January 21, 2010

Cindy McCain poses glamorously with duct tape over her mouth to symbolize...

... well, what is that supposed to symbolize? I get that she supports same-sex marriage, but what does that have to do with anybody forcibly silencing her? If you have something to say, lady, just say it and quit blaming others. Especially if you insist on blaming others in gorgeous photography with fabulous makeup and a gentle wind machine puffing out your silky white-blond hair.

47 comments:

OhioAnne said...

Being pro-gay marriage and supporting "noProp8" aren't the same thing to me.

The first I can get behind.

The second (the "noprop8" group) has been characterized by threats of extreme violence (arson), acts of actual vandalism, bigotry, misinformation - both deliberately selective - and outright lies, and economic terrorism against companies because a single one of their employees may have given to Prop8.

KCFleming said...

The duct taped mouth symbolizes the ultimate effect of noProp8: forbidding speech against SSM.

Hoosier Daddy said...

If you have something to say, lady, just say it and quit blaming others.

Funny I said the same thing about the celebrity anti-war protestors who first started the duct tape trend because they thought being criticized for their dumbass opinion constituted being silenced.

Roger Sweeny said...

It is probably trying to play off the idea that being gay but having to pretend you're not is psychologically painful. Many schools, for example, have "days of silence" where some students pledge not to speak for a day to symbolize closeted and silenced gays.

Supporting gay marriage seems rather different on the moral scale. Of course, if feeling that you can't freely express your politcal beliefs is silencing you, lots of non-lefties in academia are silenced.

But perhaps this is nothing new. Mark Twain said something to the effect of, "In this country, we have three great gifts, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the sense not to exercise either."

Freeman Hunt said...

The way they lit her makes it look like her eyes can shoot laser beams.

Johanna Lapp said...

Now if only we could tape shut Meghan and John's friggin' gobs, we'd have a hope of repairing a Republican party. And Meghan's straining jeans.

Roger Sweeny said...

I just looked up the Twain quote:

"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them."

jag said...

Mrs. McCain reminds us that duct tape can fix anything, except the horribly inept campaign waged by her husband. Maybe she is suspending her life until prop8 is struck down.

AllenS said...

The duct tape over the mouth represents some kind of sex game her and John play late at night.

WV: poote

That proves I'm right.

Freeman Hunt said...

I wonder how they actually attach the duct tape for these pictures. You know there is no way that these people actually duct taped their mouths.

KCFleming said...

Maybe that's just the way she looked when she showed up for the photo shoot.
NTTAWWT.

Shanna said...

The way they lit her makes it look like her eyes can shoot laser beams.

Her eyes do look totally crazy.

I think the duct tape thing is pretty annoying, no matter who is doing it. Unless maybe if they're in some country that actually does forbid free speech, but then you'd also be in trouble for the duct tape probably, so you might as well just say what you mean.

The Ghost said...

don't gay couples in California have the right to a civil union ?

So get a civil union, put a piece of duct tape over it and write "marriage" on it ...

KCFleming said...

Duct tape; why not a burka?

Freeman Hunt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Freeman Hunt said...

The duct tape thing makes no sense. The article says it symbolizes that their voices aren't being heard, but clearly they are being heard. They're even being featured in glamorous photo spreads.

So you have photos of people with "No H8" on their faces with duct tape over their mouths. What does that really look like?

To me it reads, "I'm putting duct tape on my mouth to keep from saying hateful things."

Of course, the image of duct tape keeping people from spewing streams of verbal bile is at odds with the stated intent.

Anonymous said...

OhioAnne said: Being pro-gay marriage and supporting "noProp8" aren't the same thing to me.
The first I can get behind.
The second (the "noprop8" group) has been characterized by threats . . . "

I'm glad that I live in a state where this is not a big deal (TN), because I would hate the idea of having to align myself with the pro-ssm folks. Even where I agree with them on the issue, I find myself wanting to root against them just for being such jerks about the whole thing.

rhhardin said...

Maybe those lips manage to stand for some other lips.

Joan said...

What Freeman said. Here's the quote from the linked article:

All of the subjects are photographed with duct tape over their mouths to symbolize that their voices aren’t being heard on the subject of marriage equality.

(sigh) Some people still believe, for whatever reason, that their right to speak means they have the right to be listened to, and the right to be agreed with.

No one with any authority to enforce it is telling these people to shut up. The idea that everyone who opposes SSM does so out of "H8" ignores the serious legal questions that SSM raises. This entire campaign is obnoxious.

Peter Hoh said...

It's the worst of the lefty approach to social issues -- playing the victim card -- and completely at odds with the reality of Cindy McCain's ability to speak her mind.

Unless, of course, she wants to suggest that her husband is somehow preventing her from speaking her mind on this issue. And if that were the case, she wouldn't be appearing in this ad campaign.

Beth said...

She should have spoken her mind back when it mattered, before the vote on 8.

Drew W said...

Last year, my girlfriend's teenage niece told us that kids in her school were wearing tape over their mouths all day on a certain day, to either protest or raise awareness or whatever the hell about gay and lesbian issues. Their voices were being "silenced" was the point. I told her that I'd prefer people put their efforts into using their right to free speech rather than complaining that they can't use it.

What I didn't say to her was, God, I wish we'd get this drivel out of our system. We've got free speech out the wazoo in this country, but few -- on both sides of the opinion gap -- can resist the lure of victimhood. ("I'm being silenced!" Actually, I can hear you perfectly well, thanks.)

I'm sorry that Cindy McCain got involved in this. This sort of nonsense threatens her dominance as one my absolute favorite silver fox lust objects.

kalmia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

Does it take more courage for a Republican to come out in favor of SSM than it does for a Democrat to speak out against against abortion?

Unknown said...

I also thought the photo was over the top and undignified. Good Lord, we haven't heard the voices of the Prop 8 thing? We can't shut them up!

Why doesn't she do something meaningful, like Ted Olson is doing, if she wants to speak out? I don't think Ted would make her put duct tape on her mouth, either...unless they were going to play poote. :)

TMink said...

Freeman wrote: "The duct tape thing makes no sense."

Freeman, I disagree. The tape is a slap at people who oppose gay marriage. It portrays us as cruel people who are torturing innocents because of our warped beliefs. She cannot speak because most of us disagree with her.

That is the scam, that there is only one moral position on gay marriage. She, and gays in general, are the victims because most of the US disagrees with and opposes gay marriage. That is the message, and it is laughable and inaccurate.

Trey

TMink said...

"All of the subjects are photographed with duct tape over their mouths to symbolize that their voices aren’t being heard on the subject of marriage equality."

I hear just fine. I just don't agree. Lying about that will never help.

Trey

Jason (the commenter) said...

Ignoring whatever explanation the artist behind this campaign might give, I think the reason for the tape is pretty clear. First, every participant has "NOH8" on their face, which obviously means "no hate". From this I would assume the tape was a reference to "speak no evil".

Perhaps you've seen art depicting three monkeys, one with eyes, one with ears, and one with their mouth covered. This is what the campaign seems to be going for from my perspective.

Freeman Hunt said...

Jason, I would agree except that the article says differently.

Freeman Hunt said...

How about a clear and effective ad campaign for gay marriage or civil unions?

Nice, bright pictures of very wholesome-looking gay couples with their families. Especially such couples with children. Smiling. Sports. Parks. Regular folks who want to put down community roots and raise happy stable families. By the way, they're gay. Won't you help them achieve their totally normal, run of the mill family dreams?

No more weird things. Weird things include anti-religious messaging, outing people, pillorying people for disagreeing, racial epithets, over-sexed parades, and anything that looks bondage-y like duct tape on mouths. Weird things do not sell, except to a niche market, and to get marriage or civil unions, you need broad appeal.

And avoid any advertising that wallows in self-pity. That doesn't sell either. It makes people think you're lame.

Just show that there are all sorts of things that people disagree on, but we all pretty much live and let live. Here are some regular gay people, and even if you don't agree with their marriages, maybe you can just agree to disagree but encourage the same community-building way of life through marriage or civil unions that straight people enjoy.

Free marketing advice, but no group will take it.

Gabriel Hanna said...

Putting tape over one's mouth strikes me as something Dennis the Peasant would do:

"Help! I'm being repressed! You see him repressing me!"

Like chaining yourself to something, it's an adult temper tantrum.

lonetown said...

Your forcing me to put duct tape over my mouth by not supporting my fetish???

vbspurs said...

REMEMBER?

What is it with 2008 Republican spouses and duct tape?

Freebie fact: Wasilla, AK is the Duct Tape Capital of the World.

Cheers,
Victoria

Kensington said...

I figure that Cindy is just doing what her dumb daughter wants her to do in order to please her.

Meghan probably said it would be, like, totally kewl or something.

Anonymous said...

(1) Mrs. McCain is an ingrate--basically accusing the people who supported her husband's campaign of being hate-mongers and bigots.

(2) Many of us think that SSM threatens marriage, the basic social institution, a redoubt against poverty, and bulwark of protection for women and children. It's disgusting for a fabulously wealthy person, who can use her fortune to mitigate most social ills that affect her, to attack the basic institution that protects most people who aren't as well off.

(3) Mrs. McCain is no paragon when it comes to marriage--she's what used to be called a home wrecker. I won't be lectured about marriage by the likes of her.

Paul Kirchner said...

It looks like a trick to to pull the wrinkles out of her face for the photo.

>>Joan said...Some people still believe, for whatever reason, that their right to speak means they have the right to be listened to, and the right to be agreed with. >>

Yes, vis Pres. Obama's recent interview with George Stephanopoulos in which he explained that his political problems stem from his failure to communicate sufficiently with the American people, causing us not to "get" how he's improving things. We just need to listen more and then we'll agree with him, simple as that.

>>Nomilk said...Mrs. McCain is an ingrate--basically accusing the people who supported her husband's campaign of being hate-mongers and bigots.>>

I have the impression that John McCain himself does not like the sort of people who would vote for him. Basically, he like liberal Democrats and hates conservative Republicans, I;m sure that's even more so with Cindy.

>>>Drew W said...I'm sorry that Cindy McCain got involved in this. This sort of nonsense threatens her dominance as one my absolute favorite silver fox lust objects.>>>

Yikes!! Cindy the freeze-dried Barbie doll?

Eric said...

McCain's posturing provides a certain amount of continuity to the debate. It's yet another chapter in the most tone-deaf campaign in the history of state politics. These people need to hire another PR firm.

Anonymous said...

Can we get this guy to shoot a duct-tape ad with DTL and then forget to take the duct tape off?

knox said...

No more weird things. Weird things include anti-religious messaging, outing people, pillorying people for disagreeing, racial epithets, over-sexed parades, and anything that looks bondage-y like duct tape on mouths.

You're being very generous by qualifying these things as "weird," Freeman!

They are all nasty, and yes, hateful tactics, used repeatedly by supposed proponents of gay marriage, who sabotage any genuine efforts by employing them. "Deploying" them is actually more appropriate.

Jason (the commenter) said...

Freeman Hunt: Jason, I would agree except that the article says differently.

We're talking art interpretation. Look at the art!

Jason (the commenter) said...

I find it weird that a picture of a woman with "NOH8" literally printed on her face can cause so much disgust. I think what Cindy McCain did was great. In a world where gay people are discriminated against and get called derogatory names to their faces I find it wonderful that the wife of a prominent Republican politician would take the time to express some support for our community. Thank you Cindy McCain and anyone else who chooses to join her.

Titus said...

I like it but I am gay.

Anonymous said...

It would make more sense to me if it were Carrie Prejean with the duct tape on her mouth. She spoke her personal opinion regarding SSM and was persecuted roundly.

paul a'barge said...

Cindy and Megan need to put duct tape on some other orifices of they bodies.

Unknown said...

Perhaps, it has to do with years of abuse by her husband, a leading Republican Senator. OTOH it may have to do with the fact that pro-gay marriage group is sponsoring CPAC but isn't allowed to speak.

Perhaps, a feminist libertarian like yourself might think before behaving like a two-dollar Republican party whore, Prof. Althouse.

Unknown said...

As for the last remark, I was comparing you to Michele Malkin, who picked up on you quote, not an actual prostitute because that would be _less_ insulting.

Unknown said...

There's also the possibility that it could be a reference to the beating, kidnapping, and gang rape of a lesbian Prop 8 opponent by self-styled social conservatives like certain of the filth who seem so devoted to you, you fucking cunt.