#comedy clean christian family humor

[mad3jokes]

Funny Jokes

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[mxb2jokes]

Very Funny Joke

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[azx2jokes]

Good Joke

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[a1jokes]

Jokes Of The Day

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[davidpdean]

AGE, AGING AND THE PAIN OF SHOPPING AT BEST BUY

[jesuscoffeebreak]

TOP TEN FAVORITE CHRISTIAN STANDUP COMEDIANS

TOP TEN FAVORITE CHRISTIAN STANDUP COMEDIANS

Check out the these witty comedians and enjoy clean entertainment for the entire family. This is Hilarious Christian humor at its best and the genre is only getting better all the time. It’s important to exercise our facial muscles and in Proverbs 17:22 it says,  Follow like to view videos. Yeshuacoffeebreak.com Best Standup Comedy Other posts: Why Does The Nations Scheme Against Our God The…

[ayellowbirds]

42 Webcomics Keshet Reads

I was recently reminded that I currently read a lot of webcomics, or have done so in the past. Here’s an incomplete list, linking to the first page where i can (which will usually mean the worst art). Organized thus:  Title, Author. Genre. Format (long-format stories, short-format & single-page stories, or mixed). Description.

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, by Christopher Hastings. Comedy, Parody, Action. A man from a long line of Irish ninjas has devoted his own life to saving lives as a doctor, disappointing his family. His staff includes a sentient but non-speaking gorilla receptionist, and eventually a boy sidekick who grew a fabulous mustache out of sheer determination. Recurring threats include fast food mascots, ghosts, wizards, ghost wizards, and a disease that turns people into giant lumberjacks. Completed.

BACK, by Anthony Clark and KC Green. Comedy, Adventure, Absurdity, Weird West. Long-Format. A cowgirl comes back from the dead with no memory of who she was or how she died, and is told by a trio of “Cool Witches” that she has to bring about the end of the world—though what exactly that means remains a mystery. Consistently excellent visual storytelling from masters of sequential art; at least one WLW pairing among the characters. 

Bite Me!, by Dylan Meconis. Comedy, Horror, Historic Fiction. Long-Format. A young woman becomes a vampire amidst the chaos of the French Revolution. Featuring immortal angst, a Jewish werewolf, and sacré bleu, the chickens. Completed (website can be slow to load).

Broodhollow, by Kris Straub. Horror, Weird Fiction. Long-Format. By the creator of the original creepypasta that inspired Channel Zero. A young man abounding with neuroses and compulsions comes to a strange little town in order to settle a late relative’s estate. Themes of unreliable memories and differences of perception.

Chainsawsuit, by Kris Straub. Comedy. Short-Format. Three-panel gag comic.

ChaosLife, by A. Stiffler & K. Copeland. Slice of Life, Autobiographical. Mixed-Format. The life of a queer couple and their pets: humor, lgbt issues, mental illness (K. experiences paranoid schizophrenia), cats, and occasional puppets.

Crunchy Bunches, by Scott Warren. Comedy. Mixed-Format. Cereal mascot parody focused on snaggle-toothed feline mascot Munchy and his friends. 

Dead Winter, by Allison Shabet. Action, Horror, Comedy. Long-Format. Zombie apocalypse story with occasional partially-animated scenes, and a relatively low focus on the actual zombies. Infrequent updates, but has a Patreon with weekly content.

DRIVE, by Dave Kellet. Sci-Fi, Comedy. Long-Format. Humanity has taken to the stars, led by a second Spanish Empire that controls the secrets of FTL travel. When the crew of the Machito recover their science advisor and accidentally pick up a mysterious amnesiac alien at the same time, they become embroiled in intrigue that affects the whole of human space and beyond, caught between secret police, mind-controlling invaders, and a species dedicated to invention who have a grudge against humans.

El Goonish Shive, by Dan Shive. Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Superheroics, Slice of Life, Mad Science. Long Format. Difficult to pin down, once described as “the most squeaky-clean fetish comic online”—lots of characters undergoing fantastic transformations of their bodies. Starts out weak but gradually grew into one of the most progressive webcomics out there as the creator started to really think about the meaning of someone wanting to transform from a nerdy boy into a busty girl. I’ve said more about it, here. Significant LGBT content, including canon gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderfluid, and asexual characters.

Family Man, by Dylan Meconis. Historic Fiction, Horror, Romance, Libraries. Long-Format. A learned man of Jewish ancestry takes a position as a lecturer at a small Christian university in the middle of nowhere in the Germanies of the 18th century, and falls in love with the daughter of the head of the university—who has some secrets relating to her mother’s family  On hiatus as of July 2017.

Freefall, by Mark Stanley. Comedy, Sci-Fi, Furry. Long-Format. A larcenous alien and his naive robot pal living on a human colony world acquire the services of an uplifted humanoid wolf as their ship’s engineer under less-than-legal circumstances. As time goes on, the crew becomes caught up in the struggles and politics of the artificial intelligences of the colony. Binge-reading page here, colored strips here.

Girl Genius, by Phil & Kaja Foglio. Gaslamp Fantasy (Not-Steampunk), Action, Comedy, Mad Science, Alternate History. Long-format. A young woman discovers that she is the latest in a line of mad scientists including the vanished heroes of Europa as well as some of its most terrible villains.

Goblins, by Ellipsis Hana Stephens. Fantasy, RPGs, Action, Body Horror. Long-format. A tribe of goblins go from being mere MOBs to taking levels as adventurers themselves, facing ambiguity about alignment, morality, and the place of "monsters” in a world that seems to favor humanoids. Can get very gory at times. Light LGBT content including a prominent gay male character; transgender creator.

Goodbye to Halos, by Valerie Halla. Fantasy, Adventure. Long Format. Forced through a gateway to another world for her own safety, Fenic finds herself in the “run-down queer district” of a city of animal people—and spends a few years coming into own identity as a trans lesbian, forging a new life. But the reasons she was forced into this world are catching up to her, and she’ll need to turn her protective streak towards defending herself. Heavy LGBT themes; often not safe for work. The only work i can think of where a trans girl’s underwear bulge is treated as a completely nonsexual and innocent thing.

Grrl Power, by Dave Barrack. Superheroes, Sci-Fi. Long Format. Probably Not Safe For Work. Comics nerd Sydney Scoville winds up becoming a superhero herself after circumstances force her to reveal her powers and join up with an agency providing training and oversight. While consistently funny and clever with the use of powers, it can be very centered on the male gaze; the art starts out being pretty . I actually first started reading it because I recognized one of the characters from years prior when the artist was posting softcore smut to furry websites.

Guilded Age, by T. Campbell & Phil Kahn, art by John & Jason Waltrip and Erica Henderson. Fantasy, RPGs, Action, MMOs. Long-Format. A group of adventurers face off against threats to their world—such as the CEO of the company that programmed their world in the first place. Strong themes of intrigue, the nature of violence, and the concept of good and evil in fantasy settings. Completed, now running extras & side stories, including annotated repeats of the original pages.

Gunnerkrigg Court, by Tom Siddell. Fantasy, Sci-Fi. Long-Format. A young girl attends a strange boarding school specializing in matters of the supernatural and obscure, making friends with classmates, a ghost, robots, psychopomps, living shadows, fairies, and eldritch horrors in the form of silly woodland creatures while exploring the mysteries of the school and her own ancestry. Shows remarkable art progression; the style of the first storyline is unrecognizable from the present. Especially rewarding if you’re into alchemy. LGBT content, including prominent WLW characters. Warnings: unreality is a recurring theme, and there is a bit of “suicidal” fairies desperate to be reincarnated as humans. Boxbot is rubbish.

Johnny Wander, by Yuko Ota & Ananth Hirsh. Autobiographical, Fantasy, Humor, Mixed-Format. A mix of slice-of-life autobiographical pages, and short stories, including the longer format “Barbarous” and “Lucky Penny”.

Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook. Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Furry. Mixed-Format. Extremely long-running strip (daily updates since September of 1995). In a world of anthropomorphic animals where predatory species can legally & without repercussions hunt & consume other species, a businesswoman wolf (Kell) and her uncommonly large rabbit husband (Kevin) make their blended family work in spite of social stigma against predator/prey relationships. Far more light-hearted than it sounds, though it often touches on social issues and drama. Light LGBT content from some minor recurring characters.

Kill Six Billion Demons, by Abbadon. Fantasy, Metaphysical, Martial Arts. Long Format. A college student’s attempt at heterosexuality is interrupted by the arrival of a legendary king of all reality. Thrust into a battle over the greatest power of all worlds, Allison faces devils, angels, and the city at the center of the 777,777 universes. It’s a lot to take in. Occasionally not safe for work. Frequent LGBT content, including WLW.

Love Me Nice, by Amanda Lafrenais. Comedy, Hollywood. Long Format. Set in a world shared by cartoon characters and ‘real’ people (think Roger Rabbit), where TV star Mac T. Monkey Jr. struggles between his irresponsible instincts and his attempts to build a life as an adult and a relationship with fellow protagonist (and manager) Claire. Some LGBT content; infrequent updates. Occasionally Not Safe For Work. 

Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, by Coelasquid. Comedy, Videogames, Parody. Mixed-Format. The staff of a temp agency for “ludicrously macho guys” tries to help the protagonists of video games, TV, and movies deal with their testosterone-addled brains in a constructive fashion. Occasional LGBT content—mostly MLM, naturally. Keep an eye out for the fluffy little velociraptors, and Mr. Fish the Gyarados. On indefinite hiatus since June of 2018.

Narbonic, by Shaenon K. Garrity. Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mad Science, Gerbils. Mixed-Format. Comp Sci. grad Dave needs a job. Helen B. Narbon, cute blonde mad scientist with a gerbil fixation, is hiring. Story arcs feature action-packed forensic linguistics, a worldwide conspiracy of guys with the same name, rodents uplifted to sentience, time travel. Some awkwardness around gender transformations, light LGBT content. Completed, with author annotations.

Nedroid Picture Diary, by Anthony Clark. Comedy, Absurdity. Short Format. Short comics that very quickly come to focus on the antics of the anomalous ursine orb Beartato and his friend/roommate Reginald, a bird who is just terrible. 

Not Drunk Enough, by Tess Stone. Supernatural, Action, Horror. Long Format. A survival horror styled webcomic by a creator with a history of exceptionally dynamic page composition and lettering. Expect lots of magnificently weird body horror.

O Human Star, by Blue Delliquanti. Roboticist Al Sterling died. Al Sterling woke up an android body mimicking his own. As he reconnects with his former partner-in-several-senses, he explores a world that remembers him as one of its greatest innovators. Major themes of identity, the definition of humanity, and gender and sexuality. LGBT themes including MLM and transgender characters. Warning for some discussion of self-harm.

Outsider, by Jim Francis. Sci-Fi. Long Format. Beautifully-illustrated science fiction story that is painfully slow to update. If you watched a lot of 80s and 90s sci-fi anime, you’ll get the vibe that this has—including its arguable weak point of being centered on a man who finds himself among an alien race dominated by warrior women. 

Patrik the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen. Supernatural, Slice-of-Life. Long Format. The unlife and history of an exceptionally awkward vampire and the mortals around him—book club, knitting, coffee shops, violent murder. Some LGBT content.

Poppy O’Possum, by I. Everett. Fantasy, Furries. Long Format. A single mother in a world of animal people where only opossums lack magic, Poppy just wants to settle down in quiet and safety with her daughter Lily. The world has other ideas—but fortunately, Poppy is mind-blowingly strong. On hiatus. Some LGBT content.

Questionable Content, by Jeph Jacques. Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Sci-Fi. Mixed-Format. Starts out focusing on indie rock fan Marten and his robotic “anthroPC” Pintsize. As the art evolves, so does the subject matter, focusing more and more on the rest of the cast and topics like the nature of personhood and identity for artificial intelligence. Eventually comes to feature significant LGBT content, including bisexual and transgender characters in the main cast.

Rae the Doe, by Olive Brinker. Comedy, Slice-of-Life. (Mostly) Short Format. If Garfield was a transgender doe and wore clothes and also there weren’t any jokes about Mondays or lasagna and the comic was constantly assumed to be autobiographical in spite of its creator frequently asserting otherwise and the comic was still genuinely funny. But otherwise just like Garfield, really.

Selkie, by Dave Warren. Sci-Fi, Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Drama. Long-Format. Former adoptee Todd becomes a father himself to a strange young girl who turns out to be a refugee from a secret underwater civilization. While the public gradually becomes aware that humans are not alone, family forms and is redefined as secrets from both Todd and Selkie’s past are revealed and dealt with, and kids confront issues of inclusion and exclusion. Also, for some reason two of the kids from Evangelion are Todd’s neighbors.

Skin Deep, by Kory Bing. Fantasy, Coming-of-Age, Monster Girls (and Boys). Michelle discovers the secret world of mythical monster people after a small medallion unlocks her own heritage as a sphinx—supposedly long-extinct, according to the other monsters. Michelle must explore who she is and her family history while also trying to avoid completely upending nonhuman society and maintaining secrets within a culture already used to the use of magical illusions and transformations. Light LGBT content.

Skin Horse, by Shaenon Garrity.  Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mad Science, Zombies, Canadians. Mixed-Format. Set in the same universe as Narbonic (see above), “Skin Horse” follows an organization of  the same name dedicated to providing social services to beings only recognized by the secret shadow government—staffed by a patchwork zombie bioweapon, a talking sled dog, a cross-dressing pansexual psychologist, and a receptionist in the form of an immobile Victorian robotic weapon of mass destruction, all overseen by a sentient swarm of bees. Frequent LGBT content.

Something*Positive, by RK Milholland. Comedy, Slice-of-Live, Parody. Mixed-Format. Very long-running comic that gradually grows from a dark and misanthropic sense of humor into a dark and misanthropic sense of humor with a warm and gooey center. Earlier comics can be pretty weak and handle many subjects very poorly (the first strip, linked above, features an abortion “joke”); gradually improves.in terms of LGBT representation to the point that it’s one of the better webcomics in that regard. I might recommend skipping ahead in the archives to the current decade (the “1937″ and “1938″ are strips flashing back to the previous generations).

Spacetrawler, by Christopher Baldwin. Sci-Fi, Comedy. Long-Format. The naive but brilliant alien race known as the Eebs are enslaved by interplanetary society at large, depending on their servile nature to maintain the high standard of technology and transportation across the void of space. A group of utterly incompetent aliens come to Earth to seek help in freeing the Eebs... and generally fuck everything up for the best with their terrible choices of sample humans. Currently in the midst of a sequel series focusing on new intrigue and antics, including a talking, murderous kangaroo.

Spinnerette, by Krakow Studios. Superheroes, Comedy, Sci-Fi. Mixed-Format. A grad student develops spider-themed superpowers—including extra arms—and attempts to navigate both concealing her transformation, and becoming a superhero in a world where super-powered vigilantes and criminals are a fact of life. Not Work-Safe due to suggestive artwork including improbably form-fitting costumes over improbably large bosoms. Recurring LGBT content.

Val & Isaac, by @tredlocity​. Sci-Fi, Fantasy,  Comedy. Mixed-Format. A space mercenary, her wizard buddy, and the cyborg fish girl who keeps all their technology functional, occasionally featuring their shapeshifting assassin friend Space Dread. Major LGBT content, including WLW and MLM, and a prominent transgender character.

Vattu, by Evan Dahm. Fantasy, Worldbuilding. Long-Format. Born to the Fluters of the grasslands, Vattu finds her traditional subsistence lifestyle torn away as a multi-species empire asserts a claim over her people’s lands. A fantasy epic with several major arcs; see also the creator’s earlier completed works Rice Boy and Order of Tales.

XKCD, by Randall Munroe. Science, Parody, Comedy. Short Format. Stick figures and scientific silliness. Make a point of checking the alt-text of each comic by moving your cursor over the strip. Early pages are much more along the lines of experimental sketches; link above directs to a random comic in the archives. Some comics are more along the lines of interactive games!

Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic (YAFGC), by Rich Morris. Fantasy, Comedy, Parody. Mixed-Format. Not Work-Safe. The inhabitants of a world heavily based in Dungeons & Dragons go about their lives as monsters, humanoids, and soul-searching mixes of the two. Begins with a romance between a beholder and a goblin, gradually builds up to battles between nations and the gods themselves, while also finding time to explore family, loss and love, and whether kobolds count as sapient. Moderate LGBT content including recurring gay & bisexual characters (it’s a very large cast); new readers guide here.

[paperdollfiction]

What Is Genre?

What is a genre? A genre is the category or framework around which a story is built. It's the pattern pieces of your narrative. Without them, it'll be hard for the audience to understand what kind of story you're telling. For this exercise, I've made a list of genres that range from literary to television along with some basic elements or features you might find in each. Mix and match or stick to a single genre to give your story a brand new look.

GENRES

Adventure: Courageous heroes embark on a thrilling quest. Accessories: -Swashbuckling -Jungle exploring -Trinkets tied to the plot -Uncharted environments

Action: Action-packed adventures with heroic leads. Accessories: -Fight scenes -Car chases -Goal driven -Fast paced -Spectacles -Race against the clock -Secret agents

Autobiography: Life story of central character in their own words. Accessories: -First person -Moments that made the most impact personally

Biography: Life story of central character from an outsider's point of view. Accessories: -Third person -Moments that made the most impact on the world around them

Cartoon/Anime:      Cartoon: Animated illustrations telling humorous stories that mimic real life. Accessories: -Satire -Ridiculous situations and conflicts -Anthropomorphic animals or objects -Kid-friendly or targeted at adults

     Anime: Japanese animations with a distinct style of art and storytelling Accessories: -Fantasy -Colorful -Exaggerated emotions -Fighting -Powerful humans and monsters -Slice of life

Children: Life lessons and experiences through the eyes of a child. Accessories: -Child characters -Morals -Adventures -Pictures -Themes that relate to children -Rhymes (for smaller children)

Christian: Clean storytelling with spiritual growth at its heart. Accessories: -Christ-centered lessons -Christian worldview -Faith driven narrative -Clean read Comedy/Sitcom: Lighthearted stories or series of stories that exaggerate the humor of everyday situations. Accessories: -Slapstick gags - Outlandishly funny situations -Mismatched dynamics -Relatable jokes (funny because its true)

Comic Book/Graphic Novel/Manga:      Comic Book: One issue, or story, belonging to a larger narrative told through illustrations and dialogue.      Graphic Novel: Telling a complete story from beginning to end through stylized art.      Manga: Comic books or graphic novels in a Japanese originated style. Accessories: -Super powered heroes and villains -Illustrated characters living normal relatable lives -Fantasy elements -Technology -Speech bubbles -Visually distinctive characters

Dance Movie: Storytelling where the plot line centers around the art of dance. Accessories: -Dance competitions -Rivaling leads -Spectacular dance numbers -Underdogs

Drama: Dramatized depictions of serious real life situations. Accessories: -Hospitals -Police procedurals -Relationship conflict

Dystopian/Utopian: Stories from the future where reality is either cataclysmic or idyllic.      Dystopian: Stories told in the aftermath of global or societal devastation. Accessories: -Public mistrust of an oppressive government -Widespread poverty or neglect -Post-apocalyptic      Utopian: Stories set in a subjectively perfect world. Accessories: -Everything is optimized and highly advanced -Only peace, harmony, beauty, and safety exists Fable: Stories told by animals to teach a life lesson. Accessories: -Anthropomorphic animals in situations that represent humanity -Endings with a moral for the story

Fairy Tale: Romantic adventures that end happily ever after. Accessory: -Princes and Princesses -Magic and magical creatures -Rags to riches -Good vs. evil.

Fantasy: Magical adventures taking place in epic worlds. Accessories: -Magical character's and creatures -Elaborate, vivid worlds -Castles and kingdoms -Formidable journeys to distant lands

Family: Adventures the whole family can enjoy in live action or animation. Accessories: -Child perspective -Humorous plot kids and adults can enjoy -Road trips -Big, crazy adventures -Animals -Life-lessons Historical Fiction: Fictional characters in historical settings. Accessories: -Characters, dialogue and locations that authentically fit within an era's specific time and place. -Time travel

Horror: Characters find themselves in terrifying situations and must find the courage to escape with their lives. Accessories: -Things that creep in the night or in dark spaces -Haunting locations or objects -Characters face physical monsters or psychological fears

Mockumentary: Documentary of a fictional world. Accessories: -Character commentary/interviews -Satirical -Breaking the fourth wall

Musical: Characters tell their stories through song and dance. Accessories: -Dramatic musical numbers -Dazzling costumes -Story-driven songs with emotional impact -Remarkable visuals Mystery: Cracking cases and solving crimes by following clues and eliminating suspects. Accessories: -Satisfying reveal with no loose ends -Challenging clues to unravel -A number of suspects with questionable stories

Parody: Creating an imitation of an original work for comical purposes. Accessories: -Exaggeration -Satire -Good-humored/poking fun at original work

Reality Show: Shining the spotlight on real people doing real things. Accessories: -Competition-based -Depiction of ordinary or extraordinary events (depending on the stars) -Confessionals -Game shows -Documentaries -Talk shows

Romance: Love leads the way as characters meet, fall for each other, and stumble through various hits and misses to reach their happy ever after. Accessories: -Comedy (for rom-coms) -Sweet, funny, or romantic introductions -Situations that keep the lovers apart until the very end -Almost kisses -Love triangles -Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers; -Fake dating

Science Fiction: Stories centered around scientific concepts set in future, intergalactic or interdimensional worlds. Accessories: -Highly advanced technology -Space -Time travel -Alternate universes -Super human abilities -Steampunk/Cyberpunk Superhero: Heroes with super powers fight to save the world. Accessories: -Blend of science fiction and fantasy. -Superhuman abilities -Origin stories -Hidden identities -Supervillains -Set in a metropolis

Thriller: Heart-pounding pursuits where the antagonist is on the protagonist's heels. Accessories: -High stakes -Impending doom -Plot twists -Suspenseful

Young Adult: Adolescent main character navigates their stressful young life growing up a little along the way.   Accessories: -Teen protagonist -High School -Young adult centered themes and situations -Coming of age

[queermediastudies]

Playing It Straight at The Birdcage

             The 1996 film The Birdcage is a remake of the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles. The Birdcage takes place in South Beach, Florida in the mid-1990s. Albert Goldman and Armand Goldman, who are played by Nathan Lane and Robin Williams respectively, are the main characters who own and run a drag club located under their apartment. They are an upper-class, gay couple with a hired “house man” Agador, who is a flamboyant, gay, Guatemalan man. Armand has a 20-year-old son from a one-night stand with a strong-willed straight woman named Katherine Archer. Their son, Val Goldman, is planning to marry Barbara Keeley who comes from a wealthy, conservative family. Her parents are Louise Keeley and Senator Kevin Keeley who is the co-founder of the Coalition of Moral Order. The Keeleys are not accepting of anything or anyone who doesn’t fit in the elite, white, Christian mold which makes the engagement between Val and Barbara somewhat complicated. Val asks his father Armand to hide his homosexuality from the Keeleys to make the engagement easier on the couple. Initially Armand is angry and hurt by this request, but he gives in to his sons request to retreat into the closet for a night when he meets his future in-laws. They decided to invite Val’s biological mother, Katherine, over for the evening and ask Albert to pretend he is Val’s uncle. Katherine agrees, but Albert isn’t happy or interested in being forced back into the closet. Issues arise when Katherine is late, and Albert shows up to the introduction dinner with the Keeleys dressed as a woman and pretending to be Val’s mother. Albert “passes” as a woman, but the film climaxes when Katherine walks in and announces she is Val’s mother. The Keeleys are of course confused, so Val decides to tell them the truth about his father’s sexuality and relationship. Val re-introduces the Keeleys to Albert as his “mother” because Albert helped raise him and Katherine was not ever a part of his life. Senator Keeley is especially repulsed and attempts to leave, but is caught by paparazzi right outside the Goldman’s door. To sneak the family out and avoid being caught by the press, which would ultimately tarnish their reputation, the Keeleys must leave through the club dressed in drag. They make a successful escape, going unrecognized by the paparazzi scattered outside the club. The final scene is Val and Barbara’s wedding, which happily ends with all the family members attending including the Keeleys, the Goldmans, and Katherine.

             The Birdcage is a 1990s breakout text where the stars are a gay couple who are positively represented and while stereotypes play a role, the film recognizes many intersectional issues the queer community often has to confront. The Birdcage can be considered a breakout text as it “operates with the full force of a first impression” and acts as a “break into the cultural mainstream” (Cavalcante, 2017). Rarely were queer characters written as protagonists in mainstream films even into the late 1990s. While Albert and Armand’s gayness is a major topic in the film, homonormative and heteronormative aspects make the film more palatable to mainstream viewers. The stereotypical portrayal of the Goldman’s “house man” Agador, the couple’s following of heteronormative gender roles, and their lack of visible intimacy add to this palatability. On the other hand, the couple has a clearly loving and healthy relationship and their sexuality is accepted by their straight son and his fiancé Barbara. The film uses comedy and dramatic irony to address social issues like homophobia, anti-Semitism, and traditional family values.

The film does not approach much intersectionality with racism or classism and Albert and Armand are white, upper-class gay men. These homonormative tropes can make the couple’s queerness more acceptable to a heterosexual audience. The couple falls into stereotypical traditional masculine and feminine gender roles. Albert plays the traditionally “female” role in the relationship as he is flamboyant, emotional, dramatic, passive, and is constantly playing a nurturing caretaker role to Armand. Armand does have a few stereotypically gay quirks, but is ultimately portrayed as masculine, emotionally stable, and dominant. They both own their club The Birdcage, but Armand is shown as the more assertive voice in running the club and Albert is the headlining drag queen. The couple is also completely monogamous, and some jealousy is shown when Albert walks in on Armand flirting with Katherine. Their normalized heteronormative identities make their queerness tolerable. While intimacy is not really represented much between any of the couples, the lack of intimacy between Albert and Armand also makes their relationship more acceptable to a mainstream audience. This is ironic because of the film’s R rating for “adult situations and language” which includes their homosexuality as a factor to the rating according to IMDb. The Birdcage was released in the late 1990s when gay marriage was not yet legalized and still considered socially taboo to many. While the film does contain some foul language, the lack of erotic scenes or really any intimacy beyond “soft kisses” between the couple doesn’t seem like enough of a reason for this rating justification.

The Birdcage struggles with homonormative and heteronormative tropes, but the problems don’t end there. The film touches on some racism and anti-Semitic tropes, but blatantly lacks diversity. There are a few people of color playing supporting roles in the film, but the only one with an important position is Agador. Agador’s character is a flamboyant house boy/maid for the Goldman’s. He is seen cooking, cleaning, and acting as pool boy (wearing only a tiny, colorful thong) and butler. “While often these moments and characters were played for laughs,” Agador’s character is introduced in dressed drag, theatrically dancing and singing as he cleans (Benshoff and Griffin, 2004). He is the stereotypical feminized Latino gay man. Another palatability tool used by filmmakers to turn queerness into a humorous, unthreatening otherness. “The construction of those queer characters often reflected the early-twentieth-century model of homosexuality as gender inversion” as Benshoff and Griffin point out also is seen in the creation of Agador’s character (2004).

One note to consider is that The Birdcage is a remake of a 1978 film that the director Mike Nichols wanted to add some humor and quirks to, but still attempt to portray the characters in a similar manner to the original film. While this could be the reasoning behind the more stereotypical representations of queer characters and less racial diversity, Nichols did have the authority to alter this and potentially create a more diverse film. Nichols also is a straight white man, which could be criticized in a few different ways. First, the “new gay visibility is largely white, monied, and male” and while Nichols is not a gay man, his white males gaze affects the portrayal of the character in his film (Walters, 2015). Second, many queer theorists may argue that his heterosexuality may negatively affect his authorial voice in a clearly queer movie. Others may argue as Benshoff and Griffin does that, “queer theory points out that heterosexuality is itself a multiple and varied thing, sharing similar acts, behaviors, and desires with other types of orientations (2004). While Nichols’ is a white, straight, male auteur, The Birdcage makes a “culturally invisible spectator active and visible in her spectatorship” (Doty, 2009). The use of very famous, mainstream actors like Robin Williams and Nathan Lane and casting them as queer characters (Lane being an out gay man in real life) helps to introduce the mainstream to queerness in a positive light.

The stereotypical portrayal of Agador and the lack of people of color in the film is apparent, but The Birdcage does address issues with racism and anti-Semitism. The Goldman’s add to the fact that they are going back into the closet not only with their gayness, but they also are asked by Val to hide the fact that they are Jewish. They pronounce their last name “Coleman” instead of Goldman during the dinner with the Keeleys. When it is announced that they have been lying, Senator Keeley is shocked and appalled that they are Jewish without even noticing that they are attempting to come out as gay to them. Discussions between Mrs. Keeley and Albert dressed as Val’s mother about losing maids/houseboys because they can’t speak English and Senator Keeleys disgust at his co-founder’s death in the bed of a black, minor, prostitute adds to the acknowledgement of prevalent racism among white, wealthy elites. This concept is addressed with humor and sarcasm as a way to identify this issue in that community.

Queer theorists and third wave feminists both recognize that the goal of queer media is “not on assimilation into a dominant culture, but rather on the creation of a thoroughly queer culture that often is in opposition, if not direct conflict, with the dominant heterosexual culture” (Sewell, 2004). While The Birdcage in many ways assimilates to the dominant, mainstream culture, it is also an important breakout text that represents Albert and Armand in a loving and healthy relationship. Their relationship may be homo- and heteronormative, but when the couple discusses an alimony agreement they both admit that they are only interested in being together for love, support, and commitment. Katherine is also portrayed as a powerful, not so maternal, business woman which plays more into the homonormativity of the intersection of relationships. A straight woman who has had a child with a gay man would stereotypically be represented with more masculine attributes. The happy ending with the all-accepting family is interesting in that it recognizes the hypocrisy of conservative politicians. Ironically, Senator Keeley ends up dressing in drag to protect his all-important status of powerful, conservative, right wing Republican. This ends up being a successful move and helps the Keeley parents and the Goldman parents come to terms with their differences. The final scene of the wedding sets aside all tropes, showing a diverse crowd and accepting parents from both families. Val is wearing a yamaka during the ceremony and Senator Keeley walks Barbara down the aisle. The Birdcage recognizes common intersectional issues of homophobia and ant-Semitism, all while challenging the heteronormative, conservative, and traditional family norms. While there can be some serious critiques of the film, The Birdcage is an important breakout film for the queer community.

Benshoff H., Griffin S. (2004). Queer Cinema. Routledge Calvalcante (2017). Breaking Into Transgender Life: Transgender Audiences’ Experiences With “First of Its Kind” Visibility in Popular Media. Communication, Culture, and Critique. DOI: 10.1111/cccr.12165 Doty, A. (1993). Whose Text is it Anyway?: Queer Cultures, Queer Auteurs, and Queer Authorship. Univ Of Minnesota Press; First Edition. Sewell, E.H. (2004). Queer Characters in Comic Strips: Comics and Ideology. Peter Lang. Walters (2015). The Tolerance Trap: How God, Genes, and Good Intentions are Sabotaging Gay Equality. NYU Press.

[netflixanthrothings-blog]

Born a Crime - YSJ

Trevor Noah is the author of the autobiographical comedy memoir Born a Crime. The title of the book was inspired by the relationship between his black African mother and his white Swiss father, which was legally prohibited by the 1927 “Immorality Act” (Noah, 2016). Born a Crime provides an exemplary blend of sociopolitical analysis as well as a first-hand account of the days under Apartheid rule and its aftermath. The main issues addressed in the book include racism, gender, colonialism, religion, and class. Noah predominantly highlighted the institutional racism experienced by South Africans during the Apartheid era. The author’s purpose of the book is to showcase his perspective as a mixed child under Apartheid, from a micro level of Trevor and his family’s experiences but also from a macro level of forces and powers at work opposing each other.

After the development of Apartheid in 1652, first influenced by the Dutch East India Company (Feinstein, 2005), the system was based on institutionalized racial segregation that installed policies to protect white supremacy, by separating residential areas, educational institutions and places of worships to maintain racial differences (McEwen & Steyn, 2016). In this racial system, it has its own social mobility where the lighter the skin of each race, the more likely that an individual of said race can rise up in the social hierarchy.

Guest (2017) defined culture as a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts and institutions that are created, learned, shared and contested by a group of people. In Soweto families, women were responsible for taking care of the children and cleaning homes whereas men were obligated to be the breadwinner of the family and had to move into the city to look for jobs to feed the family (Noah, 2016). However, under the apartheid state, patriarchy co-existed with colonialism and developed a racial and gendered hierarchy that resulted in segregated employment locations. White men were given managerial jobs and black men were delegated to hard labor such as mining and farming (Jaga et al., 2017). Eventually, structural separation caused their husbands to leave their families permanently. Most women and mothers were left to raise their families alone, and the empty void left by absent men were filled by religion - commonly Christianity. Another element of the black culture in South Africa is the ‘black tax’ which is the curse of being both black and poor (Noah, 2016). Poor black families remain in a vicious cycle which sees them spend all their time and money fixing problems of the past instead of focusing on progressing forward, economically.

Trevor’s mother, Patricia Noah was an independent woman who raised Trevor to know that there were no limits to what he could accomplish. She defied all societal standards and taught her son to survive in a racist society. By doing so, she brought Trevor to places that were common for the whites because she didn’t believe in division among whites and colored was and she wanted his son to see the world beyond the ghetto. Most importantly, she never let oppression define who she was. With the acknowledgment that being a black woman meant being the minorities that were most oppressed and lowest of the social hierarchy, she still fought hard for her son to become more than what society determined him to be. The predominant social ideology would put black people in lower social hierarchy for work, commonly hard labor, whereas Noah disregarded the societal expectations of a black man’s career, and instead used the platform he had as a comedian and political commentator to provide insight and voice out for the extensive issues faced by the black community. As Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said, “Well-behaved women seldom make history” (Ulrich, 2007), Patricia was one of the rebellious women that made a small difference in Trevor’s childhood that led him to a successful career that made a substantial impact in the world we live in today.

Ghetto is defined as an impoverished residential area of a city which houses a minority of neighbors who are unemployed, on drugs or in and out of jail (Pattillo, 2003). In his teenage years, Noah grew up in the ghetto - the chaotic yet systematic social hierarchy based on which avenue people lived. Living in the hood, cheese symbolized the rich; the poorer you are the more ghetto you are and the richer you are, the more cheese you are. Crime is not an exception but a norm in the ghetto. The only difference is the type of crime and its severity. The ghetto does not discriminate - it does not exclude its people from the crimes that define it and it does not allow its people to leave it either (Noah, 2016). As an illustration, Noah was not an exception, although he was biracial, growing up in the hood encouraged him to commit crimes, in particularly the CDs and video games he copied and sold.

Colonialism is the implementation of a political coalition that denies its indigenous people equal rights and exploits its nation economically (YPI, 2013). Similarly, colonialism in South Africa created a flawed system of institutionalized racism that made people turn against one another so that the government could overrule and control the people - South Africa went to war itself when Zulu and Xhosa blamed each other for the problem that the whites created.

It shaped the culture of South Africa in which the colonists used the hegemonic aspect of power that people propagandized themselves to believe that interracial marriage was invalid. In relation to the book in the chapter of Go Hitler!, colonial powers never indoctrinated history with emotions or moral dimension to the people in South Africa. Ergo, under no circumstances, they grew to be aware and sensitive on complications such as the impact Hitler had on the world. During one of his DJ sets in a Jewish school, the dancers around him chanted “Go Hitler” repeatedly. Trevor and his crew did not realize that Hitler had a negative connotation to the Jewish because the name ‘Hitler’ in South African culture was to indicate a person with great strength, not the dictator of Germany’s Nazi Party.

In the course of introduction to cultural anthropology, the standpoint of colonialism was the reason race was constructed all over the world. Many colonists during that era theorize that all cultures develop the same approach; where it begins as savage, then barbarian, to cultured. They acknowledged the unilineal cultural evolution and repudiated the historical particularism the nation had. Besides, the course has explored the importance of intersection language and culture, through which the social power of the speaker determines language acceptability.

In the book, he stated “If you’re Native American and you pray to the wolves, you’re a savage. If you’re African and you pray to your ancestors, you’re a primitive. But when white people pray to a guy who turns water into wine, well, that’s just common sense.” Colonialism forced the majority of humanity to believe and follow the process of how Westerns developed in their culture, these colonists continuously westernized and Christianized places to go because they think they were helping them for the better. However, they became ethnocentric as they did not justify the history of their culture and judged them as being wrong and barbaric. Moreover, the author stated, “Language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.” Language creates an imaginary bond instantly when someone speaks of the same language or accent and it meant that you belonged in that tribe and that you are capable of crossing boundaries, handling situations and navigating the world.

According to Trevor’s purpose, his exploration of culture was comparatively subjective because the insightful memoir strikes in as personal and historical. Noah wrote about his childhood amidst weaving in cultural and political information about the legacy of Apartheid with humor and relayed it in a natural way that made it relatable to the audience. His life in South Africa ingrained him with fearlessness as he discussed the subject of complexities and contradictions of race and how his personal story embodies them. Born a Crime has demonstrated the extreme lengths that black people had gone through to survive the abuse, discrimination, and racism they faced.

Personally, I’ve learned so much more about the history and culture of South Africa that I previously had knowledge on. The stories have shown me the importance of a mother’s role in her child’s life, such as ideologies like to be the man you are today, to never let painful memories hinder you from trying something new, and not conform to rules that are not rational. This book demonstrated the importance of Noah’s relationship with his mother and helped the audience feel what he went through in an emotional aspect which is unlikely to be taught in classrooms. The most important lesson I took away from this book is when Noah stated, “People love to say, “Teach a man how to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime,” but never “And if would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” Minorities all over the world spent their whole lives being discriminated at the bottom of the social hierarchy will never have the opportunity to progress economically or socially because they are never given access to resources or support. I’ve become more aware that I am privileged to not experience oppression daily as the black community.

[davidpdean]

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A post shared by Cachicha | ¿Lo Viste? 👀 (@cachicha) on Jan 14, 2020 at 5:55pm PST

No matter where you are in the world, your spouse will find you out.

I was at a baseball game. In the Dominican Republic. On the country's most popular channel.

[davidpdean]

The dangers of owning a Bluetooth.

[davidpdean]

While grocery shopping today, I heard an older woman whisper, "Don't step back. My cart is behind you and you may fall in".

I say, "Is that a warning or an invite?"

I've never seen a Granny push a cart away so quickly.

I used to have swag with the over 80 women.

[davidpdean]

Middle school boys smell like a combo of Axe body spray and dead racoon.

[davidpdean]

Just sharing some New Year giggles with ya..

[davidpdean]

I'm just saying....