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You know, as a homosexual male, I do not find this story line funny at all.
Either the creators are trying to satirize the fact that zero tolerance can be taken to ludicrous extremes by making a farce out of something that can and does hurt a lot of peoplesâŠ
Or
They are poking fun at something that can and does hurt a lot of people and using zero tolerance policies to do so.
Both of these concepts disturbs me and to be honest I considering dropping the strip. This would only be the second time I have done this (the other was allowing avowed homophobe Orson Scott Card guest write the strip.)
@Psychodad (re: yesterday): I donât think this arc is funny, and Iâm expressing my freedom of speech. You got a problem with that? Some people seem to think that âFreedom of speechâ means nobody should say anything about what they say. Ridiculous. And it rather proves my point: youâre seeing censorship where someone expresses an opinion; youâre crying PC! PC! PC Police! when nobody is trying to shut you up. We just donât like it, and weâre going to say so. Ooooh, go hide under your bed from the evil PC Police. rolls eyes
@Joey: When this strip is apolitical, itâs cute, interesting, sometimes even heartwearming. I mean, itâs not one of the cutting-edge clever strips out there or laugh-out-loud funny, but I like the characters. But every so often, the Johns break out the conservative talking points and create a caricature universe in which bullying liberals are destroying the world. Iâve thought about dropping it, too, but for now, Iâm going to keep reading and express my disappointment when they start in with the ignorance. For what itâs worth, I think of your two options, itâs the firstâthey donât see how using âgayâ as a negative term is a bad thing at all, so they are going to use it as a way to talk about zero tolerance policies.
I fully expect to see Zack go through âsensitivity trainingâ in the strip. I also expect that the sensitivity trainer will make one or two good points but that the arc overall will not favor their side. Thatâs how the Johns have treated global warming, for instance.
This is offensive because it basically denies that the term âgayâ is being used to insult a minority group. The stripâs insistence that the word gay has only its original dictionary meaning (that would be pre-1950 or thereabouts) is false â and not amusing.
As I pointed out previously, it would make a much better point for Zack to confront WHY this word might be offensive, might be associated with bullying, and how he came to use it at all.
Only recently has the word gay become a generic term meaning âstupid, unacceptable, etc.â. I am truly curious as to where and when this began.
I know and embrace the term as the positive and self affirming word that a population formerly referred to as âhomosexualsâ chose for themselves.
This strip could be a force for education and enlightenment, rather than reinforcing ridiculous ideas of âpolitical correctnessâ.
You grow up hearing everybody in school use âgayâ as a slang for âbadâ. Then you discover that it also means somebody who is attracted to their own gender. AND you discover that you are one of those people. Canât you understand how hurtful it is to find out that YOU are a living symbol of badness?
Michael Peterson Premium Member over 13 years ago
I suppose it would be inappropriate to use the expression âbeat it to deathâ in this context, but Iâll be glad when this storyline wraps up.
Yukoneric over 13 years ago
TJ, I think it is rather gayâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.
Smaus over 13 years ago
I could understand if he referred to it as some âfaâot ass sh-tâ then discipline would be understandable.
timebear Premium Member over 13 years ago
You know, as a homosexual male, I do not find this story line funny at all.
Either the creators are trying to satirize the fact that zero tolerance can be taken to ludicrous extremes by making a farce out of something that can and does hurt a lot of peoplesâŠ
Or
They are poking fun at something that can and does hurt a lot of people and using zero tolerance policies to do so.
Both of these concepts disturbs me and to be honest I considering dropping the strip. This would only be the second time I have done this (the other was allowing avowed homophobe Orson Scott Card guest write the strip.)
Comic Minister Premium Member over 13 years ago
Looks like there is no way out of this one. Sorry Zack!
ladywyntre over 13 years ago
@Psychodad (re: yesterday): I donât think this arc is funny, and Iâm expressing my freedom of speech. You got a problem with that? Some people seem to think that âFreedom of speechâ means nobody should say anything about what they say. Ridiculous. And it rather proves my point: youâre seeing censorship where someone expresses an opinion; youâre crying PC! PC! PC Police! when nobody is trying to shut you up. We just donât like it, and weâre going to say so. Ooooh, go hide under your bed from the evil PC Police. rolls eyes
@Joey: When this strip is apolitical, itâs cute, interesting, sometimes even heartwearming. I mean, itâs not one of the cutting-edge clever strips out there or laugh-out-loud funny, but I like the characters. But every so often, the Johns break out the conservative talking points and create a caricature universe in which bullying liberals are destroying the world. Iâve thought about dropping it, too, but for now, Iâm going to keep reading and express my disappointment when they start in with the ignorance. For what itâs worth, I think of your two options, itâs the firstâthey donât see how using âgayâ as a negative term is a bad thing at all, so they are going to use it as a way to talk about zero tolerance policies.
I fully expect to see Zack go through âsensitivity trainingâ in the strip. I also expect that the sensitivity trainer will make one or two good points but that the arc overall will not favor their side. Thatâs how the Johns have treated global warming, for instance.
cynthia staples over 13 years ago
This is offensive because it basically denies that the term âgayâ is being used to insult a minority group. The stripâs insistence that the word gay has only its original dictionary meaning (that would be pre-1950 or thereabouts) is false â and not amusing.
As I pointed out previously, it would make a much better point for Zack to confront WHY this word might be offensive, might be associated with bullying, and how he came to use it at all.
Only recently has the word gay become a generic term meaning âstupid, unacceptable, etc.â. I am truly curious as to where and when this began.
I know and embrace the term as the positive and self affirming word that a population formerly referred to as âhomosexualsâ chose for themselves.
This strip could be a force for education and enlightenment, rather than reinforcing ridiculous ideas of âpolitical correctnessâ.
dcp9142 over 13 years ago
You grow up hearing everybody in school use âgayâ as a slang for âbadâ. Then you discover that it also means somebody who is attracted to their own gender. AND you discover that you are one of those people. Canât you understand how hurtful it is to find out that YOU are a living symbol of badness?