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New FoxNews video about asexuality


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FoxNews on Asexuality (Sorry to those who can't view from this link, it's all I have).

These people are so ignorant and have the ability to endorse this ignorance to millions of people. It makes me want to cry. And barf. And cry some more. It was so painful, I couldn't even finish it.

People who have the power to influence so many people, shouldn't be allowed to cover such sensitive topics if they're not going to even research a little bit to know what they're talking about. Apparently asexuals are either women 3 1/2 weeks out a a month, or men who don't objectify women.

I don't even have the words...

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FoxNews on Asexuality (Sorry to those who can't view from this link, it's all I have).

These people are so ignorant and have the ability to endorse this ignorance to millions of people. It makes me want to cry. And barf. And cry some more. It was so painful, I couldn't even finish it.

People who have the power to influence so many people, shouldn't be allowed to cover such sensitive topics if they're not going to even research a little bit to know what they're talking about. Apparently asexuals are either women 3 1/2 weeks out a a month, or men who don't objectify women.

I don't even have the words...

Oh dear I'm almost afraid to go watch it....

ETA: well, it's not even close to good, but it's not as terrible as it could be. Though that's not saying much. It's mostly the usual stupidity.

Rough Transcript:

Transcript (let me know if you find errors.):

Host: Some feel a tug, others just shrug: I’m speaking of those who feel no sexual attraction to others. A new book argues that asexuals, an estimated one percent of the population, should be recognized as a fourth sexual orientation, or FSO for short. With the author calling them an understudied group who could feel very excluded from our quote “very sexualized culture” and indeed it is. Said one fan of neither woman or man quote: “we want asexuality to be recognized as a valid sexual orientation rather than a disorder or something people have to hide.” -(Michael Dore, World Pride Conference)

So let’s discuss this in the - shall we - Lighting Rooooooooooouuuuuuuund (they say it exactly like that)

Brooks, do you buy this orientation? Asexuals? Are they an under-

Brooke Goldfiend (Lawfare Project Director): Oh, I buy it.

Host: Oh you do?

Brooke: Asexuality has been around for a very long time, it’s called being a woman every three and a half weeks. (laughter) It’s a wonderful excuse to get out of obligations. (more laughter) I feel really bad for this poor 23-year-old who actually went and did the interview who admitted that he doesn’t objectify women, so they classified him as being asexual. I mean that’s the whole problem with the study, it went around to a bunch of men, and they didn’t want to, you know, have sex ten times a day, and suddenly they’re asexual.

Host: so you think that actually these people were just normal, or they were undereporting it -

Brooke: absolutely I think they were normal in an uber-sexualized society, so we’ve had to invent this asexuality

Someone: Wow!

???: (jokingly) I just can’t believe the interview thought that I was 23

(laughter)

Host: Jamie, could it be they’re exaggerating asexuality, the numbers, like everybody does, remember we were told that this population was this big and then it wasn;t really this big, I’m talking about pixies.

(laughter)

Jamie Weinstein (Dailycalle): (sarcastically) I don’t think academics ever exaggerate anything . no, there was, I think there was a show about asexuality, or at least a segment on Saturday Night Live, it’s called Pat, uh, so I think they’ve been represented to some degree. But I think it’s kind of something, if you’ve ever been to-when I was on a college campus I remember, there was the lesbian bisexual gay and transgender, and then uh, questioning, they keep adding different letters, it does seem like we’re gonna be keep adding different letters for this.

Host: But I think they won’t be long on that one because they have a lack of a sexual - a sort - a sexuality, so they’ll be kinda like, treated as lepers, asexual lepers, if you will, uh dan. Fact is though you knew someone in high school like this didn’t you, or if you didn’t know someone then it was you

Dan Soder, (Comedian): wow, I don’t know, why are you cornering me like that?

(laughter)

I don’t know, I think when they say they want to be represented what do they want, just like the most boring beer commercials ever, just like a guy that’s like “beer”. (laughter). That’s it. No chicks in bikinis.

Host: But that’s the point. If this is the beginning, bill, of asexual rights, how - look what kind of discrimination will they be fighting against?

Bill: How where they discriminated against to begin with? they can focus on more things, get more done, not have to worry about a myriad of things that you sexual people have to worry about. I think that the problem with this is that it’s one percent. And can we just like, after a while stop recognizing things? Like if it’s that small a portion of the population, do I have to recognize you? Like, woo recognize me because I wear sock monkey hats! Ok, there’s a couple people that wear sock monkey hats, I don’t need to recognize you. yes, you exist. Move on.

Host: What do you have against sock monkeys?

Bill?: I’ve been to Williamsburg way to many times this weekend, I’m done with it.

Host: Well when somebody wants to be recognized you gotta wonder what do they want? And then you have to ask yourself what are they not getting?

Dan: Well we know they don’t want sex (laughter) so that’s what we know they’re not after

Host: exactly! so they want something else. I don’t trustem, I don’t trust em a bit

Dan: I don’t trust them at all (laughter)

-end-

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I just watched the video and truly feel on the verge of tears. I am already struggling with how to address my asexuality and if it's something I need to disclose to friends and family.... I didn't mean to go on a little personal rant for a moment there... I just am so appalled that people can act so ignorant. I don't really even know what else to say. I am in shock.

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It annoys me that people can just get away with saying things like that about asexuality. If that interview were about homosexual people then the public/media would be in an uproar about what was said; just because we're a minority doesn't mean we don't exist or deserve the recognition that other sexualities get.

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what I always think about when I see things like this is imagine if it was their daughter or someone they knew and cared about that felt this way. They think they are being funny, it's just for entertainment purposes. It really doesn't matter what they think because their stupid comments doesn't change the validity of asexuality and never will :)

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Wait, so because it's one percent it doesn't matter? Many vs Few argument all over again. I don't get why they aren't being "serious" the whole video.People who watch it will think:" heh, this must be some parody session of a real event" or "yeah what do they want?! (with a laugh)". Just because you don't find something interesting/valid or true doesn't mean you can ridicule it to death.

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Well, that's a disappointment. Not only that, and also the fact that people watched that show and will most likely adopt this point of view like any other show... This talk about asexuality was perhaps a gain to visibility, but a loss to education, as these people misunderstand and make fun of us. I know I always say that people's mistakes are due to their ignorance, but this is revolting. They should be the ones to know and distribute the information efficiently, and what do we get? A quaint TV show stuffed with ignorant opinions.

But I must contest, even if they will likely not seek out my opinions here, that the way they say that we shouldn't be recognized because we are a minority sickens me. Merely knowing that we exist is the least one can do on that subject, and it is still a lot, but ignorance? This is apathy towards other human beings that express what they are and these clowns welcome it like a nail bed. We are people no matter what, aren't we? Then why should we be told otherwise for a single detail?

And to apply 23DN4L's argument, aren't disabled people worth about 1% as well? By that mean, they should be treated like the rest of the planet and get used to their troubles; We're not going to fuss about a 1% (I'm not saying asexuality is a disease-- on the contrary, even.) And also, isn't homosexuality demographics of about 2-3%? I find their reasoning quite empty, to say the least.

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The person at the end of the video sums it all up. The people who watch Fox News are just so tired of having to accept that other people exist besides them.

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"How where they discriminated against to begin with?"

isn't it ironic that he wonders how when this whole video is discriminative to us? as they are making fun of us and pretty much they say we dont exist because are "normal" women every 3 and half weeks. So they think that what we are trying to be is something abnormal...

I started vomiting the moment this person started talking and I'm really shocked that people really watch that person on tv...

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FOX News has always been a laughingstock.

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"What are they discriminated against?" continues to insult asexuals...real well done right there. If this was on a proper news channel I might have gotten sick.

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I'm trying to be shocked, but really... When has Fox News ever represented something accurately?

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Thanks for posting the transcript, Cleander; I didn't want to watch it. Oh, the inanity (not a typo)... *retches*

It's exceedingly annoying, yes, but you know how ditzy they sounded, even in the transcript? It might as well have been a stupid high school locker room conversation. Even if it hadn't been on FoxNews (and that's enough to discount it for not-a-few people), the only people who'd take people like that seriously are people who think that way to begin with. You know? Everyone else is just going to think, "...*face palm*", or make nasty phone calls (which they do deserve a few of, and will probably be getting, even if it's from the larger GLBT organizations). I'm not going to stress about it, personally. "Those who mind don't matter," etc.

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It's bad, it's ignorant, but I've seen worse. At least they said what asexuality is correctly and didn't say "it's people who CHOOSE not to have sex because it's probably ultra-religious fanatics" (I have seen this, sadly) and they brought the message about the discrimination, even though they then somehow discriminated against us.

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Oh dear. How exactly are we supposed to be treated like humans by other people we come out to when this happens on tv?? Insulting, that's what it is. Comparing asexuality to monkey socks is like... wow. And people still wonder why there's so much prejudice in the world. Oh why is that I wonder.

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Host: Well when somebody wants to be recognized you gotta wonder what do they want? And then you have to ask yourself what are they not getting?

Dan: Well we know they don’t want sex (laughter) so that’s what we know they’re not after

Host: exactly! so they want something else. I don’t trustem, I don’t trust em a bit

Dan: I don’t trust them at all (laughter)

Oh no, they're on to us! :lol: It's only a matter of time before they discover the plans to seize the world's supply of cake.

I don't know, maybe it's because I know FOX is a little offensive, maybe it's the thick skin that comes from being an avid internet user, but by the end of the interview I was laughing along with them. Sure, I got annoyed at the start by the blatant ignorance, but once you see past that it's pretty funny. Gotta be able to laugh at yourself :P

I think with all the positive visibility that has been going on recently, it was nigh-on inevitable that we'd get something like this eventually. I don't imagine it will be too damaging ^_^

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Alphaprocess

It's started badly already. The 'lightning round' thing sounds like the intro to a really bad wrestling program.

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Want to watch clowns reporting on news?! Only on fox news!

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It's bad, it's ignorant, but I've seen worse. At least they said what asexuality is correctly and didn't say "it's people who CHOOSE not to have sex because it's probably ultra-religious fanatics" (I have seen this, sadly) and they brought the message about the discrimination, even though they then somehow discriminated against us.

That, I agree with and it's probably the only good point of it all. However, if they misinterpreted us and posted their discriminating content, it would have been partly invalid, since their base information is incorrect. The way their base really is what we define to makes it a certain hit and insulting above all.

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How are we discriminated against? Fox news makes fun of us, for one thing...

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kitchenwitch

This morning, Fox News covered Anthony Bogaert's new book, Understanding Asexuality. You can probably guess, the coverage was atrocious. You can watch the video here.

AAW is launching a petition that asks Fox News to talk to asexual people rather than to have us be the brunt of jokes on their show. You can sign the petition here.

Please please send the petition far and wide and repost it — every time someone signs it, the show’s host and executive producer, as well as several of the commentators, get an email saying there’s another signature. So let’s fill their inboxes. :)

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Isn't Fox the network of Glenn and Rush and all those "birther" nuts?

Well, guess what? Not many people will believe that asexuality exists, anyway, so... Fox News just lost its credibility. :lol:

But seriously, you can't trust Fox. You can only trust Fox to do one thing -- F--- stuff up.

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Did you notice the time stamp above the video? 3:51 (that is, 3:51 am, not pm). As such, given the time of day that that show is on, not many people watch it. And even among those who do, I doubt anyone actually take that show seriously.

TL;DR: Pick your battles.

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Opel the Old

Fox News get everything wrong, this is not the first time(or last)

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kitchenwitch

Yeah, it's not surprising that Fox News got it wrong. Still, we can't pass up any opportunity to engage the media when they show even some interest in the topic. Especially when they do a bad job at it. If we let the botched jobs go by, then other groups will think it's okay to misreport too. I know Fox isn't the bastion of fact-checking, but we can still call them out (and we should).

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kitchenwitch

TL;DR: Pick your battles.[/color]

I do, and I think that the battle over the way we're represented on TV is a battle worth winning. Three reasons:

1) We haven't been on TV in the US since 2006. That means people are going to be interested again. There's a whirlwind of press surrounding Bogaert's book (that's what the Fox segment is about), indicating that interest is up at the moment.

2) We have a clear ask: if you're going to talk about us, please talk to us.

3) Even if Red Eye is on at 3:00am, almost half a million people watch it (Look for #24, stupid slide shows). And those people all just got four minutes of Asexuality Is A Joke. I think a petition is a proportional response to that.

Edited for stylistic ocd.

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Also, if anyone wants a rough transcript:

Host: Some feel a tug, others just shrug: I’m speaking of those who feel no sexual attraction to others. A new book argues that asexuals, an estimated one percent of the population, should be recognized as a fourth sexual orientation, or FSO for short. With the author calling them an understudied group who could feel very excluded from our quote “very sexualized culture” and indeed it is. Said one fan of neither woman or man quote: “we want asexuality to be recognized as a valid sexual orientation rather than a disorder or something people have to hide.” -(Michael Dore, World Pride Conference)

So let’s discuss this in the - shall we - Lighting Rooooooooooouuuuuuuund (they say it exactly like that)

Brooks, do you buy this orientation? Asexuals? Are they an under-

Brooke Goldfiend (Lawfare Project Director): Oh, I buy it.

Host: Oh you do?

Brooke: Asexuality has been around for a very long time, it’s called being a woman every three and a half weeks. (laughter) It’s a wonderful excuse to get out of obligations. (more laughter) I feel really bad for this poor 23-year-old who actually went and did the interview who admitted that he doesn’t objectify women, so they classified him as being asexual. I mean that’s the whole problem with the study, it went around to a bunch of men, and they didn’t want to, you know, have sex ten times a day, and suddenly they’re asexual.

Host: so you think that actually these people were just normal, or they were undereporting it -

Brooke: absolutely I think they were normal in an uber-sexualized society, so we’ve had to invent this asexuality

Someone: Wow!

???: (jokingly) I just can’t believe the interview thought that I was 23

(laughter)

Host: Jamie, could it be they’re exaggerating asexuality, the numbers, like everybody does, remember we were told that this population was this big and then it wasn;t really this big, I’m talking about pixies.

(laughter)

Jamie Weinstein (Dailycalle): (sarcastically) I don’t think academics ever exaggerate anything . no, there was, I think there was a show about asexuality, or at least a segment on Saturday Night Live, it’s called Pat, uh, so I think they’ve been represented to some degree. But I think it’s kind of something, if you’ve ever been to-when I was on a college campus I remember, there was the lesbian bisexual gay and transgender, and then uh, questioning, they keep adding different letters, it does seem like we’re gonna be keep adding different letters for this.

Host: But I think they won’t be long on that one because they have a lack of a sexual - a sort - a sexuality, so they’ll be kinda like, treated as lepers, asexual lepers, if you will, uh dan. Fact is though you knew someone in high school like this didn’t you, or if you didn’t know someone then it was you

Dan Soder, (Comedian): wow, I don’t know, why are you cornering me like that?

(laughter)

I don’t know, I think when they say they want to be represented what do they want, just like the most boring beer commercials ever, just like a guy that’s like “beer”. (laughter). That’s it. No chicks in bikinis.

Host: But that’s the point. If this is the beginning, bill, of asexual rights, how - look what kind of discrimination will they be fighting against?

Bill: How where they discriminated against to begin with? they can focus on more things, get more done, not have to worry about a myriad of things that you sexual people have to worry about. I think that the problem with this is that it’s one percent. And can we just like, after a while stop recognizing things? Like if it’s that small a portion of the population, do I have to recognize you? Like, woo recognize me because I wear sock monkey hats! Ok, there’s a couple people that wear sock monkey hats, I don’t need to recognize you. yes, you exist. Move on.

Host: What do you have against sock monkeys?

Bill?: I’ve been to Williamsburg way to many times this weekend, I’m done with it.

Host: Well when somebody wants to be recognized you gotta wonder what do they want? And then you have to ask yourself what are they not getting?

Dan: Well we know they don’t want sex (laughter) so that’s what we know they’re not after

Host: exactly! so they want something else. I don’t trustem, I don’t trust em a bit

Dan: I don’t trust them at all (laughter)

-end-

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Oddly, features on Fox News regarding asexuality from previous years seemed far more benign.

From 2006:

From 2009: FOXSexpert: Asexuality - Is It Even Real?

This is not to say that I consider Faux News anything more than televised tabloid sensationalism, but it's interesting to see the difference in attitude.

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