do not mistake muted for not-as-annoyed (just very tired)

[kaigou]

Yes, I'm amused by the reports of those generous souls who took it upon themselves to suffer through the movie release for that sparkly-vampire story. All quite amusing. What is far from amusing is this tendency on the part of several reviewers to identify the sparkly-emo-vampire as gay.

Gay is not synonymous with 'stupid' or with 'lame'. This character is emo, stalkerish, and cardboard, but not homosexual. Anyone with two verbs and a noun to string together could at least put out the effort to find a more appropriate -- let alone colorful -- adjective to throw in the pot.

First off, the character is obsessed with a chick, so even if he shows latent homosexual tendencies (beats me, haven't read the book nor will I ever, ever see the movie), he's still obsessed-with-chick. It's probably a reasonable conclusion to say that he's at least predominantly heterosexual.

But more importantly, gay means the noun described likes the same gender. It does not mean the noun is strange, lame, freakish, twisted, stupid, or dresses up in bad 80s new-wave and smears its lipstick. Or even that it sparkles.

I have real trouble giving anyone the benefit of the doubt who complains about a story's typecasting women, and in the process of doing so, typecasts some other minority instead. Doesn't make it right, and it sure doesn't make it funny, and it sure as hell doesn't impress me.

Word choice, people. Learn it, live it, and get on with it.

Comments

[annotated_em]

*standing ovation*

*would like to declare a moratorium on using "retarded" and "lame" for similar reasons*

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

I actually don't have a problem with the word 'lame', since (as pertains to humans) it's mostly fallen out of everyday use, in terms of its original classic meaning. (Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time someone used the word 'lame' to describe someone using crutches; the only fits-definition use I can think of it when people describe a horse as lame.)

Retarded, yes, I agree with you -- and I'd add in the expression "crippleware" from the software world. I get the intention, but I hate the connotations. There's got to be some better way to put it.

[annotated_em]

Well, insofar as 'lame' goes, I've heard disability rights activists say that they would prefer it if people didn't use it, so I try to respect their wishes. It's more difficult for me to remember, since generally it's not something I think to apply to humans. *shrugs*

Crippleware? Seriously. *boggles*

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the 'not referring to humans' part, so it would probably take someone around me reminding me regularly to make me aware, consciously. Although now that I consider it, it's not really a word I use much in the first place. There are just too many other good words out there that often fit better.

Like weak, feeble, rickety, derelict, spineless, wonky. Or I might call something inane, asinine, idiotic, ludicrous, witless, imbecilic, with the fun ones being harebrained, loony, whacked, screwy, and tetched.

Then again, I didn't like it when I heard 'gimpy' used in the same manner -- to describe someone as stupid, slow-witted, or useless.

(I do get annoyed when people think I'm being derogatory when I use the word 'niggardly', sheesh. Buy a freaking dictionary, people.)

[mikkeneko.livejournal.com]

Here's one that caught me out when I realized the origin: saying that you got gypped, or that somebody gypped you, or "what a gyp."

[kaigou.livejournal.com]

Yeah. One reason I prefer to use 'conned' or 'scammed' -- although in some ways 'gyp' is now so far removed from its sources... I guess in some ways, if a word -- like lame, or gyp -- has reached a point of being entirely disassociated from its origins to a great extent, then the words (in my view) has transmogrified into an independent concept.

However, until this language comes up with a label less mouthful-ly than 'homosexual', I hereby declare that 'gay' has not yet travelled far enough from its origins to be generally understood to mean 'lame' or 'stupid'.