FnkyManifesto7 said:

Identity said:

Can you cite some examples of CNN purposefully extorting facts and showing a bias for a person, group or political party?

ron paul, the liberty movement, and everything else the establishment that runs cnn is afraid of. Look it up on youtube, google etc

Open this pic up in a new window, and revel in the stupidity and Right-Wing bias that is Fux News.

Photo

meltwithu said:

Awfully suspicious that Tom Cruise's divorce just was announced...

meltwithu said:

Awfully suspicious that Tom Cruise's divorce just was announced...

Am I missing somethere here? I don't get the joke.

GoldDolphin said:

Everyone knew Anderson was Gay, it's so old news... Next...

Yep!

[Edited 7/2/12 16:02pm]

Identity said:

meltwithu said:

Awfully suspicious that Tom Cruise's divorce just was announced...

Am I missing somethere here? I don't get the joke.

Tom is rumoured to be gay.

You know you’ve made it in Hollywood when everyone thinks you're gay.

I couldn't be any more happier for him; the hardest thing to do

in this fucked up world is to be and become who you are.

I hope he either gets his back blown out tonight or is the one

blowing out some dude's back!

FnkyManifesto7 said:

In other news, water is wet and the sky is blue.

okay.

But lookatthatface.

You just gottaloveit.

REAL TALK

Idk why gay people get so freaked out & excited everytime someone come's out. First off i thought it was common knowledge he was a hot dog sniffer 2nd.. i didn't care then or now.

But all these people making it facebook status and acting like OMG WE HAVE A VICTORY is just silly

I still can't wait for the day when someone coming out of the closet won't make headlines but until then....

Everybody knew he was gay anyway-really doesn't matter

Gunsnhalen said:

REAL TALK

Idk why gay people get so freaked out & excited everytime someone come's out. First off i thought it was common knowledge he was a hot dog sniffer 2nd.. i didn't care then or now.

But all these people making it facebook status and acting like OMG WE HAVE A VICTORY is just silly

I still can't wait for the day when someone coming out of the closet won't make headlines but until then....

[Edited 7/2/12 15:07pm]

The world knew it, and this changes absolutely nothing. But for what it means to him and those close to him, I bid Anderson congrats.

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

Guns reads Cerebus sentences in 1, 2 & 3rd person if it helps

Gunsnhalen said:

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

Guns reads Cerebus sentences in 1, 2 & 3rd person if it helps

Yes, helps. And made my afternoon.

Gunsnhalen said:

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

Guns reads Cerebus sentences in 1, 2 & 3rd person if it helps

Nice

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

He didn't come out with a full-on announcement, but he must've known the approval to make his letter public would be taken as such when he's been decidedly circumspect amid pretty active public conversation about his sexuality for years now.

That said, I certainly don't give him the , like I might some who've made huge, self-important proclamations about themselves.

[Edited 7/2/12 15:25pm]

They made it seem like he was "coming out". That's why it looked weird. I was more yawning the media's way of "bringing it to us" rather than what anything Cooper may have said. It's just another thing to bide time in a media that rather remain slow and stupid.

[Edited 7/2/12 15:34pm]

Lammastide said:

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

He didn't come out with a full-on announcement, but he must've known the approval to make his letter public would be taken as such when he's been decidedly circumspect amid pretty active public conversation about his sexuality for years now.

That said, I certainly don't give him the , like I might some who've made huge, self-important proclamations about themselves.

In the letter than he wrote, never intending for it to be a public statement, he says...

"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."

Maybe I'm confused, but I think that means he was living his life "out", but just not caring what the rest of the world thought about it. Seemingly, doing exactly what some people in this thread are saying famous gay people should do. Yet, they're shitting on the guy because they've interpreted this as "ANDERSON COOPER COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET ON A NATIONAL PLATFORM!"

People need to actually read and process what is being presented to them (in whole, not an excerpt) before they make public their own opinions about somebody elses life. The internet has trained people to write first and think later and that frustrates me, greatly!

Timmy84 said:

The statement he put out made it seem he was "coming out". That's why it looked weird. I was more yawning the media's way of "bringing it to us" rather than what anything Cooper may have said. It's just another thing to bide time in a media that rather remain slow and stupid.

One. More. Time. He didn't "put out a statement".

^ I know he didn't NOW, I was just saying...

Lammastide said:

Cerebus said:

For fuck's sake, HE DIDN'T COME OUT!

I forgot I can't write more than two sentences or nobody will read it.

He didn't come out with a full-on announcement, but he must've known the approval to make his letter public would be taken as such when he's been decidedly circumspect amid pretty active public conversation about his sexuality for years now.

That said, I certainly don't give him the , like I might some who've made huge, self-important proclamations about themselves.

[Edited 7/2/12 15:25pm]

The public's appetite into wanting someone to come out is sick.

I'm quite certain there will be more said about this by all parties involved.

Some guy named Andrew Sullivan who writes a column called, "The Dish: Biased & Balanced", posted this today on The Daily Beast website. The first two paragraphs are his words, as is the "Me too" at the end. In the middle is the email Cooper wrote in response to Sullvan's question regarding the very thing people are giving him shit about.

To me, looking at this from the outside, people are so caught up in their own opinions that they can't even stop to realize they're hating their own kind for doing what they wanted them to do!

Again, he's asking him about coming out and living "out" because he knows he's gay. Gah!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week, Entertainment Weekly ran a story on an emerging trend: gay people in public life who come out in a much more restrained and matter-of-fact way than in the past. In many ways, it's a great development: we're evolved enough not to be gob-smacked when we find out someone's gay. But it does matter nonetheless, it seems to me, that this is on the record. We still have pastors calling for the death of gay people, bullying incidents and suicides among gay kids, and one major political party dedicated to ending the basic civil right to marry the person you love. So these "non-events" are still also events of a kind; and they matter. The visibility of gay people is one of the core means for our equality.

All of which is a prelude to my saying that I've known Anderson Cooper as a friend for more than two decades. I asked him for his feedback on this subject, for reasons that are probably obvious to most. Here's his email in response which he has given me permission to post here:

Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years. Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to.

But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist.

I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter. I’ve stuck to those principles for my entire professional career, even when I’ve been directly asked “the gay question,” which happens occasionally. I did not address my sexual orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn't set out to write about other aspects of my life.

Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.

I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist.

Since my early days as a reporter, I have worked hard to accurately and fairly portray gay and lesbian people in the media - and to fairly and accurately portray those who for whatever reason disapprove of them. It is not part of my job to push an agenda, but rather to be relentlessly honest in everything I see, say and do. I’ve never wanted to be any kind of reporter other than a good one, and I do not desire to promote any cause other than the truth.

Being a journalist, traveling to remote places, trying to understand people from all walks of life, telling their stories, has been the greatest joy of my professional career, and I hope to continue doing it for a long time to come. But while I feel very blessed to have had so many opportunities as a journalist, I am also blessed far beyond having a great career.

I love, and I am loved.

In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life. I appreciate your asking me to weigh in on this, and I would be happy for you to share my thoughts with your readers. I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy.

Me too.

Timmy84 said:

^ I know he didn't NOW, I was just saying...

Sorry. Cerebus is bothered by people lack of reading comprehension at the moment. Cerebus should probably just go have another cup of coffee and wash the dishes or something.

But you know, you gotta hand it to our media, they'll take any comment as either "a statement" or something else.

[Edited 7/2/12 16:02pm]

Cerebus said:

Timmy84 said:

^ I know he didn't NOW, I was just saying...

Sorry. Cerebus is bothered by people lack of reading comprehension at the moment. Cerebus should probably just go have another cup of coffee and wash the dishes or something.

also give up the 3rd person just a request

Cerebus said:

Lammastide said:

He didn't come out with a full-on announcement, but he must've known the approval to make his letter public would be taken as such when he's been decidedly circumspect amid pretty active public conversation about his sexuality for years now.

That said, I certainly don't give him the , like I might some who've made huge, self-important proclamations about themselves.

In the letter than he wrote, never intending for it to be a public statement, he says...

"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."

Maybe I'm confused, but I think that means he was living his life "out", but just not caring what the rest of the world thought about it. Seemingly, doing exactly what some people in this thread are saying famous gay people should do. Yet, they're shitting on the guy because they've interpreted this as "ANDERSON COOPER COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET ON A NATIONAL PLATFORM!"

People need to actually read and process what is being presented to them (in whole, not an excerpt) before they make public their own opinions about somebody elses life. The internet has trained people to write first and think later and that frustrates me, greatly!

I hear ya. Yet this part...

It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.

I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.

...suggests to me he knew many people weren't aware... in part because his silence facilitated it, whether or not he actually "owed" anyone anything more.

But beneath this all, I agree with what I think is your central point. People engage their identities publicly -- or not -- for reasons that are their own. That we on all sides so quickly and wrecklessly assess them, judge them, own them for our respective purposes actually feeds the phenomenon of wanting to remain hidden.

[Edited 7/2/12 16:00pm]

Cerebus said:

Timmy84 said:

^ I know he didn't NOW, I was just saying...

Sorry. Cerebus is bothered by people lack of reading comprehension at the moment. Cerebus should probably just go have another cup of coffee and wash the dishes or something.

It's alright. I definitely got where you were getting at.

Lammastide said:

Cerebus said:

I hear ya. Yet this part...

It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.

I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.

...suggests to me he knew many people weren't aware... in part because his silence facilitated, whether or not he actually "owed" anyone anything more.

Actually, as I reread his comment above, it seems rather than mulling the disclosure of something of which he thought many weren't aware, he was rather considering addressing the "elephant in the room," as he recognized that not doing so offered people latitude to assign motivations that weren't, in fact, the case. I stand -- or rather lounge -- corrected.