Not that I've Actually Read Proust

I recently composed a promotional email newsletter for work, which involved writing some tiny little bits of original copy describing recent books. One such publication is a comprehensive account of Marcel Proust's love life. In my first draft I managed to refer to this as a "remembrance of flings past," and in fact the marketing manager didn't make any comment about it when I ran the email by her for approval. But, I had to cut it later for space. Kind of a shame; I don't think I'll get the chance to make that particular joke again.

Incidentally, I found myself in one of those miniature liberal intellectual jams in writing this bit of copy, where you know you're overthinking it but can't let it go anyway. So Proust was gay: if you don't mention he was gay, does that seem like you're trying to whitewash over it? But if you go out of your way to mention he was gay, doesn't that mean you're not accepting it as a lifestyle in full equality?

The answer, of course, is that none of this matters. If I have ten words of marketing copy to spend, then I can't even fit in my little play on words, much less all this social subtext.

I feel, however, that the best way to reaffirm one's gay-supporting credentials is to laugh hilariously at Jon Stewart doing what he does best, while taking down this Republican anti-marriage amendment hypocrisy. First funny Jon, then serious Jon just tearing William Bennett a new one. As Rob Corddry puts it: Oh, the hu-man-on-manity.