Kissed off!

If anyone has perused this blog at all, they know that I'm a fan of the Luke and Noah story on As the World Turns on CBS. Recently, the show had a special Valentine's Day "what-if" episode where every featured couple (and a few characters who weren't even a couple) kissed as any couple in love might do on Valentine's day. Well, almost every couple kissed. Luke and Noah did not. They had a cute little vignette of their own, which was nice enough, but then it ended with a hug. That didn't even bother me that much because it actually made some sort of sense in the context of their story. The problem is that, earlier in the episode in "real-life" (as opposed to the "what-if"), the boys had yet another near-kiss in a long line of near-kisses, leading some to hope that they were saving it for their what-if segment, only to be denied once again. What was even more ridiculous was that it was out-and-proud Luke who pulled away when some anonymous extra walked by.

I and many other fans are getting sick of all the missed kisses. They had the one mega-hyped kiss before the boys were even an actual couple, and then the show clearly backed off from any such displays. They had one more very short kiss that was interrupted by Noah's psycho father, and then nothing else of the mouth-to mouth variety. Only recently have they even begun to hug. After the Christmas incident where the camera panned to the mistletoe when the boys were going in for the smooch, the show seems intent on alienating many of the story's fans by indulging in similar kiss-avoiding tactics. Some fans have already given up viewing the show according to various posts on various websites. Many more are hanging by a thread according to their posts. Fans of the storyline have gone so far as to send copious amounts of Hershey's kisses to The Powers That Be (TPTB) in hopes that they might get the message. More recently, they've started a media campaign where they are contacting media outlets to hopefully bring some attention to the shameful handling of the story. A few outlets have responded and produced articles, usually with inaccuracies or only telling part of the story.

Despite the belief of some that the whole brouhaha is all about a prurient interest in only seeing two hot boys kiss, that is not the case. Oh, sure, a lot of people would like to see hot boys kiss, but there is much more to the situation than that. The main issue is the discriminatory treatment of the storyline, which seems to suggest that there is something horribly wrong with two guys in love showing their affection with each other honestly. The other issue, which isn't as important in a broader social context but should be very important to TPTB, is a lack of credibility in the story.

Not allowing Luke and Noah to kiss when appropriate sends a very discriminatory message to those watching the show. Every tease and every non-kiss says that the show can't portray the boys' relationship in an honest fashion because someone somewhere might not like it and that gay relationships are somehow less valid than others. It sends a very disturbing message that homophobes should be catered to, and it is outright insulting to gays. Can you imagine if they did this with racists? What if the show said that they can't portray an interracial couple honestly because they have to take all of their viewers into consideration? There would be one huge firestorm, that's what would happen. Yet, that's exactly what they do with the gay storyline. A spokesman has said repeatedly that they have to take all of their viewers into consideration, which translates to, "We have to cave to the homophobes." If they said what equaled to "We have to cave to the racists," would those people have their jobs for very long? The fact that there are people out there with these kinds of views makes it even more important that the show be honest in its portrayal of this story, because, as silly as it sounds, something like this can change minds. And, really, if these people continue to have a problem with two people being in love but don't have a problem with the adulterers, pornographers, murderers, prostitutes and drug addicts on the show, should anyone really place that much importance on their views in the first place?

The other problem with the inept treatment of the boys' affection is that it really hurts the story and, thus, the show. The kiss avoidance has become a distraction more than anything. The first time I saw a scene with an obviously missing kiss, I thought, "Okay, whatever," and went on with the show. However, when a second time and a third time and a fourth time occurred, it was hard to focus on the story and give it much credence since these two young guys were not acting like two people who were absolutely crazy about each other. The problem is only exacerbated when their segments are juxtaposed with those of their straight counterparts who are diving down each others' throats and jumping on each other in elevators and cars. What makes it even worse is that Luke and Noah are just about the most stable couple on the show right now. They are one of the few couples who aren't scheming against each other, cheating on each other, blaming each other for a myriad of problems or lying to each other. If anyone should be kissing as a display of their coupledom, it's them.

I think one mistake is that TPTB think that this is only an issue for gay fans. This is not the case at all. Polls on the most popular fansites for the couple show that a majority of fans are actually female, and most of them young ones. In other words, they are the exact demographic that the show supposedly values. Also, the ratings have improved since Luke and Noah began their story. How much they have helped with the ratings may be uncertain, but they definitely haven't hurt them, making the skittishness appear even sillier.

The blame seems to lie squarely with Procter & Gamble, which produces the show. It's Procter & Gamble that keeps beating around the bush when confronted with questions about the story. It's Procter & Gamble that makes the statements about considering the entire audience. CBS, on the other hand, has made a very straightforward statement about doing nothing to censor the story's content. It seems obvious to many that they wanted all of the glory of including a gay couple on the show, with none of the responsibility of portraying it accurately and honestly. It is 2008. I, frankly, vacillate between being angry with TPTB and embarrassed for them because they seem to be stuck in the 1980's. Watching them trying to deal with this story is sometimes like watching your grandpa trying to figure out how to work an iPhone in a public place while loudly professing his confusion about it. I can turn on an episode of Brothers & Sisters and see men kissing with no problem. If I were Procter & Gamble, I'd be more careful about the message I'm sending, because if its ideas and views are outdated, then what are we to think of its products that they use their soaps to push? It's very dangerous for any company to appear to be obsolete, but that's the message that seems to be getting broadcast.

So, to the fans out there, keep sending kisses, letters, and emails. I've sent a few myself and will probably send a few more before it's over and done. Also keep watching as long as you can, but know that I and many others don't begrudge you at all for throwing in the towel if you just can't stomach the dishonesty anymore. Some of us will just begrudge TPTB that much more for alienating you in the first place.

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Today's recommended download is my favorite song ever, so, hopefully, you'll excuse the fact that it's a bit long in the tooth. I figured that I had to put it on here at some point. Actually, let me take the opportunity to say that there will be no rules for my recommended songs. I'm free to recommend new ones, old ones, alternate versions, songs that were popular, and songs that didn't get enough attention. After all, it is my blog which no one is probably reading anyway. Now that that's out of the way....

Recommended song download: Proud Mary - Tina Turner