In the ongoing religious flamewar that is the internet, it’s rare that you’ll find one side or the other admitting that not every “solider” in their army is fit for duty. In other words, if a religious nut goes berserk and shoots a place up, Christians or Muslims are as quick to disown that psycho as nonbelievers are to say, “See, I told you so.” And any time an atheist or agnostic acts like an arrogant know-it-all on some random message board, there will be a believer right there ready to call him out on it and point out his typos. While humorous at times, it’s a war that proves very little and converts none, and it fails to address a very simple truth – people, despite their beliefs, are generally just fucking stupid.
As this site is run by two atheists, we do our share of religious bashing, but today my target is an atheist…or at least a guy who claims to be one. I can admit that just because you don’t buy into ancient hokey bullshit, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an automatic genius either, so not only am I writing this in the interest of fairness, but I also feel obligated to point out what a poor representative this guy is of the atheist/nonbeliever community. He calls himself Charlie Check’m, and if that cheesy name didn’t give this away already, he’s a rapper, or as he refers to himself, an “atheist rapper.” Here is a copy of an e-mail he sent out to various websites to promote himself…
Hi, I’m informing you about a hot new Atheist rapper who has music that has the potential to crossover to the mainstream media…This is a Good way to turn Atheists views into “cool” views.
I’m informing you because if you know of any Atheist friendly radio shows, tv shows, magazines, newsletters, or ect. I would like to be a guess and tell a story and have a few songs played or even perform if it’s a tv show or if it’s magazines or newletters, I would like an article about the music.
…I need as much as support I can get from Atheist organizations. The purpose of my music is to promote Atheist views and improve the image of Atheists
Glaring grammatical mistakes aside, what stood out to me right away was his hope to turn atheist views into “cool” views. Wouldn’t a true atheist want to convince people that his views are morally justifiable and logically sound, not just the “cool” way to think? Smells like a marketing tactic, and that’s not the only reason I think that. Take a look at this cover from one of Charlie’s earlier albums…
Notice the “bling bling”? (Please read all words in quotes in a dry, disgusted tone to get the full effect of my contempt for rap “culture.”) Why would an atheist proudly display a cross on his album cover like that? As far as I can tell from the titles and samples provided on this page, it seems like almost every one of these songs are about getting laid or displaying some ridiculous male posturing…not one song about atheism. A few years go by, and all of a sudden he releases an album called Listen Without Fear. Most of the songs are now about ignorant Christians and what it’s like being an atheist in a predominantly Christian nation. Considering the music industry is all about marketing and selling your product, it looks like Charlie realized that rapping about the same old sexist, macho bullshit isn’t going to get you noticed anymore, so he found a growing niche market in the atheist community, ditched his five-pound necklaces, and reinvented himself as an “atheist rapper.” Just check out his first video from that album, “Roll with an Atheist”…
If you made it through that entire video, I commend your threshold for pain. If you made it through thirty seconds of that video without laughing at the bottom-of-the-barrel production values or the two lame-ass white boys backing up their homeboy, then you’re probably one of the five unfortunate people to slap that video together. Despite the fact that there are many, many more talented freethinking musicians out there, Atheist Nexus, an atheist social networking website, booked him for their “Live Dance Party” at the Atheist Alliance International convention. Soon after, however, they revoked their invitation and banned Charlie from their forum. As it turns out, Mr. Check’m is a homophobe. And not just that “I’m too tough and manly to hang out with fags!” kind of homophobe…the kind of homophobe that spews hate like this…
Homophobia scares off faggots and dykes which is a good thing. It doesnt matter if I’m really a homophobe or not. What’s important is that faggots and dykes think I am. I don’t want to worry about a faggot pretending to be my friend when he secretely just wants to suck my dick. I want to make sure my friends are TRUE friends and not horney ass faggots. It’s simply inappropriate…I just don’t have much in common with faggots. Faggots think about sticking their dicks in men shit holes and I think about sexy women. I talk about women a lot and I know faggots wouldn’t be interested in that.
I’m an Atheist and I’m against gay marriage. Why? it’s because it would be unfair to a man who wants to marry his daughter or a woman who wants to marry her dog or siblings wanting to marry each other.
Gay people are defined by being attracted to the wrong sex. So the very thing that makes them gay stems from a result of being molested or raped. It should be obvious that they have some kind of sexual attraction disorder. Some of them are gay because they’re suffering from GID. That’s been proven. The percentages are uncertain because gays lie a lot because they’re trying so hard to prove they’re normal.
He also has an array of classy songs to go with these views, such as “No Gay Marriage,” “Heterosexual,” “Christian and a Homo,” and “Dyke Chick,” and is even releasing an entire album called “Straight Pride” next month. Charlie was outraged that atheists, as a whole, would not stand behind him, claiming that the gays have “hijacked” the atheist movement and that he should be free to hold whatever opinions he liked amongst the freethinkers. Initially, this seems like a fair point, but what Check’m fails to realize is that there’s more to atheism than simply “hatin’ on” things like religion.
Any religion is an easy target…not one has been able to live up to its own impossible standards, and not one has been able to logically support its impossible claims. And since atheists are frequently under attack by these religions, it’s natural for them to want to fight back, and they often do in some pretty creative ways. True atheism isn’t just the opposite of religious belief, however – it’s a rational philosophical standing based in reason and science. The reason you find so many intellectual atheists (and why many of the smartest people in the world are atheists) is because they like to read, research, and study. They have an unquenchable thirst for truth, knowledge, and social justice. They’re open to just about any new idea they come across, but look at each one with a skeptic’s eye. From a logical standpoint, atheists have no real reason to hate or fear gays. Being gay is a sexual inclination that they are born with, and homosexuality occurs naturally in all kinds of species throughout the world. Gays are often attacked by religious groups as well, simply for acting on what they can’t help but feel, so atheists can easily find some common ground with them, and I’m sure many gays are atheists or agnostic themselves.
But Charlie claimed that he had purely logical and scientific reasons for believing that gays are “mentally defective.” His “proof” was mostly studies done by NARTH, a faux-scientific organization that has clear right-wing Christian ties. Now why would an atheist ever quote “research” done by a religiously biased group like NARTH? Because, as I said before, he is not a true atheist; nor is he a true freethinker. To him, it’s clearly always been a label, another term he could slap on a press release. Atheism, by nature, is controversial, and controversy sells records. Since the atheist community has, on a whole, rejected him, his latest album tries to capture the attention of another niche – wanna-be tough guys who think it’s manly to pick on “fags.” And since there’s a lot more of those out there than nerds with Dawkins and Hawking on their shelves, I’m sure, from a marketing standpoint, that’s the way to go.
The reason you’ll never represent us, Mr. Check’m, isn’t because you have an opinion that differs from most of ours. I love Bill Maher, but I hate the fact that he supports PETA. I loved reading Christopher Hitchen’s God Is Not Great, but I think his views on the Iraq War are extremely off-base. We can agree to disagree, but we can also smell our own, and the only thing you smell like is a steaming pile of bullshit. The only “freethinking” you’ve ever done is scheming your way into any niche that will generate enough controversy to get you noticed. Why don’t you stop writing songs about people you hate and just concentrate on lyrics that actually say something meaningful and work to solve the problems you only bitch about? You’re a third-rate Eminem whose insecurities about masculinity and sexuality scream much louder than the bass in your so-called music. You create fake accounts on Yahoo Answers to ask people questions about your songs to pretend that people are actually talking about your work…that’s about as “gangsta” as dealing dimebags out of the back of your mom’s mini-van. And maybe you think you’ve done your job by pissing me off enough to write this article…I may have exposed someone to your music who’s never heard of you before. But I’m OK with that, because I’m confident that any real rap fan will realize that you wouldn’t know what “flow” was if you had chronic diarrhea and any true freethinker would see right through your ruse as easily as they’ve seen through organized religion. You were a failure as Charlie Boy, you’re a failure as Charlie Check’m, and you’ll be a failure as the next idiot you reinvent yourself as. Have you ever just considered being a gay rapper? You’re just a few more shirtless Myspace pics away from nailing that one.
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However painfully and whilst only a little, watching that video reaffirms my atheism. There’s no way any god that ever existed would let that man exist.
This man is a disservice to any branch of humanity. I’m counting the days when he starts singing about the hardships of being mentally retarded…and fucks up appealing to that niche, too. (To be fair, ICP already has a near monopoly on that market musically. Even the near retarded have 50 cent…being an RG jus’ ain’ whu’ it usa be…)
LIES, LIES LIES LIES. Charlie Check’m performed at the American Atheist convention in 2005 which is BEFORE he took that picture with the bling bling. By the way, the picture you are referring to is from a MOVIE SCENE. He was wearing a character costume that the movie producer asked him to wear. He decided to use it for the album cover. All of his songs on the charlie Boy album “Check’m Charlie”are NOT about getting laid. Two of those songs are Atheist songs. “Don’t Push Your Belief” and “Loose Screws”. “Dyke Chick” was also on that same album. So Charlie Check’m put Atheist songs, gay bashing songs, and getting laid songs ALL ON THE SAME album. You’re LYING trying pretend that he switches topics to cater to specific markets. So you’re downplaying an artist for being versatile? You should give him respect for that. Also, if you want to see Charlie sources for his argument against gays, go to his myspace page. You won’t find NARTH. He did mention NARTH because unlike most atheists, Charlie attacks the CLAIM and not the POSITION. STOP LYING.
Of course gay atheists won’t like “Roll With An Atheist” Why? It’s about a MAN and a WOMAN. Homos don’t like that.
Wow…you seem to be quite the expert on his exact timeline. But the sad thing is I really don’t give a flying fuck…he’s still an idiot whether or not he’s claimed to be a freethinker over the span of several years or one album. A true freethinker wouldn’t give a shit what someone else does in the privacy of their own home – there are MUCH bigger issues out there to be dealing with. If he stopped being such an attention whore, always trying to create controversy instead of adding substance to his songs, then he’d actually be taken a bit more seriously. And speaking of attention whores…
This is an example of one of the many pics all over your Myspace. It’s no wonder you two get along so well…you’re both walking, talking stereotypes. Do yourself a favor and find some self respect for you and your gender…it’s probably in the trash, along with your taste and common decency.
And by the way, I don’t like “Roll With an Atheist” because it’s hilariously cheesy. I’m straight as they come, but the difference between me and Charlie is that I’m completely secure with my sexuality. I don’t need to create entire albums of hate ballads to prove my sexual preference…anyone who does clearly has some unresolved issues.
Rich,
There’s a thing called “freedom of speech”. You pro-gays need to respect that as atheist American citizens. He bashed Christians just as much as he bashed homos. Homos are subject to ridicule just like any other group. Especially being the fact that they seem to be the ones who try to shut anyone down for TELLING THE TRUTH about them. You can SAY you’re not gay but homos will lie. Homos think like the wrong sex and that’s simply the truth. Deal with it.
We care because we are VOTERS. If gay marriage is on the ballot, it will be discussed and cared about . You think we’re just suppose to not vote and not state our opinion just because homos are too mentally insecure to deal with the truth? You must be crazy.
Boy, those responses were lightning fast…looks like we’ve got another easily offended idiot with nothing better to do. I just LOVE those trolls. The major difference between bashing Christians and bashing gays is the simple fact that Christians chose to be nasty hypocrites who use religion as an excuse rather than a moral guide…a gay person doesn’t choose their sexual orientation. Even if I were to buy into this “brain damaged” shit you guys spew, this still means that they didn’t choose to be that way. Are you saying the mentally handicapped are horrible people too because they can’t help having outbursts or drooling on themselves? I’m asking because you’re clearly amongst their ranks, so you should know. Actually, I take that joke back…the mentally handicapped are WAY more handicapable than you are.
As for voting, the divorce rates in this country are ridiculous…the sanctity of marriage was killed by straight people a LONG time ago. Gay marriage does not affect your life whatsoever…those gays are still going to keep being gay whether or not you approve of their lifestyle. It’s sad that the same arguments you make against gays and gay marriage are the same arguments that racists have made against blacks for generations and religious people make against those who don’t share their views. Your hypocrisy is astounding, considering you’re not only black, but non-religious as well.
You’re generalizing all Christians. I can simply say, “gay people are hypocrites because they try to violate people’s freedom of speech”. If I oppose gay marriage, I should be able to say it loud without being verbally attacked by homos. I can also say, Homos are using marriage to appeal to the masses to trick people into thinking homos aren’t abnormal.
The very definition of “homosexual” contradicts marriage. Homosexuals only want to marry the same sex because they have brain malfunctions.
Your comparison of blacks and gays is flawed
Here’s a better comparison.
Gay people wanting to marry is like black people wanting to be labeled white, It just doesn’t fit the definition.
No one is forcing gays to sit in the back of the bus. You’re insulting blacks by comparing us to people with brain malfunctions. We’re not twisted by definition like homos are.
Wow…you say I’m generalizing about Christians when that is ALL Charlie Check’m does…great logic there. You wouldn’t know a well-reasoned argument if it fucked you in your overblown asshole. How are gay people trying to silence freedom of speech? In fact, I’d like you to take a minute and name one time, ONE TIME, in which a gay person has directly come into your life and taken away ANY of your rights. Name ONE TIME a gay has hurt your freedom in any way. You can’t do it because it hasn’t happened. You’re not going to be arrested or beaten down in the street for saying, “I hate fags!” They are asking FOR rights – you are asking TO TAKE THEM AWAY. Who is the oppressor here? Your bigotry has absolutely no basis other than blind hatred.
And you’re completely wrong about my comparison, because bigotry is bigotry. I notice that you didn’t address my mental handicapped argument at all, and that’s because you have absolutely no retort. If you freely admit that gays cannot help how they feel, so then why do you hate them for it? You realize that hate groups and those who supported slavery made (and still make) unfair generalizations about blacks all the time. They’ve compared them to animals and claimed that there was real scientific evidence that they have smaller brains and fewer mental abilities than “superior” races…how is that any different from your “dysfunctional brain” argument? They claimed that interracial marriage would destroy the sanctity of marriage and bring about communism…again, how is this different than the wild claims about gay marriage?
Here’s an idea…if you plan on responding again, which I’m sure you will since you clearly have little else to do, stop repeating your arguments and start backing them up. Simply screaming, “But homos have brain malfunctions!” is not only stupid, but absolutely pointless, as you have not convinced me (or anyone else) of anything by saying that. It just makes it all the more transparent that you’re judging someone on the color of their skin…I mean, on their sexual preference than you are on their character. I just don’t see how them being gay affects your life in any meaningful way. You can still do all the things (and people) you want to do, go the places you want to go, and say the things you want to say. And what is your ultimate goal in all this hatred? To wipe out all gay people because they have “brain malfunctions”? Sounds a lot like racism and little like a freethinking, well-read atheist to me…
They tried to silence Charlie Check’m by threatened to not support him. Instead of Charlie submitting, he became even more outspoken and that’s why this article was written. Creating hate sites, hate blogs, hate articles, hate emails towards Charlie Check’m all because Charlie Check’m is an Atheist who oppose gay marriage is a clear indication that you people are attacking him because he’s exercising his freedom of speech . You’re trying to beat him into submission. You fucked with the wrong rapper. Charlie will not submit. He doesn’t give a fuck.
A male’s brain is called a male’s brain because it is a male’s brain dumb ass.
A male’s brain is suppose to function like a male’s brain because it is a male’s brain dumb ass. A major part of being a male is being sexually attracted to females. If a male is attracted to male’s it has to be a malfunction being the fact that female and male’s brain development differ a great deal by sequence dumb ass
Homosexuality is causing atheists to be stupid.
okay you stupid ass faggot, I don’t hate gays. I only dislike the faggots who lie like you’re doing.
Faggots and dykes need to accept that people don’t like them. They can’t force people to like them. They are twisted in the head and that’s all there is to it.
You faggots and dykes are trying to beat people into submission by calling them bigots, homophobes ect. Guess what? It won’t work and as long as you call Charlie a bigot, he will continue calling faggots , “faggots”. He’s about to give away 500 cds to high school boys. The more you faggots fuck with him, the more “homophobes” he will recruit. His songs will cause teens to just want to beat the shit out of faggots. I suggest you leave charlie alone because all he’s going to to is recruit more homophobes.
Sunshine-
What scientific proof do you have that states that homosexuals have “brain malfunctions?” I have personally known homosexuals, and that are extremely brilliant. We’re talking class Valedictorian’s and extremely successful people. If they had some sort of “brain malfunction” like you claim, I highly doubt that they would be successful.
As for your definition of marriage, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines marriage as “an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected. The definition also states that this union can be of a two people of the opposite gender OR two people of the same gender. Look it up.
In one of your previous comments you made a statement. “Gay people wanting to marry is like black people wanting to be labeled white, It just doesn’t fit the definition.” Where is your logic in that. Oh wait, there isn’t any.
I’m glad your friend Charlie Check’m is spreading his so-called music to high school students. His “recruitment” as you call is, is very similar to what the church does. If he were a true Atheist like he claims, he wouldn’t have to recruit people. By simply making a true statement instead of spewing these erroneous beliefs, maybe more people would take him seriously. Until then, his “music” will be one continuous joke.
P.S. You should probably think about proof-reading your comments before you post them.
First of all, let me start off by saying that you have yet to address ONE of my arguments head-on…you just kind of ramble incoherently with no real direction, paying no attention to anything that you don’t have an answer for. That said, let me get to your “points,” if you wish to call them such…
Gays (and gay supporters) have not tried to “silence” Charlie…I haven’t tried to silence him either. To “silence” someone implies that we tied and gagged him, or that we beat him down until he shut up. Disagreeing with someone is not silencing them…in fact, it’s bringing what they’re saying to light. As most atheists are logical people (except for you and Charlie, of course), we tend to disagree with illogical statements and beliefs. You realize that you’re accusing people of taking away his freedom of speech while telling his critics that they have no right to say the things they are saying – you don’t see the irony in that? Freedom of speech means EVERYONE can say what they want…not just those who have the same opinions as you do.
I practically choked from laughing so hard after reading this statement: “A male’s brain is called a male’s brain because it is a male’s brain dumb ass.” Replace “male’s brain” with any other word and you’ll realize how childish that argument is: “A dog is called dog because it is a dog dumb ass.” This does not prove anything, except for the fact that if anyone has “brain malfunctions,” it’s certainly you. Something just isn’t clicking up there, and you’re way out of your intellectual league. Freethinkers are generally intelligent, reasonable people, so it’s no wonder that the majority of them disagree with you and Charlie. I asked you in my last response to PLEASE stop repeating yourself and use some valid logic to justify your hatred, but again, you have failed to do so…but at least you’re giving us all a good laugh instead.
Let’s play that word replacement game again on your next comment to further display your illogical hypocrisy. What if I said, “okay you stupid ass nigger, I don’t hate blacks”? By saying that I don’t hate blacks, but then using a racial epithet in the same sentence, I’m completely contradicting myself. That is exactly what you are doing. Let’s keep going: “Niggers need to accept that people don’t like them. They can’t force people to like them.” So does that mean that because there are white people out there that hate blacks, blacks should never have fought for equal rights? They should have kept their mouths shut and accepted the fact that most whites hated them? No…they worked hard (and still do) to prove that they were just as good and “normal” as whites and could contribute much to society if everyone was on the same, level playing field…and now most people accept them without a problem. Gays are simply asking to be treated the same as everyone else, and you are specifically discriminating against them because of something they cannot help but feel. That’s bigotry, whether you wish to call it that or not.
Another good quote I can easily edit: “It won’t work and as long as you call Charlie a bigot, he will continue calling niggers , “niggers”. He’s about to give away 500 cds to high school boys. The more you niggers fuck with him, the more “racists” he will recruit. His songs will cause teens to just want to beat the shit out of niggers.” A minute ago, you claimed that Charlie was being silenced and that people are trying to “beat him into submission”…yet no atheist or gay has ever physically attacked him and beaten him for thinking the way he does. Now you’re saying that Charlie not only purposely includes violent messages in his music against those he doesn’t agree with or accept, but is hoping to promote violence in others as well. You act like Charlie is being oppressed because people find his beliefs reprehensible, then you’re saying that’s it’s perfectly acceptable for him and his followers to actually “beat people into submission.” The irony is simply astounding. Any time anyone says anything even remotely racist on TV or any other form of media, black people immediately jump all over it and condemn it…yet gays shouldn’t be allowed to do the same? If a white rapper promoting the KKK and lynching black people came out tomorrow, would you defend him because our freedom of speech allows him to say those things? No, you would tell him how wrong that is and how you would never support him or the record company that produced such bigoted garbage. And I would do the same, even though I’m white. Do you know why? Because I stand up against injustice whenever I see it, and that is the point of my site and the point of my article.
So you “suggest” that I leave him alone? Don’t threaten me and do not threaten the gay community. He is a rapper…a fucking entertainer for fuck’s sake, and not even a talented one…he’s not some highly-trained assassin or the leader of some angry mob. That macho, tough guy image doesn’t scare me, so you can both stop acting like pathetic children and accept that threatening people will not change anyone’s opinion of Charlie’s music or of gays…it just makes it all the more obvious that you’re both bigots who have a LOT to learn about what it is to be a freethinker.
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
Martin Luther King Jr., December 11, 1964
You said,
“Gays are simply asking to be treated the same as everyone else”
Gays are asking people to pretend nothing is wrong with them and change the definition of marriage.
No one is telling gays to use a separate bathroom
No one is telling gays they can’t work on a particular job
No one is denying gays a promotion on a job
No one is telling gays they can’t live in a certain place.
The only time gay people have problems is when they try to get involved in something that places high value on sex and gender differences
Ex. boy scouts and girl scouts
Note: There is a reason why they separated the two groups by sex.
Ex. male military boot camp and female military boot camp
They separate those groups because they know that MALES AND FEMALES ARE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER.
Note: There’s a reason why they separated the two groups by sex
A male is suppose to have a male’s functioning brain. A female is suppose to have a female’s functioning brain. Something went wrong in the development stages of homos brains and that’s why they’re crazy.
Blacks are defined by genetics and history”
Faggots and dykes are defined by their BEHAVIOR just like crack heads.
Disliking faggots and dykes are more closer to disliking crack addicts because it is the lifestyle that we don’t like and choose to not associate with. We shouldn’t be called bigots for not wanting to be around people because of their actions and lifestyle. Some addicts were predisposed at birth so should we hang out with them because it’s not their fault?
The replacement game can be applied to crack addicts also.
“Crack heads need to accept that people don’t like them. They can’t force people to like them.” So does that mean that because there are people out there that hate crack heads , crack heads should never have fought to legalize crack?
You homos are being deceitful trying to use the black experience against people as a weapon of guilt.
skin color- vs -brain malfunction
The very definition of homosexuals contradicts the definition of marriage.
It’s like a black person wanting to be labeled white. It just doesn’t fit the definition of a black person. Marriage doesn’t fit the definition of a gay couple.
There is a REASON why Martin Luther King didn’t include gay marriage in his “I have a dream” speech.
You said,
“The definition also states that this union can be of a two people of the opposite gender OR two people of the same gender. Look it up”
My reply,
All it take is a deceitful faggot or dyke to print a dictionary and change the definition around to suit their agenda. Of course the dictionary will be one of their targets. You homos think we don’t know how sneaky you homos are?
Dyke Tanya,
“The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife”
That’s the true definiton you dyke bitch.
Wow.
Tanya, I’m sorry to hear you are somehow now a dyke because you make sense. That sucks.
I can only second everything you and Rich have already said and be assured that now I too will become a dyke…
Well naturally Kristy… you are a dyke if you can rationally think.
In fact, this rational person has made such an impact on my life from her thoughtful, well-researched comments that I have decided to shave my head (Rosie style) and become a dyke.
Yea… OK…I am JUST KIDDING!!! But Sunshine/Barbie, whatever you prefer to be called, I hope you can sleep a little better tonight thinking that your comments may have impacted one person’s life. But let me just reassure you that your illogical thoughts have never nor will they ever change anyone’s thoughts or opinions on this matter or anything else for the sheer fact that you make absolutely no sense whatsoever. So keep on thinking that your opinions make sense, and the rest of us logical people, as few as we may be, will continue to laugh at your expense (and Charlie’s too).
You guys do realize that Sunshine and Barbie are Charlie Check’m himself. Just disguising himself once more and making it seem like he has more supporters than the two ugly whities in his videos and a bunch of loose whores that he dragged off of Myspace in return for some in-between-the-leg action.
Just check out his written dialogue and website; you’ll find that his writing style and grammatical errors are extremely similar to “Sunshine” and “Barbie” over here. Hmm, I wonder why such a macho manly-man like Check’m, who is SO secure of his sexuality and doesn’t want to hang out with ‘fags’ picked names such as Sunshine and Barbie he’d like to go by. He contradicts the very ‘girly’ stereotypes that he presents to the ‘fags’ he makes fun of.
Yeah, I think that’s pretty obvious, but hey, it’s fun to fight with him…at least at first. He might have nothing better to do than defend his heterosexuality, but the rest of us have lives and jobs and all that. He does a much better job making himself look like a tool anyway.
I stumbled onto this after a link-through from Westboro’s Lady Gaga “parody” video. It was an incredibly interesting read. I seem to be the only OPENLY gay person who has commented. I don’t know if anyone will even see this considering the original date of the post; but then, Rich just recently responded, so…perhaps?
I don’t even know where to begin, actually. Because so many of you seem so incredibly intelligent (certain parties glaringly excluded,) I’m hugely intimidated. Low self-esteem, you see. But I’m going to try and keep this sort of free form.
The whole “gays are brain damaged”/”there is something wrong with them medically/emotionally/physically” thing has been disproved so many times by modern psychology and science that it’s almost laughable when people drag out these same arguments. If you want to break it down into a moral argument with me, I’d say we have something to talk about. The rest is so easily dismissed!
The American Psychiatric Association published that homosexuality is not a mental disorder in 1973; the American Psychological Association did the same in 1975. So unless your assertion is that these organizations are made up wholly of homosexuals or homosexual-sympathizers with an agenda – or you put absolutely no faith in the mental health standards embraced in America – you have to accept that you’re wrong. This whole wheelhouse also covers the “they became gay because of molestation/an absent father/an overbearing mother” argument.
In terms of the “brain damage” theory – that homosexuality is a result of some sort of physical abnormality – there is unequivocally no evidence to support such a claim. The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers state:
“Currently, there is no scientific consensus about the specific factors that cause an individual to become heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual — including possible biological, psychological, or social effects of the parents’ sexual orientation. However, the available evidence indicates that the vast majority of lesbian and gay adults were raised by heterosexual parents and the vast majority of children raised by lesbian and gay parents eventually grow up to be heterosexual.”
Similar statements have been made by The Royal College of Psychiatrists and The American Academy of Pediatrics.
There HAVE been various studies that have shown some odd differences between gay and straight men; specifically a difference in earlobes, finger length and – my personal favorite – that gay men seem to have larger penises than straight men. (Sorry, Charlie…)
There’s just so much ground to cover in terms of refuting all of the bullshit that has spewed throughout these postings. Gender roles are addressed (albeit ignorantly.) Everyone is welcome to embrace what they think a man or woman is “supposed to be,” and that includes those who feel that tradition is key. That being said, it’s simple oppression to tell someone how THEY are “supposed to be” based on their gender.
I won’t even get into the whole “definition of marriage” debate. Marriage, by definition is the joining of two things. When I used to wait tables, we used to “marry” the contents of two ketchup bottles into one full bottle. The traditions of marriage between humans are go back so far, and are so diverse, that the idea of saying the way it has “traditionally been” in the infant years of America is kind of comical. Marriage, in that sense, is just one more thing religion (Christianity in particular) co-opted from others. (Excuse me while I go sing a fabulous sea shanty…uh, sorry, I mean hymn.)
This whole “being around gay men makes me uncomfortable because I know they want to have sex with me” thing…I just love it. I admit it; I relish it. If you REALLY feel that way, then congratulations. I would imagine you now know what women have felt like for five thousand years. That being said, here’s a hot tip: if a gay guy comes onto you or tells you he finds you attractive, turn to him and say “I’m straight, and I’m not interested.” If he is aggressive, say “I need you to stop right now. You’re upsetting me.” I promise you that this will work 99.99% of the time. And in the 0.01% of the time it doesn’t work, I give you my permission as a gay man to get a little physical with him to get your point across. Just understand that this also means the next time you get freaky with a woman’s backside on the dance floor without asking first, you should be prepared to have her swing a chair upside your head.
The whole topic reminds me of a blind date I went on when I was 22. This guy took me to Ruby Tuesday’s – he was just that classy – and somewhere during the conversation, he randomly says: “I was reading this article about reservations, and it just got me thinking how we should track down and eliminate the rest of the Native American population. They’re all drunks and wife beaters anyway; we’d be doing them a favor!” My response to which was spontaneous and hysterical laughter; because, at the time, my 22-year-old brain was completely unequipped to deal with that kind of blind, baseless ignorance. Yet, at the same time, it recognized that absolutely nothing I could say to this individual would change his mind or enlighten him. (I ended up excusing myself to the bathroom and sneaking out…)
All this being blabbered…the thing that REALLY gets me pissed off is the whole “you’re persecuting me because of my religion! You’re trying to censor me or stop me from saying what I want to say” bit. Man, oh man, it makes me want to stab things.
Besides the obvious – that challenging someone’s statements, thoughts, ideals is in no way attempting to stop them from expressing them – it’s just so deeply hypocritical! How can you tell me that I’m SO wrong in my way of thinking – of LIVING! – that I deserve to spend all of an eternal afterlife being tortured and punished (and insinuate that you want to hurry me off this mortal coil to get there faster,) and think that I would just sit with my thumb up my ass* and say nothing. Guess what? I think you’re wrong. I think your God doesn’t exist, I think your morals are askew, and I think you’re human filth. You’re not going to shut *ME* up by insinuating that I’m trying to shut *YOU* up, so you might as well let that one go, because it just makes me want to say more, louder, and more frequently.
Before I stop typing this doubtlessly overly-wordy response, I just want to say… Charlie, even without this huge gay-bashing extravaganza you’ve got going on, just looking at your photos, videos, physical presence, manner of dress…et al…sets off my gaydar like a motherfucker. Seriously. I know I’m stereotyping, but on this particular occasion I feel pretty good about it. I’ve done a ton of volunteering with GLBTQ organizations that specifically reach out to black men who, as the terminology now goes, are “men who have sex with men”; and if you’re not one of them, I will eat my telephone. Seriously. I wish I had a shitload of money so I could go Larry Flynt on your ass and put adds out trying to locate men who will come forward to admit they had sex with you. I wish, I wish, I wish…
Ultimately this whole thing I’ve just typed feels like an exercise in futility. Much like “legitimate Christians” (whatever the fuck THAT means) don’t take Westboro seriously, I suspect that people who are anti-gay – and have actual ability to make an impact to their ends – feel the same way about you.
“End Scene”**
* – mmmmm…thumb up my ass. (That’s a special thought goin’ straight out to you, Charlie, just to show that I too can be trite.)
** Okay I lied, I have more to say, but it is so separate from the rest of my meandering that I wanted to put it in it’s own little situation down here.
I’ve made my living as an actor and musician since I was twenty. Actually, in point of fact, as of current I’m BARELY making a living at all. Being that the state of America is what it currently is, I don’t feel too terrible about that. But I’ve had songs in shows, films, I’ve put out records, I’ve toured, and blahblahblah…and the road is rough.
ANYWAY… as both a gay man and an atheist, I’m all too aware of how much easier it would be if I hid both of those facts; but I know it would damage my psyche if I pretended to be something I’m not. So it really frosts my fucking cookies to see someone co-opt my belief system in order to try and sell records. It would be like me running around in a tagelmoust singing songs about mother Africa. It’s gross.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that part of being a successful entertainer is taking what it is you are and magnifying it to the Nth degree. But Charlie is so clearly NOT what he’s pretending to be. It gives me emotional mono to think that he might sell records by feigning what it is that I actually am.
So I want to submit this plea upon what will surely be deaf ears.
Charlie. Please. Stop trying to be a professional singer/rapper/musician. Please. You’re terrible. Just awful. I’m not speaking just aesthetically. which I also believe, but also technically, compositionally, lyrically…it’s painful. You are doing a disservice to your cause by presenting this hideous package. It is to weep, brah. F’realz.
It’s obvious that Charlie Check’m has some underlying homosexual tendencies, and that he is in complete denial of his true feelings that are trapped inside. It’s really not that uncommon for a male with those feelings to put on such a front.
I just Stumbled on this, and wanted to echo:
He is in the closet.
He is a horrible rapper.
MINDFUCK: Charlie Check’m is actually every single commenter and the column writer himself.
OH SHIT.
James Bradford… awesome post. If you were into ladies and I was into dudes, I think I would ask you to marry me.