John Waters: Coming Out Is So Square
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- New videos DAILY: bigth.ink/youtube
Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos: bigth.ink/Edge
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT BIG THINK:
Smarter Faster™
Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. Subscribe to learn from top minds like these daily. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life.
Other Frequent contributors include Michio Kaku & Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
Michio Kaku Playlist: bigth.ink/kaku
Bill Nye Playlist: bigth.ink/BillNye
Neil DeGrasse Tyson Playlist: bigth.ink/deGr...
Read more at Bigthink.com for a multitude of articles just as informative and satisfying as our videos. New articles posted daily on a range of intellectual topics.
Join Big Think Edge, to gain access to a world-class learning platform focused on building the soft skills essential to 21st century success. It features insight from many of the most celebrated and intelligent individuals in the world today. Topics on the platform are focused on: emotional intelligence, digital fluency, health and wellness, critical thinking, creativity, communication, career development, lifelong learning, management, problem solving & self-motivation.
BIG THINK EDGE: bigth.ink/Edge
If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner, Executive Interviews: bigth.ink/lice...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow Big Think here:
📰BigThink.com: bigth.ink
🧔Facebook: bigth.ink/face...
🐦Twitter: bigth.ink/twitter
📸Instagram: bigth.ink/Inst...
📹UA-cam: bigth.ink/youtube
✉ E-mail: info@bigthink.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I don't like men who call women fish. I hate separate lesbians who hate men...I like them better though" always kills me
I don't get it.
@@I_WANT_MY_SLAW I'm guessing he hates both BUT he likes the separatist lesbians more than the men who call women fish.
@Mutterschwein and you'd be right, because that's exactly what he said
Beautiful profile picture
@@Mutterschwein That is what he said.
I hope he lives passed 100. I hate knowing I didn’t follow his interviews more closely growing up. A true outlier.
He loves minorities who are outliers within their own minority groups!! I hope this man lives forever! The world needs John Waters!
John Waters is a true artist’s hero. Unlike the woke mob that wants to exterminate all heterosexuals, John has zero contempt for anyone, and he transcended the queer uniform to get to the juicy part of life that the straight and queer have in common, instead of dividing us. All of my straight friends loved John Waters movies until they became woke. I could never understand that. I hope woke dies like disco music.
@@BikewithloveThe woke mob is always talking about their plans to overthrow heteros, so true!!! Even 2 years later wokeness is running our cities and infecting our friends with its woke virus. The woke mob has been and will continue to take everything we love as we know it, and spit it back out as: Woke. Woke is everywhere, inescapable. It's in our radio stations, even our food!! If you haven't been woke'd, then it's coming for you next. Wokeness, not even once.
"...if you can't love your kid, don't have it cuz it'll grow up and kill us!"...*ding*...BIG THINK.
Brillant.
Hari
hari
Krishna
krishna
sexobscura
I worry that you’ll will work in a office,have children,celebrate wedding anniversaries.
The world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life.
"Abortion is self defense" is an interesting take, I'll give you that.
@@rocco_productionsmannott31 prolly just described someone's dream life lol
This is the way my best friend was growing up. We were 5 years old and I knew he was gay. Everybody knew. He never came out or anything, he never said he was gay. Just all of the sudden we were 19 and he was dating guys. He was more popular than most. Even in a shitty small rural town, I think most people respect somebody who is unabashedly themself.
I mean, you can't come out of the closet if you never were in one.
I had horrible low self-esteem until I read John Water’s book about his prison tour. He was the only person who ever said to accentuate your flaws. I was skinny, and I never fit into the business world. I couldn’t get a date, but a few years after reading John Waters it sort of ‘clicked’ and I went to art school & wore tight fitting thrift store clothes. At one point I was dating five girls. John Waters is awesome.
Which book is that?
@@kds5895 - Great question… I don’t remember, and I just glanced at his books and I had no idea he had written so much! It was a book in a friend’s NYC apartment that I read back in 1996 on a visit, so it was most likely either “Shock Value” or ”Crackpot.” One phrase that stands out to me is John saying to lean toward your faults, or to dress toward them: “If you’re skinny, wear spandex and take diet pills.” He also discussed a tour he did of the American prison system. I’m sure both are good reads. I don’t think he published a book after them until 2003.
I was with you until the end. I’m a straight guy and dating a bunch of women is out of reach for me morally. Unless they knew about it. That’s just a sign of low self esteem.
Did you find the book? What was it?
accentuating your flaw is very interesting. I'd like to understand his reasoning for it to be better convinced for it.
"Gay is not good enough, it's a good start" I love that!
Ahahah 🤣
I knew that I was attracted to other people of the same gender in 1965, when I was 5.
... it didn’t stop me preferring the company of the ladies, just that they kept their clothes on.
I knew when I was around 5 too, it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who knew, on some level, at such a young age.
John Waters needs to adopt me.
Tracy.3
Back off!!
He’s mine
Calm down people. He can adopt all of us..but I'm his favorite because I'm in the Arts. Now go get daddy and me some snacks please.
He seems like such a nice, self assured man that is happy being himself. How awesome is that. If we could all be as comfortable with who are are we would each be happier.
Wow I only knew his movies but he is so intellectual and confident.
I don't fit the LGBTQ label, nor do I try to conform to it. When it comes to sexuality I'm much happier as a member of the IDGAF community.
That should be a quote
The best comment EVER!!!!
I love it!! Took me a minute to figure that one out.
Lol. Ironic given that the old acronym is nothing more than an attempt to be inclusive of all varieties of gender and sexual minorities.
It's not a label, dear. It's just shorthand from a time when we had to fight hard to make it possible for people like you to not give a fuck.
There needs to be a IDGAF flag
Coming out is beyond square. He is so right. NOBODY should have to make this big annoucement that they are gay. It shouldn't be this big dramatic thing.
+Kevin Kral LOL. I meant to type coming out is beyond square. I made sure I corrected it.
Exactly. I wish these generation Z UA-camrs would get the point already. They want to capitalize on the fact that they're attracted to the same sex.
Lol. All these coming out videos look the same. It's a puppy dog-eyes photo of them with huge typeface overlay reading "I'm... GAY." (Umm. Okay. Do you want a cookie and an appearance on the Ellen Show now?)
I am glad you see what I mean. But it's not just generation Z that makes a big deal about it. There is a clip on youtube of Sally Field talking about her gay son. At youtube it's under Sally Field Shaes Loves for her opnly gay son.
When I saw that clip it bugged me because her and Oprah were being so dramatic about it.
Fair enough, let's just remember these "Gen-Z'ers" wouldn't feel the need to make a dramatic announcement of it if Boomers and Gen Xers didn't make being gay out to be such an awful taboo thing. It may not be like that in some places anymore but I still live in a small town where my gay friend in high school regularly got harrassed while holding hands with his bf and teenagers still get sent to Pray the Gay Away camp, or whatever euphemism they're using now...conversion therapy? Homophobia's gotten better but there are still some backward-ass places in this country not to mention the world.
The only reason I came out was because my parents would be very "wtf? Where's our daughter?" If I randomly showed up after a year of not visiting, with a beard and flat chest.
"I'm for anybody having a kid if they can love it and I'm for abortion; if you can't love your kid don't have it 'cos it will grow up and kill us."
I love that statement.
JDLupus he should have this put on a T-Shirt. The first portion could be on the front, the second half on the back. (And then in tiny letters it could say outside the quotes - either way that technically makes me pro-life.)
King of Filth after all.
Such a boring general statement
If you can't love your own children, what the fuck good are you? I am amazed how that kind of selfishness & complete lack of love is today treated as virtue. You "love" that statement? You love yourself. That's all anybody can know for sure by your words. If you are so bereft of human decency that you cannot love your own child, then never procreate. Don't punish an innocent baby who would probably be more decent than you could ever be. Sex for you is all about self-love anyway. To use the excuse that an unwanted child will grow up to be a murderer, and then to suggest that killing the child is somehow a solution is one of the most idiotic things a person could ever say. "We have to kill the innocent to prevent children from growing up & becoming killers of the innocent..." So, should everyone who ever had an abortion have been aborted themselves? Moronic. This is a world dominated by selfishness & without love. So sad.
@@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631
I don't see how he could possibly be more specific or more political. Wtf do you want?? 😂
His delivery at the end cracks me up. What a wonderful man.
John waters didn't have to come out. His movies did it for him.
Opinunate ted especially the narration he did on pink flamingos.
I know he was doing his best imitation of a Baltimore store owner that had -in John's mind- the ultimate Baltimore accent (and vehemently refused the offer/request to narrate)...
When I first watched the film without knowing that little backstory I just remembered thinking "Awww! Listen to how young he is with his sweet wittle enthusiastic lisp!"
"If you can't love your kid, don't have it, cause it will grow up and kill us"
This should be broadcast as a PSA ffs
Him saying: "What gay people have to be perfect?" should be heard by a loooot of people. We are humans, we have flaws, we should embrace the flaws that make us unique.
i kinda feel like hes channeling vincent price
Vincent Price's gay brother
Look up Waters' tribute to Price he did for Turner Classic Movies. It's beautiful. Price was Waters' childhood idol.
@@puepole Vincent Price’s “gayer” brother 😂😂
i love this man. national treasure. protect at all costs.
A worldwide treasure!
"Gay's not enough .... It's a good start."
Coming out is for debutantes. As well as coming.
I just love him. He seems like such a sweet, good hearted, good-humored guy! I wish he was my friend.
OMG I love this. It's literally everything I've been saying to my friends for years now.
Morning glory?
I knew I was gay the first time I saw a grown man naked. HELLO! And I agree with John, going mainstream TOTALLY DESTROYED the lifestyle; it used to be SO MUCH more fun!
That's ridiculous. It was fun because people were escaping from the difficult to hell that was their lives. It's much easier to be gay today.
+A Boston I actually meant the nightlife, not the lifestyle.
The first time I saw a grown man naked was in an early 1980 Playboy (which also had a gay limerick, which I still recall more than 40 years later). Iggy had his dick out, and that was all rock and roll. Patti's armpit hair showing? Well, Playboy said, no wonder people threw rocks at her. I remember thinking: 'I just may need to become a lesbian separatist when I grow up.' I wasn't impressed by the hypocrisy.
He was so good as the kid in Home Alone.
"Gays not enough, it's a good start."
Woah... thats... so perfectly put, and expresses so much...
He's the wisest, most genuine man. I fucking love him!
I love this man! You know why? Because of what he says in this video... And everything else he has ever said... EVER!
Why should I have to waste my time and energy explaining myself as an other when straights don’t have to
i think being out probably means more to people who were never afforded the chance to refine their identity. i'm not about to assume John's "had it easy" but sadly not everyone is afforded his level of charisma or a level of stability/safety that nurtures those parts of themselves.
10 points to anyone who can interpret this
@@hankpink6274I understand it as coming out probably means more to people who are forced by their environments to be someone they’re not. I’m taking “not allowed to nurture that part of themselves” to mean that these people are forced to repress themselves so thoroughly (by dangerous/intolerant environment/community) that their true queer selves are disconnected or alien to them, hence there’s no opportunity to for development of those traits. Not allowed to explore. Resonates with me since it can be very isolating growing up unaware you’ve been conditioned out of your natural interests and tendencies before you could even recognise what is you and what is conditioning. Having said that everyone is different, like clearly John Waters and so many people are just so unabashedly and undeniably themselves, despite the hard circumstances. Maybe some of us are just more malleable/sensitive to being moulded and crushed away from ourselves from an early age. Maybe it’s a combination of factors of that stuff plus worse, more unforgiving environments. Who knows? Anyway great interview.
Great observation! I think it’s like that James Baldwin quote of how he had to learn to spit up all the filth the world had taught him about himself before he could begin to love himself/ walk the Earth like he had a right to be there. That kind of poisonous interference in one’s self conception necessitates the sort of bigger coming out moments I think, since it becomes this huge admission of vulnerability and trust, to reclaim and share their true selves with the world/close ones. And then our current state of coming out=big moment is intensified further by how labels drive and define people’s entire identities in today’s commodified and capitalist world. We are all commodifying ourselves to some degree. And somewhere in the middle of all that is also just people, regardless of how much they care for coming out or not, rubbing up against more or less strict social rules in their community. Much more difficult for someone like John Waters to thrive without a community that’s willing to let their strange outlier neighbour’s kid be, without a country in that particular moment in time and culture, without his race and class working in his favour, etc etc. Which is not to make it all, “it wouldn’t be the same in colonised countries” because gay and trans people exist everywhere and have grown up in wildly different circumstances even in the same colonised countries. But aside from their larger environments’ tolerance and ability to look past strangeness, things like class and race and caste and wealth and gender still do play their parts. Not necessarily direct power relations either, sometimes the royals/wealthy have less leeway because of the scrutiny and attention that comes with power. Sometimes vice versa. Anyway wow. Society, huh?
John - you are one of Americas true originals - one of a kind - love you long time!!!
"I knew i was gay the moment i saw Elvis Presley"... I know what he means, o felt the same thing when i saw Robbie Williams' "Rock DJ"
He supports everyone and that's great.
I never realized that I was bi until I was 20 years old, but I only really "came out", to a few people, I just started living as myself and let everyone else figure it out on their own or not at all, stopped letting it bother me. If people ask me, I tell them, but it might as well be my favorite color or how I take my coffee. Sure, I'm proud of it, but I'm just a proud person in general. Proud of how I dress, how I act, so why not who I love, too? I'm happy to be myself and I don't have to impress anyone else to do that
God bless this man! I've been a 2-3 on the Kinsey since I've been sexually aware, but I have only found it to have been a part of my identity for a brief moment around age 14. If I felt like that was repression, it would be a different story, but fortunately I don't have that issue. My outsider status comes from different factors entirely, likely mostly because of where I make my home.
i wish modern lgbt movements took some notes from john.
Can’t say I like his movies but so refreshing hearing his opinions and points of view. Seems like a great guy and really open and honest. Saw his criterion review as well and really love listening to him and his take on movies.
Multiple Maniacs? Polyester? Cmon not even Cry Baby or Hairspray? You've gotta like something
@ um…..Serial Mom was ok
Hilarious, no one asked because they were afraid to hear the answer! HAHA thanks for being funny still
The embodiment of "live and let live"
I had the exact same impression when I first saw Elvis. "What the hell is that?"
Iv never disagreed with any thing he ever said. And that's the truth ....
My philosophy is simple, no matter how conservative you are allow people to be who they are so they don't have to suffer in society from abuse or be vindicated in real life for no apparent reason. Someone's private life isn't really anyone's issue. I myself come from a quite strict traditional environment when there was a lot of "male stuff" going on and a lot of division between men and women in society. Men bonded and did all important things together while women had their own world. Even discussing important issues was sort of exclusive to men. I myself being a juvenile womanizer sometimes had this longing for a brother I never had, the best friend at the same time. Same thing with looking for a father figure outside your family if you had a failed relationship with your father. This always has to come with lots of funny stories how other people think you're gay.
Letting people have their own private lives and staying out of other people’s business hasn’t been a conservative value since long before my dad was born 😂
John Waters is a treasure :D Always loved his attitude and him just doing what he loves. Lol I just noticed I already commented on this video 11 months prior.
It's just his magnetic personality :D
im a straight 18yo male and i absolutely love him
Wow. That was all very well said. I agree!
For all the 'He's right! LGBTQ2S people are so square with their 'coming out' bs".
Waters doesn't discuss the political reasons for coming out, which is that it helps tackle homophobia. Straight people tend to be less homophobic & more supportive of LGBTQ2S rights when they realize their daughter/fave actor/athlete/lovely aunt/doctor is queer.
All the queers who've come out over the years have made life easier for other queers like John Waters.
I believe this is a very valid viewpoint, but I'm not sure I can completely agree. I'm just not sure...
God bless John Waters. His kind of fearless trailblazer seems to get fewer and fewer by passing generations. He's the Irving Thalberg of good bad taste. It broke my heart that Edie didn't live to do one more film with him; I'd dreamed of him casting Larry 'Bud' Melman as Edie's boyfriend. That could have been a riot.
Love his movies and his attitude. John Waters is a legend and reminds me of better times.
That was the accepted practice for centuries, particularly during the Roman era. I don't argue that, however. By "active" I do not mean "adult". Children, the mentally damaged, and possibly several other species, have brains that should be recognized as having personhood. But the brain doesn't drop out of the sky into the womb. It's developed. It doesn't "boot up" until at least the 20th week of gestation. Most OGYNs would put it closer to 23/24 weeks.
Awesome point. Great video, Mr. Waters.
Well, if it's either this life or that a choice has to be made. We agree on that. That does not mean that you could kill a person.
I define person as a living collection of cells with human DNA with the potential of survival.
How do you define a person?
I swear John waters should be on a commemorative coin , the man is a natural treasure!
I'm not gay but I love this man
Not that it matters.
'Being gay is not enough...but it's a start!'
I luv ya Mr Waters! I gotta say I'm on the fence a bit about his films as films, but if it means he gets to be a public figure and we can still listen to his brilliant opinions about almost everything then I'm all for it!
I can't believe it took Werner Herzog 35 years of knowing this man to realize he was gay, I mean it's great that when he talks to a person all he sees is the person for who they are morally, and in terms of human decency ect, and doesn't make judgements about what or what they may not be, but it's just human nature to notice things like that, and for the most part it's an involuntary and subconscious type of thing. How can you not like this guy though what a character lol
Not quite a ' national treasure ' but probably as close as Baltimore will come now that Brooks Robinson is gone .
I'm sure you've heard the phrase "there are other fish in the sea." I'm not sure if that is what is being referred to, though.
I love that Werner Herzog didnt realize John Waters was gay for like 35 years.
Well Werner is German, culturally Germans are quite socially dense
This gentleman rocks!
I love this, I don’t fit in anywhere, I always felt I would fit right in with the weirdos in your films 😂
I agree with everything he said.
amazing. Against Separatism! We are in this life thing together, but we are separate. If you polarize, then you are furthering your own separation.
A man after my own heart.
Thank you!
For me to come out would require me to give a shit about other's opinions, which I don't.
Bring back the stache period!!!
I love how he almost said Madonna bought her baby in Africa.
never seen his movies but now I know I definitely should, I feel everything hes saying here im "bi and non binary" but just never cared for the labels or how Im "supposed to be" according to the community
i wish he would make another movie. its been 8 years since his last movie.
How about people who can't decide for themselves for different reasons? Fetuses clearly can't decide for themselves. Why would a woman give birth to a child if she knows she can't offer them a good life in any way? What if she were raped and doesn't want to have the rapist's child? So, it's ok to let her carry the child she doesn't want for 9 months and then make her go through a painful birth. You're basically saying a woman can't decide about her body while pregnant. How very thoughtful of you
He's a fking genious imo. Finally somebody who thinks like me
It's a bit funny that he never "officially came out" when I remember an interview with Werner Herzog (I belive) who told the audience he was surprised to learn after 30+ years of friendship that Waters was, in fact, a gay man
Though I am big fan of several of John Waters' films, I do not agree with him about coming out. Everytime a celebrity whom people like and admire comes out, it has a positive effect on the way that people view gays.
You can see this in the way their fans have responded to the comings out of Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen Degeneres, Sir Elton John, Matt Bomer, Sean Maher, Alan Lambert, Matt Dallas, John Barrowman, Ricky Martin, Cynthia Nixon, Anderson Cooper, Nate Berkus and Sir Ian McKellan
i cant believe this is from 12 years ago and everything hes saying is still 100% facts
Humans haven't changed much since then so still applies
I got to meet him briefly at a fan expo in Toronto. Unfortunately the guy who took our picture was an asshole and now I don't have a picture with me and John Waters. Love you Mr Waters
that last lineeeeeeee
Mr John Waters. Love your work.
@okendido He didn't say it "made" him gay. He said he "knew" he was gay when he saw Elvis Presley. There is a BIG difference.
This dude is cool!
I was much more naive when I praised that comment to the level that I did. Of course "unloved" kids can grow up and become a proper, even exemplary, member of society; likewise, a kid with well-meaning parents might grow up to do something awful such as murder. However... the sentiment behind the message is still clear enough: too many children, not enough love for them all. That's the fundamental point I agree with.
I never even pondered whether he was or not.Waters was always so wonderfully himself,overriding anything trivial like sexual orientation.People don't need to label themselves when they speak for themselves that well.
This man is really something.
This guy is so cool, I like his sense of humor.
Yeah same, I knew I was what I was from the beginning,, why announce it? I know who I am! I just really don’t care, be whatever or don’t be, it’s whatever.
Can he be the pope, the president, the fashionable philosopher always in the mouth of anybody?
Tim Blake Nelson and John Waters would make very believable brothers in an odd and hilarious movie.
and because of that werner didn't know he was gay lol
One of the best Directors EVER.
Love this man. He is absolutely brilliant.
Love it ! Love it...super Waters...man
Dude is a fucking battleship. Love him.
Nowadays people are so easily offended, I love to talk about "cornholing" and watch them spin out. LOL.
He's a Legend and a Treasure
That is an excellent clarification. I would only add "with around 46 chromosomes" or somesuch, otherwise your definition would also include unfertilised sperm and ova.
The argument between pro-choice and pro-life then gets very deep and complicated, and clearly contentious. My fundamental proposition is that abortions happen anyway and it's better not for them to occur in back-street clinics like they used to.
We're never going to agree on that point but I can understand your point of view.
Everyone's gotta love John Waters.
My hero
I didn't have to come out. My mom finding pics of naked men in my room did that for me. She was totally cool with it, bless her heart.
I feel like I could chat with him forever
OMG I feel the same way about abortion! Love him!!