Heterosexism and sexism and bad words
Nov. 16th, 2004 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helviragoIn class last night we read an article on dealing with students who use homophobic slurs, which led to an interesting if unsatisfying conversation on the complexities of homophobia and community standards (i.e., "If I teach in a community where the majority of the parents believe homosexuality is a sin, how far beyond 'Don't use those words in my classroom' can I go in talking about it with the children without jeopardizing my job?"). In the process, we read an article which had some startling and slightly suspicious (to me) information about the etymology of the word "faggot", so I thought I'd look it up. (For instance, that gay men were "used as the kindling to burn women accused of witchcraft," which seemed not only redolent of urban legend but also deeply inefficient; also that gay people "had to wear a bundle of sticks on their shirts to indicate that they were about to be burned," which sounded really confusing -- how do you wear sticks on your shirt? -- and nonsensical -- wouldn't people know you were about to be burned by the fact that you were under heavy guard while people built a pile of kindling? The "sticks on the shirt" thing is explained in the etymology link below, by the way.)
Many people know that it's a word for a bundle of sticks used to start a fire, but didja know that that's probably not how it became a derogatory term for a homosexual male? It probably came by way, unsurprisingly enough, of its use as "contempuous slang for woman" or, as the Straight Dope says, "woman/girl" > "woman/girl/child" > "effeminate male" > "homosexual male." Because as we all know, there's no greater insult than to call a man a woman.
(If people have information contradicting any of this, by the way, let me know -- it's not that I find the idea that people might commit unimaginable cruelty to other people at all unlikely, just that the "used as kindling" bit had the feel of an urban legend and I prefer actual facts.)
Oh hey, is Queen Latifah really out as bi? I knew she was, as the saying goes, not narrow, but I hadn't heard anything about her own identification. Anyone?
Many people know that it's a word for a bundle of sticks used to start a fire, but didja know that that's probably not how it became a derogatory term for a homosexual male? It probably came by way, unsurprisingly enough, of its use as "contempuous slang for woman" or, as the Straight Dope says, "woman/girl" > "woman/girl/child" > "effeminate male" > "homosexual male." Because as we all know, there's no greater insult than to call a man a woman.
(If people have information contradicting any of this, by the way, let me know -- it's not that I find the idea that people might commit unimaginable cruelty to other people at all unlikely, just that the "used as kindling" bit had the feel of an urban legend and I prefer actual facts.)
Oh hey, is Queen Latifah really out as bi? I knew she was, as the saying goes, not narrow, but I hadn't heard anything about her own identification. Anyone?
