Astroamerica - Not a Fan (a gay tarot rant)

[firecatpickles]

This individual is using the guise of critiquing a tarot deck as an anti-gay and bigoted platform. It crosses the line. It ceases being a balanced and fair review from the first sentence, when he belittles the plight of gays, bi's, trans and Lesbians "nothing ever bad happens to gay people". And again later when he asserts that "being gay is a choice". What do either of these statements have to do with the deck at hand and its review actually?

Gay-bashing and homophobia crimes of battery, rape and murder is "nothing bad"? People "choose" to be outcasts because they "prefer" the homosexual act over the heterosexual act? Do people choose to be heterosexual?

For those of us who are affected daily by such attitutudes, how can one merely respond to a review that is far more than "just" a review and ventures into what I see is hate speech? How can we "sit idly by the blood of our neighbors", as the saying goes? One cannot.

The writer's inflammatory statements leave him open to be criticized not only on a professional or literally level, but that of a personal one as well. The writer is who made this personal, not us.

 

[blackroseivy]

I can't but agree...

I have never visited this site & never will (now), but I've seen enough of what this person actually said to understand what he is really about. I say, freedom of speech cuts both ways - kinda like Justice's sword.

 

[SolSionnach]

Wow.
I'm so glad that Shade brought this to my attention.
I have bought stuff from ASStroamerica (sorry!), but since I didn't look at many reviews, I didn't see how ... um ... sorry. words fail me.

I also couldn't get to the end of that contorted, bigoted, homophobic diatribe of a review. Perhaps the author is a closet case? He wanted to see gays a la "La Cage Au Folles"? The Drag Queens from the Gay Pride parade that he leers at?

I mean, WTF.

I had read that bit of "she looks like she's going to eat the baby" thing, but I really didn't pay that much attention. I looked at the card and wondered where he got that.

The problem for me, is that ASStroamerica is a great astrological resource.

Anyway, I'm not sure exactly where he was going with that review, and I'm grateful that I'll never know.

 

[Verdi]

I've sent my complaint to them via email. The only way they will understand is through their pocket, so boycott them.
Verdi.

 

[moderndayruth]

I've sent my complaint to them via email. The only way they will understand is through their pocket, so boycott them.
Verdi.

Echoing Verdi here
Btw, i checked the review of Bohemian Cats and i really need to share authors deep insight into European history and the migration of its inhabitants (totally unrelated to the deck itself btw)
"There is so much beauty in Europe, even after all the wars. Makes me wonder why people ever left there to come here."

no comment

 

[cheekyminx]

OMG! I can't believe that review. I'm offended!

 

[Verdi]

I got a reply from Dave.
!wrote: "I take offence at your personal review of among others the Gay Tarot. It is bigoted, stupid and I dare say un-commercial. This review you have is now being spread over the Tarot world for what it is."

His answer:

So what should it be?

Write me a review. Dare me to publish it.


Any advice?
Verdi.

 

[firecatpickles]

I got a reply from Dave.
!wrote: "I take offence at your personal review of among others the Gay Tarot. It is bigoted, stupid and I dare say un-commercial. This review you have is now being spread over the Tarot world for what it is."

His answer:

So what should it be?

Write me a review. Dare me to publish it.


Any advice?
Verdi.

I say you can't polish a turd.

ETA: Seriously, and to keep this on-topic, I am reporting him to GLAAD. If a bunch of us do, there may be pressure:

https://www.glaad.org/action/report.php

 

[Grizabella]

To those who say what he posts is "honesty", I say that just because someone says nasty things doesn't mean they're being honest. It just means they're nasty.

 

[Sphinxmoth]

One thing I noticed in passing, since the subject comes up here and I take my very first look at astroamerica and the deck reviews there, that this Gay tarot review is on average probably four, five, six times lengthier than any review I looked at. Fey, Golden Dawn, Thoth, Fantastical, Cosmic, Hudes, Phantasmagoric, Osho Zen, Rider Waite, Shining Tribe, Transformational, New Orleans Voodoo.. no other tarot seems to have gotten as lengthy a going-over as the Gay tarot. Some of those other decks, I was expecting some equal amount of time and in-depth attention paid to in commentary. But no.
Not Spiral, not Old Path, not Cosmic Tribe, not Connolly, not Cary-Yale.

One that did come about one third as close in thoroughness was the Manara erotic tarot. A certain amount of time & attention spent to describe the cards of that deck. *coughs politely*

But Sacred Rose, 1JJ Swiss, Tarot of Prague (two lines, four sentences to comment on that deck), Universal Marseille.. not many words spent dissecting the symbology of ANY of those decks, to say nothing of such fine-combed critisicm and general waving-about of knowledge about how a tarot illustration *should* look. Or why humans have sex.

I saw no evidence of critiqueing of any other deck on any such "rarified levels".

Could be I missed one of those rarified reviews. I thought any one of the decks I did look at might have deserved at least as close and academic an examination. Must be something about the deck that made it worth all the special attention. Wonder what it could be.

"The gays are making a major power play. More about them needs to be known."

What? I mean.. what?