BS: Jail for one kiss?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Rasener
Date: 28 Apr 07 - 06:43 AM

It was done on stage in front of lots of people.It was a show gimmic.
Blimey we won't be able to point at anybody soon for al the politically correct brigade.
To me it was a bit of fun, that has obviously not been taken in that vain.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: mg
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 11:08 PM

I think it went way beyond an arm around the shoulder or shoulder rub. And this is not part of our culture..an unwanted kiss on the cheeks perhaps, unwanted hugs, yes..but wrestling a woman to the ground..I have never ever experienced it or seen it...it is not OK in any culture I am aware of...he went nuts is the only explanation I can have...it would have gotten him arrested here I would say...I'd call the police and/or file a complaint on any man or woman who tried that with me..She was sort of in a bad position..probably from a traditional culture that both did not allow displays of affection (and that was not affection...something mimicing extreme lust or something else) but that also probably teaches people not to make a fuss when something bad happens...mg

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,Indria
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:39 PM

Bring back suttee! Or should that be Sooty, Peace?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:27 PM

Don't forget the Mahatma was a lawyer.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:27 PM

In the clips I saw he went more than a little overboard - it would have been just as inappropriate in the United States. She looked extremely uncomfortable, and yes, that kind of public display is offensive to many Indians. Especially when it is so clearly non-consensual. At the same time, the mass protests and burnings in effigy are indeed overboard.

As for being charged with a crime - in the United States, sexual assault is defined as any unwanted sexual touch, and what I saw seemed to meet that definition. The difference is that it sounds like Ms. Shetty did not decide to file a complaint, though I don't believe she'd have been overreacting if she had.

I'm coming to a new realization of how much sexism still permeates our culture - whether it's the Senate Majority Leader who thinks nothing of an arm around the shoulder of the female Speaker of the House, or the US President who gives the German Chancellor an uninvited shoulder rub. The Gere incident is no different. Are these really our models of public decorum, respect and equality?

Dan Schatz

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,Indria
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 07:36 PM

Peace. Good Lord, no: I meant Goosie Goosie Gandhi.

Only a few people know this, but The great man worked as a cloakroom attendant in Glasgow when a student. This is where he got the exalted title when patrons said 'Ma hat, Ma coat!' Don't let Jurasic near your "Shilpa-Shetty"!

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 06:05 PM

PS, It ain't got nothin' to do with the US. It has everything to do with Richard Gere.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 06:01 PM

It isn't Ghandi at all. It's Gandhi! But then I guess you didn't mean Mahatma. You meant Goerge, right? George Ghandi?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,Indria
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 05:25 PM

I agree entirely, but Jarosic, Shilpa Shetty is a Hindu goddess and not a lady's private parts as you mistakenly assume. The sub-Continent is not all superstition and Ghandi, you know.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,Jarosic
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 04:39 PM

What a contemptable person this man Richard Gere he seem. In my country a man kiss a lady's "Shilpa-Shetty" in public is fined three goats. He kisses her "Shilpa-Shetty" in private he no found guilty if no lady complains too often.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: saulgoldie
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 12:56 PM

Perhaps the customs of India could use a little loosening up. But I have to go with mg. To my eyes, irrespective of the prevailing customs, it looked like an assault to me. In an alley, or on a stage.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: mg
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 12:03 PM

THIS WAS NOt a kiss on the cheek, although there are some film clips of kisses ont eh cheek which could confuse people as to which part of the event we are discussing. This was practically forcing a woman to the ground. If they were reenacting a dance scene, perhaps she should have been warned in advanced and she could have said that won't be appreciated by the people here so let's not....This was a very aggressive act and not a simple kiss on the cheek that would be an entirely different story and a simple cultural misunderstanding. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 11:40 AM

Gere should be impeached! Oh, yah, he's not even prime minister ...

In this media/inter-cultural interchange, the important principle is never to leave a turn unstoned.

Or in other words, he without sin should cast the first fly!

Cheerily,
Charley

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Grab
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 10:15 AM

As Shilpa Shetty says, in a country famous for the Kama Sutra, where AIDS is spreading like wildfire through prostitution, close dancing and a kiss on the cheek should not be the end of the world. If these nutters really care about public morality, there are better places for them to start. Women forced into prostitution through poverty, for instance.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Amos
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:59 AM

Some folks take themselves entirely too seriously.

These are the principals of a nation that has thousands of people begging in tthe streets and endemic poverty in its provinces despite the rapid growth of tis cities. One would think they would prefer to concern themselves with issues more relevant to their survival.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:57 AM

" ... mostly by Hindu vigilante groups ... "

Once again we see a relatively innocuous incident being blown out of all proportion by a small number of religious fanatics, self-righteous nationalists, and cynical power-mongers ... seems to be almost a universal phenomenon ...

I can't imagine any of the many Indian people I've known over the years getting too worked up over this silliness ... Most of them would just laugh at the whole thing, I am sure ...

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:46 AM

Gere says "end the circus" over public kiss 1 hour, 7 minutes ago



MUMBAI (Reuters) - Asking the media "to end the circus," Hollywood star       Richard Gere said on Friday that his kissing of Bollywood actress       Shilpa Shetty was due to his failure to understand local culture.

An Indian court, acting on a complaint by a local lawyer, described the kiss as an obscene act in public and ordered Gere's arrest. The kiss sparked sporadic protests in India.

Gere twirled Shetty in his arms, arched her over and kissed her several times on the cheek at an event in New Delhi last week to promote       AIDS awareness among Indian truckers. Gere has since left India.

"My clumsy attempt at a 'Shall We Dance' dance move was a naive misread of Indian customs," Gere said in statement addressed to "my dear Indian friends" and issued by an AIDS charity he is associated with.

"To be honest, this recent media storm has taken me by complete surprise.

"End the circus around this episode," he said.

The 57-year-old "Pretty Woman" star's posters and straw effigies were burnt in protest in some parts of India, mostly by Hindu vigilante groups, who saw it as an outrage against Shetty's modesty and an affront to Indian culture.

Shetty, the winner of the "Celebrity Big Brother" reality TV show in Britain this year, had said the kiss may have gone a "little overboard" but it was not obscene and the protests made India look regressive.

Many commentators expressed unhappiness at what they said were fringe groups making a major issue out of a harmless peck on the cheek.

Gere said it was not his intention to offend anybody and described the charity event as an evening of celebrating courageous people associated with the fight against       HIV/AIDS in India, which has the world's highest HIV caseload.

Although Gere, who also starred in "An Officer and a Gentleman," could face three months in jail or a fine or both for such an offence, he told a U.S. cable channel on Thursday that he did not know anyone who had gone to jail for something like this.

"Me kissing the girl on the cheek was nothing," Gere told cable channel Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With       Jon Stewart" in New York where he was promoting his latest film, "The Hoax."

Gere, a devout Buddhist, visits India frequently to meet the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India, and is a vocal supporter of the Tibetan cause as well as being involved with charities dealing with AIDS and orphans in the country.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Rasener
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 08:04 AM

From my memory of the news shot, it looked as though she was smiling and enjoying the playacting.
I better have a llok againand go back to the opticians if I got that wrong.
Harmless fun is what I call it.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: kendall
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 08:03 AM

We seem to have two schools of thought here. The blame America first group, and the Never blame America for anything gang.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Grab
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 06:18 AM

Too right SRS. Pot, kettle, black. :-)

What I saw did not look like a voluntary act on the part of the woman. She was thrown off her balance, held in far too intimate a way etc. etc.

The point of that dance move is that the woman *is* off balance. And if they are *both* re-enacting the scene, then it's entirely her choice to do it.

Anyway, we're talking about re-enactment of a scene from a romantic movie, right? Would you rather they maintained a clear foot of space between them? It'd look a bit strange, wouldn't it? :-/

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 07:47 PM

I agrre.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 07:38 PM

Just as stupid. Proof read proof read proof read. . .

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 07:37 PM

People in the U.S. get bent out of shape for things just a stupid. "Wardrobe malfunctions," for instance. Big deal.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 06:33 PM

Oh, f234567890k, the religiously repressive again. In the county of the Kama Sutra, too.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: MudGuard
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 05:45 PM

over 60% of motels and hotels in the US are owned by Indians, of that one-third have the surname Patel

The second third have the surname "Motel", the third third have the surname "Hotel" ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:59 PM

Don't worry about Ricky - look at all the publicity he's getting out of this ...

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:56 PM

Hear, hear, Greg. The Scottish part of me is in total agreement with you. So is the Irish part. But the English part says, "That's not cricket, old chap. Not cricket a tall."


There are times I think Gere just ain't too bright. This is one of those times. His performance for a post 9-11 audience of firefighters and EMS people was another of those times.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Greg B
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:53 PM

Oh c'mon Bruce. When we're in India we can ALWAYS blame the
English!

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:39 PM

"When in Rome, do as the Romanians do. When in Poland, do as the Polaroids do."

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:37 PM

As long as it is ALWAYS the American's fault, that is ok... (SARCASM)

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Greg B
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:34 PM

Ah, yes... when an American does something offensive to a
3rd-worlder, it's him being an 'ugly American.'

When an American finds a 3rd-worlder's behavior offensive,
it's because said American is lacking in 'diversity training.'

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:28 PM

"Jail for one kiss"

I wonder what Judas would say about that?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: kendall
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:20 PM

"The Ugly American" is not just a saying. Our ignorance of other cultures is profound.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:14 PM

"The news slip ... " Is this an example of a "Freudian clip"?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:14 PM

Richard Gere seems to be getting better at causing controversy; this isn't the first time recently.

It was over the top and looked "uncomfortable". It wasn't immoral and perhaps he was trying to make some statement following the recent high profile of Shilpa Shetty and the Big Brother household - who knows?

It was a daft thing to do and he should have learned a lesson from it!

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:11 PM

I agree with mg on this one. The news slip really looked as if he was taking advantage of the situation. Such cultural stupidity deserves redicule, however, rather than jail time.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:07 PM

What I saw did not look like a voluntary act on the part of the woman. She was thrown off her balance, held in far too intimate a way etc. etc. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Greg B
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 03:58 PM

Gandhi did the English a favor.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: jeffp
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 03:42 PM

Only if it was without her permission.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 03:35 PM

I saw that on TV and it was may more than a kiss on the cheeks. He practically wrestled her to the floor and bent her over double, which looks cool in the romantic movies, but if a woman was not expecting it, and it was taboo in her culture anyway, could reasonably be seen as an assault. It was definitely not just kisses on a cheek. If that had happened in a dark alley he could have been thrown in jail... mg

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 03:27 PM

Giok, I've met lots of Patels, some from India and some from Pakistan. Most of them have been in the budget motel business. According to Wikipedia, "It is estimated that over 60% of motels and hotels in the US are owned by Indians, of that one-third have the surname Patel." (Wikipedia article here.)

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Grimmy
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:42 PM

Perhaps he should kiss a few butts amongst the Indian judiciary in the hope of a lighter sentence.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:36 PM

If not at a hotel desk, there are plenty of Dunkin' Donuts here in NJ where he can substitute.

I think they're over-reacting. If it was illegal to kiss, why didn't the authorities stop him after the first one?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:23 PM

Which Mr Patel is that Bee-dubya? The one I know is from Pakistan.
G

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Wesley S
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:23 PM

Hmmm.... It's obscene but you can print it on the front page of the newspapers?

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:16 PM

Perhaps Mr. Gere could placate the Indian authorities by agreeing to perform suitable community service in the US. Something like manning the front desk of a budget motel in Encino for a few hours while Mr. Patel takes a nap.

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: Mickey191
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 11:58 AM

There was also an uproar when actress Elizabeth Hurley got married wearing leather shoes & did not remove them as she took her vows. Arrest warrant issued too. The main complainant was her father-in-law. There's always sumthin'!

Subject: RE: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 11:48 AM

When in Rome, ...

Subject: BS: Jail for one kiss?
From: beardedbruce
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 11:42 AM

India court orders Gere's arrest
POSTED: 7:37 a.m. EDT, April 26, 2007

Story Highlights• Gere's kisses at an AIDS event caused mass outrage
• The actor can face up to three months in prison
• Shetty said it was overboard, but not obscene

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) -- An Indian court ordered the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere on Thursday for kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness event this month saying it was an obscene act committed in public.

Gere's repeated kisses on Shetty's cheeks at an event to promote AIDS awareness in New Delhi sparked protests in some parts of India, mostly by Hindu vigilante groups, who saw it as an outrage against her modesty and an affront to Indian culture.

The order by a court in the northern city of Jaipur came in response to a complaint by a local lawyer.

The judge watched a video recording of Gere kissing Shetty and found him guilty of violating Indian laws against public obscenity, the lawyer, Poonam Chand Bhandari, said.

The court also summoned Shilpa Shetty to appear on May 5, Bhandari said, adding that Gere was also ordered to be arrested.

Gere can be sent to jail for up to three months or fined or both for the crime if he is arrested. He is not in India now but can be held if he visits the country again.

The Hollywood star is a devout Buddhist and a vocal supporter of the Tibetan cause and visits India frequently to meet the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India.

He is also involved with charities looking after HIV-infected people and orphans, as well as AIDS prevention groups in the country.

Groups of men had burned and kicked straw effigies of Gere and Shetty in sporadic protests across the country after newspapers published the picture of the kiss on their front pages and TV channels aired visuals of the event.

Shetty, the winner of the "Celebrity Big Brother" reality TV show in Britain this year had said the kiss may have gone a "little overboard" but it was not obscene and the protests made India look regressive.

She said Gere was only re-enacting his moves from the film "Shall We Dance" to entertain the audience at the AIDS event and communicate in a Bollywood style as he did not speak Hindi.

Many commentators had subsequently expressed their unhappiness at what they said were fringe groups making a mountain of a harmless peck on the cheek.