OK guys, here we go . . .

Watch as @alexpareene and I explore the *bleeding edge* of technology and have a real-time chat about today's Anderson Cooper news. To kick things off: Do you think he had a moral obligation to come out?

Whoops, make that @pareene. Like I said, bleeding edge.

WEB 3.0! No editing of prior posts, I don't think!

So, my very broad and sort of obvious view on celebs coming out is: If you're big and known enough that coming out won't cause you genuine hardship -- if you're Anderson Cooper, rich, famous and beloved TV personality -- I do think you sort of "owe it" to people without your charmed life to make it known that one can be very happily Out and Successful. It's maybe less a moral obligation than just a Good Thing To Do.

Agreed re: it being more of a Good Thing To Do than a moral obligation. I think there are potentially legitimate personal calculations that go into a celebrity staying silent on questions about their sexuality -- or any other aspect of their private life -- even when it's at the expense of, you know, greater social good. That said, I respect him more now that he has answered the question -- especially because of the way that he did it.

The casualness of the "reveal" was such a fabulous eff-you to homophobes and to those who assume straightness as the default and thus demand a grand coming out statement. He might as well have tweeted it: "Yep, I'm gay. Next on 360: Things that actually matter."

Well, an email to Andrew Sullivan is definitely one of the most novel ways I can think of to finally break your legendary silence. But while the matter-of-factness of it was definitely a good sign of the progress made since the days when Coming Out basically had to be a meticulously planned PR roll-out, with magazine covers and so on -- it's totally no big deal anymore, yay! -- I did find (my friend) Richard Lawson's post (theatlanticwire.com) to be a useful check on the otherwise almost universally positive response to the method he chose. After explicitly dodging the question for years, it might've been nice for him shout from the rooftops that he's out and proud!

But yeah celebs do have a right to do whatever the hell they want and do their best to keep their business to themselves, but my point is that a professional do-gooder like Cooper surely understands the symbolic power he wields in a case like this.

I agree, it was rather anticlimactic given that he'd fought so hard and for so long to not answer the question. There's certainly some contradiction there, and I don't buy that his calculation was entirely based on retaining some shred of privacy.

Can I share my conspiracy theory? Now that he has a daytime talk show he wants some of that Ellen thunder

Consider me convinced. That does bring up a serious question though: What impact will this have on his career, if any?

Oddly (and I sort of hope I'm wrong about this?) it sort of speaks to his transition from globe-trotting, tight t-shirted enterprising reporter to personality and talk show host. Like, now we get to know The Personal Side of Anderson. We're not supposed to care if a Newsman is gay or straight but if we're inviting him into our homes in the afternoons, it is suddenly relevant. (NB I've never watched "Anderson" or "Hangin' With Mr Coop" or whatever his daytime show is called.)

But it should go without saying that I don't think it will be detrimental to his career in media, at all. I think most big celebs can survive an outing now (though I've hard arguments on the subject even fairly recently), with the exception of some professional athletes.

It really sounds like I'm harshing on Anderson but honestly I still love the guy (I'm just jealous of his firehouse house)

Yep, I think you're spot-on. There's a sterility to his personal presentation, an asexuality, which works to his benefit as an anchor, and the not-coming-out went along with that. It seems entirely out of place, though, in the context of a daytime talk show.

Disclosure: Back in 2007, I nominated Anderson for Salon's Sexiest Man Living feature. salon.com

(Wow, now I feel like *I'm* the one coming out. ::Blushing::)

He secretly indoctrinated thousands of young people to grow up to fall in love with him with his early-90s "Channel One" videos THIS IS A FACT WAKE UP SHEEPLE

I think what you're really trying to get at, Alex, is that The Coops is part of a liberal conspiracy to turn us all gay.

Yes, obviously. "Dear Children of America: Gay people are unbelievably handsome and successful and live wonderful lives and have fireman's poles in their townhouses, everyone should try it."

Anyway to sum up and get back to the original q, it's good for society and good for America and good for thousands of gay kids across the nation that Anderson Cooper came out, and frankly that would've also been true years ago, when it also would've braver to do so -- but that is all Very Easy For Me To Say (because I am just some blogger, everything is very easy for me to say) so I do not actually begrudge him the delay. I'm not sure it rose to the level of obligation, but it was a series of missed opportunities.

I just got a message from mission control alerting us that we've reached the end of this here Web 3.0 chat -- and just as we agree on a sensible common ground. (Again, liberal conspiracy!) Any last words, Alex? It isn't too late to join me in my confession of Ander-lust...

I just hope Anderson's example inspires others, and that John King and His Magic Wall can finally find some peace and settle down

Hey, thanks you two. That was fun! And now, I'm shutting it down.