If someone had tried to get us to care about politics when I was a teenager, we’d have called them a “homo,” which was a sort of generalized insult that wasn’t homophobic because the word “homophobia” hadn’t been invented yet. Circa 1974, “homo” (like “queer” and “faggot”) was just an insult slung around among a group of teenage friends, without any actual suspicion of homosexuality. Perhaps a sociology professor or a Gender Studies major would interpret the use of such slang insults as expressions of “toxic masculinity” or whatever, but of course all professors and Gender Studies majors are homos, by the standards of normal teenagers. When I was in high school, all the cool kids were completely cynical about politics and politicians, and considering that I attended high school during the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, perhaps you can see why were were so cynical.
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Indeed if you were a kid at that time and used „homo“ as an insult it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a homophobe. Not because it wasn’t „invented“ nor because it wasn’t a thing or bad at that time, but because children usually don’t think a whole lot about their insults and just use what their culture says is bad.
Just like the n-word wasn’t seen as racist some 50 years ago but it definitely was and is. Language primes how we engage certain things and while I remember that even I used „schwuchtel“ which would be the German equivalent of „homo“ as an insult as a kid every student of mine would get a stern talking to if they use it today. That doesn’t mean that is was ok in my time and now it’s not. It’s just that we have a greater awareness, that’s how culture gets forward
We are all Homo Sapiens, but you don't sound to sapient. And I would never say a few things, now, which we did at school.
What is even your point here? That it is totally fine to use homo as an insult? That only we evil liberals thought that it was somehow bad? You are fucking deluded. Why is homo even an insult when it is NOT about homosexuals being seen as lesser? Makes no sense. But sure, try to deflect as much as you like, you are fooling no one.
I remember that I was a bit fascinated by ‘adult’ insults as a kid, but never used them in any capacity and felt uncomfortable with the other pupils constantly using them. Even on a relatively prestigious high school in Germany the children around me called each other ‘Schwuchtel’ (homo), ‘Jude’ (Jew) and even the N-word. Of course they didn’t really think much about the deeper meaning then, but it still felt wrong to me. Perhaps it was because I was bullied early and strongly, so I became more sensitive to these insults, I don’t know. The point is that as always, if you never are on the receiving end of it, or never feel the problems that come with it, you can easily say such things like ‘Oh it’s not REALLY an insult against homosexuals/jews/black people used this way, and therefore is absolutely ok’. Believe me. It’s not.
Makes no difference when you used a certain word, it's still no excuse.
I never so much as thought of saying such words then - as I certainly don't in 2022 - so what's your excuse...?!
But a word I used - more than justifiably so, considering what it was used against - from 1979-1990 ensured I was interested in politics decades ago, nay, made me want to vote against it, perfectly described Maggie Thatcher (*spit *):
Evil.
His excusing homophobia aside, it’s weird to me when someone says they weren’t interested in politics as a teenager. My first protest was when I was 15. Everybody I knew couldn’t wait to turn 18 because we could vote then! This whole “teenagers don’t care about politics” thing sounds very privileged to me.
I attended high school during the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, perhaps you can see why were were so cynical.
2030s (maybe)
- MOOOM! Grandpa is a racist!!
- Well, honey. Your grandpa was in high school during the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, so he’s a fossilized bigot!
2070s
- MOOOM! Grandpa is a male supremacist!!
- Well, honey. Your grandpa was in high school during the presidency of Donald Trump, so he’s a fossilized bigot!
Yeah you can keep talking but you ain’t gonna bring that slur as a usable word in public. You can of course keep using it, your status as a disgusting, degenerate mental midget is simply going to be that much more instantly obvious.
Circa 1974, “homo” (like “queer” and “faggot”) was just an insult slung around among a group of teenage friends, without any actual suspicion of homosexuality.
I don’t know if things changed between 1974 and then, but I was a teenager in the ’90s, and while I don’t remember if the word “homophobia” was used often then, that was the way insults like “homo/fag/queer,” etc. were meant more often than not. And regardless, how does it make any sense to use those as insults if you AREN’T being homophobic?
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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