Gay and Fag from comedians

[LGNTexas]

Last night watched the macho Denis Leary on Comedy Central say that he wanted a big dog but let his children pick out a puppy while he was out of town and he was upset they chose a "gay little dog"! This isn't the first time Leary has used a gay put-down, the latest was recently using the "F" word on The Daily Show which then had Jon Stewart laughing. The Advocate once took Leary to task over a 2006 Elle interview where he was asked to name a man he'd sleep with if his life depended on it. "I'd shoot myself in the head," Leary answered.

Then following in the next hour, George Lopez, on an HBO special used "fag" in his routine. I am sure these show biz guys, like much of Hollywood, say they "love" gay people, fight AIDS, etc., so why don't they remove these offensive words from their routines? They wouldn't use "Jewish", the "N" word in put downs but "gay" is the new acceptable.

 

[bankr90]

I personally don't have a problem with it. I've come to terms with the fact that those words are just part of the common vernacular, and I know longer get my knickers in a twist over the use of "gay" or "fag" by people. I have some great friends who say "that's so gay" or "that car looks really faggoty" and they aren't bad people, they don't have a problem with me being gay, because I don't force it on them by getting holier than though about small things like saying "that's so gay." Hell I even make gay jokes, and say "that's so gay."

One thing that really pissed me off was the fit thrown over that Ron Howard movie recently, where someone made a gay joke in it. I mean seriously people it's a joke, it's not like the writers put it in there to target you individually, or to piss the gays off. They put it in there because that is how the average person speaks. Personally comparing, the use of the word "gay" or "fag" (when used as a descriptor or in a humorous way) to the "n" word is just asinine to me. They're completely different things.

Seriously people, lighten up a little. Stop making such a scene over everything and maybe people will be a little bit more accepting.

-Matt

 

[gingentleman]

"Personally comparing, the use of the word "gay" or "fag" (when used as a descriptor or in a humorous way) to the "n" word is just asinine to me. They're completely different things."

They are NOT different things. They both denigrate and demean minority groups in our society. I for one, refuse to permit anyone in my presence to use this type of speech. I find it most offensive!

 

[just a guy]

When I hear someone else talking fag this and that, I am fairly ambivalent about it myself but, I wonder what the effect is on a teenage kid trying to deal with his sexuality and he hears gay and fag being used in a negative or derogatory way?

 

[bankr90]

Instead of responding individually to everyone, I'll just do a blanket reply.

I'll say this, I don't like the word fagot and I have been called a fagot on occasion, but I just brush it off and say "yeah I am a fagot." Face it, everyone who is gay, is by definition a fagot. Fagot is a synonym for homosexual today, and I just deal with that. I honestly feel that if I respond negatively to someone calling me a fagot, I give them the the satisfaction of knowing that they got to me. Seriously, by whining and complaining about the use of homosexual "slurs" we as homosexuals just give people the satisfaction of knowing that they bothered us on some level. If you don't give the bully a response eventually they get bored and move on. The same applies to the use of "gay" as a synonym for stupid. If it only bothers me a little when someone calls me a fagot, while the hell would I get worked up over two straight friends dicking around and calling each other "fagot?"

Why is the word "fagot" a disgusting word? It is because we say it is. It's just an overreaction by people who want something to complain about, and that's my view on the "n-word" too (although I don't use the n-word myself due to the massive taboo around it). Nigger is derived from negro, negro itself is the Spanish and Portuguese for black, which is derived from the Latin niger and the Greek negros which both mean black; therefore the word negro or nigger is an accurate descriptor of a person with African ancestry, because they're skin is darker than a Caucasian's (hence black). For some reason people decided to take offence to the n-word (giving bullies a reaction) and therefore the n-word became a taboo. Seriously who is the omnipotent one who got to declare the word "fagot" a bad word, the same with the n-word? Both are examples of hyper-emotionality, and an intense desire to complain about the way society at large treats a group of people.

As for the effect on teenagers dealing with their sexuality, I just say deal with it; I did only a few years ago. You can't expect society to give into the demands of every little minority group in order to ensure that no ones' feelings get bruised. If people can't deal with some name calling, I really question how they will be able to get on and deal with life's real problems. It all goes back to what I said earlier, if you feed the bullies with a reaction they keep coming back for more. If you ignore the bully and don't throw it a nice tasty steak (your reaction) it will go away. I really liked what Chris Colfer told gay teens to do to the bullies they deal with in their lives during his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes last night: "screw them!" And that is honestly how people need to learn to think; just screw the bullies, don't dignify what they do with a response that will satisfy them.

When the "gay community" acts as if a genocide has been committed every time some person says "that's so gay" or "your such a fag" the community just furthers perception of homosexuals being little pansies who clamor for the next issue of vogue, and scream and cry for their mommy every time they fall down and get an ouchy. This is one of the main reasons I try to distance myself from the mainstream gay community as much as possible; because I just don't agree with the whole "run to mommy or the nanny-state and complain" approach to gay rights that the community has increasingly been taking.

We as homosexuals live in a predominately straight world, and therefore need to adapt to that world. We should not, and cannot, expect the majority of the world to conform to our needs and wants; it's the other way around.

-Matt

 

[gitdown]

I don't mind it if it's a comedian. Tracey Morgan had me dying when he said, "If you can take a dick, you can take a joke." Comedians make off color remarks to everybody. In real life, it makes me think less of people. If your describing something stupid as gay, you're either an immature teenager or don't have any gay friends. A red flag gets raised on the person but nothing more. A lot of ignorance is out there and I understand that for some, gay has taken a whole new meaning. Still, people come off as slightly homophobic. I don't fuck with that.

 

[Irish Queer]

You know for me I just wonder should gay comedians use the offense words and make them ours the same why African Americans did with the n word?

But then when u look at gay comedians mostly male and English they use double meaning jokes like I got a big package today or I took the back passage..., u know their comedy always deals with I'm Gay and take it up the arse. So if a person is seeing/hearing only that and not how deverse gay society is and if the majority of Gay images they see on TV are stereotype camp guys what do you expect. That affected my outlook on what gay was too as a child, I thought you had to act femmine etc in order to be gay.

I understand how a word offends because I hate to be called a Paddy or a Mick or a Potato picker.

 

[gitdown]

I don't believe that it's a straight world and that we should adapt to it. I don't even believe in someone being completely one way or the other. This world is constantly evolving and we (gays) are everywhere in every city, country, and town around the world. There are those that are out to everyone, and there are others that are out to their family. Some are out only to themselves and others just cover any trace of homosexual thought. We are all human. We have gay people who came into our lives or are in our families. I think we should demand respect from the people that we love if this world isn't going to change.

I have faith that things will change but it starts with us.