richard-blanco / Queerty

Openly Gay Cuban Poet Richard Blanco To Read At Obama Inauguration

By: Lester Brathwaite
On: Jan 9, 2013
Tagged: barack obama inauguration, president barack obama, presidential inauguration, richard blanco

16 Comments

No. 1 · Wilberforce
I’m guessing that, like most modern poets, he has zero talent, but writes in vague, self-involved, and unrelated fragments.
But he looks like a million bucks, and that’s what’s important.

Jan 9, 2013 at 1:12 pm · @Reply ·
No. 2 · TrekBear
@WilberFARCE: Unless you’ve read his poetry, you;re not qualified to judge his ability.

Jan 9, 2013 at 4:02 pm · @Reply ·
No. 3 · krandall
@Wilberforce: Talk about self-involved and unrelated. Nothing like judging a person without having met him and judging a writer without having read his work. Would you like me to start making some assumptions about you?

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:16 pm · @Reply ·
No. 4 · bmwblonde
Well “Wilberforce,” how about posting here a list of the
“modern poets” that you HAVE read. No fair using “Modern
Poets for Dummies,” either. I couldn’t agree more with
TrekBear and Krandall about you. Sounds like a little
faggoty jealousy attack — rather than being thrilled
that a gay artist has been so honored by another “outsider”
person, President Obama. Get a grip. Get a life.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:21 pm · @Reply ·
No. 5 · krandall
@bmwblonde: Thanks bmwblonde. You know what? I have a feeling that Dilbertface (sic) does this all the time on lots of sites just to get the attention we’ve already wasted on him. If only he would use that energy in therapy, he might actually become a happy person.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:29 pm · @Reply ·
No. 6 · Wilberforce
I’ve read him, and it’s the usual, no talent, free verse. Excuse me. But I just don’t care for identity politics culture, where people are promoted not from merit, but because they’re minority or are Nancy Pelosi’s daughter.
I think it’s a big reason the left is so weak. Corporations hire and promote at least partly by merit, which means they get better people. We promote for sentimental identity politics, which means we get incompetence.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:36 pm · @Reply ·
No. 7 · Wilberforce
@TrekBear: I didn’t have to read him before writing, because identity culture is too predictable. I read him after, though, and the suspicion was confirmed.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:40 pm · @Reply ·
No. 8 · Wilberforce
@krandall: My guess was correct. Most of his poetry is about himself. Typical.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:42 pm · @Reply ·
No. 9 · bmwblonde
Well Wilberforce, I notice you haven’t listed the
modern poets that you have read. You are a typical
deluded person mired in “concepts” (like any kneejerk
“belief-systems”), such as:
Business is Good, government is bad
The Right is about “liberty,” the Left is about “give-aways”
People like you are so blinded by your “concepts” that you
couldn’t see reality if it fell on you.
By the way, I’ve studied poetry for years with amazing
professors, and alsoAM a poet — and your moron “concepts”
about poetry are also stupidly black-and-white, ignorant
and laughable. Some classical-form poetry is terrific,
some sucks. Some free verse sucks, some is stunningly
brilliant, long lasting art. More of your pathetic,
rigid stuck concepts. Why don’t you just go away and
enjoy your self-righteousness and stop wasting the
time of normal and free people? I.e., FLAKE OFF.

Jan 9, 2013 at 7:48 pm · @Reply ·
No. 10 · Aidan8
Although I don’t know this poet’s work, it’s nice to see someone young, Latino, and gay chosen for this ceremonial occasion. I would only add that this choice is unfortunately belittled by the fact that Obama has chosen an anti-gay evangelical “pastor” to deliver the benediction. So… I guess it’s “let’s listen to the gay guy who can do art/poetry and then we’ll finish up with the evangelical anti-gay freak who appeals to the christian-right” Feels like more pandering to me.

Jan 9, 2013 at 8:03 pm · @Reply ·
No. 11 · Sansacro
@Wilberforce: Yawn.

Jan 9, 2013 at 9:04 pm · @Reply ·
No. 12 · balehead
Why is there so much online bullying on Queerty?…it’s getting out of control….

Jan 9, 2013 at 9:04 pm · @Reply ·
No. 13 · tjr101
I suppose Wilberforce and the Log Cabiners will take out a full page ad attacking this “zero-talented and vague” poet to score “points” against Obama and the left by any means. LOL

Jan 10, 2013 at 12:15 am · @Reply ·
No. 14 · Eric Auerbach
He’s not Cuban. He’s Cuban-American. Big difference.

Jan 10, 2013 at 1:07 am · @Reply ·
No. 15 · JohnQPublic
I thought the cheapest shot in this whole thread was the way the article introduced the choice of a gay poet as resulting from “feeling guilty for the Hagel nomination.” Cheap, cheap, cheap.

Jan 10, 2013 at 1:10 am · @Reply ·
No. 16 · krandall
I used to teach college in Washington D.C. and I used to sound a lot like Wilberforce: self-important, sure everyone else is wrong if they disagree with me, and closed to anything that didn’t fit my definitions. I don’t know how my students could stand me. As a writer who has won many awards, including an award for poetry, I would just like to suggest that we all try to be open to things that are new, different, and that perhaps our knee-jerk reaction dismisses.

And let’s not kid ourselves, in serious literature there is a bit of the author in everything one writes. I’m sorry for Wilberforce, actually. With these close-minded opinions his world must be very small indeed. I would never tell him not to like what he likes, but I would also ask him not to refuse me the same courtesy. And if we want to do some textual analysis, I would be more than willing to defend the work of Blanco.

Jan 10, 2013 at 8:31 pm · @Reply ·