Show Viewing Date: 6-24-2008 Show Title: 30 Days: Same-Sex Parenting
Network: FXHD Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking.Com
Intro:
I can remember the first time I met a ***** peerson, a young man named
Vince, when I was 19 in college. Vince was flamboyant, out, having a
great time with his life and learning all he could about sign language
in an effort to "understand them" - those mysterious,
sometimes-outcasted members of society - those that use sign language
ie Deaf & Hard of Hearing people. Something that I believe most
people don't know anything about, is what is an inordinate amount of
***** males that are participating in society as sign language
interpreters. That little nugget has provided me with a mountain of
experience in regard to ***** and lesbian issues that I've really come to
appreciate. While the ratio of ***** male interpreters isn't the subject
of this episode of this week's "30 Days", it is an important facet at
the heart of what this episode is about - Same-Sex Parenting. This
week, we experience a devout married, former-adoptee Morman mother,
Katie, as she move in with Tom & Dennis, a ***** couple of who are
the adoptive parents of 4 young boys.
Previews/Commercials Captioned: Eeek! What in the hell
happened HERE? Call commercials for any show that will/is appearing on
FX, AREN'T CAPTIONED? The Shielf, Rescue Me - all of them, their little
snippets of information and commercials aren't captioned!? Say it ain't
so! Let's get with the program, FX!
Opinion Review:
Solid kudos to the 30 Days staff for finding people who clearly are
very strong in their beliefs, and - in most cases, people who are able
to articulate their general viewpoint and what they think of the
oppositions viewpoint. That is again the piece of recurring magic of
this show and it's incredibly welcomed. While watching this episode, I
made an extensive listing of notes that collected the general feelings
of people on both sides that truly amazed me in many instances.
Something I am always quick to bring up in discussions regardless of
topic is the propensity of people to ***** and complain about
_________, all along never offering up alternatives to find a middle
ground or options to get the ball rolling and green-lit. While I too
can ***** and debate with the best of them, what also follows is
OPTIONS - potential fixes to situations that will hopefully get people
satiated, the situation rectified and moving forward. That begs a
question:
What if your beliefs and value standards don't allow for "options?" What if there "isn't another way to think?"
This is essentially what befalls our Mormon mother, who simply
cannot/is unable to put aside her strident religious beliefs. Is this a
bad thing? Having beliefs isn't evil, it isn't judgmental, it's having
values, that she is clearly willing to defend, support and tell anyone
that will listen to about. Her continual exclaimatins about "not being
able to tell people my beliefs before" seem a bit incredulous to me.
She is CLEARLY able to tell any and everyone what she's thinking at any
time, and when there's what is apparently a solid wall of alternate
thinking in front of her, it's time to bail rather than to find a
common ground. Again, is that wrong? Is standing ground and finding
that hard-to-find even viewpoint of both sides always the "way to go?
It's all in your own perspective and it's the dish de jour during this
entire episode.
Katie's religion is something that comes up several times during the
course of the episode and it's clear that while it is what is 'holding
her up" it's also what is hanging out to dry a clear and viable option
for a growing plethora of potential adoptable children in our
communities. Something else that I've taken from "organized religion"
is not only the dedication to a belief and value system, but the
instant offense that occurs when trying to explain their opposition to
a viewpoint. This is showcased clearly when Katie is "done" and walks
away, heads for the hills in tears or bunkers herself inside the house
that she is clearly tortured in for these 30 Days. At one point, when I
thought there would be a revelation, indeed just as when there was a
very large turnaround for the dedicated hunter from North Carolina in
30 Days' last episode about Animal Rights, Katie meets with two
previously-never-adopted adults, who try to give Katie perspective by
visiting their old stomping grounds. It's a very emotional moment, but
still - the value systems stay "true" and she affirms that kids NEED a
Daddy and a Mommy for the best recipe for a kids future.
So what IS the answer? Thumbs up for Same-Sex Parenting or thumbs down on Kiddy has 2 Daddies?
Again, the magic of this show is that you end up asking the
questions of yourself when you're done. Just a week ago, Gloria (my
wife) and I were in Walmart, in line behind a 30-something overweight,
too-much-make-uped mother of two - 6 and 7 perhaps. Remember, this is
at 1:30am on a Wednesday (granted, summer vacation, but wow) where both
of the kids had a can of collector's cards, Mom had some clothes
including a black and white two piece swim suit (shudder) and some
other "need to get" items. Her bill comes out to 80-some dollars and
Mommy-Largest tears into the lady ringing up her merchandise about how
"that can't possibly be right."
Okay. And so rather than finding the problem, she berates the lady
checking her out about how she can't do anything right, MFing this,
What the Fing that, spouting about how her swimwear/eyepatch was only
$18, the cards her sons bought were $4.95 each, and the "rest of the
***** couldn't possibly cost that Fing much."
"That ain't Fing right. I'm sorry, I'm real tired and not thinkin'
straight." Huh? Of course you're not but what on Earth are you doing
firing the arsenal of swear-wrods in front of your sons, at someone
that Walmart in the middle of the night who's just trying to get you on
your way? "Wait a Fing minute: How much were these cards? I thought you
said they was "$4"?", clearly now turning her rage to her children who
were looking forward to their midnite card bounty when they got home
later this morning. "Are you Fing lyin' to me? Did you Fing lie about
these MFing cards?" at which point I finally had my "what the hell are
you saying to your kids" face on. She *****ed the tin cans out of the
boys hands, muttered more obscenities, paid for her handkerchief/bikini
et al and strode out pulling her children by their shirts.
My point of describing this to you, the readership, is to showcase
this question: Would you rather have THIS gem of a "Mommy" dragging the
kids out to Walmart and being the punching bag for her sickeningly
inappropriate public, verbal assaults, or have the caring showcase of
what was Tom & Dennis in this show be their "2 Daddies?" That's
really the question in a nutshell, isn't it? What do we do to ensure
the future "care" of our children, especially those who are in the
unenviable position of not-yet-being adopted?
The episode ends, with Katie heading home, the 2 Daddies still
caring for their kids, and both parties being willing to agree to
disagree, but there's a lot of tension here - as there is and will
always be with situations that have these subjects as their focal point.
All in all, I'd really like to contact several of the ***** male
interpreter friends I have, who have been out for a good long time but
are childless, and ask them THEIR viewpoint on the whole thing.
Additionally I ask the readership - what are YOUR thoughts here? The
opinions and stances are as varied as the people involved and I am
eager to see comments on this entry.
Overall Caption Rating:: 5
Overall Show Rating: 5
Total Rating: 5
Do You Recommend This Show to Others Who Depend on Captioning? Yes
Mike Wilkerson
Creator/Graphic Designer/Talk Show Host
- The 2GuysTalking Podcast
2GuysTalking Original Content Podcast Network
http://www.2guystalking.com
Mike@2guystalking.com 314-229-7683
[Mike is a professional entertainment critic and talk show host for
The 2GuysTalking Podcast Network, a multi-media podcasting company
specializing in the broadcast of opinion, thought and ideas. Be sure to
visit 2GuysTalking.Com for more information.]
