Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Did I say he is obligated? Nobody here said that. What they are doing is criticizing him. Which you just said is within our rights. I'm not sure what you are trying to get at here.
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Josh Gad refuses to say he supports marriage equality in Australia
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Did I say he is obligated? Nobody here said that. What they are doing is criticizing him. Which you just said is within our rights. I'm not sure what you are trying to get at here.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Actually, yeah, I agree with you. I didn't see how the question was asked. The way they put it he probably had no idea what they were really asking about.
Zelenogorsk
Banned
This guy's face just rubs me the wrong way.
Lol wtf. No.
not psycho
Member
It's not that hard. Gad could have simply said:
"I would tell Prime Minister Turnbull to respect the history of the LGBTI community in Australia. Members of the group were bashed by police when they descended on Darlinghurst in June 1978 to protest against the criminalisation of homosexual acts and discrimination against the gay community. As an American I don't keep up much with the news in other countries, but even I know that in 2016 Labor, the Greens, Nick Xenophon Team and senator Derryn Hinch combined in the Senate to block the plebiscite by 33 votes to 29. Furthermore, I would caution the Prime Minister that throwing another shrimp on the intolerant religious group barbie by allowing civil celebrants to refuse to undertake gay weddings would merely entrench discrimination."
Done and done. Nobody would expect more than that from an American at a press event for Beauty and the Beast.
We have an organisation called the Australian Electoral Commission that is independent of the party in power and sets electoral boundaries and runs the elections. On a federal and state level gerrymandering is pretty much unknown and most Australians wouldn't even know the meaning of the word.
Aarglefarg
Member
On the plus side, you think that's clever.
not psycho
Member
Not sure what you mean by this.
If you're talking about Josh Gad, here's a column he wrote 4 years ago on gay rights:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/06/26/josh-gad-scotus-column/2461081/
And he has supported them vocally other times as well. Plus he has said his brother, who is gay and married, is his role model. So it does seem like this specific question, about what he would say to Prime Minister Turnbull (whose position on gay marriage Gad may not even know), is the reason he didn't respond this time.
Also, Gad (having played the character) is well aware that there isn't much there, so he realizes it would be stupid to try to play it up as a victory for gay rights.
If you're talking about how I clumsily worked the words "shrimp" and "barbie" into that speech though, then you got me. The rest of it I got from random quotes in a google search.
toddhunter
Member
I'm glad he gave this response. The % of right wing religious nutjobs in Australia is relatively low compared to America, but it is still there. Having an "outsider" voice an opinion is only going to give them more ammo to use with the "not right wing religious nutjobs but fuck yeah Australia rules!!! idiot %" which will not like being told what to do.
The beauty of politics.
The beauty of politics.
Aarglefarg
Member
It could have come across wrong but you provided a lot of detail while presenting it like the minimum he could have said ('Gad could have simply said', 'Nobody would expect more than that from an American at a press event for Beauty and the Beast'), which came across like people are expecting too much from him. Something like "I don't know the specifics for Australia but I support equality" suffices.
Joel Was Right
Member
It's not politics. It's human rights.
CaviarMeths
Member
Disney has already taken a stance on this topic. This was a huge deal because Georgia is a very popular state to film due to great tax incentives. It's the source of billions of dollars in revenue for the state and thousands of jobs. Disney pulling out would have been devastating to the local economy.
Even for everyone's favorite evil corporation, human rights are more important than money.
If this is a gag order handed down from the studio, it would be purely baffling and not at all in line with the company's culture.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
People with ugly faces are the worst
not psycho
Member
That's true, but it didn't occur to me to say that, and it might not have occurred to him either. When someone asks me, an American, what I would say to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to bring about change in Australia, I think: What is Turnbull's view on the subject? What is Australia's popular view on the subject? What are the barriers to equality in Australia? Will my input into Australian politics be a positive influence? What are the current laws on the subject in Australia? I would feel I was speaking from a position of ignorance that could result in a negative controversy to my inevitably ignorant answer, and would require time to research.
Maybe I would have thought of your answer, maybe not. But given Gad's history of vocal support for gay rights and specifically gay marriage, in person, on television, and through articles he wrote, and Disney's stance on gay rights, it seems likely that the framing of the question, influencing Turnbull to effect change in Australia, is what caused him not to respond normally.
Pretty much.
Mr. Blonde
Member
People should definitely publicly comment on and criticize the political leaders of foreign nations when promoting a product in that country, always. Local people always love being told why they're wrong and how things are done elsewhere. Especially when the more enlighted nation only just changed their policy on it in the last two years.
not the question to ask the dude when he is promoting a movie he stars in. especially not in Australia given the current political climate. as an Aussie I really can't fault the guy for what he did.
for all the people calling him a coward etc. do you really, honestly think he would have taken the role and played the character if he was so vehemently against marriage equality and basic human rights? i mean, really? fucking dude said his gay brother is his role model. it's pretty clear ALREADY where he stands. why does he need to reinforce it on the red carpet, overseas? get a grip.
for all the people calling him a coward etc. do you really, honestly think he would have taken the role and played the character if he was so vehemently against marriage equality and basic human rights? i mean, really? fucking dude said his gay brother is his role model. it's pretty clear ALREADY where he stands. why does he need to reinforce it on the red carpet, overseas? get a grip.
Prototype Viktor
Member
he didn't play the character gay he played him manly like Liberace
What a ridiculous thing to say. He was asked a question. He dodged it. What's that got to do with ego?
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Yeah, American celebrities don't need to make comments on Australian politics. This is a non story.
Who was "secretly" openly gay, and whom even Elton John has cited as an important in making gay people feel more comfortable about themselves at the time, even if they couldn't come out, so...
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