Entertainment
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
It appears weve lost another cherished gay tradition to the straight mainstream. Like plucked eyebrows on men, Abercrombie & Fitch, and anal sex, our hetero pals have decided to co-opt another valuable piece of our homo heritage: snark. And straight teen boys, who never really got the hang of tweezers, arent handling snark very well either.
Im not saying gay men invented snark, but our long proud history of bitchery, insults, and backhanded compliments is indisputable. In fact, one of the earliest recorded queens, Aristotle, noted, A subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious. And no one comes close to our gay literary forefathers in the mastery of snide commentary. Posthumously outed T.S. Eliot said of one of his fellow fag writers, Henry James has a mind so fine no idea could violate it. Gore Vidal called Truman Capotes death a good career move. And snarkmaster Oscar Wilde once described an acquaintance by asserting, He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.
On television, gay men like Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly satisfied game show audiences everywhere with their teasing put-downs. Will & Graces Jack McFarland and Will Truman sparred playfully whenever they were in the same room. And the Internet gave rise to even more homo-snark dominance. Love him or hate him, Perez Hiltons fame was built on his (hopefully sturdily reinforced) smart-alecky foundation. His cutting approach has since been adopted by nearly every other celebrity gossip site. Arguably the greatest purveyor of snark on the Web is Gawker.com, which was founded by perhaps the bitterest (and I mean that as a compliment) of all homos, Nick Denton.
But somewhere along the way, we gays lost the reins. Ever since some geek first coded the HTML for a comment box, snark has been growing in mass-market popularity to become one of Western cultures chief forms of public discourse. The democratization of bitchery has watered it down to the point where its barely recognizable as anything but garden-variety mean-spiritedness. Reading through the sad attempts at witty repartee on conservative political websites like FreeRepublic.com is disheartening. And as for TV, the pitiful stabs at banter between Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest (above) are the only reason I occasionally believe Seacrest is heterosexual.
It seems that the vast majority of anonymous commenters on forums and blogs have somehow confused cutting wit with cutting down. Earlier this year an advertising executive committed suicide several days after an anonymous industry blogger posted a snarky blog entry about him, followed by the obligatory anonymous Greek chorus hurling additional insulting comments. When fingers started pointing at the unidentified blogger, he/she responded with a post saying, in part, I do not give myself enough credit to think that a blog posting can cause a lucid, intelligent man to jump from a building. To which Ill snarkily respond, Cmon. If you wont pat yourself on the back, who will?
Perhaps straight people need to be educated on the history of snark. We gays have been using the snide remark as a form of endearment for centuries. My dearest friend Bill hasnt said a nice word about me in years, and I admire him for it (given how hard it is for him to say any words without slurring). My friend Pat insults me via e-mail almost daily. It would be nightly as well if his favorite local park restrooms had wireless.
Maybe thats the difference between the Vidals, Capotes, and Crisps of the world and the armies of anonymous blog commenters. An anonymous snark is like an anonymous fuck. Marginally satisfying, a little pathetic, and forgotten within minutes. Truly memorable rivalries exist not to vanquish the other side but to embolden the recipient to volley back. However, its impossible to retaliate against a faceless (and probably hairless, chinless, and waistline-less) attacker. As Oscar Wilde explained (snarkily, of course), A true friend stabs you in the front.
JoshKilmer-Purcell.com
Send a letter to the editor about this article.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
April 17 2024 11:57 AM
21 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
April 03 2024 4:01 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
14 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
April 04 2024 12:56 PM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
The 15 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2023
December 04 2023 10:32 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Andy Cohen responds to all the recent Bravo & 'Housewives' chaos as more ensues
April 17 2024 3:56 PM
Not just JoJo Siwa: 30 songs made for an artist & released by another
April 17 2024 3:16 PM
How The Pride Store celebrates National Tea Day: A tale of two brews
April 17 2024 2:14 PM
Here's why Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer' is our new twisted queer obsession
April 17 2024 12:17 PM
April 17, 2024
April 17 2024 11:50 AM
Troye Sivan & Charli XCX are teaming up for the gayest tour ever
April 17 2024 11:43 AM
Kennedy Davenport finally explains the rumored 'All Stars 3' drama with Trixie Mattel
April 16 2024 4:16 PM
Watch the queens from 'Drag Race Live' hilariously reveal Out's RuPaul cover
April 16 2024 4:10 PM
Noah Beck claps back at people who assumed he's gay for hugging a male friend
April 16 2024 4:03 PM
Jonathan Bailey's next gig is being lined up & it involves dinosaurs & ScarJo
April 16 2024 2:12 PM
Queens were showing out & shining bright at The Center's fundraising dinner
April 16 2024 1:37 PM
Wanna hookup internationally? Grindr's new feature helps you do that
April 16 2024 12:58 PM
Ricky Martin reveals 'very discreet' man he's met in exclusive new 'Palm Royale' clip
April 16 2024 11:56 AM