Fall Out Boy's "Terrible Message"
**Update** A blogger for Exodus (the ex-gay group) responded to my comments about this letter on their blog, in which she supported homophobia. Here's my post about it.From MTV, the bassist of the pop-punk band Fall Out Boy, Pete Wentz, recently had this to say while on stage at a concert, "the only thing we consider unacceptable is for you to engage in sexist, racist or homophobic behavior. If you do, we don't want you as a fan. Return our merch and leave." Good for him.
Apparently, though, this was too much for a mother who attended the concert. She claimed the band's "personal political message" (as she called it) turned the concert into a "liberal homosexual rally."
To be fair, I like this band and have for a while. And, given their punk rock roots, I'm not very surprised by the statement. I am surprised by the mother, who obviously has some issues to work out. I mean, what was she expecting from a punk rock band, lemonade?
But, how is asking fans not to be sexist, racist, or homophobic anti-morals? I get the foul language part, but asking people to be nice to each other is hardly anti-morals nor a homosexual rally.
This, unfortunately, is what happens when a culture war occurs. Everyone is so geared up against the "enemy" they can't see anything for what it really is. This woman has been so inundated with the idea of how terrible gays and liberals are, that any mention of them causes an explosive reaction. Is this woman really trying to defend people being racist, sexist, or homophobic? Apparently she is.
Tell me how anti-morals you think the band's bassist is. Here's his reaction to the letter:
I try my best to be the best person I can be. I want to be a good role model for younger kids. I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. I censor myself the best I can, but at the same time, I am not going to change in order to simply make myself more lucrative," he wrote. "I encourage fans of our band to grow up to become good people and to change the world. Unfortunately, I don't believe that treating other people as inhuman is acceptable. If that is offensive to you, I apologize, but we don't want you to be part of our fanbase. [Our show] is not a liberal homosexual rally, but at the same time, it will never be a Ku Klux Klan rally. We don't need to sell tickets that
badly.
posted by Brady @ 12:48 PM
11 Comments:
I posted this comment at PeskyApostrophe (that's how I found your post), but thought I'd copy it here too...
"My daughter (age 13) is a huge Fall Out Boy fan and we just saw them in Detroit about a week ago…
The statement Pete made at our show was something like this: “I’m going to say something that might be unpopular, but fuck it I’ve got the mic and you’ll just have to listen. I’m sick of hearing people say ‘That song is gay’ or ‘that movie was gay’. Gay is not a synonym for shitty. If you want to say something is shitty, just say it is shitty. And if you want to continue to be a bigoted, rasict, homophobic asshole then get the fuck out of here, we’ll refund your ticket price.”
That statement got one helluva postive response at the show we attended… And made me love Fall Out Boy, even though my daughter plays them almost 24 hours a day and I’m kinda sick of their songs!
So, yeah sure, he had a potty mouth but it wasn’t anything worse than you’d hear in any junior high hallway in any city in America anyway."
One thing you can always count on is for militant fundamentalists to get bent out of shape over things like that. If she wants to protect her daughter from things like curse words and tolerance, maybe she should buy her own containment compound with high walls all around it, home-school her daughter, never let her socialize with other human beings, or watch TV, or listen to the radio. Then when she gets out in the real world, we'll see what happens to this child who was raised in such a sanctimonious environment. Imaginary scenarios aside, I feel sorry for this lady's daughter and any other children she may have. However, my respect for Fall Out Boy has gone up a few notches.
ktpupp- Thanks for the insider's view on this. I'm glad to hear the words got such a positive response too.
Nonsequitur- I agree, I feel sorry for her kids. At the same time, I have the FOB cd, and even the titles of some of the songs would most likely make this mom unhappy. So, it's weird to me that she is so offended, but never took the time to even read the song titles before she went on her sanctimonious outrage...
Thanks Pete..thats alli have to say. Is, thanks pete.
=)
Finally someone seems to get what ive been saying to people.
(but of course you dont get taken seriosuly unless you have a michrophone...or your the bassist of Fall Out Boy)
All I've got to say to Pete's response is Amen. Anybody that's a real christian doesn't hate other people for things that should stay between him/her and God. I'm not a huge F.O.B. fan, but the music's good and the morality is good. Kudos.
LOL @ punk rock
Pete Wentz is a huge douche bag. While this woman is clearly more of a douche bag for calling a concert that didn't fit her morals to be a "liberal homosexual rally," it doesn't excuse good ol' Pete. If gay is not a synonym for shitty, then it is certainly not one for homosexual, either. If we all remember from grade 1, gay means happy. The word changed to mean homosexual, and now means awkward or crude, out of place. Not in reference to homosexuals.
Oh? What's that? You have gay friends? That's nice, I do too. And they say "that's so gay" just as much as I do. What's worse than saying these words (because no matter how hard some shitty band tries to stop it, people are going to say it), is to stop taking offense from it and letting it get to you. Remember how words will never hurt you? So grow up and stop giving a fuck about what other people say about you, especially if you're going to go out and be flamboyantly gay clearly in a cry for attention. Accept the fact that not everybody likes you, and being afraid of an abnormality is not unlike humans at all.
Did I just call being homosexual an abnormality? Why yes, yes I did. I believe homosexuality to be natural, but the one fact that you cannot reproduce under such circumstances is reason enough for it to be an abnormality, as all a species has in existance is to reproduce and keep its lineage alive. Unless you wanna get all religious and spiritual saying it's about enjoying your life, but then you'll remember that God hates homosexuals, and wants them to all be executed. (This is in the bible MANY times, don't even try to argue it.)
Really what I'm trying to say is, Fall Out Boy fucking sucks. Pete Wentz is a big fucking tool. He claims to have problems with depression, and as a musician, if I could write the uninspiring, boring, talentless songs he does and make millions of dollars, I wouldn't be whining about anything.
Don't call me homophobic, you couldn't be further from the truth. I just hate pretentious ass holes who try to shove their bullshit down the throats of millions, just because it's fashionable at the time to do so. 50 years ago Pete would probably be telling everybody in the crowd to murder all the gay people around them.
/rant
Anon- I'm not going to comment on the totality of your post. You can see my disagreements with you in the rest of my blog.
I will say that Fall Out Boy is hardly punk rock.
"Mr. Wentz' statement is clearly stating that homophobia is not just a difference of opinion to which all Americans are entitled. He is saying it is on the same par as sexist and racist behavior."
Erm, surely homophobia is "a difference of opinion to which all Americans are entitled". It is also "on the same par as sexist and racist behavior".
(I've never before seen the expression on the same par as. I'd have said, on a par with. Is this a difference between American and Irish usage?)
TRiG.
That is EXACTLY what my mom would've done! EXACTLY.
why must conversations like this exist? if you enjoy fall out boy then continue to listen to them. if not, why are you even here talking about it? i for one believe in free thinking and if pete doesnt like when people call homosexuals gay he has a right to say that especially at his band's concert.
Well said even if a bit more tolerant than I.Homosexuality is DEFINITELY ABNORMAL behavior according to the blueprint of life on earth. That said it does more to destroy society than build it up.But you wont hear that from libertards.Its all good is a fkn nonsensical response to anything
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