Did anyone watch "wife swap" last night? lol a Texas bible beating repug .

[southernleftylady]

swaps with a lib. lesbian wife
man oh man it was great... anyone see it last night?

[SheepyMcSheepster]

1. was gonna watch it

but the abc affiliate ahd on college basketball :(

[AllegroRondo]

2. Great show

the Repub mom came off looking like a complete bitch. I only wish her husband had stood up to her.

[bozeman]

3. Can you explain what happened?

I've seen a few of those shows and they were actually pretty interesting. I must say I was surprised.

[noamnety]

4. I caught the end

I saw the "I'm a better person than you, you're going to hell after you're done perverting every child you come in contact with, you lesbian sinner" lecture.

Students in my class today were talking about how incredible that scene was. What a classic demonstration of what happens when a bible falls into the wrong hands.

[southernleftylady]

6. yeah she called the lesbian a "sexual preditor".. it was rediculous.. more

The two families were a lesbian couple with a daughter and a republican, bible-thumping family. It was a disaster! The religious wife went off on the one lesbian woman about her lifestyle and used awful words to describe their relationship. But the most ironic thing is that this woman was black, and her husband was white. Years ago, that was looked down upon, and was even illegal! You'd think she'd be understanding and non-judgmental of their lifestyle, since it was something she may have faced years ago, not being allowed to marry the person she loved.

[girl gone mad]

33. Not only that, but..

inter-racial marriage is forbidden in the Bible and accumulation of wealth is frowned upon as well.

It's completely idiotic that this woman would use the Bible to pass judgement on another family when the same Bible could so easily be used to pass equally harsh judgements on her and her family.

[Tsiyu]

46. That is a Southern Baptist fallacy ( the racial part)

one for which they ( ostensibly) have profusely apologized.


God forbade "His Chosen" to marry different populations, but it had to do with their religious practices rather than their nationality or racial makeup.


But your point is still valid. ;)

[okieinpain]

75. thank you, thank you, thank you. why is one sin so much worse

than another. repugs are always guick to jump the abortion or gay bash. but some how manange to forget:

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". -- Words of Jesus, Mark 10:25

[Seabiscuit]

54. Kristy came across as a Condi-clone...

With her karma, she deserves to be locked up in a farmhouse for eternity surrounded by a bunch of southern redneck crackers heaping racial epithets on her, telling her she should "pretend not to be black if she wants to get ahead", and that she's just "shacking up" with a white man and has no right to call her relationship a "marriage" or a "family" - doesn't she know "n******s aren't allowed to marry white folk?

Now THAT would be something "excellent"! Oh, yes, and she can bring all her diamonds to hell with her - after all, "diamonds are forever".

What an ignorant, hateful, hypocritical gold-digger.

Thank you, ABC for exposing what a real-life Kristy-an Republican with "traditional values" is really made of.

On a Yahoo discussion board, hundreds of bona-fide Christians are lambasting Kristy for her hideous embodiment of evil disguised as Christianity. Here's a sample from a Lutheran pastor:

"I'm a Lutheran Pastor and was just appalled at the last episode. I
wrote this little editorial for our local paper about it.

"Have you ever been so embarassed at someone who claims to represent
you that you just wanted to scream? Last night my wife and I in a
fit of boredom watched Wife Swap on ABC. Each week the show takes
one partner of a couple and swaps them with another. This week they
featured a lesbian woman in a committed relationship and a rich,
black, conservative, Republican Christian woman. You can only
imagine what happened when they swapped places.

"The lesbian woman tried to fit into her new rich surroundings and
lighten things up. She brought a bit of joy and laughter to her new
home. She tried to get them to be more openminded. The black,
conservative woman hated her new home. Instead of seeing it as a new
experience, she spent her time criticizing her new home and all that
it represented for her. Often she would quote the Word of God, not
to tell others of God's great and awesome love, but to judge and
criticize.

"At the end of the show, when the two couples were reunited and met
across the table, the black woman attacked the other couple, calling
them "deprived." She accused them of being child molesters and even
brought one of the lesbians to tears.

"Why did she do this? What did she hope to gain by saying those
things? What came over her that would allow her to judge another
person in this way? Regardless of your personal feelings toward
homosexuality, Scripture is clear on how we should treat ALL people.
Jesus does not say things like: "When you think you're right, tear
your neighbor down. Judge, criticize, and hate them." Instead Jesus
says things like: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."and "Why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no
attention to the plank in your own." Where were these quotations
when the rich, Christian woman was quoting the Word of God?

"As Christians, we have a good compass to follow. Jesus! Jesus
says: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This commandment encompasses
a great deal. It encourages us to have patience and be kind, to
never be boastful or arrogant or rude or selfish. It calls us not todelight in evil but delight in truth. It tells us to never give up
loving, to always persevere, and to sacrifice ourselves for the sake
of the other. Jesus did not just preach this...he lived it. He
could have judged everyone he met, condemning them with the righteous
wrath of God. In John Jesus says: "Moreover, the Father judges no
one, but has entrusted all judgement to the Son." The authority had
been given to him, but strangely he saved the Law filled, condemning
words for the self-righteous religious folks while the words of grace
were always given to those on the outskirts of society, the
prostitutes and the sinners. Never once did he condemn them.
Instead, through love and grace, he accepted them for who they were,
regardless of their differences.

"The black conservative Christian woman on Wife Swap forgot this. She
forgot that she was called, not to condemn the world, but to witness
to God's love in Jesus. She forgot that her own personal feelings
toward another is meaningless next to the steadfast love of God. In
upholding her moral code, she abandoned its Founder and embarassed
those who call themselves Christian.

"May we be remembered, not as the ones who uphold a tight moral code,
but as the ones who have stood along side Jesus who was never afraid
to be seen as the friend of sinners and tax collectors, prostitutes
and foreigners, and who loved all of them with a love that said: I
accept you for who you are. May that grace filled love be yours in
abundance. Amen.

"I wish I could get this to that lesbian couple and tell them that not
all Christians are that judgemental. Does anyone know how you can
contact those on the show??"

[fortyfeetunder]

67. Had she married her beau >40 years ago

She would have been hanging from a tree or shot between the eyes.

[seabeyond]

88. panhandle of texas it is still a sin n/t

[cidliz2004]

5. O.K. Show

I was disappointed that they used pretty sterotypical Democrat vs. Republican couples. The Republican couple were mixed racially, so that was the only "liberal" feature. The lesbian couple - well I couldn't keep track of who was supposed to be the "wife" and who was supposed to be the "husband". Considering that they brought religion into it, made really uncomfortable with the show. I usually love to watch "Wife Swap", last night I was somewhat disappointed.

[Bridget Burke]

8. Do lesbians always call each other "wife" or "husband"?

I'm straight, but gay couples I've known don't assume roles like that. (Maybe they assume roles in private--ahem.)

Haven't watched the show myself.

[cidliz2004]

10. Well the show is called "Wife Swap" so I assume that

they must have referred to themself as "husband" or "wife", otherwise, what would be the point on being on the show? It wasn't really clear to me though while I was watching it.

[BeeBee]

18. Perhaps they are both wifes.... n/t

[LostinVA]

60. I have NEVER heard a lesbian couple call each other "husband" and "wife"

And, I know about 50 of them. They call each other "wife" or "partner." The women on the show are both women, so I doubt one of them is the "husband." I'm not jumping on you, but I'm gay, and have had this used by homophobes as showing how my 10-year committed relationship is unnatural: "Which one of you is the 'man'." Give em a break.

The woman on the show was HATEFUL. I had about 10 of my straight coworkers talk to me about it yesterday.

[foreigncorrespondent]

64. Oh please!

Must you continue insulting a loving couple merely because you haven't learned enough to have full respect?

You will most likely find that it was the more femme partner who took on the roll of the wife. But in reality lesbian and gay male couples will shy away from using the traditional heterosexual terms of husband and wife! We don't want to be any more straight that you want to be anymore queer! We just happen to want the rights back that governments across the world have stolen from us. If it was heterosexuals that had their rights stolen while the queer community had it all, you bet your bottom dollar the heterosexual community would be fighting for their rights.

Now don't say you haven't learnt a thing today!

[cidliz2004]

66. Oh Please yourself!

Just because I am not educated on all of your nuanced ways or beliefs doesn't mean that it is O.K. for you to attack me! If you want to be left alone, then leave ME alone! It is really clear who is the WIFE in a hetrosexual couple 1. wife - no penis, 2. husband - penis. So hence, an easy way to distinguish. If you don't like it, too bad! If the lesbian couple didn't want the distinction, then why be on WIFE SWAP???? It is a show distinguishing between HUSBAND - WIFE. Get off of your preaching post and put your feet on the real ground.

[DrWeird]

73. Hmm.

Seems you define "wife" based on having a husband.

Very interestink.

[cidliz2004]

78. True

husband wife wife husband been that way for ages, if things are changing then fine, but give us "traditionalists" time to get used to the new definitions

[DrWeird]

79. No.

It's 2005. If you "tradionalists" are stuck in the 19th century, it's time to play catch up.

[cidliz2004]

81. Come On,

Why do we have to play "catch up"? Why don't you play "catch up"?

Like I have said before I have the RIGHT to choose what I want to spend my limited time on earth doing and SORRY right now Gay Rights don't make the top 10, BUT in the course of living my life if I learn something here or there - GREAT! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T LEARN ABOUT Talk about being pushy, presumptive, insensitive.....

Freedom is about the RIGHT TO CHOOSE on ALL THINGS not just YOUR CAUSES!

[DrWeird]

83. Sure, you have the right too choose.

People have the right to dress up in robes and burn crosses if that's what they want to do.

What that has to do with the price of tea in China, I haven't the foggiest.

[Tux]

96. Er

They have been changing. Most of human history, extended family has been the norm. Nuclear family is only about 60 years old. There are other family structures but "traditionalists" should understand that their "tradition" isn't even a century old.

[southernleftylady]

87. Wow! this is my most popular thread ;) lol :) nt

[foreigncorrespondent]

93. Try...

...educating youself rather than making such absurd remarks about people.

Just because you don't understand something doesn't give YOU the right to make fun of it in a rather bigoted fashion!

[bear425]

62. Give me a break, you are stereotyping gay people.

Yes, I agree that some people "role-play", but it is not like that with all gay people. There are many "straight" people who do not behave in traditional gender roles, too.

edit: if anyone was acting like "the man" in the family it was Kristy, the hateful.

[cidliz2004]

68. Why are you missing the point?

The show is called "Wife Swap"! In every episode there has been a husband and there has been a wife, simple! This episode broke from that? I don't know, I am not INTIMATELY familiar with the way of gay couples, and that is because I choose NOT to be. Live and let live is all that I have to say. If I don't know about the "wife" and "husband" thing then I don't know, simple. Don't crucify me because I don't "hang" around with "gay" couples and know the distinctions. That is one of the biggest problems with "alternative lifestyle" people, they get all bothered when someone speaks and doesn't know everything about them. I merely stated that I was confused about the "wife" role, it wasn't clear to me, and from that simple admission, comment, I am receiving comments basically attacking me. Talk about hypersensitivity! If you would like to inform me, fine - but the judgement comments are what are offensive and totally unnecessary, so the "Give me a break".. wasn't necessary.

[DrWeird]

77. You choose to be ignorant?

"I am not INTIMATELY familiar with the way of gay couples"

Well, you don't have to be intimately familiar. I mean it's not like you need a college degree in homosexual studies to understand gay people.

"and that is because I choose NOT to be."

Well, if you're going to be obtuse, then don't get all upset when people call you on it.

"that is one of the biggest problems with "alternative lifestyle" people"

What are some of the other big problems you have with those people?

"talk about hypersensitivity!"

Indeed.

"If you would like to inform me, fine"

But you just said you choose to be

[cidliz2004]

80. Here we go!

I would like to be able to "define" my life and you would like to be able to "define" yours. BUT when I am not familiar with everything in your life than I AM IGNORANT, MAYBE JUST MAYBE I AM TOO BUSY to learn about your life, maybe I have so many things going on that your lifestyle and everything about it isn't on my top 10 list of things to do! My top 10 list goes like this: My husband (male partner if that is what is politically correct before I offend somebody else), My children, My grandchildren, My religion, My job, My pets, My friends, Politics, My home (the taking care of), current events.

Those things (not in any particular order) are what I CHOOSE to fill my life with. If that isn't enough for you and that makes me ignorant, than so be it.


"that is one of the biggest problems with "alternative lifestyle" people"

What are some of the other big problems you have with those people?

Did I say MY problems? READ what is written and DON'T read anmore into it.

"talk about hypersensitivity!"

Indeed.

I simply stated that I was confused about who was in the wife role, THAT to YOU is hypersensitive? As far as I can see, no judgement was communicated in that statement, where as - Give me a break - Geez - ignorant - and more - expresses exasperation, not just analytical facts or questions. FYI when somebody asks a straightforward question or concern and it is met by emotional responses and judgements, then YES HYPERSENSITIVE quite adequately covers it.

"If you would like to inform me, fine"

But you just said you choose to be

I said I don't choose to "elect" to "pursue" knowledge about the gay lifestyle to that extent, but if in conversation things come up and somebody volunteers additional information to add to the conversation then, I say great! Educate me, BUT DON'T JUDGE ME because I don't know something.

Isn't there a saying, there is no wrong question, just wrong answers!

[DrWeird]

82. Hey, it's your own words.

The word "ignorant" comes from the word "ignore." As in people who choose to ignore things.

You said yourself that you're purposely choosing to ignore the gay lifestyle.

That's all well and fine with me. Just don't get all hypersensitive when you're call on it. And yes, you're being hypersensitive. I don't see anybody else using all caps.

I don't have any problems with homosexuals. So they're not my problems. So why don't you just tell us what these "major problems" are?

[cidliz2004]

86. What is your problem?

This is a copy of my original post:



“I was disappointed that they used pretty sterotypical Democrat vs. Republican couples. The Republican couple were mixed racially, so that was the only "liberal" feature. The lesbian couple - well I couldn't keep track of who was supposed to be the "wife" and who was supposed to be the "husband". Considering that they brought religion into it, made really uncomfortable with the show. I usually love to watch "Wife Swap", last night I was somewhat disappointed.”
cidliz2004


From these posts stating that I don’t know exactly what roles exist in gay relationships AND my desire NOT TO really get into all of the details-

“husband wife wife husband been that way for ages, if things are changing then fine, but give us "traditionalists" time to get used to the new definitions-

Like I have said before I have the RIGHT to choose what I want to spend my limited time on earth doing and SORRY right now Gay Rights don't make the top 10, BUT in the course of living my life if I learn something here or there - GREAT! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T LEARN ABOUT Talk about being pushy, presumptive, insensitive.....

”Freedom is about the RIGHT TO CHOOSE on ALL THINGS not just YOUR CAUSES!

The show is called "Wife Swap"! In every episode there has been a husband and there has been a wife, simple! This episode broke from that? I don't know, I am not INTIMATELY familiar with the way of gay couples, and that is because I choose NOT to be. Live and let live is all that I have to say. If I don't know about the "wife" and "husband" thing then I don't know, simple. Don't crucify me because I don't "hang" around with "gay" couples and know the distinctions. That is one of the biggest problems with "alternative lifestyle" people, they get all bothered when someone speaks and doesn't know everything about them. I merely stated that I was confused about the "wife" role, it wasn't clear to me, and from that simple admission, comment, I am receiving comments basically attacking me. Talk about hypersensitivity! If you would like to inform me, fine - but the judgement comments are what are offensive and totally unnecessary, so the "Give me a break".. wasn't necessary.


I have been told:

"It's 2005. If you "tradionalists" are stuck in the 19th century, it's time to play catch up.

Must you continue insulting a loving couple merely because you haven't learned enough to have full respect?

and burn crosses if that's what they want to do
Well, if you're going to be obtuse, then don't get all upset when people call you on it.

People have the right to dress up in robes"--

My major problems are that in some groups simply not being part of them or bending over backwards to ACT like you agree with everything that goes on is fake. Do you need my approval to be who you wish to be? Do I need your approval to be who I want to be? NO I am not looking to you for approval or even understanding. I have not called names I have merely state my feelings AND that is what you cannot accept - my feelings. If I am to accept YOUR feelings, then I would expect you to accept mine. That would only be fair.

I don't know about the Hindu religion does that make me ignorant?

I don't know much about the Moslem religion, does that make me ignorant?

I don't know much about being black, does that make me ignorant?

I don't know much about being a mormon, does that make me ignorant?

I don't know much about people where a man can have several wives, does that make me ignorant?

I don't know much about how people from India come to this country and choose their mates and plan their weddings, does that mean I am ignorant?

I have enough in my life right now that prevents me from venturing out and getting into all that I don't know.

I was confused about the "wife" role since the show is called "Wife Swap", what the hell are your problems?

[LostinVA]

102. What Do I Choose to fill my life with???

To paraphrase you: My partner (or my wife, if that is what is politically correct before I offend somebody else), My family, My religion, My job, My pets, My friends, Politics, My home, current events, exercising and keeping myself healthy.

Gosh, it's REALLY DIFFERENT ISN'T IT??? That's the point. There IS no basic difference. The only differences occur when people try to artificially create them. This is called "Ghettoizing" people, and has been done successfully for thousands of years.

Again, I do not have A LIFESTYLE. I have a life.

[LostinVA]

101. I don't have an "alternate lifestyle," I have a LIFE

Show me, and all my other "alternate" brothers and sisters some respect. Jesus.

A woman is a woman. A man is a man. Last time I looked, women intrinsically cannot be husbands.

Man, I thought this kinda ignorance about ANY kind of gender roles -- straight or gay -- would not be rearing it's head on DU.

I have the flu and am going to bed.

[bear425]

84. I don't believe I am missing any point.

However, I do believe you are reactionary. You made a comment that was based in ignorance. Now, before you get defensive, I'm not calling YOU ignorant, just your comment. That doesn't make you a bad person -just uninformed. Hopefully, you have learned something by the many similar reactions to your original comments.

There is nothing about my post that could be construed in any way to be "crucifying" you because you "choose" not to be familiar with the ways of gay couples. I'm sorry you felt persecuted, it's not a fun feeling.

By the way, I'm not an "alternative lifestyle" person. I'm a human being just like you and perhaps my initial reaction of "give me a break" wasn't appropriate. But, please keep in mind, that "gay rights" are human rights. Peace.

[cags]

89. Well, there was one episode where the husbands switched

so maybe they should have changed the name to "Husband Swap" just for the one episode.

It was still two women who switched, I don't see the problem for you.

[foreigncorrespondent]

63. Gee!

You really know how to insult a loving couple don't you?

well I couldn't keep track of who was supposed to be the "wife" and who was supposed to be the "husband"

"Supposed" indeed!

You have a lot of learning to do if you won't want to offend lesbians who read your words!

And for the record, I am a lesbian in a very loving, long-term, very long distant, manogomous relationship who happens to be very offended by your words!

[cidliz2004]

70. Get over it!

Let me repeat: The show is called WIFE SWAP not PARTNER SWAP. Stop being hypersensitive and be real. I watch the show to see how "wife" roles are affected by being switched into homes with different values and lifestyles, WIFE WIFE WIFE, the name of the show!

[LDS Jock]

90. repeating it over and over again

doesn't make it any less ridiculous a statement. They are both wives. It is not hard to figure out. In fact, it is the logical way to assume.

[foreigncorrespondent]

92. Excuse me!!!

Don't tell me to "get over it." Just who do you think you are? How about you learn some bloody respect for people who are different to yourself?

[Stop_the_War]

65. Lesson #1 about gays and lesbians:

We do not play "wife" and "husband" roles. It's either "wives" or "husbands" not "wife and husband".

[cidliz2004]

71. Thank you

Lessons do not have to come with judgement calls like in the previous posts. I always thought that in most of the couple arangements there was a "wife" role and a "husband" role. So, what you are saying is that this "couple" relationship is pretty much redefining what a couple is all about?

Even in traditional couples, traditional roles are being questioned and the "marital" relationship is being redefined pretty constantly. It is really hard to keep track of all of the "nuances" in couple relationships. This last show blurred the lines even further for me.

Again thank you for the simple explanation.

[Tux]

97. Now

With that setled, can we rejoin the year 2005 in what is left of a civilized society and make plans to improve it?

[politicaholic]

7. Sure, it was hilarious until the end....

I can't believe that the Bible still is more important than human beings.

Those anal retentive repuke's two boys are going to make a drug dealer A LOT of money when they get older, that is if they don't do something crazy in highschool like commit suicide. For their teenage girl she'll either A) be swinging naked from a pole for dollars with in 5 years or B) be in a demoralizing relationship with a domanering man just like her father.

And that whole "excellence" thing was friggin' crazy! That woman is truely nuts.

[donsu]

9. yes, she is religiously insane and her husband likes to watch

it was wild watching her and listening to what she said. she was terribly afraid of coming out from behind her shields.

mean - she was mean

[cidliz2004]

19. Obsessive/Compulsive comes to mind with the Repub Fam

Yes, her constant referral to "excellence" really was over the top. The scene of the husband windexing the shower clinched the obsessive/compulsiveness of these two. I really enjoy the show, it has opened my eyes to how differently people can actually live. I get that it is great that two people find each other that can coexist and agree on their life. Finding the "normal" family has a totally different meaning to me now.

Last night's show did go out of the "norm" though for me. I think sticking to traditional families are just as interesting as trying to go out of the norm. To me it was really inappropriate for the one lesbian to "make" the husband go to a gay bar and dance with another man. To me, that was totally unnecessary and just done for entertainment value PERIOD. If I were put in that situation I would just have out and out refused. I am allowed my lifestyle choices, just as the lesbian couple wants to have their lifestyle choices respected and recognized. MAKING me (a heterosexual) dance with a lesbian adds NOTHING to my world except an uncomfortable and unacceptable experience, just as forcing one of the lesbians to dance with a male at a heterosexual bar would have been inappropriate.
What the REAL point of that was counterproductive to the show.

I really enjoy that show though and I look forward to watching it every week. I hope that it stays on for a long time.

[jdj]

36. Her Company is even called "Destination Excellence".

Here is info from opensecrets
for money donated in 2004 cycle

GILLESPIE, KRIS
AUSTIN,TX 78750
DESTINATION EXCELLENCE INC
1/12/2004
$500
Hutchison, Kay Bailey

GILLESPIE, KRIS MRS
AUSTIN,TX 78750
DESTINATION EXCELLENCE INC./OWNER/C
1/14/2004
$500
Bush, George W

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=Gillespie&txtState=&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=&txt2000=&txt1998=&txt1996=&txt1994=&txt1992=&txt1990=&txtSoft=N&Order=N&Cycles=1&Cycle1=2004&Cycle2=&Cycle3=&Page=6

[Djinn]

38. very few lesbians

would feel uncomfortable dancing with a bloke though - maybe the point was to make the guy realise you can be near a whole bunch of gay guys and not one of them will try to "interfere" with you - it seems to be a really big fear for a lot of homophobes, god knows what makes them think ANYONE wants to interfere with them...)

also maybe the woman new her partner would be putting up with abusive lectures from the uptight republican and figured "fair's fair"

On edit - knowing how this stuff works the chances are high that the black woman and her husband were edited to make them look worse - that's not to say they weren't nasty small minded bigits but just that the "storyline" was already decided and footage is picked based on that - it's very possible that she did apologise for being so rude, she may have had some very pleasant conversations likewise the lesbian couple may have also said/done some obnoxious things that weren't shown. Reality shows are almost as scripted as soap operas

[livinginphotographs]

85. I think you're giving the producers a bit too much credit.

"To me it was really inappropriate for the one lesbian to "make" the husband go to a gay bar and dance with another man. To me, that was totally unnecessary and just done for entertainment value PERIOD."


The entire point of reality shows are to take people who are already so fucked up that they don't mind having their dirty laundry aired on national television, putting them in situations that are guaranteed to cause some sort of bizarre reaction, and just all around exploiting them.

These shows don't exist to teach us something valuable; they're there for the sheeple to laugh at the fools that allow themselves to be exploited on the show, thereby making us all feel better about our crappy lives.

Seriously, can you name me ONE well-adjusted person from these stupid reality shows? That's like trying to find a normal person on Jerry Springer or something.

[LostinVA]

61. Her husband was sickening

He got along very well with GayKris, and then he let his viscous, evil wife tear into a woman who had been invited into their home. "Child Predator"? WTF? errr... that's straight guys, honey... usually WHITE ones. And a odd percentage of them seem to be Republican officeholders....

[Az]

11. I would rather gouge my eyes out with salt and glass

Is this what passes for entertainment these days? Good grief I am glad I don't watch freaking network.

[KissMeKate]

12. agreed. eom

[bozeman]

13. That's what I thought too - before I saw one

I've only seen like three episodes - I don't set my watch to them or anything - but trust me - they are entertaining and informative too...you see how different people live and how they interact with new circumstances. It makes me appreciate the laid back types (to be fair one episode I saw had a real uptight animal rights activist mom from Cali. who goes to the LA to live with a true Bayou family - she was nuts and treated their kid awful).

[info being]

31. I agree. I hated the idea until I watched one.

[jsquared]

56. The shows are surprisingly thought-provoking, despite the leading title.

In the four whows I've seen, they both emphasize the vast differences in lifesyles among people, as well as human commonalities. So while there's a lot of "blue vs. red" squabbling, the stronger theme is really about relatedness. That comes out in how the families do usually learn something from each other. Those who don't, like Kris, come off as jerks.

[Puglover]

58. AMEN!

I'd even add hot pokers to the mixture.
:eyes:

[Roxy66]

14. My kids were still up.....too trashy . It would have been fun to see

[southernleftylady]

15. link to an article..

But this week's show will go down in the books as a stunner. A white, liberal lesbian wife and mother, Kristine Luffey, switches lives with an ultra-conservative, very uptight, Republican evangelical African-American woman, Kris Gillespie, married to an equally uptight white man.

The most astonishing part is how blind to any change and intolerant of any other kind of life Kris, the Christian, actually is. She opens by describing her wonderfully opulent life (including her 9-karat diamond ring!), and sees nothing even slightly weird about not allowing her children - 12, 14 and 16 - any freedom whatsoever.

Kris, shocked to find she's moved into a lesbian household, wants very much to impose her values on Kristine's family, calling the two women's living arrangement "depraved" and arguing that living with Kristine's partner's 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, did not make them a "family" unit.
http://www.nypost.com/tv/39520.htm

[KurtNYC]

16. I found it pretty disturbing

My mother warned me once when I was about 14 or so and going to my grandparents house for a visit about my lesbian aunt, and said in so many words that 'those people can be ACDC and are after children'

Watching this self-hating woman lash out brought that back. It was unsettling.

[htuttle]

21. Wow. When I was a kid, we went to vist a lesbian aunt

And was told before we got there the first time, "Aunt T_____ and Aunt R____ are very close friends."

And that's where they left it. We all spent many hours together at family gatherings over the years, and it didn't seem out of the ordinary at all.

I guess I just don't give my parents enough credit sometimes...I hate it when I realize that (again and again...). Since this all took place in a town of 2,500 people almost 30 years ago, I should probably give them extra credit.

[Caria]

23. I babysat for a Lesbian couple for years when I was a teenager

And never noticed. My mother knew all along, but since I didn't ask, she didn't tell. They were nice people with nice kids and they paid well - and I guess that was all I really cared about.

I'm proud of my mom.

[AlCzervik]

17. husband was a coward at the end imo

the wife was a stereotype of every intolerant goper i've ever met.

[Carni]

100. I didn't watch it but based on what I have read here

I think the show was faked to the max...if the RW'd black woman was so into her CC morals trip, why would she even go on the show?

I have watched the show and have found it entertaining in the past but I think they guilded the lily on this one.

[nostamj]

20. when I could watch PROJECT RUNWAY instead?

I don't think so!

and Austin was ROBBED. I cannot believe they gave a pass to that conniving, nasty Wendy!

[jdj]

22. Yay Lawd I saw it!!!!!!

That bitch got pimp slapped on national TV. She crossed the wrong red-headed dyke this time.

"DID YOU KNOW THAT 98 % OF ALL PEDOPHILES ARE HETEROSEXUAL MEN? DID YOU KNOW THAT LESS THAN 1% OF PEDOPHILES ARE LESBIANS??

LESS

THAN

ONE

PERCENT!!!!"

Thank you ABC, for allowing that little firecracker femme the forum to say this...I cried.

And then the partner that had been swapped was so soft spoken and gentle and Christ-like, it was beautiful.

"Why do
people like you
hurt
people like us?"

This was a great moment for gay people on television, up there with Pedro from the 2nd real world and Rosie getting married in San Francisco. And the fundie repuke just sat there and said NOTHING, and tried to apologize by saying "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so direct" which is one of the stupidest apologies I have ever heard, which is in effect saying, sorry I didn't mean to reveal what a hatemongering bigot I am on national TV.


This is why I love reality tv, because you can't flatten out the diversity of reality no matter how bad the show is, at least the repukes were an interracial couple, but sad that the black woman could not see the irony of her situation, that, like the red-headed lesbian said "how would she feel if this were pre-1967 and she could not marry the man that she loved?"

I have seen 4 of these shows, and all 4 of them have included an interracial couple. I just love that. No matter even if these shows have an ulterior motive, it shines through.

[MattG]

25. Ok so apparently this woman was a homophobe.

and a fundy christian. But was she a Repub too? Did politics actually come up in this episode?


Everyone says she is a Repub, but she might just be a socially conservative Democrat.

I was just wondering.

[jdj]

26. yes, she made the lesbian put up a repuke yard sign while

she was there.

these are the kind of folks that think christianity and republican are synonymous.

[info being]

32. And of course the flag

[jdj]

34. Did you see the flag in the gay bar?

I think I saw Jeff Gannon duck into one of the bathrooms..

[Tux]

98. Well

Nowdays they are. They need to be separated and now.

[MissB]

28. Not only is she a Repub, but she is an active Repub

Apparently the president-elect of the Northwest Austin Republican Women group.

[elehhhhna]

29. Pedro belongs to all of us--straight people, too.

Pedro was special.

[jdj]

35. I won't quibble

but I don't really buy that.

[elehhhhna]

37. how ya figure?

He was Cuban too.

Just because I'm Dutch and a straight woman doesn't mean I didn't get him.

[jdj]

39. because he had AIDS on tv just after Reagan when

Reagan went 6 years without even mentioning AIDS in public, not til after 25,000 Americans had died of it.

And Reagan and all his chums thought it was a disease God sent to kill the faggots.

And they still feel that way.

I'm not gonna argue about it, because I think Pedro might be offended by that, but pretending Pedro meant as much to or for straight people as he did to people who actually live the life he did and deal with the prejudices he did is like saying MLK means as much to me as a white person as he does to a black person. It's there, but it's not as deep, and I would never presume to understand or appropriate that. It's disingenuous.

[elehhhhna]

40. Okay. I get your point. Having lost a good friend to AIDS in '80

when it was still "gay cancer", I'm aware of the lack of public & media interest. Do I have AIDS? No. Empathy? Yes.

So we both loved Pedro. How could one help it?

[Seabiscuit]

55. Did you know that not one single gay person is a pedophile?

Being gay and being a pedophile are like being a plant and being an animal. Nothing in common except being alive.

Pedophiles by definition are not gay or they'd be attracted to adult members of their own sex. Pedophiles are perverts who prey on children. Their conduct is a felony.

Being gay and having a loving gay relationship with another of the same sex is not only perfectly legal, it's perfectly natural.

[kwassa]

59. this is a joke, right?

[Seabiscuit]

74. No. I'm deadly serious.

homosexuality has absolutely nothing to do with child molestation.

Absolutely NOTHING.

[KissMeKate]

76. most pedophiles are heterosexual married men.

eom

[Seabiscuit]

95. You got THAT right!

[earth mom]

24. Last nights show really outed how mean and nasty repukes can be

for absolutely NO reason. The repuke woman was just a full on bitch and her accusations had no basis in reality and it was disturbing to watch her paronoia and hate towards the lesbian couple be exposed at the end. The lesbian couple defended themselves and made valid and solid points, but this bitch didn't back down or apologize-she showed how ugly she is on the inside and really should be ashamed of herself! Even the repukes kids liked the lesbian mom-I hope they were allowed to watch the show once it was aired and thus were able to see the truth about their mom and her hatefulness! Now that's payback!

[MissB]

27. She is the Pres-elect of the Northwest Austin Republican Women group

Yes, google is our friend. Amazingly enough, there is a contact number for Kris Gillespie at their website.

Yes, indeed.

[noamnety]

30. I see she "teaches" in a high school

"Career Empowerment Workshops -- Northwest Austin Republican Women's Club Sponsors Learning Sessions For Local Teens

AUSTIN TX -- Kris Gillespie, with a core of workshop leaders, is scheduled to teach at Westwood High School in the Round Rock School District, this month. Counselor Kyle Cassady, who is working on plans with Kris for a pilot project on Personal Finances, said to Kris, "I am truly excited that you exist!"

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:0Ch1lSgJkjwJ:www.nwaustinrepublicanwomen.org/press.htm+%22Kris+Gillespie%22&hl=en

yech, stay away from my kid, I don't want her picking up hate as a value.

[jdj]

44. and that company that comes up at destex.com

(Destination Excellence) that I found her listed as owner of on Open Secrets, is a telecom consulting company.

All this bullshit and she claims to be a stay-at-home mom. That is a load of shit, there is no way, not with all her extracurricular stuff. And she freely admitted that she had a maid. She's not a housewife or a stay-at-home mom. And they had the nerve to criticize the lesbians for not being at home all day. I'm pissed-er about this than just about anything else.

[Tux]

99. Email

If we make a bash script to send junk emails, maybe we can copy the Slashdot effect?

Nah. Waste of time.

[0rganism]

41. And yet the bigoted GOP woman is considered the "normal" one

She will be considered mainstream by American standards, whereas the lesbian wife is not. No matter how much of a bitch Mrs. Excellence was, no matter how vicious and nasty and callous and sanctimonious, no matter how unhappy and repressed her children are, a majority of voters in this country appear to believe that it is really the lesbian couple whose lifestyle corrupts and degrades "American values".

Jesus wept.

[Bariztr]

42. The Advocate Interview

They interviewed Nikki and some of the stuff that was left out would have been very interesting to see on the TV.


http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/932/932_wife_swap.asp


What a repugnant, loathsome woman. And her husband has the spine of a bananslug.



Edited to correct link

[jdj]

47. that's a great article.

what they also didn't show enough of is just how intelligent Nikki is..she was a ball of fire, and I admire the hell out of her.

I do resent ABC for the fact that they portrayed it to be that Christian is the opposite of gay, when many if not most gay people are religious.

[youthere]

57. what a horrible

thing to say about bananaslugs.:P

[fortyfeetunder]

69. This was my favorite part of the article

Q. Are y’all going to put the Gillespies on your Christmas card list, just to annoy them? Make yourself a little holiday thorn in their side every year?
A. No, no. I’m not like that. I can’t antagonize people that way. What I hope is that Kris watches the episode and allows herself to process the idea that she is actually that person that she sees on-screen, and that maybe she can learn some compassion and some better ways to behave.

I doubt if Kris Gillespie will have a clue what a humungous asshole she made of herself.

[Seabiscuit]

43. Yes I saw it. That woman was a harpie from hell.

She deserves a slap in the face.

And much worse.

[Bettie]

45. The thing I noticed the most

Was that the children of Mrs. "Excellence is a journey" didn't look happy. As a whole, they seemed a lot like the family of my ultra-religious aunt and uncle, always working to present the immaculate facade to the rest of the world, the perfection.

Their youngest son, my cousin, took a shotgun and blew his head off when he was 14. He just couldn't be perfect enough for them. We had talked about that a few weeks earlier. He had recently started feeling attracted to other boys at school and didn't know what to do about it. He was afraid his mom would hate him.

I have no patience for people who are so hateful and so devoted to their "religious values" over and above love for their children and the rest of humanity.

[jdj]

48. did you notice how happy they were when Kris threw the party for them?

Those kids had the time of their lives.

That lady got so rude, you can tell she was probably speaking for a lot of black people who resent it when gay people say their civil rights are being violated. Sad.

[Bettie]

52. Or how happy the daughter was about art supplies?

I mean really, this family clearly has enough finances to allow their children to explore things that interest them, but they choose instead to push them into tiny, narrow roles.

It was just sad to see how little actual affection they seem to have for their own mother too. I'd rather have kids who run like maniacs to see me when I've been gone and wrap themselves around me in joy that I'm back.

What Kris got was polite "hi mom, nice to see you". Those kids are so adept at hiding their emotions and their inner lives.

[alarimer]

49. I think this show is sexist

Not this particular episode necessarily but the whole concept.

[sonicx]

50. Here's an interview with one of the girls...

http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/932/932_wife_swap.asp

I could see from the end of the episode that there’s a definite division of labor with you two. Your Kris was doing the crying and you were doing the yelling.
If someone pushes me, I get upset, especially when it’s completely idiotic.

Were there moments during the week when you and Kris Gillespie got along well at all? The episode shows her just being meaner than a snake to you almost all the time. And you didn’t necessarily shrink from her yourself.
There were. We both knew how to be civil when it was necessary. There was a dinner party that you don’t see, and we all had very pleasant conversations that night. She invited missionary friends of hers who happened to live in our town. And I know how to be social. I know how to keep my politics under my hat for a dinner party. Afterward, the producers were like, “Well, you didn’t bring up anything controversial.” And I said, “Well, we weren’t talking about it. It didn’t come up.” If you get in my face I’ll get passionate with you. But we were talking about missionary work, and I was interested in that. I had nothing rude to say to them. I know how to treat guests in my own home. But when it was just Kris and me it often became very tense. She’d bring up an issue and I’d go to the Internet to get some real facts to show her about her misconceptions.

In the final moments of the show, did Kris Gillespie actually call you sexual predators?
She used those words. She used them from the beginning. She was concerned about her daughter—that my Kris was going to molest her.

Oh, God.
Yes, not that Kris was going to convert her daughter to lesbianism, but that she was literally going to molest her.

And while the episode shows you all talking about having learned something about yourselves during the filming, Gillespie announces very clearly and very plainly and in a very unpleasant tone, that you had “brought nothing to table.”
That really hurt Kris, and that was one of the other reasons she cried at the end. She went to their house and really tried to do some helpful things, buying art supplies for the daughter, giving the kids a little more freedom. was just incredibly mean-spirited.

snip/more

[Bariztr]

51. Infuriating

I cannot tell you how infuriated I still feel after watching that show last night. To profess to a faith so profound and all encompassing, and then to diminish and scorn another human being is the height of immorality as far as I am concerned.

These people equate their bling with how much God loves them. If there is an afterlife, these Prayer of Jabez fuckers are in for a rude welcome.

[knitter4democracy]

53. I did until it reminded me too much of my cousin and his wife.

Seriously. They're an interracial couple, massively Republican, try to be as rich as possible (named their daughter Mercedes when they practically worship their two cars--guess which kind), and go to a really rockin' Pentecostal church. I mean, it got weird, watching it, especially when some of her verbal mannerisms were the same as my cousin's wife.

How odd! :scared:

[DrWeird]

72. Sounds like the Jerry Springer show...

for people who think they're too good for the Jerry Spriner show.

[cags]

91. I'm glad they showed that woman for the hateful, bigot that she is.

[beyurslf]

94. "Wife swap"? Oh my, how low we have sunk...