James Franco Jacked My Swag

So when I start a petition raging at the OFLC's continued existence nobody listens, but when James Franco calls it a national embarrassment to Australia the media are all ears:

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/online-move-to-bypass-gay-sex-film-ban-20130307-2fn23.html

I can't believe this, James Franco jacked my swag. I knew it all along, nobody cares about important issues you try to raise unless you're a rich and famous, pretty male celebrity. I don't have your perfect body, wealth and fame, James Franco. I hate the OFLC too, but my face isn't in the news. Pfft, total bullshit. It is nice that his star power will bring awareness to this BS over the OFLC banning things though.

Jack his swag right back!

Break into his house, find his swag, then grab it and run off.

Were you in Oz The Great and Powerful?

Ha! I thought not!

My point is precisely that I'm pissed that media coverage of crusades against censorship only cover celebrities who are already Great and Powerful.

Fucking Oz, man. Both kinds of Oz.

Who's James Franco?

Wait, isn't he that guy who was in that incredibly-boring-looking survival movie 127 Hours? And then he hosted the Oscars and was totally forgettable? And then Colbert-sensei pwned him twice at Tolkeinian lore?

He was also Harry Osborne.

"So good."

I think it's worth pointing out that news stories like this illuminate that while crazy, my previously expressed urge to become famous so people will listen to me makes sense in the context of Botton's termed Status Anxiety driven society. In hindsight my tireless efforts to combat Australian censorship with my own petitions getting ignored while people like James Franco latch onto an issue to be cool... speaks for itself as to the origins of my lust for fame given how little credit I get for my anti-censorship/political efforts.

edited 11th Mar '13 6:31:28 AM by NewGeekPhilosopher

Uh, yeah, it's much easier to get recognized by media if you're already in the media's spotlight. It's just like how it's much easier for an issue to become much-discussed on the internet when it's brought to attention by someone that's popular on the internet.

If you want your opinions to be known, you have to place yourself in the centre of people's attention. It's not enough to voice your opinion, you need to make it get heard!

To think that you need to get famous before you can get your opinion out is going about it the wrong way. Make your opinion famous first, and attention will follow. Arrange very visible protests with lots of participants, start unavoidable campaigns and be where your audience is until they realize what you're talking about. Petitions are everywhere, they're easy to ignore.

...also, shouldn't you really be happy that someone is bringing this to everyone's attention? Isn't the cause more important than you being the one fronting it?

Ack, it's like my attention whore artist ego is perching on one shoulder and Lao Tzu is shaming me on the other. He was a guy not big on the whole gloating or taking credit thing.

I'm still not good at this not-attention whoring yet. I feel very easy to ignore. Yes I'm happy it's getting attention, even if James Franco has to do it, but I do feel terribad that one has to be a pretty boy artist celebrity to get noticed.

...so, you are annoyed that a professional actor is using the status he's worked 15 years to create to promote an important cause amongst his followers? This might come as a surprise, but you don't become an Academy Award-nominated actor or get to host the Oscars without committing to some hard work. He didn't just get there because he's got a pretty face, despite some might tell you of the world of showbusiness.

One does not simply mention the pie scene without posting the video!

That's not something I ever expected to read, and I clicked on this thread just to see what could possibly justify that sentence.

Excuse you, but that movie was awesome and he was an incredible actor in it.

So James Franco is...?

Who's that?

To be honest I'm aware that James Franco threw years into his craft, what pisses me off however is how I'm about five years into my serious craft (writing books) and while I no doubt admire people who are ahead of me and are where they need to be, my main qualms with the celebrity activism system is, the celebrities who have enough money, connections and power to risk attaching to a pet cause already have amassed cultural capital whereas earnest people, celebrities or not, who truly believe that activism is more than a publicity stunt get left in the shade while other, more moneyed and handsome fellows grab the spotlight and hence history's accolades when numerous others paved the way for this to happen.

It's why I'm pissed at my sassy gay friend Terry sometimes who claims that watching Derek Jarman seems dull and out of date since "gay visibility already got what they wanted with reality TV". I love the man in a platonic way, but he certainly needs a few beatings with the reality stick. And to be honest, sometimes I do as well.

I just feel a bit miffed when the face of activism isn't people in grassroots movements now instead of celebrities like Bono and here, James Franco.

EDIT: Oooh boy, I think I just figured out why James Franco put his hat into the ring here.

http://tix.mqff.com.au/session2_mqff.asp?sn=Interior.+Leather+Bar&s=234

I guess he isn't the only one putting out an LGBT movie into that Australian festival.

Vested interest. Well, to be fair I admire he's in this for more than proving how liberal he is. The subject matter of his movie however...

edited 12th Mar '13 1:17:54 AM by NewGeekPhilosopher