Weblog
03/02/01 09:42 PM: That’s gay Is it? And
That’s gay
Is it? And if so, does that make it a bad thing? Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear the phrase “that’s gay.” It always bothers me, but it doesn’t usually enrage me. I don’t want to say that there is a quota, that I don’t get mad until I hear it four times in one day. But, depending on the situation, I usually just shrug it off the first couple times. I’m not saying that’s the right way to handle it, but it’s generally what I do. But I find myself being pushed to the edge lately. It makes me sick to my stomach that I observe the things that I observe and still choose to remain silent. Next time is when I’ll stand up and say something. Next time.
Just what the hell am I talking about anyway? You can’t discriminate based upon race anymore. That’s been taboo for quite some time. (No, I am not oblivious to the fact that racism still exists, but bear with me and see the big picture here.) You can’t even discriminate against women as of late. But in many (if not most) circles, it is still acceptable to discriminate based upon sexual orientation. Gays are the last significant group that it’s okay to be prejudiced against in today’s society.
Most of the time when someone says “that’s gay,” they really don’t mean anything more than “that’s stupid” or “I don’t like that.” There is usually no intention of making fun of gays. But that does not change what they are saying. Whether they mean it or not, the phrase is still degrading and discriminatory. But that’s not what I’m really talking about here. I am shocked and appalled by the number of people that are genuinely homophobic. Some of the aforementioned people fall into this category, but at least as many do not. Still, the number is large enough to worry me.
Today in English class we were going over the answers to a vocabulary exercise. This kid mispronounced blazon as “blaze on.” The teacher, who has a bad joke or pun for every occasion (and I mean EVERY occasion), said, “That sounds like something the human torch would say, blaze on.” He thought about it for a second and declared that “flame on” would be more appropriate. As if I couldn’t see this coming from a mile away, the loud an obnoxious kid in the class. . . the most loud and obnoxious kid in the class, that is, who has a habit of blurting out stupid and/or ignorant comments, yelled, “Flamer!” Most of the class erupted into laughter. A few moments and umpteen side conversations later, the kid said of the teacher, “This man has no idea what he says.” He’s not as naive as the kid thinks he is. In fact, the kid is the one who is naive, terribly so. The teacher said, “I know exactly what I say, it’s just your weird interpretations. . . .” A few seconds went by, and then the teacher said, softly, but not exactly under his breath
