Thursday, December 11, 2008

Back from the grave ...

... and prepping for the new year. Which means making some changes. First things first: "a little more personal (raw)", I think I'm going to take the focus off of Hollywood celebrities and turn it to a more general culture blog.

I thought I would start our holiday engines off with a little holiday cheer. Says NY Mag:
[Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters] is a notably right-wing Republican who supports senators who vote for legislation against gay marriage. In fact, last May the British Website ThisIsMoney.co.uk wrote, "Hayne must be the only retailer whose expansion plans depend on no one finding out who he really is." Interesting where your money goes, isn't it? When a right-wing Republican is the one concocting your anti-Establishment image, you start to wonder if the entire hipster movement has been duped into becoming puppets of Hayne's billionaire income.

NY Mag got a response from the UO team today and their thoughts?
Glen Senk, the CEO of the parent company, Urban Outfitters, Inc., is an openly gay man who has been in a committed relationship for over 30 years. However, Richard Hayne is still the founder and current chairman and does indeed have a record for supporting right-wing Republicans who are against abortion and gay rights.

Yes. Exactly. I will now reconsider ever making a purchase at Urban Outfitters again. Not that I ever did ... not unless the merchandise was 90% off, anyway.

While we're on the topic of homosexuality, how 'bout that Newsweek cover story, huh? The readback caused so much of stir that the comments were completely disabled. I think Lisa Miller makes some unsubstantiated points, but some readers were so inflamed they ceased to make sense. I wish you could read the comments from "Caroline from MA," who repeatedly compared "choosing" to be gay to being addicted to cigarettes. Once you pop, you can't stop. (I hear this is true of tattoos, too?) And how gay porn should be made illegal, just as cigarette ads should, as they pander to our impressionable innocents.

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