Are they gay? - The Yes Men (2005) Discussion

[–] kermit_42_gsy 18 years ago

the thing is, does it really matter?

i can see how you've arrived at this conclusion, two guys with a seemingly sparse interest in the usual macho/herero male activities (boozing, sports, misogyny etc) and they do like dressing each other up.

however thier sexual orientation is hardly relevant here. the film was about satarising the wto and, hopefully, generating interest in the general population in questioning the nature and actions of the wto.

Pumpactionsunshine

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[–] everybodyscrewsu2 18 years ago

I thought it was fairly obvious.

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[–] saturnchick 18 years ago

Yeah-their sexual orientation is not really relevant to the documentary. Nevertheless, I asked because I was curious. What's so wrong with that?

Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of bleeding, he sings.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] filmbandit 18 years ago

again -- and you should ask yourself, why does it matter to you? why is that kind of information so valuable to you? just some questions to consider . . .

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[–] paddeh 18 years ago

get down off your high horse you *beep* douche

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[–] phthaloblue 18 years ago

people can still ask questions without it mattering.

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[–] bcjoven 14 years ago

Really? Are you that sensitive? It's like asking somebody what ethnicity somebody is.

I would understand if a potential employer asked something like this in an interview, but I was just wondering as well about the cast in this doc.

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[–] aguiaz 17 years ago

one is and one isn't.
but i think they'd both be down for it if necessary.
I think they like to keep their sexuality definitely private.
however, one definitely is NOT!

z

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[–] seenerz82 18 years ago

who cares?

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] jennyondioline 18 years ago

No.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] BQQ 18 years ago

Andy Bichlbaum (Jacques Servin) - one the dates for the appearance of the famous gay Sims is SimCopter was his boyfriend's birthday
Mike Bonanno - don't know

"William F. Buckley wrote a book at Yale; I read one." George W. Bush

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] golden-24 18 years ago

matt2873: What do you find "infantile" about the film - the Yes Men's pranks or their anti-WTO politics? (Something gives me the feeling it is the latter.)

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[–] saturnchick 18 years ago

OMG...for some reason I decided to return to this post after scrolling through my IMDB posting profile.

The reason that I posted the orginal question was because I was curious and wanted to know. Can't somebody be curious about something without having to justify the curiosity?

The thing that gets on my nerves more than anything else is this PC *beep* If I had gone to some Disney movie forum and posted "Is Goofy a dog?", nobody would have asked me why I wanted to know. Nobody would have asked me why it mattered. Somebody would have answered, and that would be the end of it. But no, that could never have happened in this post, because I asked if they were gay. I should have known that invoking the word "gay" (or at least demonstrating some interest in their sexual orientation) would trigger radars, and people would be gathering their pitchforks and torches to condemn me for asking such a irrelevant (or perhaps, homophobic) question.

For chrissake, stop overanalyzing everything.

Will you be doing anything significant today?

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[–] raduinromania99 18 years ago

I totally agree with you, saturnchick. I also believe that being PC to the extreme is not only stupid, but it can get quite dangerous sometimes. I couldn't care less if they're gay or not, but I don't mind anybody asking this question, even making a personal statement on homosexuals, religious or ethnic minorities, whatever.

Sometime ago, this was called free speech, if I remember correctly...

confuse the cat

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[–] saturnchick 18 years ago

Thank goodness someone else sees things the same way. Of course, I had no intention of offending anyone with my original post, but I find it ridiculous that everything that is said is somehow misinterpreted, and that the speaker needs to qualify every remark that they make.

I'm a total supporter of free speech, unless the speech becomes threatening or demeaning. Of course, both "threatening" and "demeaning" are subjective terminologies, but we have to stop using subjectivity as an excuse to accuse or allude to others as being insensitive or irresponsible.

Will you be doing anything significant today?

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[–] heartbreaktown 18 years ago

Saturnchick,

I was wondering the same thing. And I was a little surprised by the answers you got. People are awfully touchy.

I'll admit that one of the reasons I was curious is primal and perfectly natural - these guys were good looking, smart and funny and I'm a hetero female. If I were a gay male, I'd probably wonder the same thing. Not that I have a chance but it's perfectly natural to be curious.

Goodness gracious people - you're wasting your time trying to judge or psychoanalyze people on a message board.

Good movie, by the way.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] tfaulkner-2 17 years ago

A little touchy about it aren't you "duuuuuummb"? I don't know if thats your name or your intelligence level.

I'd say Bichlbaum is gay but not Bonanno. But thats just my opinion, I'm not going to get all bent out of shape about it.

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[–] blueman-4 17 years ago

Bonanno, or Igor Vamos as he is known here at RPI, sports a wedding ring. Decide as you will, but who really cares.

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[–] jbeezz-1 17 years ago

Clearly you missed the point.

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[–] jbeezz-1 17 years ago

Again, WHY does it matter to you?

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[–] saturnchick 17 years ago

WHY does it matter to you WHY it matters to me? Why should I continue to offer you the same explanation and yet YOU seemingly can be curious about something but I have to defend my curiosity. You're a nimrod.

Will you be doing anything significant today?

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[–] Dachunde 16 years ago

People on these boards aren't angry at YOU per se sugar, it's just that most posters on IMDB can't justify anger into words without resorting to insults.

This film is satirical and concerns a very real problem in the modern world; the corruption of big business and free-market principles and how this always ends up making the rich richer and the poor poorer so I am going to assume that the people getting annoyed on these boards were hacked off with that fact that after watching the flick, the only question you felt compelled to need an answer to was a question completely irrelevant to the subject matter of the film.

Some posters also probably assumed the ulterior meaning of your post was 'If they're gay then what they have to say doesn't matter...cos they're gay.' which is still an issue these days with self obsessed and under educated tools in the world.

Don't take it personally. Tis only text on a screen.

'Only EFFORT, DISCIPLINE, LOYALTY, earn the right to wear the Dragon Doji.' - Oroku Saki

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[–] the_la_baker 8 years ago

I'm from the future and things are much MUCH worse!

Had you started this thread today you might have been tracked down and social media shamed by lunatic SJWs.

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[–] tawdry_hepburn 17 years ago

at least 2 of 'em are.

They mention that they were living together years and years ago in an apartment over another couple of men who thought they were crystal meth dealers. Sounds like WeHo to me...

said the shotgun to the head
-Saul Williams

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[–] cjr-5 16 years ago

Do you think they're muslim? Or are they just freedom-hating christians?

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[–] tawdry_hepburn 16 years ago

I don't remember posting the above, but honestly, I apologize.

That's...umm...this is weird because I'm sort of offended reading my own word. That's a first.

But yeah, they are gay. And I don't think they're closeted about it. I don't think they talk about it too much because it doesn't really matter? How often does Speilberg get asked about his wife? Never, because it's a stable long term relationship that doesn't need media coverage. Same with these guys, I'd guess.

,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams

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[–] Phaleg36 15 years ago

It is kind of relevant. One of their first culture-jamming pranks was to swap the voice boxes in G.I.Joes and Barbies. Trying to draw attention to how the children's toys indoctrinate them in cultural gender roles. A gay person is always a little outside society and so in a better position to see its flaws.
If they are a couple maybe they didn't want to mention it because they thought it would take attention from their cause but what a great story angle! Most couples go and dates and vacations they try to fix the world together!
And they definitely are. "Starvation is the new black." Come on.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] rogerscorpion 15 years ago

Phaleg, I agree.

If they were openly gay, that would be a distraction. Some (not all) would think of them as gay anti-corporate activists. The message would be de-valued. SOME would give them less, if any, credibility. Again--by some, not all.

Minorities are more sensitive to inadvertent racial comments. Gays pick up on sexual subtleties. Their whole life has involved them.

Recently, when Ellen Degeneres was chosen, as the new judge on American Idol, some guy posted that he was never going to watch the show again, because she's a lesbian---as though she goes around, preaching about it.

I'm sure there are SOME people, who won't watch How I Met Your Mother, since Neil Patrick Harris came out.

There's a reason that Richard Chamberlain waited until he was 70, to come out.

Middle class hetero white ppl, like myself, are less sensitive to these points, because we've never been subjected to discrimination, like this.

Carpe Noctem

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[–] rogerscorpion 15 years ago

straighttovideo, I applaud your apology. If you're that embarrassed, you do realize you could simply have deleted your previous post--yes?

Carpe Noctem

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[–] zappeur6 14 years ago

I am not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them was. I've been wondering for a while.

Andy is famous for inserting semi-naked males kissing into SimCopter(supposedly as a comment against the "bimbos" in the game). One of their first projects together was the barbie liberation project, in which they switched the voice boxes between Barbie and G.I. Joe, resulting in Barbie saying things like, "Vengeance is mine!" and Joe spouting "Let’s plan our dream wedding!"

Seems kinda gay.

I can sort of understand why people say "Why does it matter?" But to me it does. I am quite queer myself, and for me, it would just be kinda validating to know that one or two of my most favorite activist types are also Queer. It isn't offensive to wonder about someones sexuality. I think that posing a question about it is an important step forward. You have to acknowledge the possibility of something before you can accept it.

Anyway, quite possibly there is a significant percentage of gay somewhere in that pair.

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[–] Cinefilodough 14 years ago

It actually could matter to someone trying to understand their motivations, and sort out certain aspects of their identity that may influence their politics. You don't have to just jump back and question the question solely because the subject of sexual identity is taboo. I'm interested in the yes men, their politics, and the underpinnings thereof. Audrey Lorde wrote "As a lesbian, black, poor, woman..." at the head of a political essay to explain how her political stance begin with her feeling marginalized, one could ask the question of their sexuality along these lines as well.

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