Aren’t all children’s cartoons masking subliminal gay messages intended to convert heterosexual boys and girls into same-sex loving adolescents? Batman and Robin. Winnie The Pooh. Garfield’s Otis. And now, The Adventures of Tintin‘s title character wasn’t just carrying gay understones — he supposedly was gay.
Tintin, in the role of a 16-year-old Belgian reporter aided by his dog Snowy, solved enough capers to be spun-off from the land of comic books into films, theatre productions, and a magazine. But was our spunky hero a homo?
Former politican and writer Matthew Parris – who is also gay – says the evidence is “overwhelming”.
Columnist Parris made the claim as the popular Tintin series celebrated its 80th anniversary this week.
He said: “Tintin is a callow, androgynous blonde-quiffed youth in funny trousers and a scarf. And his moving into the country mansion of his best friend, a middle-aged sailor?
“And you’re telling me Tintin isn’t gay?”
Mystery
Parris points to Tintin’s shadowy past which he says is “a total mystery” as proof of his claim.
And says Tintin’s lack of contact with his family or girls is further evidence.
Parris adds: “Tintin never talks about his parents or family, as though trying to block out the very existence of a father or mother.
“As psychologists will confirm, this is common among young gay men, some of whom find it hard to believe that they really are their parents’ child.”
His comments in the Times have outraged Tintin fans. [The Sun]
Of course, let’s not forget Tintin’s other controversy: Racism.
seitan-on-a-stick
Sufferin’ Succotash, not another queer piece of celluloid film painted Lavender? The problem here is the invectives of out gay Matthew Parris who seems to be self-aggrandizing like a true politician and Brit that putting others down will prove their self-appointed superior role validated. Really, “Callow?” with negative reinforcements of Gay Stereotypes is still homophobia out of the mouths of “our own”. Matthew Parris is projecting his own prejudices which is a sad indictment of who he really is and purports to represent. The real story of racism was omitted for the racier “Outing my childhood that I secretly loathed…..about myself” angry gay angle. Tintin fans are right to react to this gay moron who has deeply held psychological pathologies attributed to his warped world view of Gays and Morality. Quote that in your Blog, Gay Parris!
Anon
I’m pretty sure that the antisemitic, racist, rightwing cartoonist Hergé, no matter how much of a fantastic artist he was, didn’t create Tintin as a gay man.
Carsen T.
I went to an all girl school who used the Tintin comics for french class. So basically the whole school said Tintin was gay…but we did have a little habit of hunting for gay subtext in every bit of school work, to make it more interesting.
Julian
As much as I wish Tintin was gay, I think not. Hergé was one of the most racist assholes that ever drew cartoons (and knowing Disnye’s track record, that’s quite a feat). I doubt he was open minded enough to consider a gay Tintin. Perhaps it was a subliminal thing.
Larry
Tintin is white, gay and racist. In other news, half of Jasmyne Cannick’s hair turned gray Wednesday as she furiously wrote an op-ed on Tintin for the LA Times.
Dr. Spikumar biswas
For heaven’s shake ,don’t critisize tintin with your dirty mind.what he was, he was.that is none of your look out.he was our childhood hero that’s the story is all about.
Rohit K
Its become a much academic activity these days to deconstruct characters and find out if there is a racist or violent subtext hidden somewhere. Of course with the winds of change this has replaced with sexuality.
Considering the repressive nature of sexuality during herge’s time it may have been true that he could not be overtly public about tin tin’s sexuality but Mathew’s points does raise several questions. From a queer perspective if we read then the trope used throughout tintin has been metaphoric, be it the racism slur or the ascendancy of the whites over the rest of the world, sowhy not sexuality.
Of course positing that all gay men are pretty hot (Uhm, thats a personal remark)i would me more than happy if tin tindoes turn out to be gay.
Until then we are back to the debate and release of academic jargons as we fight it out again and tintin’s sexuality is claimed!
Cheers
Danny Vaulter
TinTin is asexual. The stories were written for prepubescent children who were not thought to be thinking about sex, therefore the stories and characters are both sex free and free of sexuality. This of course makes them even more unrealistic than they are anyway, and when we revisit them as adults we see the absence or presents of things and ask questions which it really isn’t necessary to ask.
If you must question the character’s sexuality or just want to have fun with them, then feel free to project your own sexuality on to them. Any way you see them is the right one.
clara
Okay you guys…. Its just a kids comic. Its not that big of a deal if he’s gay or not. It’s like when people say rainbow dash is a lesbian. Its a freaking kids show, for kids, not about who they want to bone. Were Ernie and Burt gay!?!? Was buttercup a lesbian!?!? just leave it alone.