1) I'm not a homosexual
2) No one has criticised me in this thread for my orientation, I'm simply trying to explain to you what the word homophobia means.
Stop with your baseless claims pls :S
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Eurosceptic
Sensible
Intraxenophobic or nationalist
Or possibly because there are other words for them and not everything has to use the same language roots, especially in a language as diversely inspired as English
(if there's any bizarre autocorrects in this post its cause i'm doing it on my phone.)
i said borderline for a reason but i do believe there was negative connotation from her words towards homosexuality/homosexuals. which i disagree with. if you don't like gay culture that's different to disliking homosexuality is it not? and if that is what she meant it could've been worded better. homophobia to me is someone disliking homosexuality to the point of being offensive about it. i don't really care who/why/how i came to have that personal definition but i am very much entitled to my own opinion.
i can understand people disliking gay culture, but i believe people disliking homosexuality is odd. if yr comgortable with yr own sexuality why does someone else's sexuality bother you so much?
but then not to contradict myself, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
As you can see, not a 'phobic' word - homophobic is used purposely to dismiss any criticisms or dislike of homosexuality by classing this criticism/dislike of homosexuality as some sort of mental retardation. This is because the word has been hijacked, unlike on other topics as of yet, to silence all criticism of homosexuality. When phobia becomes added to everything we dislike/criticise, then i'll take you all seriously using it - until then i'll treat it as you all do but care not to admit so; an attempt to dismiss criticisms and distaste to homosexuality.
If I dislike homosexuality I am not homophobic, I simply dislike it just as I may dislike the colour orange/a family member.
If I criticise homosexuality I am not homophobic, I simply am criticising homosexuality in general/parts of homosexuality.
If I have an irrational fear of homosexuality I am homophobic.
But it isn't that - homophobia is simply a dismissive term used to dismiss any criticism/dislike of homosexuality. If you really have the courage of your convictions and believe you have sensible counter-points to those who show a dislike/criticise homosexuality, then debate it rather than use dismissive terms 'well your just a homophobe' as though the arguments advanced are being advanced by somebody mentally retarded.
As for my exact opinions on sexuality, I haven't spoken them out in this thread - i've just stood up against one side of the debate being shut down as it usually is through the use of certain words, just as with global warming (denier), immigration (xenophobe) etc etc. But GirlNextDoor15 wasn't even showing a dislike/distate towards homosexuality, let alone a phobia of homosexuality.
If people are going to oppose criticism of homosexuality, then they are going to have to come up with better reasons for rejecting that criticism rather than simply saying that any criticism or distaste of homosexuality is 'homophobia'.
Likewise, one could argue that:
If people are going to oppose criticism of criticism of homosexuality, then they are going to have to come up with better reasons for rejecting that criticism of the criticism rather than simply arguing over the origins of a word.
Because all you do is stifle debate with that word, thats why no debate can be held on it either here on in the public square - anyone who dares shows a dislike, distate or criticism of homosexuality is instantly dismissed as a frothing-at-the-mouth 'homophobe'.
I stated before, I haven't even given my opinions so much on this topic - but i've seen another member vilified for a harmless comment.
You do bring an interesting point. When it comes to gays, to me there is a big issue with problem/issue with the way they are often shown, the issue being THE MEDIA.
How many gay's do you see that aren't over the top camp on TV. Not very many. I feel the media really should try to show gays at both ends of the spectrum and in the middle. Instead of just having over the top camp hosts, Graeme Norton coming into my mind right now, why not have some softer gays.
I find it kind of weird how some gay's love to flaunt how their gay, I'm gay look at me. You don't really see the straight equivalent like I'm straight look at me. I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, but it just seems the media only shows one side.
And I do have an example. The actor Russell Tovey who's been in Doctor Who and the BBC3 comedy Him & Her (Where he interestingly plays a very convincing straight guy in a relationship). He found it hard to come out simply because there was no role model for him, there was no proper blokey kind of gay's instead simply the over the top famboyant type and so while he considers himself gay he thinks he doesn't fit into the gay type society.
I think that's the important thing here. There are people out there that are gay that act straight, because that's just them, they don't like the over the top campyness. The Media really needs to portray both sides. I think it would help with people confused about their sexuality like Russell Tovey.
Also after reading all your comments I still don't fully agree with being born gay. I read that the lady who was voted off X Factor at the weekend, can't remember her name, but apparently she turned Lesbian after her last relationship.
You could say that she always knew she was, but to me people's tastes change. Music I used to like I hate now. I mean you hear of people who've been straight all their life and then they meet one person of the same sex and they feel a powerful connection that they'd never felt with the same sex before.
I know Patrick Wolf a musician doesn't actually believe in sexuality himself. Instead he thinks its based on the person, so he may fall in love with a brilliant girl or a brilliant guy, but it is the person he falls for and not the sexuality of that person.
No you don't stifle debate with that word because the debate continues on regardless of it. She wasn't described as a 'frothing at the mouth homophobe', she was described as a "borderline homophobe" which is just an opinion and not fact. The only one stopping the debate is you by going onto completely different tangents as you say you haven't even given your opinion and we're already on page 4.