MSGTAS on September 30, 2007 at 9:12 AM

Wow sorry to hear ya had to live in the TL.
I use to go there when I was a teenager just to watch the freak shows on Friday and Saturday night when there was nothing better on TV.

Leavenworth between Bush and Gerry was best for freak show watching

As a aged Hippie Dippy of S.F. who has worked and lived in the tenderloin, I will tell you this could be the last supper for a large number of the participants. Their lifestyle will always catch up with them.

Drinking Miller will only expedite their departure.

Pablo on September 28, 2007 at 10:57 AM

Heh. I know, but I still told them that I “will never drink another Genuine Draft as long I know what they’re serving me!”

Please support FOLSOM STREET FAIR by calling Miller Brewing Company and thanking them for their continued support of the Folsom Street Fair.In addition congratulate them for not caving to right-wing pressure to pull out from presenting sponsorship of our Fair.
We have worked successfully with this company for many years, and they have been very supportive of our community. With so much “negative”attention being paid to the Folsom Street Fair poster, we think it’s important for Miller to hear from you!
Please contact Miller spokesman Julian Green at green.julian@ mbco.com
or call 1-800-MILLER 6 or 414-931-2000 to let them know how much you appreciate standing up for us.
Thanks for your support,
and we hope to see you at Venus’ Playground and/or the Folsom Street Fair
this weekend!
Thanks in advance,
Countess
Public Relations Coordinator
Folsom Street Events Women’s Area “Venus’ Playground”

JetBoy on September 28, 2007 at 4:47 PM

Here is the rub for me {no pun intended}, as I have been around this sub culture, It would be a rally cry if a picture was posted depicting their protected class in a vile light. It would be labeled homophobic, bigoted,racist and sexist . But in the same breath they do this as a way to shove a finger in the eye of another group of people to make themselves feel morally superior. I’m not going by a third party story, I have seen it first hand .If it was reversed it would be called hate speech, but they shield their hate with the code words of art or satire.
nothing more then self gratifying narcissism.

You’re the only one talking about banning or censoring here.

Strawman much?

I’m using it as my desktop image on my computer.

The last I heard was that Miller basically said we’ve supported Gay and Lesbian events in the past and will continue to do so.

I’m totally fine with that…even though I think GLBT “pride” parades have long-since outlived their usefulness.

They’re now basically just an excuse to get together, drink/do drugs and dance around like a bunch of retards.

Frankly, as a fellow queer, I find them to be downright embarrassing.

The Folsom Street Fair is not the sort of event a major corporation like Miller should be attaching their brand name to.

Just take a gander at who they’re keeping company with.

Elbow Grease and Dungeon Beds…..nice.

What’s next, a NAMBLA convention?

Even classic corporate whores like Bank of America had sense enough to stay away.

I think Miller screwed the pooch on this one.

georgej on September 28, 2007 at 4:26 PM

You make a great point, about those other “artworks” like the “Dung Madonna”. I remember when that exhibit was going on…in Brooklyn I believe…and the outrage surrounding it.

Now those pieces I would say “Yes, they are offensive”, as they make an implicit statement on Christianlity. But I also believe (having been an art student) that these things should neither be banned nor censored. If you don’t like the art in an exhibit, don’t go and see ‘em. The “Last Supper” in question, tho, is probably eant to be plastered around town to promote the event, so avoiding it may not be simple.

Another good point you make is:

After all, neither Miller, the photographer, nor the models are facing criminal prosecution, imprisonment or death for their role in making the poster, unlike what would happen in a muslim country if the target were Mohammad. Nor did the government step in and premptively censor the photograph before publication.

Exactly. That’s part of the give-and-take of a free society…that not everything will be endorsed by everyone. And yes….you would never see anything even remotely similar in a Muslim nation.

So let’s not try to be like one. I just think there’s more important things to worry about than some group making a parody of a very famous (and not famous simply because of it’s Christian nature) painting for their own benefit.

Fortunately, Miller is one of my least favorite beers. I’ll stick to my standard Yuengling.

But that isn’t the point.

Art is communication. Picasso’s Guernica was one of the most effective anti-war/anti-fascist messages ever told. Da Vinci was trying to convey a moment of high religious signifigance, the first Communion. That was his message.

The Folsem parody has another message entirely, and one that IS deeply insulting to Christians, because the photographer’s intent *WAS* to denigrate Christianity. This wasn’t an accident of parody. It was, I believe, deliberate.

It is part of a theme. It is the same message of denigration communicated by Andres Serrano in his “Piss Christ” (a crucifix in a jar of his own urine) in 1989, and by Chris Ofili in his picture of Mary splattered with elephant dung. By the way, Bernard Goldberg in his book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (and Al Franken is #37) ranked Ofili #86.

The claimed “free speech” issue, isn’t. After all, neither Miller, the photographer, nor the models are facing criminal prosecution, imprisonment or death for their role in making the poster, unlike what would happen in a muslim country if the target were Mohammad. Nor did the government step in and premptively censor the photograph before publication.

Miller (by virtue of sponsoring the event and the photo) and the photographer CHOSE to insult us. And that is all that matters.

Jetboy may not have been insulted, and that’s okay. But many of us were.

Miller’s one of our state staples. I’d still take Bud over it.

MadisonConservative on September 28, 2007 at 10:59 AM

I question your patriotism.

Cubs fan. YEAH, I WENT THERE.

:)

Always found Anheuser-Busch to be a patriotic company, too; hope they don’t have similar issues.

RW Wacko on September 28, 2007 at 10:30 AM

I think I may have said this before, but Anheuser-Busch is a very patriotic company. My dad works for a polymer company and said Busch accepted nothing but American made products, even though they were cheaper when imported. Same with Tropicana.

Supporting the homosexual sexual appetite and where it leads can be the HIV of any corporate sponsor.

Who knows where those Miller bottles have been?

I see the painting as almost “pop-culture” in it’s essence. You could take Peanuts cartoon characters, put them behind a long table like that, and everyone will think “last supper”.

There is, in my opinion, no direct intent here to be anti-Christian. I don’t see it. And suffice to say there is plenty of evidence that: Da Vinci was hardly a devout Christian himself, and that he very well may have been gay.

But that’s another argument for another time…

Which isn’t the point anyway. But fine. Maybe they think Christians don’t drink at all. They would be wrong.

I think you are wrong here Jetboy, The purpose of the ad is to insult christian values. And thereby sell Miller products to the screwballs freaks and sexual deviants who get their rocks off by pissing off the christians. The ad is not nation wide, just for the San Fran area. So it’s intended purpose is pretty clear to me.

conservnut on September 28, 2007 at 11:48 AM

Just keepin’ it real. JetBoy, I respect your opinion and your right not to take offense by this. Respect mine: I do. As in the law, my perception of this poster is driven by intent, and I have no doubt that the intent of this most hatefully anti-Christian element of our society was to offend on the basis of religion, and I honestly don’t believe that you’re missing this part of the message.

As for the eucharistic aspect … dude, they have taken the painting that depicts the last supper and defiled it with S & M toys. This is not just another painting, like they took American Gothic and put the farmer in a ball gag and leather harness.