Seriously. This is gossip. And AI is reporting on gossip. Especially something as fiercely personal as this. I'd say it was an inappropriate and irresponsible choice to publish this
+1. Agreed. I do not visit AI to read about the sexual orientation of individuals.
So if this was addressing a different minority, and said the "most powerful woman," the "most powerful black man," or any other category of people who are less likely to be promoted in society because of prejudice, would you also be feigning outrage?
There is nothing offensive about noting that Cook is gay. Being gay is not taboo nor weak. Being homophobic is weak, because it ignores facts to prefer fear. There is nothing demeaning about gays in the article. Quite the opposite, Cook is competent, strong, decisive, has his personal shit together, rather than being a comically effete stereotype preferred in the mainstream media when depicting gays.
That should attract the anger of the same groups who hate Obama for being a competent, powerful, intellectual, and level headed black man. It absolutely destroys the notion of stereotypes.
It is offensive that you would try to censor such a message. Do you prefer gays begin depicted as a class of people who have to hide their identity lest anyone finding out they are "defective" or something? THAT'S offensive.
Except being black or a woman isn't a matter of privacy. If true, cook deserves the choice to out himself, not have it done for him by gossip columns
I don't see a problem with this article, yes indeed, the vast majority of people here will not have any homophobic tendencies so it will not bother them in the slightest but this world as a whole, does have homophobic tendencies and there is nothing wrong with pointing out something positive like this article does.
Now consider this, who is making the bigger fuss, a statement saying that the obvious second in command and first choice for replacement CEO in jobs case is gay, and is doing extremely well in his job and getting justly noticed and paid. Or people clamouring that news should 'curated' in exactly the way that they want to avoid offending them. After all, if him been gay truly meant nothing to you then why would you bother writing about how offended you were by been told, in one neutral sentence out of a dozen?
Except it's not news. It's gossip sourced from two anonymous and Unverified sources.
Seriously. This is gossip. And AI is reporting on gossip. Especially something as fiercely personal as this. I'd say it was an inappropriate and irresponsible choice to publish this
+10000 WTF? I care about the products, not who the COO wants to screw in his free time. What is wrong with people?
This has to be quite possible the most stupid story I've ever seen on this site.
Apple is a technology company and not about promoting a gay culture. So why deal with a controversial subject that will only distract from what Apple is doing? Please stick to the fundamentals and leave out extraneous personal political orientation.
(sorry if this has been stated I did not read all of the comments already posted)
It seems wrong to me to have a headline proclaiming Tim Cook as the most powerful gay man in tech (or however you want to say it) - suggesting by the title that it is an established fact - and then half way down the article to say - well, that's what someone told me. No matter how reliable the sources. And then to put in at the end a story of entirely different person who has personally stated that they are gay - and to include a quote that is not explicitly attributed to anyone - leaving the possibility that the reader could interpret that as being a statement made by Tim rather than by the other person described in the article.
So ignoring any and all issues regarding sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, political leanings, or current facebook status - as a piece of what is allegedly journalism - I have a number of problems with this article and would classify it more along the lines of a Weekly World News story about the boy werewolf - with a headline and photo proclaiming proof positive that Jo-Jo the dog faced boy is really a werewolf - and then an article explaining how in fact he is just a boy with a genetic mutation that results in excessive hair growth (or maybe the weekly world news would not be that truthful in the article) - and then add anecdotal evidence that someone once told someone I know that they heard there really was a werewolf.
A better headline would be more like - Tim Cook now the most powerful person in the tech industry, if only temporarily until the return of Jobs (actually that is a bit long for a headline). With possibly a mention that there have been rumors that he might be gay.
Personally I do not care if he is or is not - or dresses up as a Nazi to reenact World War II - provided it does not affect his job performance.
(and no dressing up as a Nazi is to reenact WWII is NOT a bad thing - just as dressing up as a Red Coat to reenact the Revolutionary War would be a bad thing - in any reenactment - somebody's got to be the bad guy - provided you are not promoting or celebrating the atrocities committed - I see no problem with it. And DO NOT get me started on conspiracy theories about the death camps, or the moon landings, or who shot JFK.
um what were we talking about again? oh yeah, GO APPLE! GO TIM! and GET WELL STEVE!
I think it's cool Tim Cook is gay and is being profiled for being so. I had no idea, but it makes total sense. Gay people have always pushed culture forward. Apple has has always been used by industries that have pushed culture forward. Apple itself is a company that has used technology and it's image to push our culture forward.
My guess is that Tim Cook isn't a closeted gay man, living in fear of being outed (like so many of our politicians). Frankly, I would like to see more profiles of successful, intelligent, and forward thinking gay people in business. Those who are uncomfortable with gay people would prefer that they go away, they exchange in the currency of silence and separation. The only way to remove the stigma in our society of any marginalized group is to lift the veil of silence and expose our commonalities.
Gay kids and gay people should have successful role models in all areas of business and society. Tim Cook is certainly that. It's not irrelevant, it's inspiring.
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
Regardless of the facts in this case - I agree with you - but the very fact that there are still lots of people with that attitude is why being publicly known to be gay is still a problem in many places.
Throughout history anyone viewed as "other" has been automatically classified as less worthy or defective or not even human - and you don't have to look very far afield or back in time to see those attitudes clearly emblazoned across our own landscape.
I emphasized the last few sentences because they really moved me.
I like to think that I can put myself in someone else's shoes -- and look at the world from his perspective.
I don't think I would even imagine the situation you presented.
How would I feel?
What would I do?
Questions to ponder...
That's why we need things to be discussed honestly but also not for things to be taken too seriously.
As humankind we have come a long way but homophobia is still widespread.
I don't know what the solution is.
Certainly in professional sports and the military being openly gay can be challenging.
At the same time I do sense some people that feel they have to be camp, flamboyant and over-the-top just to "be gay"... When there are a lot of bisexual or gay men that are quite straight-acting.
Always something to ponder.
A big issue is for same sex marriages to be allowed. Someone explained it to me (a straight girl)... Do you know how many advantages there are to being married in terms of legal, financial, property, and tax benefits? Particularly in Asia.
And I'm in a country where being gay is still technically illegal in civil law. Not to mention sharia law.
Some comments here are saying "what's the big deal" well the more gay men and women are seen as someone you wish was your boss, son, friend or neighbor the less discrimination, hate and fear will exist in this world. Unlike African Americans who could not hide who they are during the long battle for equal rights in this country, Gay Americans for the most part needed to. Black Americans made big strides towards equality in the past few decades but remember many of the battles won by this group are still being fought for gay Americans. Being accepted and respected by the majority is important and unless you are on the outside looking in you will not know how this affects you.
I think it's cool Tim Cook is gay and is being profiled for being so. I had no idea, but it makes total sense. Gay people have always pushed culture forward. Apple has has always been used by industries that have pushed culture forward. Apple itself is a company that has used technology and it's image to push our culture forward.
My guess is that Tim Cook isn't a closeted gay man, living in fear of being outed (like so many of our politicians). Frankly, I would like to see more profiles of successful, intelligent, and forward thinking gay people in business. Those who are uncomfortable with gay people would prefer that they go away, they exchange in the currency of silence and separation. The only way to remove the stigma in our society of any marginalized group is to lift the veil of silence and expose our commonalities.
Gay kids and gay people should have successful role models in all areas of business and society. Tim Cook is certainly that. It's not irrelevant, it's inspiring.
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
Agreed.. And nicely said..
I've always known Tim Cook was gay, but never realized so many others didn't.. It has been mentioned before, quite a bit recently in with all the debates regarding the "Manhattan declaration" ordeal (props to Apple on that one!)
Anyway, yes, Tim Cook is gay, and Apple is a very gay-friendly company.. They've supported gay rights issues and they've financially backed California's NO on 8 campaign.. They've even banned gay-haters (Manhattan declaration) from the app store..
For those who don't like it, or feel that they can't support a company that is now being run by a gay man, there is always Dell, HP and many others waiting to sell you their devices.. Although, i'd be wiling to bet that there are gay people working at those companies as well..
In our country, we don't even allow gays to marry, let alone have basic equal rights in terms of taxes and other benefits. So that in itself makes being gay a newsworthy story.
You do know that being legally married is a tax penalty, right? I'm going to end up paying about 2,500 more in taxes this year than last simply because I'm getting married...
(There's no tax benefit to being married now matter how you slice it because at best the pay scales for a married couple are 2x a single but once you get above 100k total you become subject to higher tax rates than your single friends who are living together). I'm not saying anything about the rest of your argument but simply pointing out there is no "tax benefit" to being married.
We also need at least Drag Addict Pride Parades and Alcoholic Pride Parades. Alcoholics and drag addicts, look at gays, nobody should even think about "helping" you - you must be proud of yourself!
You do know that being legally married is a tax penalty, right? I'm going to end up paying about 2,500 more in taxes this year than last simply because I'm getting married...
(There's no tax benefit to being married now matter how you slice it because at best the pay scales for a married couple are 2x a single but once you get above 100k total you become subject to higher tax rates than your single friends who are living together). I'm not saying anything about the rest of your argument but simply pointing out there is no "tax benefit" to being married.
I was thinking that getting divorced would have some benefits for me since my income is so much higher than my wife's then she could qualify for more government entitlements and help to increase the national debt.
We also need at least Drag Addict Pride Parades and Alcoholic Pride Parades. Alcoholics and drag addicts, look at gays, nobody should even think about "helping" you - you must be proud of yourself!
You do realize that "Drag" Addict is what the Pride Parade is all about... right??!!
I found this article to be inappropriate. I hope AI doesn't publish such articles again that encourage a debate on the sexual orientation of Apple's management. Totally unnecessary!
In a perfect world we wouldn?t, but an inevitable part of civil rights movements is to point out accomplishments from groups of people previously deemed undesirable or incapable in some way by the majority of society.
In 2009 we commended Sonia Sotomayor for being the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the Supreme Court Justice. I don?t think the average person would think pointing this out this achievement is a horrible thing and it?s surely an inspiration to many that classify themselves as such.
Unless there is some ?outing? or it?s a a falsified statement I see no problem with someone making this general point to point out the success of a person who belongs to a group trying to achieve social acceptance.
Your comment and others like it are what we can hope for in the future. IOW, these rights should seem so natural that the idea of pointing them out would make us scratch our heads as to why it?s being stated in the first place.
Great piece of Journalism by Dilger.
Why? Because it gives credit where credit is due.
Those magnificent pieces of software and hardware engineering, those beautifully designed objects of communication between fellow human beings of all creeds, colors, and sexual orientations, Apple's genius to be succinct was built from the ground up on inclusiveness and genial conviviality.
Look at an iPhone... ! It just wouldn't be the epochal phone we love, were it not in part gay, and latino, and muslim, and you, and me... I wish the inclusiveness of commoditized beauty could be extended to all and sundry. It already has affected the Military in an outgrowth of civil debate with the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell". Perhaps a gentle remainder of Apple's secular creed would push the boundary of differential humanity further up the scale of unquestionable normality.
Again, I give full credit for Apple's creative streak to our common humanity. It is foremost not the coming out of a man, but the outing of circumstantial evidence in a trial of insularity.*
Comments
Seriously. This is gossip. And AI is reporting on gossip. Especially something as fiercely personal as this. I'd say it was an inappropriate and irresponsible choice to publish this
+1. Agreed. I do not visit AI to read about the sexual orientation of individuals.
So if this was addressing a different minority, and said the "most powerful woman," the "most powerful black man," or any other category of people who are less likely to be promoted in society because of prejudice, would you also be feigning outrage?
There is nothing offensive about noting that Cook is gay. Being gay is not taboo nor weak. Being homophobic is weak, because it ignores facts to prefer fear. There is nothing demeaning about gays in the article. Quite the opposite, Cook is competent, strong, decisive, has his personal shit together, rather than being a comically effete stereotype preferred in the mainstream media when depicting gays.
That should attract the anger of the same groups who hate Obama for being a competent, powerful, intellectual, and level headed black man. It absolutely destroys the notion of stereotypes.
It is offensive that you would try to censor such a message. Do you prefer gays begin depicted as a class of people who have to hide their identity lest anyone finding out they are "defective" or something? THAT'S offensive.
Except being black or a woman isn't a matter of privacy. If true, cook deserves the choice to out himself, not have it done for him by gossip columns
I don't see a problem with this article, yes indeed, the vast majority of people here will not have any homophobic tendencies so it will not bother them in the slightest but this world as a whole, does have homophobic tendencies and there is nothing wrong with pointing out something positive like this article does.
Now consider this, who is making the bigger fuss, a statement saying that the obvious second in command and first choice for replacement CEO in jobs case is gay, and is doing extremely well in his job and getting justly noticed and paid. Or people clamouring that news should 'curated' in exactly the way that they want to avoid offending them. After all, if him been gay truly meant nothing to you then why would you bother writing about how offended you were by been told, in one neutral sentence out of a dozen?
Except it's not news. It's gossip sourced from two anonymous and Unverified sources.
Seriously. This is gossip. And AI is reporting on gossip. Especially something as fiercely personal as this. I'd say it was an inappropriate and irresponsible choice to publish this
+10000 WTF? I care about the products, not who the COO wants to screw in his free time. What is wrong with people?
This has to be quite possible the most stupid story I've ever seen on this site.
Apple is a technology company and not about promoting a gay culture. So why deal with a controversial subject that will only distract from what Apple is doing? Please stick to the fundamentals and leave out extraneous personal political orientation.
It seems wrong to me to have a headline proclaiming Tim Cook as the most powerful gay man in tech (or however you want to say it) - suggesting by the title that it is an established fact - and then half way down the article to say - well, that's what someone told me. No matter how reliable the sources. And then to put in at the end a story of entirely different person who has personally stated that they are gay - and to include a quote that is not explicitly attributed to anyone - leaving the possibility that the reader could interpret that as being a statement made by Tim rather than by the other person described in the article.
So ignoring any and all issues regarding sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, political leanings, or current facebook status - as a piece of what is allegedly journalism - I have a number of problems with this article and would classify it more along the lines of a Weekly World News story about the boy werewolf - with a headline and photo proclaiming proof positive that Jo-Jo the dog faced boy is really a werewolf - and then an article explaining how in fact he is just a boy with a genetic mutation that results in excessive hair growth (or maybe the weekly world news would not be that truthful in the article) - and then add anecdotal evidence that someone once told someone I know that they heard there really was a werewolf.
A better headline would be more like - Tim Cook now the most powerful person in the tech industry, if only temporarily until the return of Jobs (actually that is a bit long for a headline). With possibly a mention that there have been rumors that he might be gay.
Personally I do not care if he is or is not - or dresses up as a Nazi to reenact World War II - provided it does not affect his job performance.
(and no dressing up as a Nazi is to reenact WWII is NOT a bad thing - just as dressing up as a Red Coat to reenact the Revolutionary War would be a bad thing - in any reenactment - somebody's got to be the bad guy - provided you are not promoting or celebrating the atrocities committed - I see no problem with it. And DO NOT get me started on conspiracy theories about the death camps, or the moon landings, or who shot JFK.
um what were we talking about again? oh yeah, GO APPLE! GO TIM! and GET WELL STEVE!
My guess is that Tim Cook isn't a closeted gay man, living in fear of being outed (like so many of our politicians). Frankly, I would like to see more profiles of successful, intelligent, and forward thinking gay people in business. Those who are uncomfortable with gay people would prefer that they go away, they exchange in the currency of silence and separation. The only way to remove the stigma in our society of any marginalized group is to lift the veil of silence and expose our commonalities.
Gay kids and gay people should have successful role models in all areas of business and society. Tim Cook is certainly that. It's not irrelevant, it's inspiring.
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
Regardless of the facts in this case - I agree with you - but the very fact that there are still lots of people with that attitude is why being publicly known to be gay is still a problem in many places.
Throughout history anyone viewed as "other" has been automatically classified as less worthy or defective or not even human - and you don't have to look very far afield or back in time to see those attitudes clearly emblazoned across our own landscape.
I emphasized the last few sentences because they really moved me.
I like to think that I can put myself in someone else's shoes -- and look at the world from his perspective.
I don't think I would even imagine the situation you presented.
How would I feel?
What would I do?
Questions to ponder...
That's why we need things to be discussed honestly but also not for things to be taken too seriously.
As humankind we have come a long way but homophobia is still widespread.
I don't know what the solution is.
Certainly in professional sports and the military being openly gay can be challenging.
At the same time I do sense some people that feel they have to be camp, flamboyant and over-the-top just to "be gay"... When there are a lot of bisexual or gay men that are quite straight-acting.
Always something to ponder.
A big issue is for same sex marriages to be allowed. Someone explained it to me (a straight girl)... Do you know how many advantages there are to being married in terms of legal, financial, property, and tax benefits? Particularly in Asia.
And I'm in a country where being gay is still technically illegal in civil law. Not to mention sharia law.
I think it's cool Tim Cook is gay and is being profiled for being so. I had no idea, but it makes total sense. Gay people have always pushed culture forward. Apple has has always been used by industries that have pushed culture forward. Apple itself is a company that has used technology and it's image to push our culture forward.
My guess is that Tim Cook isn't a closeted gay man, living in fear of being outed (like so many of our politicians). Frankly, I would like to see more profiles of successful, intelligent, and forward thinking gay people in business. Those who are uncomfortable with gay people would prefer that they go away, they exchange in the currency of silence and separation. The only way to remove the stigma in our society of any marginalized group is to lift the veil of silence and expose our commonalities.
Gay kids and gay people should have successful role models in all areas of business and society. Tim Cook is certainly that. It's not irrelevant, it's inspiring.
For the guy who posted that gay people are "defective by definition"
Really man? it's 2011, evolve dude. I mean, come on. Really?
Agreed.. And nicely said..
I've always known Tim Cook was gay, but never realized so many others didn't.. It has been mentioned before, quite a bit recently in with all the debates regarding the "Manhattan declaration" ordeal (props to Apple on that one!)
Anyway, yes, Tim Cook is gay, and Apple is a very gay-friendly company.. They've supported gay rights issues and they've financially backed California's NO on 8 campaign.. They've even banned gay-haters (Manhattan declaration) from the app store..
For those who don't like it, or feel that they can't support a company that is now being run by a gay man, there is always Dell, HP and many others waiting to sell you their devices.. Although, i'd be wiling to bet that there are gay people working at those companies as well..
In our country, we don't even allow gays to marry, let alone have basic equal rights in terms of taxes and other benefits. So that in itself makes being gay a newsworthy story.
You do know that being legally married is a tax penalty, right? I'm going to end up paying about 2,500 more in taxes this year than last simply because I'm getting married...
(There's no tax benefit to being married now matter how you slice it because at best the pay scales for a married couple are 2x a single but once you get above 100k total you become subject to higher tax rates than your single friends who are living together). I'm not saying anything about the rest of your argument but simply pointing out there is no "tax benefit" to being married.
You do know that being legally married is a tax penalty, right? I'm going to end up paying about 2,500 more in taxes this year than last simply because I'm getting married...
(There's no tax benefit to being married now matter how you slice it because at best the pay scales for a married couple are 2x a single but once you get above 100k total you become subject to higher tax rates than your single friends who are living together). I'm not saying anything about the rest of your argument but simply pointing out there is no "tax benefit" to being married.
I was thinking that getting divorced would have some benefits for me since my income is so much higher than my wife's then she could qualify for more government entitlements and help to increase the national debt.
We also need at least Drag Addict Pride Parades and Alcoholic Pride Parades. Alcoholics and drag addicts, look at gays, nobody should even think about "helping" you - you must be proud of yourself!
You do realize that "Drag" Addict is what the Pride Parade is all about... right??!!
(yes... I realize it's a spelling error)
I made a video about it that I hope expresses these feelings in a way that everyone can understand.
Please show your support by watching it.
In a perfect world we wouldn?t, but an inevitable part of civil rights movements is to point out accomplishments from groups of people previously deemed undesirable or incapable in some way by the majority of society.
In 2009 we commended Sonia Sotomayor for being the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the Supreme Court Justice. I don?t think the average person would think pointing this out this achievement is a horrible thing and it?s surely an inspiration to many that classify themselves as such.
Unless there is some ?outing? or it?s a a falsified statement I see no problem with someone making this general point to point out the success of a person who belongs to a group trying to achieve social acceptance.
Your comment and others like it are what we can hope for in the future. IOW, these rights should seem so natural that the idea of pointing them out would make us scratch our heads as to why it?s being stated in the first place.
Great piece of Journalism by Dilger.
Why? Because it gives credit where credit is due.
Those magnificent pieces of software and hardware engineering, those beautifully designed objects of communication between fellow human beings of all creeds, colors, and sexual orientations, Apple's genius to be succinct was built from the ground up on inclusiveness and genial conviviality.
Look at an iPhone... ! It just wouldn't be the epochal phone we love, were it not in part gay, and latino, and muslim, and you, and me... I wish the inclusiveness of commoditized beauty could be extended to all and sundry. It already has affected the Military in an outgrowth of civil debate with the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell". Perhaps a gentle remainder of Apple's secular creed would push the boundary of differential humanity further up the scale of unquestionable normality.
Again, I give full credit for Apple's creative streak to our common humanity. It is foremost not the coming out of a man, but the outing of circumstantial evidence in a trial of insularity.*