Sunday, January 20, 2008

My Country Tis of Whine: part 2

This was the only response letter published by the BAR in response to my chorus' song "Magic Snow" at the Castro Theater Christmas Eve:

'Magic Snow' keeps falling

Arthur Bosse of the National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions, and Kim Grubbs, a clinician, wrote to you of their dismay at the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco having performed a comic piece, "Magic Snow," in their set at the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus 9 p.m. "Home for the Holidays" concert on Christmas Eve. Apparently, they each feel they possess the wisdom and judgment to determine what audience members should and shouldn't hear at a concert. I think maybe they're just sanctimonious poops who need to find something more important to focus their attention on than comedy bits.

I, too, am a clinician, and I treat patients with addictions, including to cocaine of both the powder and crack variety. I am also domestically partnered with a psychiatrist who is chief medical officer of a major addiction treatment provider. I am well aware of the pain and destruction caused by all addictions. I can tell you that I have not, in the past decade at least, encountered anyone who doesn't have a strong sense that cocaine is a dangerous and destructive drug – not any clinicians, addicts, or lay people. I really don't think that anyone in the audience came away from the concert with the thought that cocaine really must be okay if the LGCSF sang a funny song about it.

As a clinician, I am also aware that humor is an adaptive and high-level defense, an indicator of cognitive flexibility and perspective. It was very foolish of Bosse and Grubbs to have had (apparently) a humorectomy. Lord preserve us from these folks who go around declaiming the right, good, and acceptable for the rest of us. They belong in the same class of people who want to tell us what we should do in our bedrooms and who we should love: different complaint content, same tedious social dynamic.

Asa DeMatteo, Ph.D.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

the death of a Laureate

Dear Governor,

I am writing this letter to you this afternoon to voice my deepest regret. I voted for you.

I believed that you would be a great leader because you didn’t need to be. I believed that you would be the voice of the people of California without bowing to the whim of what’s popular. I voted for you because at the heart of it all, I believe in the capacity of men to govern themselves fairly and to honor our diversity and traditions, while solidly leading us toward unity.

Today you lost my vote.

I am not angry at you. I understand that you have been under a lot of pressure about what to do about Stanley “Tookie” Williams. I hoped that in your heart you would do what is right. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not an advocate of revoking the death penalty. I do not pretend to know if it is best for our society or our country. What I do know, is that it is possible for you to grant clemency to someone who deserves it. I understand that you weighed all the evidence, and that it was a hard decision for you to make. But this is why you have lost my vote: You let the good of the few outweigh the good of the many.

In the case of Mr. Williams you have decreed that a man be put to death. The death penalty was given due to the severity of the crimes that Mr. Williams was found guilty of. The families of those murdered by Mr. Williams long for revenge in the guise of justice, and I am not one to say they should not have their revenge. But in this case there is something rare and unique.

It is something that has often been on the lips of Republicans and Democrats alike. Rehabilitation. For a long time people have been debating if it is worth trying to rehabilitate prison inmates. This man, Mr. Williams, has been rehabilitated. What you failed to take into consideration when making your decision is the fact that Mr. Williams has spent the better part of the last twenty years in prison helping people. And this is the point, he has written books for children to keep them from making the same decisions in life that he made. He has contributed to society in a way that few have before him. He learned from his mistakes and used that knowledge to the betterment of society. He has been nominated multiple times for one of the world’s highest honors: the Nobel Prize for Literature.

In your decision today to deny clemency to Mr. Williams, you have shown the people of California, you have shown me, that you are not capable of doing what is in our best interest. You have made a bad decision, and it will not only cost a man his life, but it will cost the world. We are a world that needs his guidance, sorrow, experience, and wisdom, to help us understand this still constant problem of how to keep our children from making his mistakes.

The families of those who Mr. Williams murdered will be grateful for your decision today. As for the rest of us, you will not be granted clemency for this decision.

With sorrow and humility,

Shane J. Kroll

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Dear TV Producers...

Dear Entertainment Weekly,


I read your latest issue and really enjoyed the article by
Jeff Jensen "Are you killing TV?" He really did a good job at presenting the reasons the Television Industry thinks that the ratings are going downhill.

As an avid tv watcher, I would like to throw my two cents in as well. I think that there are three major problems that the industry is failing to take into account.

First, Technology. Yes we have come a long way baby... and it doesn't look like we will be slowing down anytime soon. DVR's and DVD's are the way of the future. I wont even watch live tv anymore because of all the commercials. I know it is how they make their money, but I think that it might be time to catch up to the changing technology. Time to be more inventive, try something new. For example, if people are only tuning in for the show and fast forwarding through the commercials, why not scrap the commercials all together and get your advertisers to do product placement. Take the futuristic example given in "The Truman Show", they never cut to commercial, but everything on the show is product placement.

Second, Hiatuses, breaks and reruns. Yeah, got it, you need them, the actors need them and all that... But you will continue to lose viewers. The networks need to come up with a new system
for this. Especially when it comes to the long breaks. Sorry, no matter how you explain it, 12 weeks is too long. The networks are stuck in this archaic system that says we only watch our favorite tv shows at certain points during the year. It's crap, we all know it. I watch tv all year round so it begs the question: Why wouldn't you do year round programming? You leave the summer months to repeats and bad reality tv and take 12 week breaks in the middle of a season. That is why cable networks consistently beat out public access networks with programming. If they were serious about fixing ratings slumps, why would they wait to introduce 18 new shows in the fall? You already have a fall line up, put something new and original on during the summer.

Third, Consistency. I have been watching tv since I can remember. And the one thing that has been missing for at least the last decade is consistency. Let me explain; when I was growing up, I knew when all my favorite shows were on. I didn't have to go searching for them. They didn't change every season. They were at the same time, every year, and you know what... I watched them. Every week. The networks are trying everything they can to figure out why viewership has been on a slow decline for years, well maybe we are tired of all your changes. I used to watch Greys Anatomy every Sunday, but now I only watch it on tivo because, like most of America, I have things to do on weekday evenings.

Stop moving things around and stop giving shows half a season to make it or break it. An easy solution for them is to give up the idea that a tv season has to cover a certain period of time. The only reason I can think of that they need to spread one show out from September to June is because of the sweeps races. Which were created by who? Advertisers? Put a show on in September, let it run it's 22 episode course without repeats and when it is over put on another 22 episode show. That takes care of 10 months of programming. Then with the last two months put out some shorter series like Bravo's "30 Days" whose first season was only 8 episodes.

That is the long and short of it... The networks don't give shows a real chance, they rely too much on ratings (which is a defunct system that I wont go into now), bowing to the whim of advertisers and instant gratification (it must be a success in the first 5 episodes or it's canceled). If they want people to tune it, than they need to keep things regular. Put a show on, keep it on for a few years and stop moving it around.

Well, I know this letter wont be published because of length, but I just had to voice my thoughts. Keep up all the good work you guys at EW do. And keep my bible coming!!!

Yours,

Shane Kroll

Monday, January 7, 2008

PTSD Euphemisms from George Carlin

I mentioned earlier several reasons we seem to employ so much euphemistic language: the need to avoid unpleasant realities; the need to make things sound more important than they really are; marketing demands; pretentiousness; boosting employee self-esteem; and, in some cases, just plain, old political correctness.

But no matter their purpose, the one thing euphemisms all have in common is that they soften the language. They portray reality as less vivid. And I've noticed Americans have a problem with reality; they prefer to avoid the truth and not look it in the eye. I think it's one of the consequences of being fat and prosperous and too comfortable. So, naturally, as time has passed, and we've grown fatter and more prosperous, the problem has gotten worse. Here's a good example:

There's a condition in combat - most people know it by now. It occurs when a soldier's nervous system has reached the breaking point. In World War I it was called shell shock. Simple, honest, direct language. Two syllables. Shell Shock. Almost sounds like the guns themselves. Shell Shock!!

That was 1917. A generation passed. Then, during the Second World War, the very same combat condition was called battle fatigue. Four syllables now. It takes a little longer to say, stretches it out. The words sont seem to hurt as much. And fatigue is a softer word than shock. Shell Shock. Battle Fatigue. The condition was being euphemized.

More time passed and we got to Korea, 1950. By that time, Madison Avenue had learned well how to manipulate the language, and the same combat condition became operational exhaustion. It had been stretched out to eight syllables. It took longer to say, so the impact was reduced, and the humanity was completely squeezed out of the term. It was now absolutely sterile: operational exhaustion. It sounded like something that might happen to your car.

And then, finally, we got to Vietnam. Given the dishonesty surrounding that war, I guess it's not surprising that, at the time, the very same condition was renamed post-traumatic stress disorder. It was still eight syllables, but a hyphen had been added, and, at last, the pain had been completely buried under psycho-jargon. Post-traumatic stress disorder.

I'd be willing to bet anything that if we'd still been calling is Shell Shock, some of those Vietnam veterans might have received the attentions they needed, at the time they needed it. But it didn't happen, and I'm convinced one of the reasons was that softer language we now prefer: The New Language. The language that takes the life out of life.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

119 Life Experiences

My life experiences:

(x) had an asthma attack - Boot camp, pulling my teammate through the obstacle course wearing a gas mask
(x) Smoked A Cigarette - Ummm yeah... started when I was 19... yuk!
(x) Smoked A Cigar - Ewwww, once at the Eagle beer bust and never again... bleck!
(x) Been drunk - Again... yeah... the worst two were: Ensenada Mexico, and Pride 2001 in San Francisco
(x) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex - Wow... yet again... duh. First time was age 12, a boy named Terry
(x) Been In Love or STILL IN LOVE - Yeah... didn't work out... so far
(x) Been Dumped - Ryan Leggasick, my straight friend, in order to wake me the hell up. It worked.
(x) Been Fired - Yikes, a few times... including the Navy
(x) Been In A Fist Fight - A few times in school, countless with my brother, and once with my dad
(x) Snuck Out Of A Parent's House - My brother and I used to sneak out in the middle of the night to explore
(x) Had Feelings For Someone Who Didn't Have Them Back - Many many many times
() Seen Someone You Know Get Arrested - No, but I know where AJ keeps his bail money
(x) Made Out With A Stranger - How else do you get to know somebody???
(x) Gone Out On A Blind Date - The internet is a wonderful thing!!
(x) Had A Crush On someone older then you - I have had a few daddy crushes.... mmmm Sir!
(x) Skipped School - Dont tell Mom, but I totally skipped school on senior skip day!
(x) Slept With A Co-worker. - I was in the NAVY!!!! Like you wouldn't?
() Seen Someone / Something Die - Blessed, only two people I know died and both of them were expected to.
(x) Been On A Plane - The longest was from LA to Sydney AU... 22 hours!!
(x) Thrown Up From Drinking - The whole bottle of goldschlaer that one pride...
() Eaten Sushi - Ewww, gross! I like my meat cooked! And I don't eat things that look the same dead as alive!
() Been Snowboarding/Skiing - Grew up in snow and never once... didn't see the excitement
(x) Been Mosh Pitting - Once in a straight bar and totally by accident... good god angry boys!
(x) Taken Pain Killers - One time Mark gave me one and a shot, next thing I knew I was dancing on a box
(x) Love*(d)* or Lust Someone Who You Can't Have - Have you seen where I live?? Almost every day...
(x) Been in a bad relationship - Had these two horrible friends when I first came out... treated me really bad
(x) Laid And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By - As a child... all the time. As a grown up... on sunny days
(x) Made A Snow Angel - As a child... all the time. As a grown up... anytime I see snow
(x) Had A Tea Party - I am a gay man after all...
(x) Flown A Kite - Not for a long long time...
(x) Built A Sand Castle - Used to go to Laguna and built while my brother Josh body surfed
(x) Gone Puddle Jumping - All the time when I was little, once in bodega bay in heavy rain
(x) Played Dress Up - Mom would catch me and say: That better get back on the hanger when your done.
(x) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves - Yeah pine needles, not so much fun
(x) Gone Sledding - Every winter in the back of the house on south end
(x) Cheated While Playing A Game - I cant remember when, but, um... I'm sure I have at some point.
(x) Been Lonely - Only when you make me think about it... GAWD!
(x) Fallen Asleep At Work / School - I got this trick locked, ask me, I can sleep standing up
() Used A Fake / Someone Else's ID - No, and now I'm too old... unless I commit a crime...hmmmmm
(x) Watched The sun set/ sun rise - Every day on westpac
(x) Felt An Earthquake - I do live in San Francisco!
(x) Kissed A Snake - We had a boa constrictor in high school... stupid dare
(x) Been Tickled - Even at my size my dad still pins me down and tickles me
(x) Been Robbed / Vandalized - My first CD collection was stolen from my rack on the boat
(x) Robbed Someone/Something - Yeah... I was a bad little kid
(x) Been Misunderstood.. - Um... I am a human being after all...
(x) Pet A Deer - Grew up in the rockies and they were everywhere...
(x) Won A Contest - When I was nine I won mom a dozen roses for V-day from a radio station
(x) Been Suspended - 8th grade... I got suspended and then expelled from school... hello home school!
(x) Had Detention - In high school I had some interesting times and some weird friends
(x) Been In A Car/ Motorcycle Accident - On the way to lookout camp mom turned a corner and wham!
(x) Had / Have Braces or Retainer - 5th grade... left it on the lunch table... got a lot of spankings
(x) Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night - Mmmmm.... what they come in small little pints now!
(x) Had deja vu - Didn't you just ask me this?
(x) Danced in the moonlight - Mmmmmm... memories of the lazy bear bonfire
(x) Hated The Way You Look - At least once a day... thats why I try not to look in a mirror once I look good
(x) Questioned Your Heart - Yeah, again generic everyone question
(x) Been obsessed with post-it-notes - Hmmm... I wonder if "obsessed" is a bit strong?
(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud - Eeeeeeewwww... only when I was little, again, sorry mom
(x) Been Lost - In a hole atop a mt in Arch's National Park, so scary... I couldn't climb out!
(x) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World - One of the only good things to come out of the navy
(x) Swam In The Ocean - Every day of every summer when we lived down south...
(x) Felt Like You Were Dying - That asthma attack in boot camp was pretty damn bad
(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep - The night Cord told me he was moving away to New York
(x) Played Cops And Robbers - With Josh, once he put hand cuffs on without having a key... I cried for hours
(x) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers - Made some posters for our last concert
(x) Sang Karaoke - Singing in front of people scares me, but yeah I do it
(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't - Too many to list here... I'll just list one... work.
(x) Made Prank Phone Calls - Is there a child in America that hasn't done this?
(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose - Eewwwwww.... milk
(x) Kissed In The Rain - Ahhhh romance... I cant remember who it was with, but I remember it was nice.
(x) Written A Letter To Santa Claus - Mom, do you still have any of these?
(x) Been Kissed Under A Mistletoe - Generic question that every says yes to
(x) Watched The Sun Set With Someone You Care / Cared About - In the park behind the castle in Prague
(x) Blown Bubbles - Any time I get some... it's like heroine
(x) Made A Bonfire - Lazy bear, really good way to make friends in the woods.
(x) Crashed A Party - I wouldn't say crashed, but I wasn't invited, but my presence made it a better party!
(x) Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People - Being on a boat with 450 men for 6 months count?
(x) Gone Rollerskating / Blading - Skating as a child at funplex, yes! Blades, once and never again!
(x) Had A Wish Come True - Many many times, I'm kinda blessed that way. Thanks Gary!
(x) Been Humped By A Monkey - Oh god, sad to say, yes, twice. Two different moneys.
(x) Worn Pearls - What respectable gay man hasn't???
(x) Jumped Off A Bridge (into water) - Polar bear swim after boot camp...Lake Michigan+December = COLD!
(x) Swam With Dolphins - Puerto Vallarta and Thailand
(x) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/ Freezer/Ice Cube - Favorite torture technique of older brother Josh
(x) Kissed A Fish - Above mentioned dolphins... they are fish, right?
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes - Only twice as an adult... on stage... for a show... I swear!
(x) Sat On A Roof Top - Went tanning with AJ on our old rooftop... man I got burned!
(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs - Everyone should do this, just to relieve pressure
(x) Done / Attempted A One-Handed Cartwheel - I'm glad they put that "attempted" in there
(x) Talked on the phone for more than 6 hours - I was a teenage girl... what can I say.
(x) Stayed Up All Night - By choice yes, every now and again... By force yes, every day in the navy
(x) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree - Crab apple, and trust me, I do NOT recommend it!
(x) Climbed A Tree - Hello, grew up in the mountains... try climbed every tree
(x) Had / Been In A Tree House - Josh and I had a cool one behind the duplex, it had an arrow target!
() Have been/Are scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone - Not until they start making movies scary again.
(x) Seen/heard a Ghost. - Mary talked to us on a Ouija board at a shelter in Laguna
() Have/had More Than 30 Pairs Of Shoes or Flip Flops - I do have a lot... but I'm sure not that many...
(x) Gone Streaking - Not my idea... I hate being naked!!!
(x) Been to/Visited Someone At Jail - One of Stacey's exes Sky. Man he was HOT, plus he gave good phone sex
(x) Played Chicken - A couple times in OC with Hala, Stacey and the gang... never for real
(x) Been Pushed Into A Pool With All Your Clothes On - Being a never-nude, I actually prefer it this way!
(x) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger - Victor, Halloween, walked up and kissed me as batman
(x) Broken a bone - When I was 1 or 2, one of the legs... not sure which
(x) Been Easily Amused - Constantly, thank god... couldn't imagine going through life without laughing a lot
(x) Caught A Fish - This one time at summer camp I caught 3 really big ones in a row, I felt so cool
(x) Caught A Butterfly - At Great America with Danny, landed right on my shirt
(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried - Laughter through tears is one of my favorite emotions!!!
() Cried So Hard You Laughed - I'm not sure I ever want anything to make me cry so hard
(x) Mooned / Flashed Someone - Again I defer to my reckless youth
(x) Had someone Moon / Flash You - Yes, and I greatly enjoyed it... he was HOT!!!
(x) Cheated On A Test - I helped someone write one of their final exams... does that count?
(x) Forgotten Someone's Name - Sadly this happens a lot... I think my memory banks are full
(x) French braided someones hair - Gay!! Thanks mom, Hala, Stacey, April, etc...
(x) Been Kicked Out Of Your House - One of the best things my parents ever did for me
(x) Rode A Roller Coaster - Until I realized I was too big to fit in them... damn body!
(x) Went Scuba-Diving / Snorkeling - In Puerto Vallarta, beautiful
(x) Had A Cavity - Recently I got my first cavity filling. 32 years, one cavity... not bad!
(x) Been Used - A few times, once that I regret and think about often. That moment with W.
(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs. - Only when intoxicated!
(x) Licked A Cat - Just to torture Psychotica... god I hated that damn cat
(x) Bitten Someone - Apparently when I was young, this was my fighting style of choice
(x) Licked Someone - Ummm... yes, and no comment. What, my mom reads this!!!
(x) Been Shot At - In the navy, during drills, and never with live rounds
(x) Flattened someone's tires - He deserved it, he was an utter bastard. Glad Stacey dumped him.
(x) Driven a car until the gas light came on - And will continue to until gas isn't so dammed expensive!
(x) Had five dollars or less and bought something? - This happens every pay period!!!

My Country tis of Whine

These are two letters that were sent to the Editor of the Bay Area Reporter. They speak about a song called "Magic Snow" that my chorus performed on Christmas Eve to a sold out crowd. Following the two letters is my response that I have sent to the Editor as a rebuttal.


'Magic snow' misses mark

On Christmas Eve I attended the 9 p.m. SF Gay Men's Chorus "Home for the Holidays" concert at the Castro Theatre. Their special guest performers were the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, which sang a set of songs, including one entitled "Magic Snow," the premise of which was to answer the question of how Santa Claus is able to stay up all night delivering presents. The song attributes St. Nick's stamina to "magic snow," a euphemism for cocaine. Although the word cocaine was never used, the chorus members made snorting sounds and gestures as if they were snorting cocaine whenever the line "magic snow" was sung. At the end of the song the conductor turned to the audience and said that she was sorry (I assume for the song) and then continued the program.

Let me start by saying that I "got" the joke. As a recovering cocaine addict there is little that gets by me, and although some people will read this letter and tell me to "lighten up," I must say that I do not think that drug abuse or addiction are joking matters, especially in a community that has witnessed the disease of addiction obliterating relationships and ruining lives in epidemic proportions. One need not look far to see how drugs have ravaged the gay community from the formation of a special methamphetamine task force to public service messages encouraging users to get help. There is a connection between drug use and risky sexual behaviors, and as the nation's number one health problem, addiction strains the health care system, the economy, harms family life, and threatens public safety, making drug use something that should not be encouraged or joked about.

I think including such a song in the venue of "Home for the Holidays" was inappropriate and hope that neither chorus loses supporters as a result. A program that was so inclusive of all should not have included a song that makes light of drug use. Throughout the performance of "Magic Snow" I could not help but feel uncomfortable for the parents who brought their children to the concert, for all the recovering people present who had to hear drug use glorified, and for anyone in the audience that has ever cared about someone who struggled with addiction. I might have felt differently about the song if it had told the entire story of what will happen to Santa after some time of using magic snow: Mrs. Claus leaves him, he can't get an erection, he loses his teeth, he fails to keep his promises and the elves can't rely on him, he spends all his money on the stuff and compromises his morals, eventually disappointing children around the world when he doesn't show up.

With all of the other holiday songs that include humorous innuendo that could have been sung, I ask why this song, especially since it appeared to make the conductor uncomfortable?

Arthur Bosse, MNA, Executive Director

National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions

Bay Area Chapter

San Francisco

Intuition ignored for concert

There is a small, quiet voice within each of us that speaks with clear intention. It is known mostly as intuition. It tells us when we are on track, and when we are not. We choose to listen or not. The consequences that follow are based upon our decision to pay attention or not.

I wonder why Stephanie Lynne Smith made the decision she did when she included "Magic Snow" in the program presented by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco at the annual holiday program at the Castro Theatre on Christmas Eve. The song was about Santa Claus being on cocaine/crystal so that he could get through the busy night before him. The performance was enhanced by the "sniffing" of the chorus members to mimic snorting drugs.

How, you might wonder, do I know that Smith ignored her intuition? Because following the performance of the song, she turned and apologized to the audience. "I'm so sorry," she said. So am I, Ms. Smith. I thought that I could not be any more horrified by your decision until I read in your bio in the program from the performance that you are a clinician. I'll make some assumptions, as a clinician myself, that you have spent endless hours listening to the heartbreak, shame, lost possibilities, desperation and utter hopelessness caused by addiction. I certainly have and still do. In fact, there were many people in that audience that were wondering if they could get through that night, a very difficult night for many of us, without using.

That evening is a tradition for many of us, and a chance to be with our "family." I am sad that the inclusion of this song tainted the evening for me and well as a number of other people with whom I have spoken. It was inappropriate and disrespectful and you knew that. You've made your apology so I don't expect another. Please listen the next time your inner voice tells you that you have been presented with an idea that may not be such a good one, and proceed accordingly. A presence higher than our own never steers us in the wrong direction, and we can all be wise enough to pay attention.

Kim Grubbs


My Country Tis of Whine:

After reading the two letters about the song “Magic Snow” (performed by LGCSF at the Castro Theater Christmas eve); I can only feel disappointment and anger. I just want to know what I can laugh at that wont offend someone. Every day there is a new task force or human rights group dedicated to making this word, phrase, or content taboo. You can’t say black; the African-Americans might be offended. You can’t joke about drugs; drug addicts and recovering addicts might be offended. You can’t march with the lesbians in the Dyke march to show support because you have a penis that might offend them.

We have become a country of whiners, and our new national motto is “I don’t like that…It offends me…make it stop forever”. People today have become so overly concerned with what is politically correct and acceptable that I honestly don’t think they remember how to just smile and laugh. After all, isn’t being offended a choice? I have decided, I am going to laugh at whatever makes me laugh, and I don’t care who is offended. Sorry.

It was a three and a half minute song. It was clearly a farce. It was written by a local gay composer to be a tongue-in-cheek laugh about Santa needing drugs in order to stay awake while traveling around the world stopping at every house along the way in just one day. From where I was standing on the stage, the majority of the audience laughed heartily, including my Christian parents.

I know the gay community has problems with drugs. We also have problems with alcohol, but I didn’t see a letter denouncing all the audience members that were drunk in their seats next to those offended little kiddies. You said; “I do not think drug abuse and addiction are joking matters, especially in a community that has witnessed the disease of addiction obliterating relationships and ruining lives in epidemic proportions.” I want to know, how exactly did a three and a half minute funny song contribute to the destruction of lives in epidemic proportions?

I in no way apologize for singing the song “Magic Snow”. It is a funny song that we all thought would be well received. It is the committees of the chorus that decide songs, not just Ms. Smith. That means a community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, straight, young and old, men and women (some of whom are in various stages of recovery themselves) all agreed on this song. If the offended parties want another apology, here it is. I am sorry our song offended you. Our intention was to entertain and make people laugh. If songs like this offend you, than in the future I suggest two things:

First, don’t come to an LGCSF concert. We are a strangely eclectic group of people in almost every walk of life that like to sing and laugh. We put on shows that could be perceived as risqué. Like our next show; the Annual Anti-Valentines day concert “Love Bites” in mid-February. We take all kinds of potshots at that silly little thing called love. Some of the things that we joke about would obviously offend those with a fragile sensibility. If you know these kinds of things offend you, do yourself a favor and don’t go.

Second, find an appropriate venue to fight for your cause. They are important causes; I would like nothing more than to see our community kick the habit. Arthur Bosses’ letter makes excellent points about drug addiction and the devastation it has caused. I just wish he could pick his battles with a little more thought on where his words will do the most good. A local community theater performance is not the arena to have a political discussion. So go out and join an activist group, write articles about what you have gone through with your own addictions or addictions of those you love. Take Action!

LGCSF is a singing dancing chorus. We sing songs that could offend, but they should also make you laugh. By the standard set up by these letters we would never be able to perform “Everybody Run, the Homecoming Queens got a Gun” because it deals with the subject of teen violence and death in school, the fact that it is hilarious is unimportant. Don’t forget that we are surrounded by tragedy every day. We offer a place where you can come listen to some music, socialize and have a few laughs before returning to reality. Sometimes the best way to deal with a tragic issue like drug abuse is to laugh about it. So next time you are about to be offended take a breath, and let out a good laugh. I promise, it will feel better than screaming at the wind.