"Why The Word "Homosexual" Is Offensive"

[MissBarbara]

I think this is a whole lot of nonsense. But it's still worth a read...



Why The Word "Homosexual" Is Offensive


http://theweek.com/articles/556341/why-word-homosexual-offensive

[phtlc]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

[MissBarbara]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

Not exactly.

Most of the people quoted in the article are straight, as are the majority in the NY Times article cited in this article.

Personally this is the first time I've heard objection to the word "homosexual," or heard someone proclaim it derogatory. Granted, you don't hear it used much in normal conversation -- "gay" and "lesbian," or just plain "gay," are the typically used terms. I don't think I've ever referred to myself as "homosexual," but "homosexual," as the last sentence in the article states, is seen as "old fashioned," and not, in my experience, derogatory or offensive.

Parenthetically, a Black person, who refers to herself as "Black," once told me that the only people who use the term "African American" are politicians, Al Sharpton, the New York Times, and census-takers.

[Well Behaved Lady]

I can almost see an elderly aunt mouthing the word slowly in four syllables "ho - mo - sex - ual" her face contorted as she does. Yes very much an old fashioned term.

Mind you I could write a book with the things she does that completely annoy me to the core.

[thetaxmancometh]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

100% agree, we have a culture (and not to make it political, just calling it like I see it) on the left that wants to be offended, that looks to be offended. I have told people before, if you can take things multiple ways... choose the one that is positive unless you have a compelling reason to believe otherwise.

[Bexy]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

Not exactly.

Most of the people quoted in the article are straight, as are the majority in the NY Times article cited in this article.

Personally this is the first time I've heard objection to the word "homosexual," or heard someone proclaim it derogatory. Granted, you don't hear it used much in normal conversation -- "gay" and "lesbian," or just plain "gay," are the typically used terms. I don't think I've ever referred to myself as "homosexual," but "homosexual," as the last sentence in the article states, is seen as "old fashioned," and not, in my experience, derogatory or offensive.

Parenthetically, a Black person, who refers to herself as "Black," once told me that the only people who use the term "African American" are politicians, Al Sharpton, the New York Times, and census-takers.

Kind of reminds me of the huff about the word 'negro'. Just an archaic word, which somehow a minority of people decided was 'offensive'. As I recall it, the complainers were also not black, or 'negroid'.

Is it a thing of some kind of social justice warriors taking it upon themselves to 'defend others from perceived offenses'?

[MissBarbara]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

Not exactly.

Most of the people quoted in the article are straight, as are the majority in the NY Times article cited in this article.

Personally this is the first time I've heard objection to the word "homosexual," or heard someone proclaim it derogatory. Granted, you don't hear it used much in normal conversation -- "gay" and "lesbian," or just plain "gay," are the typically used terms. I don't think I've ever referred to myself as "homosexual," but "homosexual," as the last sentence in the article states, is seen as "old fashioned," and not, in my experience, derogatory or offensive.

Parenthetically, a Black person, who refers to herself as "Black," once told me that the only people who use the term "African American" are politicians, Al Sharpton, the New York Times, and census-takers.

Kind of reminds me of the huff about the word 'negro'. Just an archaic word, which somehow a minority of people decided was 'offensive'. As I recall it, the complainers were also not black, or 'negroid'.

Is it a thing of some kind of social justice warriors taking it upon themselves to 'defend others from perceived offenses'?

Yes, that's exactly how I would describe it, and "Negro" vs. "Black" vs "African American" is a close comparison.

And "social justice warriors" is a perfect (and kinda funny) description.

There are people -- in this instance, straight people -- who seem to have taken upon themselves the task of being offended for gay people. Or, what's worse, telling gay people when and how they should be offended.

And I find that very offensive. Really.

[phtlc]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

OH THE IRONY.

Dijon Rosemary-Glazed Racks of Lamb

•   Portion size4
Ingredients
•   2 2rack of lambracks of lamb, (12 oz/375 g each)
Dijon-Rosemary Glaze:
•   2 tbsp 2tbsp(30 mL) (30 mL) Dijon mustard
•   1 tbsp 1tbsp(15 mL) (15 mL) lemon juice
•   1 tbsp 1tbsp(15 mL) (15 mL) vegetable oil
•   1 tbsp 1tbsp(15 mL) (15 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
•   1 1clove garliccloves of garlic, minced
•   1/4 tsp 1/4tsp(1 mL) (1 mL) salt
•   1/4 tsp 1/4tsp(1 mL) (1 mL) pepper
Garnish:
•   balsamic vinegar
•   fresh rosemary, sprigs
Preparation
1. Place each rack, meaty side up, on cutting board. Using sharp paring knife, cut line across rack where meaty portion begins, about 3 inches (8 cm) down from rib ends. Cut off layer of fat between line and rib ends.

2. Cut off meat and fat between bared ribs to expose bones. Holding each rack firmly and using knife, scrape exposed rib bones clean, removing any remaining meat and fat.

3. Holding knife at 20-degree angle to meat and working with short strokes, trim fat from meaty portion of ribs to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness, lifting away fat as you work.

4. Dijon-Rosemary Glaze: Whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, vegetable oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Place lamb in shallow dish; brush marinade over meaty part of lamb. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. With rib ends up, press racks together to interlink bones and form “guard of honour.” Separate bases about 1 inch (2.5 cm) to stabilize. Place on greased rack in roasting pan, drizzling with any remaining marinade. Cover exposed ribs with foil to prevent charring. Roast in 450°F (230°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F (160°C); roast for 30 to 40 minutes longer or until meat thermometer registers 140°F (60°C) for rare or 150°F (65°C) for medium-rare.

6. Transfer to warmed platter; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove all foil; carve between bones, allowing 3 chops per serving. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, and garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary

[phtlc]

Sounds like more clowns trying to cash in on the cult of victimhood. Some people lay awake at night thinking up creative new ways to become offended so they may use that to their advantage and/or be compensated.

Not exactly.

Most of the people quoted in the article are straight, as are the majority in the NY Times article cited in this article.

Personally this is the first time I've heard objection to the word "homosexual," or heard someone proclaim it derogatory. Granted, you don't hear it used much in normal conversation -- "gay" and "lesbian," or just plain "gay," are the typically used terms. I don't think I've ever referred to myself as "homosexual," but "homosexual," as the last sentence in the article states, is seen as "old fashioned," and not, in my experience, derogatory or offensive.

Parenthetically, a Black person, who refers to herself as "Black," once told me that the only people who use the term "African American" are politicians, Al Sharpton, the New York Times, and census-takers.

Kind of reminds me of the huff about the word 'negro'. Just an archaic word, which somehow a minority of people decided was 'offensive'. As I recall it, the complainers were also not black, or 'negroid'.

Is it a thing of some kind of social justice warriors taking it upon themselves to 'defend others from perceived offenses'?

These social justice warriors you refer to aren't altruistically motivated. They may be  politicians pandering for a vote, ambulance chasers finding creative new ways to build a client base for lawsuits....etc.

Most activists I have ever seen were in it for themselves. At face value their actions seemed altruistically motivated, yet despite their cries of justice and fairness, they stood to benefit directly or indirectly by the changes they were "altruistically" proposing.

[Bexy]

Yes, that's exactly how I would describe it, and "Negro" vs. "Black" vs "African American" is a close comparison.

And "social justice warriors" is a perfect (and kinda funny) description.

There are people -- in this instance, straight people -- who seem to have taken upon themselves the task of being offended for gay people. Or, what's worse, telling gay people when and how they should be offended.

And I find that very offensive. Really.

You homosexual! Lol

I'm trying to picture someone shouting a 'derogatory' "You heterosexual!" at me... think I could only respond with laughter and a "Yes, so?"

The expression 'social justice warriors' is something I encountered on reddit actually and yes, it is kinda funny when you think about it.

[sheriff andy]

I think this is a whole lot of nonsense. But it's still worth a read...



Why The Word "Homosexual" Is Offensive


http://theweek.com/articles/556341/why-word-homosexual-offensive

[RopeFiend]

Sounds like something that happened in Phoenix around 10-15 years ago.  Some CAUCASIAN dickheads decided to take exception to the terms 'Indian School Road' and 'Squaw Peak'.

If you Wiki 'squaw' the entry says it's 'extremely offensive', yet the tribes that lived 'round the Phoenix area said "so, nothing wrong with it".  'Indian School Road' they thought was utterly hilarious.  What, 'Indian' is a bad word now?  They pretty much didn't understand what any of the fuss was.

Both issues were quietly dropped, since the twits couldn't get the real 'Indians' to back 'em on their idiocy.  Let's just can this whole 'oversensitivity' attitude, 'K?

Hell, back last year I downloaded a really good 720p copy of Blazing Saddles.  It makes EXTENSIVE use of the work 'nigger'.  A bunch of my darker-skinned associates at work just HAD to have a copy (I burned a pile of DVD-ROMs that month) 'cos they think it's fuckin' HILARIOUS.  The word is *not* used to beat down the Black Man in that movie, it's used to gleefully illustrate that the racist pricks that USE it are morons.  The word itself isn't inflammatory, the ATTITUDE is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QF32mxftE

[anvil]

Does that mean it would be inappropriate to have a bumper sticker made up "Honk if you are Homosexual"?

[Lois]

I've heard that "squaw" is very offensive because it means "fuck" in the Indian language of origin.  But of course that would be one of the east coast tribes.

Update:  It seems that "squaw" means woman in many of the in numerous Algonquian languages.  These are the languages spoken in the North-Eastern United States.

However, words can have history.  The term became pejorative because of how it was used to refer to all native american women.  In other words, the meaning of the word changed to refer to a diseased and cheap fuck.

But I do believe the meaning of the word has changed again, back to its original meaning.  Today it means just "Indian woman" and I've never heard it used in a pejorative way.

[MissBarbara]

"Offensive" is a purely subjective term, as offensiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

I am sure there are many blacks who have no trouble with the word "nigger."  Does that mean the term is not offensive?  Think Bruce Willis in Harlem in "Die Hard With a Vengeance."  Sometimes your health, safety, and welfare depend on your vocabulary.

Sometimes offensiveness evolves.  Redskin is one of those terms that that is making its way into the books.  It happens.

Nigger, spic, chink, kike, wop, coon, squaw, greaser, faggot, hymie, redskin, wetback... We all have an ancestor, neighbor, or friend who has been called *something*.  I think the best you can do is try to show some courtesy and common sense.  "Offensive" has 7.5 Billion definitions, so odds are you're going to get it wrong with somebody.  But there's no excuse to miss the big ones on my list.  If you totally fuck it up, apologize and move on.

I don't find "homosexual" offensive.  This article is the first I've heard of it.  I'll have to ask my gay friends.  If they say it's offensive to them, then I'll ask what terms they would prefer.  Not because I'm politically correct, but because that's how we do things in a civilized society.

Great post.

I'd suspect when you ask your gay friends, you'll receive a variety of responses.

And that article was the first I'd heard of it, too. For the record, I don't find it remotely offensive (nor do I listen when someone else tells me it is or should be offensive). A bit antiquated, perhaps, but hardly offensive.

[Lois]

I agree with you Toe.  Good post.

[RopeFiend]

I've forgotten which tribes are around Phoenix (Yavapai and... whatever the Gila River tribe is for a minimum, thought there were one or two more), but neither one speaks Algonquin.  To them, one foreign word for 'Indian woman' is just as good as another.

[anvil]

Perhaps one day we can just look at each other, and it won't matter.

[joe_and_michelle]

"Offensive" is a purely subjective term, as offensiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

I am sure there are many blacks who have no trouble with the word "nigger."  Does that mean the term is not offensive?  Think Bruce Willis in Harlem in "Die Hard With a Vengeance."  Sometimes your health, safety, and welfare depend on your vocabulary.

Sometimes offensiveness evolves.  Redskin is one of those terms that that is making its way into the books.  It happens.

Nigger, spic, chink, kike, wop, coon, squaw, greaser, faggot, hymie, redskin, wetback... We all have an ancestor, neighbor, or friend who has been called *something*.  I think the best you can do is try to show some courtesy and common sense.  "Offensive" has 7.5 Billion definitions, so odds are you're going to get it wrong with somebody.  But there's no excuse to miss the big ones on my list.  If you totally fuck it up, apologize and move on.

I don't find "homosexual" offensive.  This article is the first I've heard of it.  I'll have to ask my gay friends.  If they say it's offensive to them, then I'll ask what terms they would prefer.  Not because I'm politically correct, but because that's how we do things in a civilized society.

'Because that's how we do things in a civilized society.'

These are some of the most intelligent words that I've ever read.

[GEMINIGUY]

What do you expect, Toe is a genius and a lawyer. Plus anyone who can love The Matrix as much as he does MUST talk like Morpheus or The Architect. :^)