Was expecting something bad to happen, during their time at the beach house. It was a nice episode, where Blanca, Elektra, Angel and Lulu got to spend some time on the beach. Hopefully, the guy that Blanca met won't turn out to be a jerk in the end.
Rewatch (two years later) thoughts:
Not loving the kink-shaming towards that other guy (who is not fleshed out beyond being rich), nor the attitude that the characters take towards him. If you want tolerance and acceptence, don't be intolerant of others who are different from you. Tolerance is not a way-one street. The characters even mock this guy, for not having much alcohol in his home. Maybe he's not much of a drinker? Maybe he doesn't drink (only having some around his place, in case someone important drops by and wants a little)? We don't know, because he isn't fleshed out. All we get is the characters (all established drinkers) taking a judgemental attitude towards someone, who seemingly touches less alcohol than them. At the end of the episode, after the characters having spent the episode judging and mocking this guy (some of it with racist* attitudes), Elektra tells him to feel bad about himself. To feel shame.. for not wanting the same things as them. So much for tolerance and acceptence.
* Wikipedia definition:
In fact, reflecting back on this show, I'd say that there were many cases where the main characters held racist (per the above definition) attitudes. Like in the first episode of season 2, where Pray Tell declares that a room of white gay men have never had to fight for a single thing in their lives. He is expressing prejudice and antagonism against others because they are of a different race or ethnicity. Not to mention, he is ignoring intersectionality.
He says that they are white. However, that's a vague term, often applied vaguely and inconsistently, depending on who is using the term. Heck, I've seen it be used in such a way, that the persons using it were erasing the existence of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, all the different Asian ethnicities, all the different Middle Eastern ethnic groups (and so on). The truth is that the vague umbrella term "white" is actually consisting of numerous different ethnic groups. All having their own history, traditions, cultures and struggles throughout time (often times, with some groups being the victims of violence. Forced sterilization. Targeted with discrimination. Sometimes being victims of genocide). Many still have struggles. Also, what counts as "white" is ever shifting. When Dean Martin was born, he was considered non-white, because he was Italian-American (and discriminated against for that). By the time that he died, Italian-Americans counted as white. There are plenty of other examples.
Back to the men at that ACT UP meeting. They're homosexual men, so they're bound to have had to deal with homophobia. Possible rejection from family. Possible childhood bullying (an experience known to result in suicidal thoughts). Workplace discrimination. Social discrimination, possible violence (these men can get beat up, possibly killed, if the wrong person discover their sexuality). Heck, A recent study found that homosexual men earn less than straight men. Saying that they've never had to fight for anything in their lives (because of the color of their skin), is erasing their struggles (and those are just struggles relating to their sexuality, not other things like possible disabilities, mental health issues, Class struggles, belonging to a minority religion or the above ethnicity question.). Erasing all the men and women, who've been active in gay and lesbian rights activism for decades. Heck, there were gay men and lesbians, protesting and fighting for homosexual rights (entire organizations), long before Stonewall (sadly, those are seemingly being systematically erased from history, in favor of the mythology of Stonewall. An event that people can't even agree about what happened and how it started. The trans community have their version of the story, while the lesbian community have a different one (other communities probably have their own). Personally, I'm more inclined to believe the lesbian community's story: that it was started by a butch, black lesbian named Stormé DeLarverie (and even there, it's not 100% certain that it was her). The trans community credits the starting of the riot to Marsha P. Johnson and Syliva Rivera. Despite both having been recorded as admiting to it not being true. Johnson arrived 40 minutes after it started. Rivera's been said by eye witnesses as not having even been there at all. Also, Rivera was only 17 when it happened. Really? A 17-year-old is standing in a bar, starting riots? You expect me to believe that?). Some of the men at the ACT Up meeting could also have been in the service (perhaps even be veterans), something that Pray Tell neither is or ever could be. Honestly, when I picture Pray Tell try and put on a military uniform, I see him be in agony. He'd find it unbearable to be wearing something so bland. HE MUST BE OVER THE TOP ALL THE TIME (both the character and the actor. Seriously, when you look at a lot of his interviews, you realize that he's just playing himself... in, apparently, everything), otherwise people won't notice him or give him the attention that he craves so much.
Rewatch (two years later) thoughts:
Not loving the kink-shaming towards that other guy (who is not fleshed out beyond being rich), nor the attitude that the characters take towards him. If you want tolerance and acceptence, don't be intolerant of others who are different from you. Tolerance is not a way-one street. The characters even mock this guy, for not having much alcohol in his home. Maybe he's not much of a drinker? Maybe he doesn't drink (only having some around his place, in case someone important drops by and wants a little)? We don't know, because he isn't fleshed out. All we get is the characters (all established drinkers) taking a judgemental attitude towards someone, who seemingly touches less alcohol than them. At the end of the episode, after the characters having spent the episode judging and mocking this guy (some of it with racist* attitudes), Elektra tells him to feel bad about himself. To feel shame.. for not wanting the same things as them. So much for tolerance and acceptence.
* Wikipedia definition:
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. [...] Today, some scholars of racism prefer to use the concept in the plural racisms, in order to emphasize its many different forms that do not easily fall under a single definition.
He says that they are white. However, that's a vague term, often applied vaguely and inconsistently, depending on who is using the term. Heck, I've seen it be used in such a way, that the persons using it were erasing the existence of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, all the different Asian ethnicities, all the different Middle Eastern ethnic groups (and so on). The truth is that the vague umbrella term "white" is actually consisting of numerous different ethnic groups. All having their own history, traditions, cultures and struggles throughout time (often times, with some groups being the victims of violence. Forced sterilization. Targeted with discrimination. Sometimes being victims of genocide). Many still have struggles. Also, what counts as "white" is ever shifting. When Dean Martin was born, he was considered non-white, because he was Italian-American (and discriminated against for that). By the time that he died, Italian-Americans counted as white. There are plenty of other examples.
Back to the men at that ACT UP meeting. They're homosexual men, so they're bound to have had to deal with homophobia. Possible rejection from family. Possible childhood bullying (an experience known to result in suicidal thoughts). Workplace discrimination. Social discrimination, possible violence (these men can get beat up, possibly killed, if the wrong person discover their sexuality). Heck, A recent study found that homosexual men earn less than straight men. Saying that they've never had to fight for anything in their lives (because of the color of their skin), is erasing their struggles (and those are just struggles relating to their sexuality, not other things like possible disabilities, mental health issues, Class struggles, belonging to a minority religion or the above ethnicity question.). Erasing all the men and women, who've been active in gay and lesbian rights activism for decades. Heck, there were gay men and lesbians, protesting and fighting for homosexual rights (entire organizations), long before Stonewall (sadly, those are seemingly being systematically erased from history, in favor of the mythology of Stonewall. An event that people can't even agree about what happened and how it started. The trans community have their version of the story, while the lesbian community have a different one (other communities probably have their own). Personally, I'm more inclined to believe the lesbian community's story: that it was started by a butch, black lesbian named Stormé DeLarverie (and even there, it's not 100% certain that it was her). The trans community credits the starting of the riot to Marsha P. Johnson and Syliva Rivera. Despite both having been recorded as admiting to it not being true. Johnson arrived 40 minutes after it started. Rivera's been said by eye witnesses as not having even been there at all. Also, Rivera was only 17 when it happened. Really? A 17-year-old is standing in a bar, starting riots? You expect me to believe that?). Some of the men at the ACT Up meeting could also have been in the service (perhaps even be veterans), something that Pray Tell neither is or ever could be. Honestly, when I picture Pray Tell try and put on a military uniform, I see him be in agony. He'd find it unbearable to be wearing something so bland. HE MUST BE OVER THE TOP ALL THE TIME (both the character and the actor. Seriously, when you look at a lot of his interviews, you realize that he's just playing himself... in, apparently, everything), otherwise people won't notice him or give him the attention that he craves so much.
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