when the grounds crew takes to the field, suddenly the crowd erupted into lyrics singing, "Why are you gay, I saw you sucking some d-i-c-k." Other lyrics called people who are gay sinners and disease-ridden. I couldn't believe my ears. Whatever people may say about Minnesota or the Midwest, such hurtful and disgusting things would never be shouted at a Twins game. What an embarrassment for Yankees fans and New York City.


Here's some video (though not of that particular night):



Pretty much this whole thing translates to this: "If you root for the other team, you're a faggot."

Of course, every team's fan base has plenty of assholes. The Mets are no exception, and at the few Giants games I've attended, there were times I was embarrassed to be there.

But this video -- which is a routine these fucking mooks called the Bleacher Creatures perform -- is different. Not only is the language particularly graphic, ignorant and hateful, it happens all the time. Obviously security is fine with it, meaning it receives the implicit endorsement of the Yankee organization. Would this be allowed to continue if it were a song attacking blacks or Hispanics or women or, say, those suffering from dementia or craniosynostosis?

Quite clearly, there are much bigger issues in the news lately, like the recent increase in gay suicides or the fact that the Republican nominee for governor of New York feels free to openly gay-bash. I wonder what the Bleacher Creatures would say about that group of sociopathic thugs who lured three gay men to an abandoned house in the Bronx and then brutally tortured them for hours? (And no, a stupid song is not the same as actual torture, but they did both take place in the Bronx, which means they are clearly and inextricably connected. Probably even the same people.)

We can't know for sure whether every single member of the Bleacher Creatures is, in fact, gay, much like we'll never know for sure whether every snowflake is unique. But hey -- I just finished an entire gay/Yankees post without once mentioning Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez!

If I can do it, we all can.

6 comments:

ChuckJerry said...

I felt like I was in Philly for a minute there.

You know they're gay because of the part where they go, "d-i-c-k-hay", where they really emphasize the k.

Evan said...

Sport fans behaving disgusting? Well I don’t know about you but I can’t believe this.

On another note, I guess I’m the only one in the world who thinks that this Tyler Clementi thing may be just a prank gone bad. Granted I’ve only read a few articles and with more information may change my mind, but I keep hearing things like he was “tormented.” Yet, the only incident I’ve read about is this taping incident. Granted, this is a horrible way to be outed, but I just don’t necessarily see the malicious intent regarding the sexuality of Tyler and how this one incident constitutes “tormented.” What if Tyler was straight? Couldn’t a similar thing have happened? We’ve all seen American Pie.

Open Bar said...

Wow, re-reading that today, the tone in that post is all over the place, isn't it? Introspective to analytical to GRRR! ANGRY! to sarcastic to crude Photoshopping. I need an editor.

Anyway, Ev, I do think this particular behavior is exceptional, and for some reason it really got to me. Then again, if I saw a Bleacher Creature volunteering at a soup kitchen, I'd probably just assume he likes jerking off into the broth.

Because they're all douchebags, you see?

Evan said...

I don't really see it as exceptional. Ever Jets game I've been to her there is a "show us your tits" chant to every attractive woman who walks by. I'm sure that's not particularly comfortable for a woman at a sporting event.

I've never gone to a sporting event and though to myself, "wow what an altruistic and compassionate fan base." But, that's just me.

So, I guess I am alone in this passing Tyler Clementi thought.

Open Bar said...

I don't mean to suggest that fans should behave like they're at church when at a ballgame, but I do think there's a difference between yelling that AJ Burnett sucks and deliberate and graphic homophobic taunting -- especially when it's repeated every game at the same time.

If I was there and I responded by telling [head Bleacher Creature] Bald Vinny to "go make me a cannoli, you greasy-haired, Mussolini-loving guinea wop dago," people would probably not focus on the joke (he's bald, but I called him greasy-haired anyway LOL!) and instead focus on the whole ethnic-slur part.

And the "show us your tits" stuff that used to happen at Gate D during Jets games eventually stopped -- because Jets management chose to step in and make it stop. They even refused to sell alcohol at the final Jets home game at Giants stadium in response to the uproar.

I don't doubt that some women found it fun, but I'd be willing to bet that a far higher percentage would have described it as tons of drunken assholes sexually demeaning them in public, which, you know, is right.

ChuckJerry said...

Ev, re: Clementi, I think it was a pretty fucked up thing. This dude was a) a melodramatic 18 year old (is there any other kind?) b) a closeted homosexual. As best as I can tell, coming out of the closet is one of the more painful things one has to do in life and every time you hear someone tell that story it's all about how they had to wait for the time that was right for them, right for their family, and so on and so forth.

In that respect, it's mad fucked up to out somebody, especially someone so young, who possibly only recently realized that he was gay or who was still coming to terms with it inside himself.

The kid probably overreacted, strike that, the kid definitely overreacted, but that's the reason that outing young kids is fucked up, because they're prone to overreactions.

If you want to say that his rommate didn't commit a hate crime, per se, than you could probably convince me of that, but I think there was some kind of crime in what he did.