We totally called it. The Caucus notes today, in a post titled “Another Cause, Another Ribbon” that the gay marriage knot trend is all over Hollywood’s red carpets. “At the recent premiere of the movie Twilight about two dozen of the knotted ribbons could be seen dangling from designer bags and pinned to suit lapels.” Which is weird because, some gays are boycotting Twilight because the author of the series devotedly tithes 10% of all proceeds to the Mormon Church. [NYT]
There’s No Escaping the Marriage Ribbon
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Phil
Agh! You jinxed us! TWICE!
Joe Moag
Gag.
Chris
Well, that’s only weird if you expect that only gay people are supporting gay marriage, which I surely hope isn’t true, or if you expect that everyone who supports gay marriage is boycotting, which they’re not obligated to do.
I’ve gotta say, I really don’t see your objection to these ribbons. I mean, yeah, they may not do much good, but they don’t do ANY harm, and every little bit helps. Maybe there are better things to do for the cause, but there are certainly worse things.
Tim in SF
@Chris: It’s objectionable because of its unoriginality. The ribbon is an AIDS symbol and has since been co-opted by every single cause in the universe.
http://www.gargaro.com/ribbons.html
You should hold your comments until you’ve read Queerty’s original post (the fist link in the post above, “We totally called it”).
http://www.queerty.com/new-plan-for-winning-marriage-equality-annoy-people-with-tacky-accessories-20081119/
Darth Paul
I’m boycotting that movie because it looks like a sh!tty, watered down, Dawson’s Creek-ified knock off of True Blood…and because Mormons are wack.
I’m boycotting the stupid ribbons, too, because it’s a lame symbol that mimics the breeders and has zero creativity attached to it.
Darth Paul
@Tim in SF: THANK YOU!
ML
@Chris: Colored ribbons, bracelets, etc. are ubiquitous and therefore ineffective at drawing attention to anything. They have been overdone and are therefore ignored. They merely help the wearer to feel like they are doing something for a cause — when they are not.
Smokey Martini
@ML:
Agreed. Not only are ribbons – as commodities – overdone and often ignored, but they also shut off any dialogue between those who support the cause and those who don’t.
The premise of supporting and advancing a cause (as these ribbons/bands were originally intended to do) is to raise awareness about the cause IN OTHERS by having others approach you and ask questions about the ribbon. They were objects of curiosity (given their rarity) that was to incite conversation. Having said that, when was the last time you saw someone come up to a person with a ribbon/band and ask them what they were supporting? Conversely, when was the last time you saw someone with a ribbon/band speak openly about the cause they were supporting to a random stranger? I thought so.
At the very least, they give the wearer a clean consciousness about the cause, since it publicly brands them as open-minded liberals who support gay rights. A marker, no less, that only works if you’re around people who know exactly what the ribbon means. If surrounded by people who know nothing about it, the ribbon means nothing and will go unnoticed. Or, if noticed, it will be shrugged off as just another ribbon (aka a commodity / mass-produced-object-that-in-all-likelihood-is-of-no-interest-to-me).
All these ribbons do is promote inaction (that is, bar conversation / awareness-raising) by suggesting that visibly donning a ribbon in public is action enough to make any real difference. It’s not. Well, at least not anymore it isn’t.