I think I have mentioned here before that I object to the term 'queer' to describe gay people. I was lambasted elsewhere for my objection. Yes, castigated by own kind and rejected for not thinking the same as them. One justification for attacking me personally as being stupid was that 'academia' use the term, in that there is such a thing as 'Queer Studies'. I kid you not. How offensive is that!?
Imagine these academic courses:
Nigger History
Kike Cooking
Rug Munching for The Over 50's
Reading for Retards
Fashion for Spastics
Bull Dykes and Feminism
Advanced Shirt Lifting
Fashion For Cross Dressing Perverts
Physics for Faggots
Poofs and The Bible
Or why not a tv show, Nancy Eye for the Str8 Guy ?
I don't suppose they will get it whilst they are too busy being 'right on' and disenfranchising the likes of me for daring to object to having my dignity swiped by my own kind.
Another long stretch, but hoping to be more regular
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6 comments:
I agree with you, and find an offensive word - when used about people at any rate.
I certainly would never use that word and find it a bit odd that some don't object to it. I have noticed, in the US at least, that groups frequently take up an offensive label that others had hurled at them before. But that only works within their group. Outsiders using the same word are considered bigots. It's a confusing phenomenon.
It depends on context. There's been a concerted move for over twenty years now that I can remember to take the sting out of pejorative words like "queer". A college course called "Queer Studies" just emphasises how far that's come. Yes, I squirm a little at some of the words that are now used, but, like you, I grew up with those hostile words in my ears night and day
My personal opinion is that I don't give a rat's ass what you call me behind my back, as long as you're polite to my face. You should see the embarrassed faces when someone goes on a racist diatribe and I drop in the words "actually, my brother-in-law is Indian".
Or there was the time when straight friends heard someone badmouthing me (I wasn't even there): "he's OUR f***ing poof. As far as you're concerned, he's just the bloke with the rottweilers."
BTW, wasn't the show called "queer Eye for the Stright Guy"?
Steve
Your list made me laugh out loud. For lack of a better option, I use the term "gay" and refer to couples as "partners." If I know a person well enough to ask, I just ask what terms they prefer (my sister's partner, for example, is her wife, and my sister-in-law). But I find most straight people are generally unsure what terms to use. Most of them have no evil intent.
I know some folks who actually prefer to refer to themselves as "queer" because it has a meaning for them that makes sense in the context of the society in which they live. I think queer may be more perjorative in some places and not so much in others. But don't rely on my observation, as I have not lived with the crap you have. But I am thinking of the time when it was considered horribly rude to refer to someone as "black" and "negro" was considered polite. Then, with "Black is Beautiful" and Black Pride, black indeed was the right word. Here it's now African American - an attempt to be accurate I suppose (but actually it probably isn't when you think of it - what if the person isn't American or African???). The other n word I can't even force myself to say (of course the usual curse words - no problem!).
I am asking this because I really want to know and because I don't want to insult (although I thought the rug munching over 50 sounded like a new kind of fiber craze, LOL!): what is the acceptable term - is it only "gay" or "lesbian" or "bi"???? I find I just use the word "gay" about 9/10ths of the time. The member of our family who is openly gay would just roll her eyes at me asking this, so I'm asking.
Sorry to sound so Dear Abby about this, but I am an old fart:)!!
But many people object to the fact that the word "gay" has now been taken on board by that fraternity, having totally lost its original meaning. Why was the word gay adopted in the first place as it bears no relation to its true meaning??
Why not just use homosexual? Calling myself "normal" is deemed as offensive to those of a non-normal disposition, so I have to describe myself as hetero.
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