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Tila Tequila Controversy
Just to clarify my comments on Tila Tequila: I still stick to my previous comments on Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheela-lambert/tila-tequilas-shot-at-fa_b_68080.html and this blog about how Tila Tequila and her show are not the image of bisexuality, bisexual people or the bi community that I would want to represent us. And that the show doesnt do much to educate about bisexuality in the way I would want myself or our community represented either. But dating shows like The Bachelor are hardly a commercial for heterosexuality either. Dating shows are just silly, guilty pleasure entertainment which many people find entertaining and therefore watch. I am not a big fan of reality dating shows myself.
I'm a New Yorker, and we won't even put in more effort than meeting for a quick drink in a nearby Starbucks or bar to size up a potential date, let alone fly to an undisclosed location with no TV, internet or music system and fight it out for weeks with 20 rivals (that I also have to live with.) I wouldnt jump through those hoops for someone I knew and liked, let alone an utter stranger.
But I do occasionally watch reality dating shows if there is a hook or a premise that intrigues me. I watched the gay version of The Bachelor (Boy Meets Boy), the recent dating show that pitted 40-something women against 20-somethings (The Age of Love) and now, Tila Tequila (A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.)
I dont watch TV to be politically correct. I watch TV for fun. Yes I watch the national news (on two different channels per night), Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, 20/20, Gay USA, Now, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and political debates. But I also watch Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Nip/Tuck, Boston Legal, Torchwood, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, The L Word, Work Out, John Stewart, Bill Mahr, The View, Ellen, Meerkat Manor, How I Met Your Mother, Smallville, Chuck and America's Next Top Model. (As you can see, I have no life--and DVR.
I watch Tila Tequila because it's fun, in a guilty pleasure kind of way. (Aside from worrying about our image.) Although, it's the heterosexuals and lesbians vying for her affection who are humiliating themselves the most, considering everything they are willing to do just to date her. Not to mention the emotional meltdowns on national TV...three? and counting so far.
In terms of our "image," I am much happier with the fictional characters who are filling out the bi trend on TV, this season. Characters like Captain Jack, Toshiko and Ianto on Torchwood, Uncle Saul on Brothers and Sisters, Julia on Nip/Tuck (and Caitlin on the upcoming Cashmere Mafia) are all doing a much better job of representing a variety of bisexual characters on TV we can be proud of. And I'm very excited that it's finally happening, especially because these are all major series characters, not just guest stars.
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