At a time when the government of Saskatchewan is trying to accomodate marriage commissioners who refuse to marry gay people because their Monkey God doesn't allow it.
Instead of firing their bigot asses.
At a time when an Ontario school board compares the Gay-Straight Alliance to a Nazi group. Even though bullying in Canada is a huge and shameful problem.
•85 per cent of LGBTQ students reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
•40 per cent reported being physically harassed.
•19 per cent reported being physically assaulted
•Compared to Canada, fewer of the American students, 61 per cent, reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation.
Even worse than America.
At a time when Vancouver is the gay bashing capital of Canada. Gay people are being assaulted all over Canada. Or having their homes torched.
At a time when Stephen Harper and his Cons are preparing to strangle us ALL.
What's the most fevered cry in the progressive blogosphere? Solidarity forever? Down with the tyrant?
No.
Nigger. Nigger. Nigger. Faggot. Faggot. Faggot.
Because we can't hear the faggot word enough eh?
Look I respect the views of my progressive brothers and sisters, even when I disagree with them. Even when they just don't get it.
But why are so many white straight people sooooooo indignant when they've never felt the sting of those words? Or the murderous violence that so often comes with them.
What part of the hate that kills don't they understand?
What about the gay kids who hear the faggot word all the time?
Who will speak for them if we don't?
What kind of company are these bloggers keeping?
Why did so many make it a bigger deal than even the Blogging Tories did? Why are they sooooooo indignant?
Since when did they become the sacred guardians of the "N" word? Since when did repeating the "F" word so gleefully, over and over again, become a progressive thing?
Nigger.Nigger. Nigger. Faggot. Faggot. Faggot.
Those heroes and their brave act of defiance. Their sacred satire. Our bloody lives.
Oh well. I thought progressives put people before art. Or a word in a lousy song.
I thought we were family.
They can keep their faggot song.
I like this one better...
Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.
I cane across this in the post today and thought it timely
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalpost.com/news/Homophobic+comments+cost/4112393/story.html
By the way great taste in music.
I'm not a guardian of offensive words, and I think hate speech should be banned, but I don't think this song is an example of hate speech. My concern is that a song can be banned or altered because of one complaint about one word.
ReplyDeleteIt's got offensive words in the song, for sure, but the song describes the perspective of a couple of jealous working stiffs trying to build themselves up at the expense of the rich musician. That perspective is out there then and now. The song doesn't condone it, but merely exposes it as part of real life.
Because I'm white and not currently in a lesbian relationship is not to say I've never felt the sting of a harsh slur directed my way. Words hurt. But this song makes me angry with the loser guys being depicted, and at all similar wankers, not at Knofler for writing about a very real situation.
I wrote my own defence of the song here.
hi Kev...thanks for the link. Unfortunately I also read the comments so now I want to vomit. ;)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though...one of the things I also object to is that by making this small story such a big deal they have unleashed a torrent of homophobia in the MSM media.
Anyway I've said what I have to say. There are bigger stories to focus on, like defeating Stephen Harper and his Cons. Being the discordant note in the progressive blogosphere is unpleasant, and I'll be glad to get back to the common struggle...
hi Sage...I should make it clear that I don't consider the song, or the progressive bloggers who write about it homophobic. I don't speak for the gay community, and even my buddy thinks I should ignore this story. But I can't. Like so many others I associate both words with
ReplyDeleteVIOLENCE. And I owe it to them to speak out.
I respect the views of others, but what I object to is the way some have made a big deal out of this story, and are going out of their way to play that song...or any other song...with the word faggot in it.
I realize I'm practically on the my own, and this won't make me any friends in the lefty blogosphere.
I realize I'm spitting in the wind. But I've been marginalized all my life so I don't care. I said what I felt I had a duty to say. Perhaps I shouldn't have written it when I was angry. But that's what life and the faggot word made me.
Anyway, as I told Kev, there are bigger stories to get upset about. And the struggle continues... :)
The number of times that I have railed against discrimination - any kind of discrimination - I think that you have unfairly characterized my post (I won't speak for the posts of others).
ReplyDeleteI'm against censorship. I'm against discrimination.
It's call the Bill of Rights, friends.
Does this mean that I somehow condone bigots insulting anyone - regardless of ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation - through words?
Does this mean that I somehow condone bigotry-driven violence?
I've writen enough about how ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate, and hate leads to violence.
Do you know how often I've been called a Frog? Or been told to "speak white"?
The Bill of Rights is the Bill of Rights - for everyone.
Even for those neanderthalian bigots.
It's up to society - all of us - to educate them.
But in the meantime, I refuse to be thrown accusing fingers because I actually *defend* free speech.
You should have looked in the mirror on this one, friend, before making such gross generalizations, such superficial conclusions, such astounding conflations.
I wish you all the best, nontheless.