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Boys Beware

As much as us progressives like to complain about how slow some Americans are to become accepting of everyone, this video demonstrates how for the United States has really come over the last fifty or sixty years.  The title of the video is “Boys Beware.”  The video is an actual public service announcement from the 1950’s that warns young males of the perceived threat from homosexuals.

The PSA features a boy named Jimmy, who is looking for a ride home after a long day of playing baseball with friends.  Jimmy decides to get home by way of hitchhiking, or as the video calls it, “thumbing a ride.”  A man named Ralph decides to pick Jimmy up.  In the video’s defense, Jimmy does look like a fairly creepy guy, although not nearly well enough dressed to be taken seriously as a homosexual.  Although Ralph seems nice, as the video points out, he has a “sickness of the mind.”

What is the sickness you ask?  According to the video, Ralph was a homosexual who “demands a relationship with a person of the same sex.”  Ralph isn’t simply interested in a consensual relationship with another male, he demands it.  According to this ridiculous PSA, we have to be careful around “the homosexual” because, although they may look normal, they have a “disease” which is “no less contagious than smallpox.”  The video instructs us to be aware of men who act “too friendly” or “overly personal” because that nice person may be an evil homosexual.  The video concludes by telling us to beware of the homosexual because they may “appear normal.”

There are so many things wrong with this video.  First of all, why is hitchhiking portrayed as no big deal?  Was hitching a ride a common occurrence back in the fifties?  I find it odd that little Jimmy should be scared of a gay man, but hitchhiking, that is no big deal.  This video really demonstrates the level of ignorance in regards to homosexuality that was common in this era.  The idea that that being gay is some sort of mental illness is crazy, although I would guarantee that many people today still think this is true.  The video also falsely claims that homosexuality is contagious; this is also something that I think people still believe.  The notion that you can somehow catch homosexuality like it is some sort of cold is completely false, I’m sorry, but if you believe this, your level of ignorance is unfathomable.

I think that this absurd video really shows how much more progressive this country  has become over the years.  There are still obvious signs of bigotry and ignorance all around us on a daily basis, but as this video shows, things could be much worse.  Don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt in my mind that there are a significant number of people who still think like this.  But nowadays, if you spoke about homosexuality being a mental disease or being contagious, most people would think that you are an uneducated idiot.

The way that we view this video today, is the same way that I believe people will view the subject of gay marriage years from now.  Up until 1967, interracial marriage was illegal in many states.  Most people would now condemn a person for speaking out against interracial marriage.  People who argue against interracial marriage are now classified as racists, bigots, and intolerable of others.  This is exactly how this generation’s children will view gay marriage in the future.

As far as the United States has come in regards to equal rights and civil liberties for people of all races and genders, we have a long way to go.  Hopefully we will get closer to equality for everyone sooner rather than later.

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