Gosh, I think I am flattered. Usually I am branded the liberal here. Does this mean you accept me, B?
Sure. I don't think you're a liberal. Confused ocassionally, maybe.
;>)
Or maybe bending over backward to look favorably on the viewpoint of liberal friends.
Outside of this thread, I haven't heard anyone on the street talking about it- conservative or liberal.
On the streets elsewhere - no. Conservative blogs have covered it. Everyone else ignored it. Except the paper in SF. And they didn't seem too disapproving. My beef is that I don't think the child welfare or police there have no problems with kids watching sexual activity. Nor does the gay rights movement there.
Two thoughts occur to me. In the great scheme of things, it's not a very large event. It's a small segment within a minority group in a city that is known for its extremism anyway.
Its thousands of people for certain. Big enough to attract Miller as a sponsor. Well publicized public event written up in the local paper of a major city.
It isn't reflecting the normal American's life;
No, but tell me gay movement has plans to change that. Why are they silent about child abuse in what surely must be their home city?
And for liberals, who tend to be pretty tolerant of personal freedoms, the outrage would be reserved, I think, for the children's welfare, not the fair itself.
The children is what gets me most upset. A secondary issue for me is the deliberate attempts to mock Christianity - in the advertising modeled on the Last Supper and in the "baby Jesus buttplugs" and crucifix dildos prominently displayed at the fair.
But where are the liberals concerned about the children's welfare? There can't be a shortage of liberals in SF. I can only conclude that liberals in SF must consider child abuse secondary to gays freedom of self-expression.
From the moral sense, while I find the whole thing pretty bizarre and nasty, I differentiate between my personal reaction and the need to stop it. Outside of concern that some idiots actually believe taking their children to this was some kind of broadening social field trip, I wouldn't start a campaign to outlaw it. My objection is not to gays, but to anyone who sees taking children to an event like that as ok.
I don't care if they "stop it". Freaks are gonna be freaks even if they're behind closed doors. Just stop letting minors attend. And go somewhere private. Not publicly mocking Christianity would be nice too.
Also, I talked to someone who had attended one of those fairs, and it seems that it isn't as out there as those pictures made it seem. As she said, she saw not one penis.
I believe the pictures. I also did a google search after posting to you yesterday looking for negative comment by attendees or liberals. What I found was comments from attendees confirming the version from the pictures. And loving that aspect of things. So I don't believe your "someone" is being honest with you. See below:
I think FSF needs a new slogan. How about:
"Where Fanny Pack Isn't a Noun: It's A Verb."
And a publicly, repeatedly performed verb at that.
....
Didn't make it too far into the fair. Walked down 8th from BART, turned left onto Folsom, and made a beeline for my friend's apartment. But wow, did we see a lot while we were there! Human urinal. BJs. "Public Displays of Everything!" (In quotes, as Patrick M. has informed me that it's OFFICIALLY the tagline for 2008.
.......
If you like Golden Showers, Poop Sex and Public Masturbation well then this is the place for you. I have never EVER seen so much penis in my life. Its funny - after awhile you dont even notice it. You become Zen and at one with the multitude of peen and hairy butt crack which surrounds you.
.....
In my first year at Folsom I was given a pot brownie by a policeman (off duty I might add), watched a man masturbate to a crowd of people who bestowed a thunderous round of applause when he lost his sticky mess all over the pavement and more displays of public fornication than I had ever seen in my life before.
That wasn't the shocking part, the shocking part came when I saw a family, mother, father and two of their young teenage kids wandering around as if it were an every day occurence. Of course, now I realise this is San Francisco and it really isn't anything out of the ordinary.
......
When I was younger, I used to attend St. Joseph's right smack in the middle of the Folsom St. fair on 10th street between Howard and Folsom. While I was there we had this thing called "Family Mass" and one year, it just happened to be on the same Sunday as the fair. I was 9 years old.
As I was coming out of church with my family, I would see these muscular, hairy men, shirtless wearing leather chaps walking towards Folsom street. Asses hanging out. And then I started seeing bigger women with their boobs hanging out, wearing fishnets and more leather.
Me: "Mommy, what's that?" I curiously asked...
Mom: Quickly covering my eyes and grabbing my little brother---"You shouldn't be looking at that! That's not good!"
My mom and my dad rush my brothers and I towards the minivan and drive off. I look out the window again and then I see something that I'll never forget for the rest of my life: A man's head bobbing up and down and the other man shoving his head towards him.....yikes!
Mom: "Stop looking, they're committing sin!!!"
That was 20 years ago. This fair is nostalgic to me since it makes me think of my days in catholic school but at the same time is kinda creepy as well. Of course, I'm more accepting of it now, but being exposed to it (not on purpose, mind you) at such a young age, it has kept me curious. This year, I was with a few friends who came to check this out for the first time and as we were walking down 10th street, I pointed out my old school and church. They looked at me in disbelief and was like "You've must've seen alot!"
Me: "Yeah, I was 9....it hasn't changed much!"
.....
Seriously I have never seen so many limp penises within 40 minutes. My friend's boyfriend was walking around with his hand's across his chest - so he didn't touch anything by accident. haha.
......
Today's was busy, smoky, outrageous, great weather and a lot of fun - next time I'll get a babysitter (NOT for strollers) and leave my son at home. Drugs and drink would enhance the experience I imagine but I couldn't possibly do either on Sunday. But hey, it's about inclusion right? And we all live here. An SF must see/do. If you like public masturbation and oral sex you've got to go.
......
yelp.com
Based on teh above comments by attendees, I'd say your friend is either blind or a liar.
They raise a lot of money for charity, and you have to want to get there to go. It's not like it's on Main Street. ANd there are very, very few children.
How many kids watching gay sex is okay?
SO- I guess I would conclude that the whole thing isn't that big a deal for most- conservatives or liberals. What we do here is vent, and judge, and that's ok. When it comes to demanding that it be banned, I would have to say no.
I haven't demanded the fair be banned. I do think kids attendance s/b banned. And open sex on the street.
(Although I don't get why sex and nudity in the street isn't illegal? DO they get some kind of pass for the day?)
There's public nudity on the streets of SF every day. Not a whole lot but there's always some. |
