Thread: Sochi Olympics and the Law against Gays in Russia +

Hmmm, according to Викицитатник, Faina Ranevskaya was also the originator of the quip: "Гомосексуализм — это не извращение. Извращение — это хоккей на траве и балет на льду!"

Which reminds me a little bit of an old Simpsons quote -- after gay director John Waters rescues Homer from a herd of angry reindeer at the very last minute, Homer says:

"It's a miracle!"

And John Waters replies:

"No, Ultrasuede™ is a miracle -- this was just good timing."

P.S. Don't ask me to explain why the phrase "Ultrasuede is a miracle!" is so totally hilarious... it just is. (But it helps if you grew up in an English-speaking country sometime between the 1950s and 1980s.)

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

Hmmm, according to Викицитатник, Faina Ranevskaya was also the originator of the quip: "Гомосексуализм — это не извращение. Извращение — это хоккей на траве и балет на льду!" ...

Вроде в интернете эта цитата чаще приводится в таком виде: "Лесбиянство, гомосексуализм, мазохизм, садизм – это не извращения" строго объясняет Раневская.: "Извращений, собственно, только два: хоккей на траве и балет на льду".

I stumbled across this video:



The performance is moving. But why no flags of Russia? Isn't it offensive to sing the anthem of the country and intentionally wave unrelated flags? And they are implying that Russia is "grey and barren without the colours of the rainbow". It sounds pretentious!

Update: Oh, I've just spotted one flag of Russia on my second viewing. But it was hard with so many LGBT flags around!

Originally Posted by xdns

The performance is moving. But why no flags of Russia? Isn't it offensive to sing the anthem of the country and intentionally wave unrelated flags?

Well, since most of the singers are presumably Swedes and only lip-synching to the Russian lyrics, it might've been more offensive if they waved the Russian flag in order to выдавать себя за русскими. By waving the rainbow flag, there was no appearance of "fakery".

And they are implying that Russia is "grey and barren without the colours of the rainbow". It sounds pretentious!

[shrugging] I don't know -- I remember that when I was a kid, there was an anti-racism spot that used to run on television. It started with a close-up of the American flag; then the red stripes begin to disappear, and the blue field begins to fade. The narrator says in deep, mournful voice: "This is what our flag would look like if you took all the colors away" -- referring to the traditional all-white flag of surrender.

I just mean that the color-symbolism of ANY flag has some "pretentiousness" in it. That's the point of flags.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

bathyscaphic depths

I wonder what "bathyscaphic" means? Perhaps it has something to do with loofahs and bath salts.

When exiled to Kishinev, Pushkin sent this letter to his friend Vigel', a well-known homosexual:

Но в Кишинёве, знаешь сам,
Нельзя найти ни милых дам,
Ни сводни, ни книгопродавца, –
Жалею о твоей судьбе!
Не знаю, придут ли к тебе
Под вечер милых три красавца:
Однако ж кое-как, мой друг,
Лишь только будет мне досуг,
Явлюся я перед тобою,
Тебе служить я буду рад –
Стихами, прозой, всей душою,
Но, Вигель, – пощади мой зад!


For me, this is typical Pushkin: effortlessly balanced - affectionate, but taking the piss at the same time.

By contrast, this Russian law is mean-spirited and not worthy of that wonderful nation. People who think that homosexual relationships are just about sex are as misguided as those who think heterosexual relationships are just about hiding the sosiska. такие несчастные люди - с шорами на глазах...