"Uninvited"
From Daily Kos, by way of Atrios:
Margaret Cho has been "uninvited" to perform at the Unity 2004 event which is taking place at Avalon, this coming Monday, July 26, around the Democratic National Convention. The Human Rights Campaign is one of 10 GLBT groups coming together July 26 at the nightclub to "celebrate GLBT strength and unity." Asked to headline the event, Cho was preparing to preview material from her new State of Emergency tour as part of an unpaid benefit performance. She has since been "uninvited" by a spokesman for the HRC, who cited "a potential media firestorm" and referenced the recent criticism of Whoopi Goldberg's routine at a Kerry fundraiser. Unity 2004 is not officially a part of the Democratic National Convention or the Kerry campaign. Many of the groups involved in Unity 2004 did not agree with the decision to rescind the invitation.
And that's all the good will I'd managed to work up towards HRC, because of their public stance against the Federal Marriage Amendment, gone, just like that.
I mean, if they really think removing Margaret Cho is going to defuse that "potential media firestorm," they must have the Republican attack machine confused with someone reasonable. And I can't come up with any possible reason to come to that conclusion.
Bad enough Slim-Fast dropped Whoopi as a spokesperson not because of a boycott, but because, according to CNN,
Some conservative groups and GOP supporters had threatened to boycott Slim-Fast products if it did not take action.
(emphasis, as usual, added).
But I've been wrong before. It's entirely possible that, by pre-emptively removing the controversial woman of color from the line-up, they'll manage to escape the hysterical, manufactured outrage the right wing seems so fond of and so damn good at.
Anyone care to wager on that?
Update: And of course, it's not like the woman hasn't had to deal with attacks from the right before or anything.
Comments
I'm recalling a line from Super-Chicken which went something like "Fred, you knew the chick was dangerous when you booked her."
Posted by: Elayne Riggs | July 22, 2004 8:28 AM
Elayne, for reasons I'm unclear on, the only episode of Super-Chicken I remember is the one where Fred jokingly mentioned that there was a new deli in New Delhi. . . and they ended up going to Shanghai by getting Shangheid.
I fear for my brain some days.
Posted by: Aaron | July 22, 2004 5:35 PM
Oh, my ex used to quote that one all the time, he even has a t-shirt with the saying (the original is "Fred, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it").
Posted by: Elayne Riggs | July 22, 2004 7:55 PM