My only challenge is Crystal felt compelled to share his feelings with the world. Why? He has a right to feel the way he wishes, and I won't condemn him for that. I'd just like for folks to keep things that might be hurtful to others to themselves. But no way in hell will I tell anyone how they should feel.

My only challenge is Crystal felt compelled to share his feelings with the world. Why? He has a right to feel the way he wishes, and I won't condemn him for that. I'd just like for folks to keep things that might be hurtful to others to themselves.

If I did that I wouldn't be on this board (or this Earth) anymore.

Unlike myself, I don't think Crystal meant anything by it. He's just an old man a little too set in his ways. Some of this [!@#$%^&*] is a little much for him. My mom thought a very brief nude shot in My Own Private Idaho was "pornography". I love her to death but all I could do was laugh at her.

Edited January 19, 201510 yr by Vee

My only challenge is Crystal felt compelled to share his feelings with the world. Why? He has a right to feel the way he wishes, and I won't condemn him for that. I'd just like for folks to keep things that might be hurtful to others to themselves. But no way in hell will I tell anyone how they should feel.

He should compare notes with Kirk Cameron.

It's not so much about Billy Crystal being a raging bigot as it is his "golly gosh I can't take seeing gay sex" views just give more fodder to the people who work day and night to stop the industry from having any portrayal of sexuality beyond sassy best friends or tales of tragedy and misery.

Someone who is some type of "liberal" voice saying this, and acting like a victim when he gets criticized for it, just plays right into their "gay agenda" "thought police" "straight people are now the ones who deserve 'special rights'" hands.

It also reminds me again of just how frightened the world is of sexuality between gay couples, especially between two men. And stuff like this just makes that even more prevalent and popular, because if you go, essentially, "ew that's icky," you're a hero for free speech.

I think a lot of that is dying out. I just don't think anyone outside of the already-well-established FOX News sphere is taking 99-year-old Billy Crystal to heart.

I don't think TV has ever been this casually gay or queer, both for ill and for good. Empire runs every week, along with Looking, Shameless, stuff on Amazon like Transparent, you name it - there's a flavor of representation for anyone and anything of any interest out there. Even GH and DAYS, for all their flaws, have no problem anymore with showing guys making out on a regular basis (and wow, the new Will's pecs are unbelievable). That's the way of things now. So anyone who isn't already hardened on this stuff with their politics or their church is, I suspect, laughing Billy off as an old-fashioned old man.

Edited January 19, 201510 yr by Vee

My only challenge is Crystal felt compelled to share his feelings with the world. Why?

Because he got asked about it. It's not like he did a press conference to tell the world his opinion.

Because he got asked about it. It's not like he did a press conference to tell the world his opinion.

Ok so what's the huge deal?

Ok so what's the huge deal?

I don't think there is one. Unfortunately, "Old Man Has Trouble Adjusting to the Present" makes a lousy headline.

When is this queen going to come out of the closet?

I mean, there are people that are just uncomfortable with extreme scenes of intimacy/sex in general, gay or straight. Not saying that's the case here but I can't fault them for it.

Personally, I feel about what I perceive to be violence constantly being shoved in our faces as Mr. Crystal seems to feel about what he perceives as the gay stuff shoved in our faces.

It's called a remote control. I use mine pretty nondiscriminately.

And who told him it was a good idea to say such things, anyway? Even if he's not a "bigot," (a word used FAR too liberally these days), it's rarely a good idea to say anything like that these days.

ETA: Not that I'm judging Crystal or anything. I don't think he's a bigot. I think he's one of those folks of a certain age who don't mean any harm for whom the world is changing just a bit too quickly for him to realize he might be figuratively killed for what he's saying.

Edited January 20, 201510 yr by katie_9918

Personally, I feel about what I perceive to be violence constantly being shoved in our faces as Mr. Crystal seems to feel about the gay stuff shoved in our faces.

This touches on something that drives me crazy. Every week we have a million shows featuring rapists, psychopaths, serial killers, etc.... CSI, L&O, NCIS, Stalker, Criminal Minds, etc.... but for some reason people seem way more bothered by depictions of consensual sex.

This touches on something that drives me crazy. Every week we have a million shows featuring rapists, psychopaths, serial killers, etc.... CSI, L&O, NCIS, Stalker, Criminal Minds, etc.... but for some reason people seem way more bothered by depictions of consensual sex.

Totally agree. And I did edit to add a few words that disappeared between my head and the add reply button. They were important words.

This touches on something that drives me crazy. Every week we have a million shows featuring rapists, psychopaths, serial killers, etc.... CSI, L&O, NCIS, Stalker, Criminal Minds, etc.... but for some reason people seem way more bothered by depictions of consensual sex.

That has always annoyed me. In many ways, violence is acceptable, embraced and even glorified while even the most casual depiction of sex or the human body (a natural, beautiful thing IMO) is enough to make people go nuts. Just doesn't make sense.

This 'Billy is old therefore he gets a free pass' is nonsense.The man is 66 which to a 22 yr old might seem ancient but he grew up in a time of enormous change and was part of it through his involvement with Soap.If he was spouting racist or sexist comments would it be OK to say he's old so its not a problem?

Had he objected to sex scenes in general that would be a different issue but to make out that gay sex scenes are going too far and he feels uncomfortable really does him no favours.

And violence and sexism on the screen is a different issue.