From: wyatt@ccu.umanitoba.ca (David Anthony Wyatt)
Subject: OLTL: Billy Douglas Storyline (was: SOD Awards)
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 17:51:11 GMT

root@candle.uucp (Bruce Momjian) writes:
>I am surprised by this.  I thought the story line was really
>unrealistic, with the pro-gay characters being 100% sympathetic, and the
>anti-gay characters acting like brutes.
> 
>I hope society does not view all people who disagree with a gay
>life-style as "brutes".

LAURA HOLST (holst@xenon.arc.nasa.gov) wrote:
>Oh, I don't know Bruce, I thought it was very well done.
>Is there really a middle ground on this?  Seems to me that
>either you're 100% FOR, or 100% AGAINST!  (somehow, that
>word doesn't look right... ;)

root@candle.uucp (Bruce Momjian) writes:
>I agree with what you said, but I think you can be "against" without
>being hateful.  Certainly those who are "against" on religious grounds
>should not be hateful, IMHO.  If you are "against" for other reasons,
>well, all bets are off.
>
>It seems like everyone on the show in the "against" croud was very
>hateful.

I want to tread carefully here, but it has been my own personal experience that
"religious" is just about the only widely used grounds for an "against"-type
position these days, and (again, personal experience) individuals who espouse
religiously-based prejudices are often the least "reason"able and the most 
hateful.  One can debate medical, psychological, sociological, be called upon
to support one's own position rationally, and even be lead to question the 
opinions one holds, but "God said" is indisputable unless you question the 
individual's sense of "God" and "God's will."  Such a questioning almost 
invariably comes across as a personal attack and receives a similar response.
Hate all around the table.

Back to more r.a.t.s'y commentary...

I thought the Billy Douglas storyline on OLTL was handled reasonably well, but
it came across to me as a morality lesson for the straight audience.  That in
itself is a useful thing, but I didn't find it entertaining in the same way
that other soap-opera stories can be.  More like "good for the audience to 
be exposed to".  At the beginning I thought Ryan Phillipe was a poor actor,
pausing in the wrong places and obviously reading queue cards in a few scenes.
By the August climax to the story, I thought he was doing much better, and the
story seemed better delivered overall.  The quilt & church confrontation scenes
kept my attention, and I rewatch them from time to time on tape.  The speeches
come across more like speeches now than they did initially, but it still holds
together.

A frustrating thing with OLTL since the end of summer has been the minimal 
airtime alotted to the Douglasses and the failure of the writers to carry the
Billy Douglas character beyond the homophobia/coming out storyline, into other
plots and other interactions.  He's appeared about every two to three weeks to
rehash the same old stuff... Mrs Douglas appears and crys, and/or some other
character appears to offer praise, or to apologize for previous homophobia.

Did anyone notice what I think I noticed on the Christmas eve episode of OLTL?
Another caroller broke away from the group of kids to introduce himself to 
Billy, praise Billy for coming out, and indicate that he too was gay.  Did we 
see Billy Douglas meet his future boyfriend?  This Rick Mitchell character was 
then shown in the two subsequent carolling scenes practically staring at young 
Mister Douglas.

Perhaps Joey, Alana, Billy and Rick can double-date!

-- 
---David Wyatt          
Internet:  David_Wyatt@UManitoba.CA            Continuing Education Division
Bitnet:    WYATT@UOFMCC                      University of Manitoba DOWNTOWN
                                          Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2