Irate before 9am

Today on my way to work I heard NPS's report on "Smithsonian Under Fire For Gay Portraiture Exhibit." I was excited about the exhibit, Hide/Seek, when I heard about it a few months ago, and I guess I should've expected the controversy. The censorship, the caving by museum officials, and the homophobia - well, I guess I'm just used to that by now, so that only got my blood to sub-boiling levels. But then Cantor really got on a roll, and I almost swerved off the road I was so angry. This blogger sums it up well:

"As I usually do, I was listening to National Public Radio as I got ready for work this morning. It may surprise you to know that a working class person like myself listens to NPR, but not as much as it surprised me to hear you saying that Congress should withdraw funding from The Smithsonian, because it’s only enjoyed by the elites. The working class, you went on to say, enjoys professional wrestling, but we don’t provide federal funding for the WWE.

This is one of the most ignorant and offensive things I’ve heard on the news in a long time, and that’s saying something.

Here’s a news flash for you: not all working class people enjoy professional wrestling, or NASCAR, or even college sports. A whole lot of working class people enjoy the arts and count on federal funding to provide us access to them."

Wow, censorship, bigotry, homophobia, classism, and a continuation of the cult of ignorance this country has been alternately worshipping and fighting since Bush took office? And all before 9am.

Image: Susan Sontag, by Peter Hujar.