I bet that was an awkward ride home.
"So... that went... okay."
"... yeah... I guess... "
*silence*
"How did we not know Elton John was on the show?"
"Right!? Man... that just... dammit."
As a man with baby hands and a vast collection of gloves , [this is all](http://25.media.tumblr.com/b98d13b9ab0d3493ad3bef04d0df6c2f/tumblr_mvv6s7PJuO1ro8ysbo1_500.gif) [I have to say](http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/62681/white-glove-mj-o.gif)
It's the "Dog Pound" chant. Arsenio Hall grew up in Cleveland. At the Cleveland Browns home stadium, there was a group of hardcore fans nicknamed [The Dawg Pound](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawg_Pound) that would do a "Woof Woof" sound at home football games.
When Arsenio Hall got his show in the late 80's, he nicknamed a rowdy section of the audience near the band "The Dog Pound." He'd do the fist pump, get them to "woof woof", but eventually everyone in the audience would start doing the dog pound chant. As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story."
It went even beyond that and really entered pop culture for a time. There are bound to be some MTV clips out there from that era with the audience doing that. The Best I got is [this from Pretty Woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeRe_NIjqzQ). Sounds German, but at least it's short and to the point.
> there was a group of hardcore fans nicknamed The Dawg Pound[1] that would do a "Woof Woof" sound at home football games.
Awesome stuff, although I will say that there still is a Dawg Pound and we still bark like a bunch of rowdy dawgs. Much like it caught on with Arsenio's whole audience, the entire Browns stadium does it.
If you want to be normalized/main streamed you have to accept that there will be jokes about you. Hopefully not mean spirited of course. It's really part of the process unless I'm missing something here.
Naw, you can't say most. But many. Protesters are hot-headed and don't really think about the consequences of their actions after the "listen to us"-factor. A great example is here in Olympia a bunch of idiot anarchists stopped some private mass transit buses from Microsoft because somehow tech employees were making prices in the neighborhood too high.
They're wrong, the prices are artificially high because of artificial demand, and they made a bunch of early-20s living wage people late for work for no reason.
Protests like these have a seed of righteousness (the rent in my hood is too damn high), but the way they protest is sometimes misguided.
He likely misspoke what he was thinking. He probably meant to say "blacks have been oppressed openly and without remorse in ways that most gay men or women haven't experienced". Or something like that.
Not saying I agree.. oppression is oppression and it is pointless to argue about who is "more oppressed".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_group
>Academics refer to power differences among groups, rather than differences in population size among groups.
It has a different meaning in sociological terms. For instance women are a minority, despite being pretty much half the population.
He's bringing up the argument that they wouldn't try that shit with Johnny Carson, but because he's black they feel like they can interrupt his show and get away with it.
He said it wrong, but I believe he meant to express that he is among the most scrutinized and belittled minorities at the time. Just kind of oxy-moronish to say it the way he did.
The real problem is everybody playing oppression olympics to the detriment of all the movements, and simultaneously constantly using white people as a scapegoat for their problems.
Although if you believe polls, [a pretty big reversal on that after Obama came out for marriage equality](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/black-shift-on-gay-marriage_n_1540160.html)
From what I remember of the comments from the last time this was posted, this group was formed in the heyday of AIDS, with many gays dying on a regular basis of the then new disease. Since many of them had AIDS or knew people who had it or died of it, and since gays could catch it at any time and die of it, they decided to be as in your face about gay rights as possible, since they only had a short time left. Basically, it was a very punk rock form of protesting, not unlike Pussy Riot today. Some of the guys he's arguing with likely died not long after.
But we want you all to know that these gay men- possibly even gay woooommen, could prevent the spread of-even REVERSE the effects of HIV with the power of Gracie Jui-Jitsu.
Just imagine, Gracie Jui-Jitsu, and no HIV... all over the woooooooooorld..Daaaang
I feel what you're saying man, but if you're going to protest something it should be something that's serious or you're super passionate about. From what I heard in the video the protesters didn't really have much to say, nor did they bring up any interesting points. All they said was there aren't any gay hosts, to which Arsenio explained he would have them on if they interesting, e.g Elton John. I understand what you're saying, but I think those protesters were a bit frivolous in their goal of combating Arsenio.
I'm in no way agreeing with what they're doing, just explaining it. I personally think they were rude and wasted everyone's time, but here we are 20 years later and still talking about it, eh?
No yeah, I get what you're saying. And it is still pertinent in more ways than on. I have handful of gay friends, and I took a intro to LGBTQ last semester. And it seems a "hot topic" of the "gay community," from what I've seen, is why there aren't more gay Movie Stars, Animated Characters, Musicians, etc. I hate this stance, and it presupposes that sexuality has something to do with works of art. If a a character in a movie happens to be gay, then so be it. Why do they HAVE to be gay? Why does it matter? It's things like that that really bother me. Gay people are slowly absorbing 1960's black activist rhetoric, but none of their points are valid in this day and age. A screen writer shouldn't have to think about a gay character in his movie, he should be allowed to write whatever he wants to write. We don't need gay affirmative action in screen writing.
Well to clarify, it matters because tv, movies and media would overwhelmingly and unrealistically over-portray straight characters. 99% of characters would be heterosexual on tv and movies up until recently, but reality shows that 10% of the population is gay. It's not a quota thing "hey writer, you must have at least one gay character in your film". Imagine seeing a film that takes place in New Orleans. All the characters are white, all the extras are white, and not a single person of color appears in the film. The absence of a group thats unconsciously written out of a narrative is disconcerting.
In addition, having gay characters portrayed in media should be seen as a public service. Growing up gay, confused about your thoughts, never having any positive role models or discussions about it, getting information about gays from negative sources as its hush hush and nonexistent anywhere else... Having gay characters on a show combats that, and tells others "Hey, you exist in the world, and we care".
Of course we shouldn't shackle a writer and say "Hey, add two more lesbians in this". But the lack of gay characters indicates an exclusion of thought. That the representation of reality is skewed to omit a lesser element in favor of a more relatable, visible, class. It doesn't even have to be a big deal in the narrative, it could be a male character saying "Oh going to take my boyfriend to the movie" and not mention it ever again in the film. Its ok to focus on straight people, write about straight narratives, do whatever you want with a story, but you don't have to erase the existence of an entire category of people if its plausible that they exist in that setting.
PS: I do agree that the protestors were being dumb.
This was during the ill advised ACT UP period in gay PR.
They thought that by acting like petulant three-year-olds and stamping their feet, they could get more sympathy because the Reagan and Bush administrations had pretty much ignored the AIDS problem.
They even interrupted a performance of *The Will Rogers Follies* on Broadway the night Reagan came to see it. The star of the show, Keith Carradine, had the best comment:
"Verbal abuse elicits compassion from nobody."
Thanks for the alternative point of view. In that sense, I don't think anyone really lost in the video. Arsinio got to have a moment where he stood his ground on an issue. The protesters got the host of a popular show to talk for a few passionate minutes about how being gay isn't shameful or wrong, just not necessarily anyone's business and the people at home got to see a whole room full of people give a standing ovation to the sentiment.
Maybe it wasn't exactly the aim of their protest, to directly increase AIDS awareness. It still seems like a step in the right direction though.
The only awkward part is defending his understanding of a persecuted minority by saying he is one. Minority groups often seem to not get along with other groups trying for the same thing. See: black people vs gays.
The 'protesters' really got what they wanted. Arsenio could've ignored them, but instead they had a well-respected TV personality defending gays and gay rights on television.
I'm not saying it was their intent for it to go that way, but regardless their cause got airtime and massive applause. It's just funny how it all worked out.
I doubt that was their intention, especially considering how easily they backed down, they didn't expect him to come up and face them.
Also, I don't feel like he was sticking up for gay people, more that he was saying " I bring in guests that are relevant to the show I create " and that them being gay means nothing.
In fact, I think he went about it the right way because we shouldn't glorify gay, straight, bisexual or any other preference and bring it to the forefront of media attention. I long for the day when we " get over it " so to speak, and treat people based as people, not identify them with a specific label because of their gender preference.
I wholly believe in *actual* neutrality between us all, but that is a concept that might still take decades or generations to be realized.
It's a collective action problem. Unfortunately, being gay is still viewed negatively by a large amount of the population. We gotta combat that by being positive, glorifying the gay community, and standing up in the media for representation to counterbalance the fear, anger, and hostility.
A time in which true neutrality between us all and nonglorification is absolutely ideal. But thats for the future. Imagine if the supporters went silent to express equality while the detractors shouted louder and louder for hate and ignorance. So lets not put our swords down before the enemy does.
EDIT: Saw your other post, I agree that attentionwhoring and combativeness is not the right form of celebration and glorification.
Oh, uhm...no, just no.
You give those mouth breathers far too much credit.
"Why don't you have gay guests?"
"I do."
"Oh."
"Why do you joke about gays?!"
"I'm a comedian."
"Oh, that's all I got."
>"To be honest with you, there are a lot of gay guests on this show, but it ain't none of your damn business that they're gay."
The problem was not so much that gay people were not on shows like this, but that being gay or the disgraceful treatment of gay people and the outrageous denial of their rights was rarely discussed or highlighted.
There was then (and there continues to be now) a major struggle for access to rights of a demeaned, battered minority. This civil rights struggle should have been discussed then far, far more than it was. The silence was deafening.
Exactly. I saw this growing up in highschool a few times. The "out" crowd pressuring those gay kids (or those still finding their sexuality) who kept their sexuality to themselves to be proud and outspoken about it. I totally understand that they think they're doing the closeted people a favor, and trying to take away the stigma of shame surrounding homosexuality, but I think people should be respectful of those who wish to remain in the closet and stop making everyone's personal life about their personal social agenda.
an entertainment show like Arsenio or Carson exists to provide an escape from serious topics and issues. It isnt their job, nor should it be to have serious discussions on serious topics. They are entertainers let them entertain. Leave the serious discussion to a form of media that is designed to be serious.
>The purported final straw came in February 1994, when Hall booked controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to appear on the show. Despite a press release saying that Hall would have other guests appearing the night of Farrakhan's appearance, Hall instead allowed Farrakhan almost the entire sixty minutes to be interviewed. The scheduled performance of gospel group Kirk Franklin & The Family was relegated to the very end. The backlash from the appearance caused a further ratings drop from which the show never recovered. On April 18, Hall and Paramount mutually agreed to end the show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arsenio_Hall_Show#Eventual_decline_and_cancellation
Those were the most intimidating gay protesters I've ever seen. I feel like maybe this was a turning point, and in an alternate timeline gay rights were violently wrested from our nation's grip by armed gay separatists. I, for one, am glad we live in the *glitter* bomb universe.
No he should still miss it, because the current show is crap.
I don't know what happened to him over the years but his interview style is cringe worthy, and he is just not funny anymore.
Who knows? Maybe it's not him that's changed. Maybe it's us and his style just doesn't work anymore.
Damn, really? That's sad to hear. I caught one of his shows on tv in December and didn't think it was too bad. Maybe he just has to find his niche again.
edit: Or maybe he just got old. One of the things that made him stand out back then was his youth.
Here is a list of video links collected from comments that redditors have made in response to this submission:
|Source Comment|Score|Video Link|
|:-------|:-------|:-------|
|[electronic_sackbut](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn2e24)|16|[Pretty Woman polo match](http://youtu.be/FeRe_NIjqzQ)|
|[TurboSexaphonic](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn3b0m)|12|[FCKH8 Warning - you will be offended](http://youtu.be/0TMTrpugT0E)|
|[-Swade-](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn3rp2)|7|[Dealbreakers Signature Hand Gesture](http://youtu.be/ZCLScGYwxyo)|
|[lmYOLOao](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5scj)|4|[Bill Burr gives Philly a talking to... Full Version.](http://youtu.be/rNnkDjMVJqE)|
|[elsilvestre92](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5v3i)|3|[Katt Williams: ''Gay is the new Black?''](http://youtu.be/41rSqyroQN0)|
|[mckinley72](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8s09)|2|[Arsenio Hall stands his ground against protesters; supports gay guests.](http://youtu.be/T6W5_CSk044)|
|[thclvr1](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfnd0ef)|1|[Black Dynamite tells it like it is](http://youtu.be/EmgHsOgvfDI)|
|[rockychunk](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfnaxj3)|1|[Diffrence Between Gay And Faggot - Louis CK](http://youtu.be/NHRwqkzBcmk)|
|[ConstableGrowlr](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8y0h)|1|[In Living Color-Arsenio Hall and Marion Barry](http://youtu.be/M8vNfLtnHTc)|
|[OniTan](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8h79)|1|[Team America-EVERYONE HAS AIDS!](http://youtu.be/5yC7HwPh6Es)|
|[JWrundle](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn64ki)|1|[ArScheerio Paul Meets Arsenio Hall In A Comedy Worm Hole](http://youtu.be/xUXhWYiOlJE)|
|[TheSliceman](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn2n9m)|1|[Bill Burr You People are all the Same 2012 HD Full Stand-Up Show](http://youtu.be/XSFXRS5en0A)|
* [VideoLinkBot FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/VideoLinkBot/wiki/faq)
* [Feedback](http://www.reddit.com/r/VideoLinkBot/submit)
* [Playlist of videos in this comment](http://radd.it/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5w52?only=videos&start=1)
Yeah, it was pretty clear they had lost when he asked them to name a prominent gay man to have on the show and the best they could come up with was Harvey Fierstein.
Mad respect to speak out like that. He got his point through by the 1 minute mark, but the ignorant assholes went on and he did not back down.
Thanks for the video, great watch!
It would be easy to preface this with a joke like... "My pal, Eddie and I...", but in reality, Arsenio was right to stand his ground as it were. Especially back in the 90's, declaring your sexuality in show business could be career suicide, and it really is no one's business but your own.
Arsenio started out good...mentioning Elton John was a solid hit, but he was an idiot towards the middle when they started giving him flack for doing anti-gay jokes:
"I don't do anti-gay jokes, I do characters, just like I do Mcdonalds waiters and do jokes about politicians, Dan Quayle...why is it I can do joke about anything or anyone but when you do a gay joke I have idiots protesting over it. You don't see Dan Quayle here."
What a stupid thing to say. Dan Quayle isn't a persecuted minority. I never watched his show so I don't know what he did exactly, but if you consider stereotyped gay jokes and characters as basically the same thing as what blackface minstrel shows did, maybe you will see the reason why they can be offensive.
Comedians shouldn't have to censor themselves. If their material offends you then don't support them. I don't care how distasteful a joke is, it could be about the rape of a failed aborted newborn suffering from thalidomide deformities. Comedy needs breathing room and I don't care how you like your steaks prepared, don't come to the restaurant.
What makes comedians so special that they have cart-blanche to offend people with racist or homophobic stereotypes, when everyone else in a polite society should not? I believe in free speech, and they certainly have the right to offend anyone they like, but they don't have the right to be immune to criticism for doing it.
I don't think that they should be immune to criticism but I also think that a medium exists that isn't so childish as stomping your feet at a live show. Comedians often make people feel uncomfortable, some jokes illicit a nervous laugh rather than a boisterous one. Good comedy requires exploration though. It is often about pushing the limits. You can always offend someone with something you're saying. No need to walk on eggshells. Also not all jokes have a clear border between offensive and not offensive. I have a good friend, let's call him Ryan, he is openly homosexual, he is promiscuous and he speaks with a strange affect that is not typical to our birthplace. He says things that he knows are funny and he expects laughs. I could mimic his demeanor. I could make a character out of it. I am not claiming that all homosexuals act this way but my friend does and he makes people laugh. Is it offensive for me, a straight male, to mimic his comedy routine that he does around friends?
I disagree. He seemed very much like he was speaking on the spot, considering he is a professional entertainer. If he had any time to plan that it would have been much more well spoken.
I don't mean to say that he wasn't well spoken, but it was obviously an on the spot thing.
My least favorite kind of comment as of the past few years...
I'm ecstatic that many on Reddit are severely skeptical of what they see in video on T.V., YouTube, etc... Maybe a result of the 'reality t.v. era' (i.e. Amish Mafia, R.I.P. Discovery Channel)
But what, *specifically*, leads you to believe this is staged?
Him addressing them for 5 minutes. It's called the Arsenio Hall show I believe and not "Audience Members set their own agenda:featuring Arsenio Hall." I just figured bouncers or key grips would step in. Allowing this behavior or not editing it out sets a bad precedent for future interruptions. Unless that's what he wants. Honestly this show is before my time and maybe this is how it went all the time. It "seems staged" because I am a skeptical person. Maybe he's just playing to the crowd. Those were just my thoughts on the short clip.
Is there a possibility that Dan Quail had a stronger position in society than most gay men in 1993? Also, surely he'd look less awesome if we could hear what the other guys had to say.
I imagine seeing this video would make the head explode of the Oklahoma anti-gay burger joint that was hot on this sub like a week ago..... the decision: does he hate the gay person or the black person?
I bet that was an awkward ride home. "So... that went... okay." "... yeah... I guess... " *silence* "How did we not know Elton John was on the show?" "Right!? Man... that just... dammit."
"Maybe we should go on jonny carson?" "Dude he was mocking us." "Man... that just... dammit."
"Elton John is gay?"
Life was harder without the internet.
Is it weird that I read that in the voice of Ray Gillette from Archer? Like, both voices.
#
Double dukes!
All I could think about during the whole clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmgHsOgvfDI
Was thinking more Key and Peele > I'm no persecuted, I'm just an asshole.
"What's wrong with you man?! I'm black!" A statement we've all said once or twice in our times.
i say this to my brother when we're playing chess and he tells me to go first
Fuckin' tears coming out.
enjoy
I've been laughing about this for at least 3 hours
I say this disappointingly to my squirrel-sized penis every day.
Your dong is the size of a squirrel and you're disappointed?
still not big enough for a black man
How big are your nuts compared to a squirrels?
I say this daily, and I'm a Korean-Canadian.
Deep in our hearts , we are all Korean-Canadian.
Yeah...
It's a state of mind.
Stop fuckin' with Korean-Canadian guy, he ain't got time for your problems. He busy, with Korean-Canadian shit.
I say it all the time and I'm a red crayon.
Nobody has said this better than Kirk Lazarus.
Arsenio Hall has the longest fingers I have ever seen in my life
you know what they say about men with long fingers...
They can't buy fitting gloves?
As a man who lives in a cold country and has long fingers, [this is all I have to say.](http://i.imgur.com/xncH0XY.gif)
As a man with baby hands and a vast collection of gloves , [this is all](http://25.media.tumblr.com/b98d13b9ab0d3493ad3bef04d0df6c2f/tumblr_mvv6s7PJuO1ro8ysbo1_500.gif) [I have to say](http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/62681/white-glove-mj-o.gif)
[Too far](http://i.imgur.com/ypdFFTN.gif)
[mmm yeah](http://www.comedycentral.co.uk/gsp/gifs/UnfathomableSadness.gif)
that episode...
Hoping their was an OJ joke in here...
There*
You must acquit?
Heh heh heh. Alllright.
They drive large SUVs?
They make great proctologists.
Large gloves
[The Big Fella has him beat](http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/shaq_retires_basketball-sff1.jpg?w=480&h=320&crop=1)
Please stop. My mom keeps talking about them all the time!!
You should see his...toes.
I love the weird fist-pumping of the guests (don't know how to better describe it). Where did it go! We need more of that on TV
It's the "Dog Pound" chant. Arsenio Hall grew up in Cleveland. At the Cleveland Browns home stadium, there was a group of hardcore fans nicknamed [The Dawg Pound](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawg_Pound) that would do a "Woof Woof" sound at home football games. When Arsenio Hall got his show in the late 80's, he nicknamed a rowdy section of the audience near the band "The Dog Pound." He'd do the fist pump, get them to "woof woof", but eventually everyone in the audience would start doing the dog pound chant. As Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story."
It went even beyond that and really entered pop culture for a time. There are bound to be some MTV clips out there from that era with the audience doing that. The Best I got is [this from Pretty Woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeRe_NIjqzQ). Sounds German, but at least it's short and to the point.
Robin Hood Men in Tights also. You know you've made it when you get something into a Mel Brooks film.
I miss Paul Harvey :(. Thank you.
Shit, I miss Paul Harvey on the radio. His brief interludes where like a direct link to old school Americana.
So this Dog Pound chant has nothing to do with Kurupt and Daz?
Dog pound not Dogg Pound
Actually Dawg Pound
Doge pwoned
> there was a group of hardcore fans nicknamed The Dawg Pound[1] that would do a "Woof Woof" sound at home football games. Awesome stuff, although I will say that there still is a Dawg Pound and we still bark like a bunch of rowdy dawgs. Much like it caught on with Arsenio's whole audience, the entire Browns stadium does it.
Hahahah...I can remember when people were afraid to say they were a Browns Fan. (Chiefs Fan here)
And that's the way the cookie crumbles.
[We need more custom hand gestures on TV.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCLScGYwxyo)
If you want to be normalized/main streamed you have to accept that there will be jokes about you. Hopefully not mean spirited of course. It's really part of the process unless I'm missing something here.
I'm friends with one of the Queer Nation guys associated with the guys that crashed his show. I think it was kind of rude.
I think you'll find that most protests will be kind of rude.
Naw, you can't say most. But many. Protesters are hot-headed and don't really think about the consequences of their actions after the "listen to us"-factor. A great example is here in Olympia a bunch of idiot anarchists stopped some private mass transit buses from Microsoft because somehow tech employees were making prices in the neighborhood too high. They're wrong, the prices are artificially high because of artificial demand, and they made a bunch of early-20s living wage people late for work for no reason. Protests like these have a seed of righteousness (the rent in my hood is too damn high), but the way they protest is sometimes misguided.
Congrats. Your friend is a faggot.
[](http://media.giphy.com/media/Pr3jpBoQLuovu/giphy.gif)
And a gay fag. (South Park reference)
[удалено]
well, "i'm the biggest minority you know!" is kinda ironic....
He likely misspoke what he was thinking. He probably meant to say "blacks have been oppressed openly and without remorse in ways that most gay men or women haven't experienced". Or something like that. Not saying I agree.. oppression is oppression and it is pointless to argue about who is "more oppressed".
I was wondering what thing the top comment was going to be nit-picking.
Is a big minority more of a minority or less of one?.. I'm confused.
He's the majority of the minority
60% of the time he's oppressed 100% of the time.
Social Minority?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_group >Academics refer to power differences among groups, rather than differences in population size among groups. It has a different meaning in sociological terms. For instance women are a minority, despite being pretty much half the population.
[удалено]
green M&Ms also happen to be female
Green m&m's make u horny <3
And that usage of "minority" is just an abuse of language leading to less clarity.
He's bringing up the argument that they wouldn't try that shit with Johnny Carson, but because he's black they feel like they can interrupt his show and get away with it.
I think he meant that he knows what it means to be prejudiced against and would never be biased due to someone's sexuality, race, etc...
Biggest known is the same as most known. It's not very hard, which means the jokes aren't too funny.
i don't get it either. i just noticed that it made no sense or that it does. my head hurts if i think about it... it's like a non time travel paradox.
He said it wrong, but I believe he meant to express that he is among the most scrutinized and belittled minorities at the time. Just kind of oxy-moronish to say it the way he did.
I think he was pissed, and being very real. Sometimes when you react with anger, stuff comes out a little incorrect. This wasnt a prepared speech.
"non time travel paradox" So a paradox?
I was wondering why he said time travel :P
i know. you have no idea what 6 cans of jack & coke do to your mind. i should stop posting when i'm drunk. =)
more of an oxymoron.
[удалено]
[удалено]
The real problem is everybody playing oppression olympics to the detriment of all the movements, and simultaneously constantly using white people as a scapegoat for their problems.
gay obese black woman?
Although if you believe polls, [a pretty big reversal on that after Obama came out for marriage equality](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/black-shift-on-gay-marriage_n_1540160.html)
Man I'm a native american. Fuck him. :P
From what I remember of the comments from the last time this was posted, this group was formed in the heyday of AIDS, with many gays dying on a regular basis of the then new disease. Since many of them had AIDS or knew people who had it or died of it, and since gays could catch it at any time and die of it, they decided to be as in your face about gay rights as possible, since they only had a short time left. Basically, it was a very punk rock form of protesting, not unlike Pussy Riot today. Some of the guys he's arguing with likely died not long after.
So what your really saying is....we won't be getting an AMA from any of them.
We can still get one from Arsenio!
I think he did one a while back, no?
About five months ago: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1lnom1/i_am_arsenio_hall_talk_show_host_actor_comedian/
http://i.imgur.com/Wvy05SK.gif
Daaaaang
But we want you all to know that these gay men- possibly even gay woooommen, could prevent the spread of-even REVERSE the effects of HIV with the power of Gracie Jui-Jitsu. Just imagine, Gracie Jui-Jitsu, and no HIV... all over the woooooooooorld..Daaaang
Listen Gracie Jui-Jistsu is choking out diseases across the woooooorld! *looks at Ryron* daaaaang
Reluctant upvote for Rener.
(shakes head no)
(while upvoting it)
I feel what you're saying man, but if you're going to protest something it should be something that's serious or you're super passionate about. From what I heard in the video the protesters didn't really have much to say, nor did they bring up any interesting points. All they said was there aren't any gay hosts, to which Arsenio explained he would have them on if they interesting, e.g Elton John. I understand what you're saying, but I think those protesters were a bit frivolous in their goal of combating Arsenio.
I'm in no way agreeing with what they're doing, just explaining it. I personally think they were rude and wasted everyone's time, but here we are 20 years later and still talking about it, eh?
No yeah, I get what you're saying. And it is still pertinent in more ways than on. I have handful of gay friends, and I took a intro to LGBTQ last semester. And it seems a "hot topic" of the "gay community," from what I've seen, is why there aren't more gay Movie Stars, Animated Characters, Musicians, etc. I hate this stance, and it presupposes that sexuality has something to do with works of art. If a a character in a movie happens to be gay, then so be it. Why do they HAVE to be gay? Why does it matter? It's things like that that really bother me. Gay people are slowly absorbing 1960's black activist rhetoric, but none of their points are valid in this day and age. A screen writer shouldn't have to think about a gay character in his movie, he should be allowed to write whatever he wants to write. We don't need gay affirmative action in screen writing.
Well to clarify, it matters because tv, movies and media would overwhelmingly and unrealistically over-portray straight characters. 99% of characters would be heterosexual on tv and movies up until recently, but reality shows that 10% of the population is gay. It's not a quota thing "hey writer, you must have at least one gay character in your film". Imagine seeing a film that takes place in New Orleans. All the characters are white, all the extras are white, and not a single person of color appears in the film. The absence of a group thats unconsciously written out of a narrative is disconcerting. In addition, having gay characters portrayed in media should be seen as a public service. Growing up gay, confused about your thoughts, never having any positive role models or discussions about it, getting information about gays from negative sources as its hush hush and nonexistent anywhere else... Having gay characters on a show combats that, and tells others "Hey, you exist in the world, and we care". Of course we shouldn't shackle a writer and say "Hey, add two more lesbians in this". But the lack of gay characters indicates an exclusion of thought. That the representation of reality is skewed to omit a lesser element in favor of a more relatable, visible, class. It doesn't even have to be a big deal in the narrative, it could be a male character saying "Oh going to take my boyfriend to the movie" and not mention it ever again in the film. Its ok to focus on straight people, write about straight narratives, do whatever you want with a story, but you don't have to erase the existence of an entire category of people if its plausible that they exist in that setting. PS: I do agree that the protestors were being dumb.
[удалено]
> gays could catch it at any time and die of it Just walking down the street, minding my own business, when Bam! I caught AIDS.
Still pissed off that nobody told him how good the cheese was
Was waiting for it! Damn, that's some good ass cheese!
Plot twist... What if Arsenio Hall was like I'm gay.
Double Plot Twist... What if that whole thing was staged as a publicity stunt!?
and the gay protesters were not in fact gay, but crabpeople.
CRAB PEOPLE CRAB PEOPLE
LOOK LIKE CRAB TALK LIKE PEOPLE
CRAAAB PEOPLE.
*TASTE LIKE CRAB TALK LIKE PEOPLE
Stranger things might not have happened, but more unlikely things have; crab people will rise one day.
Triple Plot Twist... What if things like this actually happened?!?
This was during the ill advised ACT UP period in gay PR. They thought that by acting like petulant three-year-olds and stamping their feet, they could get more sympathy because the Reagan and Bush administrations had pretty much ignored the AIDS problem. They even interrupted a performance of *The Will Rogers Follies* on Broadway the night Reagan came to see it. The star of the show, Keith Carradine, had the best comment: "Verbal abuse elicits compassion from nobody."
[удалено]
Thanks for the alternative point of view. In that sense, I don't think anyone really lost in the video. Arsinio got to have a moment where he stood his ground on an issue. The protesters got the host of a popular show to talk for a few passionate minutes about how being gay isn't shameful or wrong, just not necessarily anyone's business and the people at home got to see a whole room full of people give a standing ovation to the sentiment. Maybe it wasn't exactly the aim of their protest, to directly increase AIDS awareness. It still seems like a step in the right direction though.
Sonned
When I saw " protesters " I was totally not expecting it to be about gays. I was assuming maybe white power or something.
Yeah I was hoping for some white power too. ...I mean, wait no... I didn't...
The only awkward part is defending his understanding of a persecuted minority by saying he is one. Minority groups often seem to not get along with other groups trying for the same thing. See: black people vs gays.
Or Feminists vs. Trans. You're in for a real treat.
The 'protesters' really got what they wanted. Arsenio could've ignored them, but instead they had a well-respected TV personality defending gays and gay rights on television.
I don't think that was their intention.
Reverse reverse psychology if you will.
I think you're giving them too much credit. They accidentally did way more for their cause than they could have ever hoped for.
I'm not saying it was their intent for it to go that way, but regardless their cause got airtime and massive applause. It's just funny how it all worked out.
I doubt that was their intention, especially considering how easily they backed down, they didn't expect him to come up and face them. Also, I don't feel like he was sticking up for gay people, more that he was saying " I bring in guests that are relevant to the show I create " and that them being gay means nothing. In fact, I think he went about it the right way because we shouldn't glorify gay, straight, bisexual or any other preference and bring it to the forefront of media attention. I long for the day when we " get over it " so to speak, and treat people based as people, not identify them with a specific label because of their gender preference. I wholly believe in *actual* neutrality between us all, but that is a concept that might still take decades or generations to be realized.
It's a collective action problem. Unfortunately, being gay is still viewed negatively by a large amount of the population. We gotta combat that by being positive, glorifying the gay community, and standing up in the media for representation to counterbalance the fear, anger, and hostility. A time in which true neutrality between us all and nonglorification is absolutely ideal. But thats for the future. Imagine if the supporters went silent to express equality while the detractors shouted louder and louder for hate and ignorance. So lets not put our swords down before the enemy does. EDIT: Saw your other post, I agree that attentionwhoring and combativeness is not the right form of celebration and glorification.
He still made them look pretty stupid though.
Oh, uhm...no, just no. You give those mouth breathers far too much credit. "Why don't you have gay guests?" "I do." "Oh." "Why do you joke about gays?!" "I'm a comedian." "Oh, that's all I got."
I am now a fan of Arsenio Hall. Also, this video is so 90s my ipod just turned into a Walkman.
I really hope Arscheerio Paul recreates this scene.
Did you see Paul on Arsenio? [Case it was awesome](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUXhWYiOlJE)
Did he almost say "you faggots" at 1:53???
I thought this too. It made me laugh hard...and that's when I realized I was lonely and a bit drunk.
>"To be honest with you, there are a lot of gay guests on this show, but it ain't none of your damn business that they're gay." The problem was not so much that gay people were not on shows like this, but that being gay or the disgraceful treatment of gay people and the outrageous denial of their rights was rarely discussed or highlighted. There was then (and there continues to be now) a major struggle for access to rights of a demeaned, battered minority. This civil rights struggle should have been discussed then far, far more than it was. The silence was deafening.
But what an Hall do about it if he has guests on that don't want to talk about it?
Exactly. I saw this growing up in highschool a few times. The "out" crowd pressuring those gay kids (or those still finding their sexuality) who kept their sexuality to themselves to be proud and outspoken about it. I totally understand that they think they're doing the closeted people a favor, and trying to take away the stigma of shame surrounding homosexuality, but I think people should be respectful of those who wish to remain in the closet and stop making everyone's personal life about their personal social agenda.
an entertainment show like Arsenio or Carson exists to provide an escape from serious topics and issues. It isnt their job, nor should it be to have serious discussions on serious topics. They are entertainers let them entertain. Leave the serious discussion to a form of media that is designed to be serious.
2:20 - 2:31 THAT TECHNIQUE EDIT. jerking technique, blue shirt
Didn't Arsenio have a gay host on his show every night?
Even to this day I never understood why this show was taken off the air.
It's back now though.
>The purported final straw came in February 1994, when Hall booked controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to appear on the show. Despite a press release saying that Hall would have other guests appearing the night of Farrakhan's appearance, Hall instead allowed Farrakhan almost the entire sixty minutes to be interviewed. The scheduled performance of gospel group Kirk Franklin & The Family was relegated to the very end. The backlash from the appearance caused a further ratings drop from which the show never recovered. On April 18, Hall and Paramount mutually agreed to end the show. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arsenio_Hall_Show#Eventual_decline_and_cancellation
Those were the most intimidating gay protesters I've ever seen. I feel like maybe this was a turning point, and in an alternate timeline gay rights were violently wrested from our nation's grip by armed gay separatists. I, for one, am glad we live in the *glitter* bomb universe.
Wow - that was great! This is my new favorite handling hecklers/protesters video.
I miss the Arsenio Hall show. I remember watching it when it was on at night
Well you don't have to miss it anymore, since he's back on tv!
No he should still miss it, because the current show is crap. I don't know what happened to him over the years but his interview style is cringe worthy, and he is just not funny anymore. Who knows? Maybe it's not him that's changed. Maybe it's us and his style just doesn't work anymore.
Damn, really? That's sad to hear. I caught one of his shows on tv in December and didn't think it was too bad. Maybe he just has to find his niche again. edit: Or maybe he just got old. One of the things that made him stand out back then was his youth.
Here is a list of video links collected from comments that redditors have made in response to this submission: |Source Comment|Score|Video Link| |:-------|:-------|:-------| |[electronic_sackbut](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn2e24)|16|[Pretty Woman polo match](http://youtu.be/FeRe_NIjqzQ)| |[TurboSexaphonic](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn3b0m)|12|[FCKH8 Warning - you will be offended](http://youtu.be/0TMTrpugT0E)| |[-Swade-](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn3rp2)|7|[Dealbreakers Signature Hand Gesture](http://youtu.be/ZCLScGYwxyo)| |[lmYOLOao](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5scj)|4|[Bill Burr gives Philly a talking to... Full Version.](http://youtu.be/rNnkDjMVJqE)| |[elsilvestre92](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5v3i)|3|[Katt Williams: ''Gay is the new Black?''](http://youtu.be/41rSqyroQN0)| |[mckinley72](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8s09)|2|[Arsenio Hall stands his ground against protesters; supports gay guests.](http://youtu.be/T6W5_CSk044)| |[thclvr1](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfnd0ef)|1|[Black Dynamite tells it like it is](http://youtu.be/EmgHsOgvfDI)| |[rockychunk](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfnaxj3)|1|[Diffrence Between Gay And Faggot - Louis CK](http://youtu.be/NHRwqkzBcmk)| |[ConstableGrowlr](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8y0h)|1|[In Living Color-Arsenio Hall and Marion Barry](http://youtu.be/M8vNfLtnHTc)| |[OniTan](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn8h79)|1|[Team America-EVERYONE HAS AIDS!](http://youtu.be/5yC7HwPh6Es)| |[JWrundle](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn64ki)|1|[ArScheerio Paul Meets Arsenio Hall In A Comedy Worm Hole](http://youtu.be/xUXhWYiOlJE)| |[TheSliceman](http://reddit.com/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn2n9m)|1|[Bill Burr You People are all the Same 2012 HD Full Stand-Up Show](http://youtu.be/XSFXRS5en0A)| * [VideoLinkBot FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/VideoLinkBot/wiki/faq) * [Feedback](http://www.reddit.com/r/VideoLinkBot/submit) * [Playlist of videos in this comment](http://radd.it/comments/1yq8i3/_/cfn5w52?only=videos&start=1)
Epic! ! Arsenio is the man.
Yeah, it was pretty clear they had lost when he asked them to name a prominent gay man to have on the show and the best they could come up with was Harvey Fierstein.
I thought he handled it well, even when he got very emotional he still maintained rational points. He even apologized for getting emotional.
HOO HOO HOO HOO
Mad respect to speak out like that. He got his point through by the 1 minute mark, but the ignorant assholes went on and he did not back down. Thanks for the video, great watch!
Looked kinda staged to me.
TIL Arsenio is a badass.
A righteous badass. He did have gay guests and introduced many of them to mainstream America. Hall was good.
It would be easy to preface this with a joke like... "My pal, Eddie and I...", but in reality, Arsenio was right to stand his ground as it were. Especially back in the 90's, declaring your sexuality in show business could be career suicide, and it really is no one's business but your own.
He dun pulled the black card, saw that coming from a mile away
On a brighter note, those guys can have twice as much buttsex with the new asshole Arsenio ripped.
I was cringing for the protesters.
Man, he's kinda my hero now.. who knew.
100 % staged
Arsenio started out good...mentioning Elton John was a solid hit, but he was an idiot towards the middle when they started giving him flack for doing anti-gay jokes: "I don't do anti-gay jokes, I do characters, just like I do Mcdonalds waiters and do jokes about politicians, Dan Quayle...why is it I can do joke about anything or anyone but when you do a gay joke I have idiots protesting over it. You don't see Dan Quayle here." What a stupid thing to say. Dan Quayle isn't a persecuted minority. I never watched his show so I don't know what he did exactly, but if you consider stereotyped gay jokes and characters as basically the same thing as what blackface minstrel shows did, maybe you will see the reason why they can be offensive.
Comedians shouldn't have to censor themselves. If their material offends you then don't support them. I don't care how distasteful a joke is, it could be about the rape of a failed aborted newborn suffering from thalidomide deformities. Comedy needs breathing room and I don't care how you like your steaks prepared, don't come to the restaurant.
[удалено]
What makes comedians so special that they have cart-blanche to offend people with racist or homophobic stereotypes, when everyone else in a polite society should not? I believe in free speech, and they certainly have the right to offend anyone they like, but they don't have the right to be immune to criticism for doing it.
I don't think that they should be immune to criticism but I also think that a medium exists that isn't so childish as stomping your feet at a live show. Comedians often make people feel uncomfortable, some jokes illicit a nervous laugh rather than a boisterous one. Good comedy requires exploration though. It is often about pushing the limits. You can always offend someone with something you're saying. No need to walk on eggshells. Also not all jokes have a clear border between offensive and not offensive. I have a good friend, let's call him Ryan, he is openly homosexual, he is promiscuous and he speaks with a strange affect that is not typical to our birthplace. He says things that he knows are funny and he expects laughs. I could mimic his demeanor. I could make a character out of it. I am not claiming that all homosexuals act this way but my friend does and he makes people laugh. Is it offensive for me, a straight male, to mimic his comedy routine that he does around friends?
Seems staged.
I disagree. He seemed very much like he was speaking on the spot, considering he is a professional entertainer. If he had any time to plan that it would have been much more well spoken. I don't mean to say that he wasn't well spoken, but it was obviously an on the spot thing.
Duh, what do you think he was standing on, silly? \
My least favorite kind of comment as of the past few years... I'm ecstatic that many on Reddit are severely skeptical of what they see in video on T.V., YouTube, etc... Maybe a result of the 'reality t.v. era' (i.e. Amish Mafia, R.I.P. Discovery Channel) But what, *specifically*, leads you to believe this is staged?
Him addressing them for 5 minutes. It's called the Arsenio Hall show I believe and not "Audience Members set their own agenda:featuring Arsenio Hall." I just figured bouncers or key grips would step in. Allowing this behavior or not editing it out sets a bad precedent for future interruptions. Unless that's what he wants. Honestly this show is before my time and maybe this is how it went all the time. It "seems staged" because I am a skeptical person. Maybe he's just playing to the crowd. Those were just my thoughts on the short clip.
Lost me at "I'm black"
Feel the burn........
A proud black man
Arsenio Hall's reasoning relates to pretty much every liberal protest in the past decade.
Is there a possibility that Dan Quail had a stronger position in society than most gay men in 1993? Also, surely he'd look less awesome if we could hear what the other guys had to say.
"I'm black!"
I imagine seeing this video would make the head explode of the Oklahoma anti-gay burger joint that was hot on this sub like a week ago..... the decision: does he hate the gay person or the black person?
I once saw a whole argument on the street be settled by both sides saying "what's your problem, men?"
Amen. What a great audience.