Details article discussion

[thefraj (imported)]

Of course I blame Bart too, the only difference is it's his job to sensationalize and sell magazines.

One cannot berate a fish, for having the characteristics of a fish.

Know your enemy.

[tugon (imported)]

Sadly the general population is not interested in average people of any sub group. I am so used to the media in the coverage of gay pride marches I have attended. All these average folks who are bankers, doctors, laborers, mechanics, etc. are not the ones on the front of the newspapers or tv but the drag queens that end up representing the whole. Like this article lets pick more colorful people. Chris who I might more closely identify with was almost an after thought in the article.

Thefraj is right in the fact that Bart did not look into why a man regardless of preference who is not a sex addict or pedophile would want to be a eunuch. I, having been a sex addict can seperate that problem with my gender confusion. Becoming a eunuch was becoming my true self and cured the addiction at the same time. I wish he would have looked into why some of us never felt male from a very early age but did not want to transition to women.

Time has passed and having read the article several times it has not gotten any better but I am calmer. Thinking back to the time when I was in my 20's and first began thinking about becoming a eunuch an article like that even though poor might have been a help. In those days I only had erotic not realistic fantasies to read. Now for a 20 something there are others, there is help in Philidelphia and most importantly there is a community. When I was first castrated before finding the EA I thought I was the only one and it must be kept a dark secret, the path I chose.

I am at the point now where if the article helps one or two struggling folks then I can be okay with it. I am glad it interested CNN to look deeper and to contact Jesus. If it helps a pedophile make the proper choice before they violate a child it will be worth it. This article might even cause people to read the survey in more depth when it is published because of curiosity the article might create. Thanks to those who put themselves out there for the article.

[Paolo]

You go ahead and get worked up, fraj.

Bart may not have a mind, as you say, and he wont' have a face either if I run into him in person.

[XXX (imported)]

Thread-Irrelevant political content removed.

P

[Hairless (imported)]

I have not read the article and from reading what has been said here, I probably won't. Does this magazine have a letters to the editor section? Instead of everyone getting upset and spouting off to us that know and agree, write these comments to the editor. Many of you guys are very articulate and can put your points across without sounding crazy. This article may have just opened up an opportunity to be heard. Have at them guys, make us proud. Steve

[lotus (imported)]

Hi, this is Brian Baxter Smith, one of the four men featured in the Details article. Although I'm sure Bart could have portrayed me in a much worse light, I wasn't exactly satisfied with the treatment I recieved. Bart tended to focus on the sensational things about me rather than the meaningful, educational conversation he and I had about eunuchism. The focus on my alter ego Kentucky Johnson (http://www.kentuckyjohnson.com) and my recreational use of cannibus was a bit out of place and completely irrelevant. And speaking of cannibus, Bart pretended to smoke weed with me. I caught him exhaleing air rather than smoke and, embarassed that he'd been found out, mumbled something about keeping a clear mind for the interview -- what a fake. Being the only one on the archive and the only one interviewed who has actually met Balssengame face to face, I can say that he's not exactly the most sincere fellow in the world. And under the pretense of writing a fair, balanced, and educational article, he wrote a sensational shock value piece. But I wouldn't go as far as to say I want to "tear his face off", "castrate him", or "kick his ass". I think someone also mentioned pissing in his cornflakes. Are you guys supposed to be the "normal" eunuchs that Blassengame should have interviewed? Lay off the HRT, will ya!

[Paolo]

Brian,

Please see my note in thefraj's thread "Eunuch Foreign Policy" about the alter-ego topic. I'm sure anyone could have been portrayed in a worse light, as you say, and probably some that ARE worse!

http://www.eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthr ... ost&t=8559

[DrewR (imported)]

When I came out gay as a highschool kid in the late '70s, this is the kind of press we got. If we want public perceptions about eunuchs to change, maybe we're going to have to go through the same kind of process. I could start anyway by talking about it with friends who don't know I think castration is a good thing.

[JeffEunuch (imported)]

Hi, this is Brian Baxter Smith, one of the four men featured in the Details article. Although I'm sure Bart could have portrayed me in a much worse light, I wasn't exactly satisfied with the treatment I recieved. Bart tended to focus on the sensational things about me rather than the meaningful, educational conversation he and I had about eunuchism.

I did take the trouble to buy the magazine and read the article. I'm not astonished to read that he took advantage of those whom he interviewed and wrote the sensational article he did. Thanks for posting your views on the article.

I do know he could have written a more informative piece. Co-operating with projects such as this is a 'crap-shoot.' One never knows the results beforehand. I chose to be featured in a similar project over 5 years ago. Shown on the UK's Channel 4, 'Modern Day Eunuchs' turned out to be mostly a sympathetic treatment of the subject. My only suggestion for better results in the future is to co-operate only with outlets that are dependable vis-a-vis the things they publish. Aside from the article on Eunuchs, I was quite impressed with how shallow everything in Details was. Of course, it exists to advertise male fashion, and I bought this issue in part to get the ads. I'm always open to buy a few articles of stylish clothing.