Dire Straights or High on a Hill – My Thoughts of Brokeback Mountain

After watching Brokeback Mountain, reading a gazillion reviews and observing blogging backlash particularly against those who disliked this film, I’ve been wondering, do people act with deliberate & considered consciousness? Or do most folks just spend their lives trying to conform to other people's real (or imagined) expectations -- and in doing so, expect others to act the same way?

You see, in thinking about this movie, I dunno who I feel more sorry for: the cowboy who allowed shame and fear to keep him from being with the fella he loved, the cowpoke looking for a longterm roll in the gay hay, the unhappy women married to these down-low-living closet cases, or the herd of sheep lead up the mountain to feed and then down the mountain to slaughter. You see, my gay ass took to heart another movie about love and hill tops many, many years ago. I paid attention to the words uttered by a strict-ass sister, especially those about climbing every mountain. I knew then, as I know now, that a Swish Swiss Mister can make a lonely goatherd happy, too.

Still, I wish I could go out and interview some sheep on this matter, but Dolly (God rest her soul) and her ilk aren’t inclined to offer up much in the feedback department. They’re much more likely to be served up with mint-jelly sauce on the side.

For those of you who are inclined to ponder issues and situations, I’d like to point you to the work of Rob Willer, who’s completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Cornell University. This fella is doing some fascinating research on why folks are, at times, trifling assholes (my word choice, not his):

This spring we completed two studies…that show for the first time that individuals respond to social pressure not only by conforming to a norm they privately oppose, but by pressuring others to do so as well. In the context of a wine-tasting, participants not only fell in line with a group norm to praise a certain wine, but also sanctioned a lone deviant who correctly identified the wine is identical to the others.

That’s nice, huh? Expose the truth, only to be sanctioned, scolded and punished for it...

This finding suggests an important implication – that groups and even entire populations can become trapped in behavioral patterns that nearly everyone privately dislikes. We are currently running further studies that test a related claim that individuals who are insecure about the legitimacy of their group membership are the strictest enforcers of group norms, especially in times of inter-group conflict.

Since we’re on the issue of insecurity, let’s examine another study Mr. Willer conducted which asked men (and women) a series of questions – followed up by an assessment of whether these answers were “masculine” or “feminine”. It’s no surprise, that while the ladies weren’t all that upset by their assessments:

Compared to men given masculinity-confirming feedback, men given feedback threatening their masculinity expressed greater homophobia, greater support for the Iraq war, and greater interest in purchasing a sport utility vehicle (SUV)…

Since I grew up on a farm and spent most of my early life surrounded by farmhands, I coulda told all y’all that a sheep isn’t nearly as predictable as a man whose masculinity is threatened. It’s sad, really – how quickly men (gay or straight) will turn to assholism whenever they’re threatened or challenged. They’ll also turn to the most-convenient piece of ass when left alone three months in the wilderness…but that takes all the romance out of the story, now doesn’t it? God forbid those fine-looking men just had sex with each other ‘coz they could.

Speaking of which, this article on sheep and Brokeback Mountain caught my eye earlier this week:

And for decades, it turns out, homosexual sheep have been a financial drain on their frustrated breeders. About 8 percent of rams are interested only in other rams, says Charles Roselli, a professor of physiology and pharmacology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Guess gay sheep don’t sire more lambs for lamb stew now, do they?

It’s a sad truth – that high atop every proverbial Brokeback Mountain, gay cowboys and randy rams will always have to deal with folks who feel the need to control how one gets down and gets off. Other people are always going to be a problem in such matters – because how you live your life serves other people’s (and society’s) purposes in addition to your own.

The question this movie (and so many stories like it) poses is do you dare break free of other people’s expectations?

Do you dare chase your own dreams even if other people think they’re nightmares?

Is Jake Gyllenhaal really a bottom?

Do you struggle to find your own voice within the incessant bleating of the herd?

Or do you simply baaah-baaah-fuckity-baaah-baaah…all the way home?

I don't know your life and I can’t answer those questions for anybody other than my own damn self.

High on a hill, atop Broke-Ass Mountain, I know I look good in my vintage Stetson and I’ll keep on yodeling out, honey…

Layee odl, layee odl, lay-ee-ooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Maybe all I'll ever hear back is an echo - but the way I see it, one lonely voice is better than two singing somebody else's notion of how you should be leading your life, singing somebody else's love song.

If there's one lesson to be learned from this movie, it's that your life, much like Brokeback Mountain, won't have a sequel.

Posted January 22, 2006 09:07 PM