Rosie: Not My Ideal by a Long Shot

May
2007

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Do you remember the Ching chong incident? If not let this refresh your memory. After she made her ching chong mockery she remained wholly indignant on the matter until she watched a video by Beau Sia. Only then did she get it but still needed to plead victim & compare with her own issues around others being cacomorphobic towards her. In my book apologies mean you only talk about the issue at hand & do not compare your own struggles. Race & size are two different things & even for her mostly sincere apology she showed a lack to deep exploration into her own racism. Anyone who is going to be a role model to me personally needs to be able to grasp the pain and power of racism. Rosie has been anything but influential in this area.

To me she appeals to middle age & upper middle class lesbians & housewives. Yes she’s out, loud & proud. But that does not equal role model. Octavia Butler would be more of a role model to me. She was herself, humble & real. She thrived in a field inundated with straight, white middle class men & did so while never denying who she was. She even included queer themes in her writing rather than stomp around and act belligerent. Sheryl Swoopes would be another great example. She not only has won gold medals, but came out later in life simply explaining that people can’t control who they fall in love with.

There are plenty more examples of courageous women who are not only lesbians but live in a way that is truly beautiful & make great role models for not just us but everyone. Sadly in Rosie’s case, to me, this just isn’t true.

Feel free to visit my blog at QWOC: Queer Woman of Color
Peace!
~F

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Author: FrancesM
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Posted in Rosie O'Donnell, TLL's Monthly Topic
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7 Responses to Rosie: Not My Ideal by a Long Shot

Amen!

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by Tina-cious.com on May 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 PM

I would need to google both Octavia and Sheryl to find out who they are. Therefore, it would be difficult for me to accept either as a role model.

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by LadyMoor on May 24th, 2007 at 12:19 AM

It’s sad that Octavia would be unknown to you. But I did link her & Sheryl in my post to wikipedia. Feel free to click on those. Here are a couple related links!
*Octavia:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1731643,00.html
http://www.nbjcoalition.org/news/black-history-month-feb.html
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid26237.asp
*Sheryl:
http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=2204322
http://lesbianlife.about.com/b/a/213747.htm

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by FrancesM on May 24th, 2007 at 11:44 PM

Thank you for finally saying this… I guess everyone just forgot about Beau Sia? I loved his vid. Rosie’s a comedian, she’s a public figue, some people like her, some don’t. I’m not saying she needs to change and be a great role model, but I’m sick of hearing how great she is for being out and loud. I applaude those who are out and simply live their life. That makes a role model, good or bad and the good ones don’t have to cause trouble everywhere they go.

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by Coffee Counter on May 31st, 2007 at 1:04 AM

Hi Frances -

While I agree Rosie does not always make the best of role models, in her defense it was Beau who brought up the size comparison in his comments to begin with. As such, she should be allowed to respond and I give her credit for at least opening her mind to it.

As for your full response, I would have given it so much more credit had I not read the following ageist statements in its own message: [[To me she appeals to middle age & upper middle class lesbians & housewives.]] You have a few age and class issues yourself it would seem. That was a bit of a stretch and, indeed, some of the very same bias you accuse Rosie of herself.

Best,
Tammy

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by Anonymous on June 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 AM

Tammy I agree. I’m not perfect. No one is. We all suffer from prejudice. I appreciate you calling me on that & I’ll take some time to think about my ageism.
Peace!
~F

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by FrancesM on June 3rd, 2007 at 3:53 AM

Rosie is far from perfect, but at least she is shaking the tree! I rather have her this way, than being the still not too open Queen of Nice. She is probably the only lesbian that many people in middle America know. And many of them still like her. Look at the ratings!
Besides, why think she is the only role model? And WHY do we need a role model as a community of lesbians in general? We are very different, not just ONE represents all of us.

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by Sally on June 3rd, 2007 at 6:07 PM