Post-modern pop culture at it’s finest? Queer Eye on Netflix is so much more than that.
This past weekend, I impulse-purchased a trip to Florida, which miraculously fell from $700 to $338 in one day. It was great because I got to spend time with my mom, who I hadn’t seen since Christmas. My parents “winter” (yes, that’s a verb) in a little slice of paradise, Marco Island. I always welcome any chance I have to sneak down there because I find it to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Typically our time there involves early mornings, coffee on the balcony overlooking the inner-coastal, the pool or beach, early dinner, ice cream, and TV until bed.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a big TV person at ALL. Typically I watch Fixer Upper, This is Us, and, if I have a large amount of downtime, Dateline. Between my relationship, social life, church, volunteer work, side hustling, and, of course, my day job, I really don’t have a ton of time for TV and, frankly, find much of it to be a total waste of time. I like to be constantly learning and growing, and much of the mindless television out there it underwhelming, to say the least. So, I did not have high hope for the the somewhat mindless Netflix viewing my mom and I did in Florida last weekend. But, gosh, did I get a surprise…
When I was in high school, my mom and I often watched the old version of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I always liked the makeover aspect of it, and how it is clear that, no matter our background, we can learn from one another. But, the old show was a little mindless. Aside from the grooming tips for dudes and seeing how incredible deplorable of conditions single men can, on occasion, live in, there wasn’t much intellectual stimulation to it.
OK, enough of my prefacing. Why did I love the new Queer Eye? They modeled some of the best and productive conversations I’ve ever seen. Hear me out.
We live in a very divided society. It appears as though Republicans can’t converse with Democrats; Evangelical Christians can’t converse with Gays; Police can’t converse with BLM, and the list goes on. Rather than dancing around issues, or assuming that every single viewer agrees with a stereotypical leftist agenda, the men on Queer Eye address the issues head-on and model some wonderful conversations about really controversial issues.
In one episode, the “Fab Five” make over a policeman from back-country Georgia. He is also a huge Nascar fan, had a Trump Pence lawn sign in his garage, and, well, might be a little bit not who a bunch of gay guys would be inclined to hang out with on a regular basis. One of the Fab Five is a (cough, gorgeous) black man named Karamo. (I mention that he’s black for a reason, so no calling me racist, K?). When the cop and Karamo are alone, they start to converse about Black Lives Matter, police brutality and overall political divides.. and guess what? Even though I would venture to guess that neither party involved changed their political affiliation, I do know that they were able to do something that many of us have lost a skill for.. They talked. They were also able to see the other side of the argument in a productive and understand why people think they way they do. In another episode, one of the Fab Five, Bobby, questions the beliefs of a devout Christian father. The two have a beautiful conversation that did not end in anyone telling anyone they’re going to hell or calling the other a bigot. Both stayed true to their beliefs, but were able to reach across the proverbial divide and converse.
Why have we come to a place that is so divided that we can’t even begin to think of how someone else can think differently than us? I’ll spare you my theories, but what I do know is that this needs to change. Many of us who do not adhere to the thought process of the mainstream media, for example, feel silenced because people aren’t willing to listen. I think we can learn a TON from the conversations the guys on Queer Eye modeled, and come to the realization that disagreement does not always equate hatred. Diversity of humanity is a beautiful and necessary entity, and we need to celebrate the diversity of opinions.
Watch Queer Eye. Seriously. Even if you’re the most anti-gay person on the planet, watch it. Americans need to learn how to talk like these people do… I can’t recommend enough.