Andrew Sullivan demonstrates once again that essential cluelessness that is such an integral part of his charm. This time, he takes after the Columbia Queer Alliance for their statement on Ahmadinejad. The first part he approves of, because they don't approve of Iran's human rights violations. However, they go on to elaborate (which was probably a mistake, but they're radical college kids, OK?), of which he does not approve.
The unfortunate part, from the standpoint of Sullivan's claim to brains, is that the college kids are absolutely correct, as anyone with any passing familiarity with the social sciences will tell you. Overwrought, maybe, but correct: "gay" is a cultural definition, specifically an American definition which, although it has been gaining currency worldwide, is still not applicable in many cultural contexts. To put it most succinctly, it has no meaning outside of our own particular cultural context.
Of course, one could posit that Sullivan, being the Anglo-American cultural imperialist that he is, sees no reason to consider the way others see themselves as relevant (which I guess means the homophobic right can call us "hommaseksuals" without being offensive). And of course, if "gay" has those limitations, then one looks a fool crowing about the death of gay culture.
As for the statement itself, it is a bit over the top, and almost too readily revealing of the left-wing tendency to try to include everything and everyone lest someone get their sensibilities bruised. On that score, my reaction is simply, "Stuff happens. Then you die."
But surely Sullivan could come up with a more intelligent critique than that.
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