In which Jennifer Roback Morse plays that chaperone mom at a slumber party everyone wants to go away
December 16, 2010 at 2:10 pm adambink 49 comments
By Adam Bink
NOM’s Ruth Institute is giving away cash for videos of you rollerblading in sync together.
Is it just me, or does she remind you of that mom at a slumber party, attending as a chaperone, who keeps making really lame suggestions of how to have fun, that everyone wants to go away? You know, the kind of that interrupts a game of spin the bottle and cheerfully suggests “hey kids, how about instead of kissing, you just give your guy or gal a happy thumbs up instead?!”, at which point all the 13-year-olds roll their eyes. What movie am I thinking of, here?
No doubt, some enterprising and clever personality will send in his or her video, win, and then donate the prize money to Courage Campaign Institute and get a lot of publicity and accolades for punking NOM. Hint, hint.
Entry filed under: NOM Exposed, Right-wing.
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Prop 8 Trial Tracker 
1.
Richard A. Jernigan | December 16, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Adam, I would submit a video, but I do not do well on rollerblades. Give me the old=fashioned skates where the wheels are arranged side by side, two in the front and two in the back.
2.
adambink | December 16, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Hey, I’m sure you could sit hand-in-hand with someone watching fishing on ESPN, on camera, and that would qualify.
3.
fiona64 | December 16, 2010 at 2:25 pm
What Richard said … and it’s been about 30 years since I was on a pair of *those* skates. I think that the ensuing video of Jeff taking me to the hospital would not be quite what they had in mind, LOL.
Love,
Fiona
4.
StraightForEquality | December 16, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Subbing….
5.
robtish | December 16, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Yeah, Morse it hopelessly out of touch, especially given her job as leader of NOM’s youth outreach organization (the Ruth Institute).
Know what they’re slogan is? “Making marriage cool again!”
She’s downright groovy!
6.
robtish | December 16, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I can’t believe I misspelled “their.” Sigh.
7.
Ann S. | December 16, 2010 at 2:17 pm
There, there. We forgive you, Rob.
8.
JonT | December 16, 2010 at 3:19 pm
They’re their. What Ann said. :)
9.
Kate | December 16, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Ruth and Naomi
Sittin’ in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
10.
Richard A. Jernigan | December 16, 2010 at 5:34 pm
And let’s not forget about David and Jonathan!
11.
Dave in ME | December 16, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Funny we should read about this silly video when an article about marriage in France comes out detailing how civil unions for all are becoming more popular than marriage: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/europe/16france.html?src=me&ref=homepage.
But I do want to say that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to show that marriage between a man and a woman can by nice, fun, happy, etc. The presentation by Morse is awful, yes, and her organization and its parent are reprehensible, but the core concept of this project I don’t think is so bad.
Dave in Maine
12.
Rob | December 16, 2010 at 2:17 pm
We should deluge them with videos of happy, same-sex couples!
13.
Kate | December 16, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon! Theirs was definitely lifelong.
14.
Chris B | December 16, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Yup! Lots of 40 and 50-year old SS couples who have been together (and monogamous*) for a decade or two–with their kids–explaining all about what true (oops, I mean ‘REEL’) lifelong love is.
*Bryan Fischer recently did an interview where he said there was no such thing as a monogamous gay couple.
15.
joshie | December 16, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I so agree. I think that all the same-sex couples should do this, and do it seriously. After all we are the ones that believe marriage is important enough to fight for.
I think I will make it on how me and my partner are learning Spanish and ASL in school, so that we can give our children better opportunities by growing up trilingual.
16.
Linda | December 16, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!
First, she’s talking to 18-24 year-olds? She looks (and sounds) like a kindergarten teacher wannabe. Second, her topic “Is Lifelong love possible?”–Isn’t that our whole point?! That lifelong love IS possible–for everyone!
Duh!
But hey, I’m sure there will be some church youth groups who will be all over this ‘fun project’…giggle, giggle….(hope they remember the lollipops!)
17.
StraightForEquality | December 16, 2010 at 2:20 pm
They limit it to adults 18 to 24. How can they know a whole lot about lifelong love? I was married at 22 and divorced 26 years later. My view when I was between 18 and 24 was probably unrealistic. Certainly it wouldn’t have proven anything.
18.
Ann S. | December 16, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I guess they value being youthful and photogenic over having lifelong love, huh?
Or maybe they just don’t want those of us over 24 to hurt ourselves trying to rollerblade. Speaking only for myself, of course, but I could probably do myself serious harm on a pair of rollerblades. Not that I’m going to try — my left knee ACL reconstruction was costly, and I don’t want to risk it.
19.
fiona64 | December 16, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Wait … what? Your prefrontal cortex isn’t even finished developing until approx. age 25. What does that mean? Your decision-making process is immature. WTF does an 18-year-old know about “lifelong love”? Gah.
Love,
Fiona
20.
Kate | December 16, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Yeah… they’re probably figuring the “kids” will interview some of those old clip art people on the promo and make a video about them.
21.
Chris B | December 16, 2010 at 4:19 pm
StraightForEquality: My thoughts exactly! What does a 20-yr old know about lifelong love? At that age it’s all still unicorns and cotton candy, isn’t it?
You know she is not the cool mom when she says: “Super-cool project” and “Hence our intentional misspelling of ‘real’ as R-E-E-L”
22.
Lesbians Love Boies | December 16, 2010 at 4:47 pm
I thought I knew EVERYTHING at 18! I know better now.
23.
fiona64 | December 17, 2010 at 10:57 am
“I am no longer young enough to know everything.” — Oscar Wilde
Love,
Fiona
24.
Ronnie | December 16, 2010 at 2:22 pm
She equals FAIL in so many ways….. : / …..Ronnie
25.
Rebecca in Chicago | December 16, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Omg I’m totally doing this with my 18 year old brother to punk them. At the prize collection ceremony, I’ll bring my girlfiend and be like “gotcha suckassss!’
OK, it’s way more badass in my mind…
26.
atty79 | December 16, 2010 at 2:24 pm
What would be a fun thing to do is counter this with a Really ‘Reel’ Love video onslaught on YouTube, where couples show the reality of true love–not the self-serving, narrow definition embraced by the Ruth Institute and its cohorts. When people search for “Reel Love,” hopefully the videos on YouTube would show up first, before this Ruth Institute stuff.
It would be even better if life-long married couples who support marriage equality post videos on YouTube.
27.
Kathlene | December 17, 2010 at 7:22 pm
That’s an amazing idea.
28.
Rhie | December 16, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Oh…dear.
29.
Dave in ME | December 16, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Reel cool!
Dave in Maine
30.
Kathleen | December 16, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Her video is hilarious – it’s another parody!
When it starts out explaining that it’s “a super cool project” you can bet … it’s not. And it goes downhill from there – she has to explain that “reel” is an intentional misspelling and then she can’t even get the “question” they’re asking right!
SNL couldn’t have done any better. :)
31.
Kathleen | December 16, 2010 at 3:44 pm
and scribin
32.
Cassie | December 16, 2010 at 3:32 pm
This is such bull. Why would you start a project like this? Seriously dumb. I totally want to make a parody video and do exactly what they asked but with a gay couple. :P That’d be great. Just to shake things up. :) So, I tried to comment on a blog on their “Ruth Youth” section of the website and it wouldn’t even let me. I clicked submit or publish or whatever it was and it just loaded to a blank page. These people are full of crap and it drives me insane.
33.
Ray in MA | December 16, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I work in Web Technology and it is possible for their submit process to scan your computer for cookies, email addresses, etc before accepting your submission. I could be wrong in this case, but try it on a ‘virgin’ computer.
(For example, when you first join Facebook it scans your computer for email addresses and compares them to current Facebook accounts and voila! You may have frieinds on FB that you can contact!)
34.
DaveP | December 16, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Just in case this video actually starts getting a decent number of views on Youtube, I suggest everyone with the ability to post a comment on Youtube use this opportunity to post a comment there and tell the public the truth about the Ruth institute. Don’t mince words.
35.
Kathleen | December 16, 2010 at 4:06 pm
MSNBC’s technolog reports on NOM’s reaction to pulling app from itunes
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/16/5659718-steve-jobs-targeted-in-anti-gay-iphone-app-war
36.
Elizabeth Oakes | December 16, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Video won’t play for some reason, but I get the drift. Angling for propaganda films that they don’t have to underwrite themselves. Of course they could say the same about us.
I know the LDS Church produces a lot of films for young adults about dating and marriage…and guess how objective they are about remaining single, childless, or dating outside of the faith? Movies are powerful influencers of the mind….TV too. I don’t think I need to comment on how TV has degraded American thought, dialogue, and journalism here.
NOM to young’uns: “I think you’d like to play a little solitaire…(rather, buy a little solitaire and play out our ‘traditional marriage’ scenario to prove our political point.)”
37.
Sagesse | December 16, 2010 at 5:20 pm
I think this women has been in cryo-stasis since 1940. Where does she get this stuff?
38.
Rich | December 16, 2010 at 5:40 pm
All so corny from the Ruth Institute…have been trying to post comments on the NOM blog but get booted every time. (I think I may be quite proud of that.) But, I think we should all bombard them with posts; they do not like any post not of their persuasion. In particular, check out the posts by “Don”, very scary; think Senator Joseph McCarthy and the communist RED SCARE…whooooo!
39.
Roger | December 16, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Corny? I suppose so, but the word that leapt to my mind after hearing her for 10 seconds was “patronising.” And it wouldn’t go away.
And am I the only one who noticed that having carefully avoided the M word for most of her presentation she slips up right at the end — “send in your videos about life-long MARRIED love” ??
40.
me | December 16, 2010 at 6:19 pm
ok wait… did the black couple look like two men to anybody else? i had to rewind to see it again on my little phone’s screen.
41.
adambink | December 16, 2010 at 7:42 pm
By the way, if anyone makes a video, send it in to prop8trialtracker@couragecampaign.org– parody, serious or otherwise.
42.
Richard A. Jernigan | December 17, 2010 at 6:24 am
Adam, I just sent you an email with our wedding videos. If that didn’t work, you can go to the link in my name here on any of my posts and find the YouTube links to the wedding videos that are on my YouTube channel. And yes, you can use them.
43.
Kathlene | December 17, 2010 at 7:25 pm
You should make this an official project with it’s own post. It’s such a great idea.
44.
KarlG | December 17, 2010 at 5:31 am
we should inundate them with gay couples rollerblading, and making meals together. they won’t know what HIT them!
45.
Richard A. Jernigan | December 17, 2010 at 6:28 am
I can always do Chanukkah over, with videos of us lighting the candles, since Jenny wants to bring the Jews into the equation!
46.
fern | December 17, 2010 at 7:41 am
I’ve been in love all my life with different women.
The French heteros are opting for civil unions which was made for gays in France, the reason… they get the benefits and save on divorce lawyers. What is not right is that they still don’t get same sex marriage.
47.
anonygrl | December 17, 2010 at 8:01 am
Should I do one where I am happily skating with a man, then when the music changes, I change partners and skate with a woman…
Of course, its been a LONG time since I was 18-24, but on the upside, I understand much more about lifelong love than I did then… tough call…
:)
48.
Randy | December 17, 2010 at 8:12 am
The only thing missing from this video was the storm in the background… ;)
49.
adambink | December 17, 2010 at 8:33 am
Amusingly, Atrios, a former economist himself, says he used to cite Morse when she was an economist before turning wingnut crusader.
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/12/morse.html