[Air-l] Social media in rural communities

[Alexis Turner]

James, you are right to call it a private problem.  As with any terminology, it 
ends up, ultimately, being a matter of personal preference.  

In my experience and observations of others, I would say that it depends on the 
situation more than the terminology itself.  Reading a book on "queer theory" 
is a largely different experience than having the word "queer" flung at you in a 
drive-by flaming (drive-by flaming - in which a person too cowardly to actually 
insult you to your face does it at you in a car passing at 30 mph).  This is 
perhaps the same reason why I am able to call my male friends fags, while 
a straight person might be greeted with hostility on doing the same.  Not unlike 
a joke falling flat in e-mail because of a lack of visual or other situational 
clues.  The context is as much, if not more important than, the vocabulary 
itself.  A word is nothing more than a collection of sounds.  What the 
word is used *for* is where its meaning lies.
-Alexis



On Tue, 1 May 2007, James Whyte wrote:

::I grew up in a rural southern US community. I was always different than my red-neck bretheren and made friends with all the kids who were marginal (as was I). One of those friends was a dancer and who later moved on the be a principal dance in the New York Ballet scene. Aside from being talented he was clearly of a different orientation than I. On reflection, I think my friendship with him was important to both of us. It taught me to be tolerant it taught him that all straights were not hatefull.
::   
::  Our town never embraced him or me. The word "Queer" makes the hair stand on the back of my neck, as does many epithets of prejudice.
::   
::  IMHO the use of such a words, even by those to whom it may apply, serves nothing but darkness.
::   
::  My question was innocent, the answers are not satifsying. It is a private problem. Never mind.
::
::
::  I
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