What does Sly Stallone think of it?

Sure Easley probably had, at least, a subconscious homophobic (and misogynistic for that matter) intent there but I, for one, am unwilling to condemn his intentions when they are not clearly - or at all even - implied by context. I have more concrete things to be appalled over than some moron pol’s bungled use of a slippery word.

So women can’t complain when two men call each other pussies or girlie.

Black people can’t complain when one white person says to another “that’s mighty white of you.”

We’ve completely resolved the whole “Indian-giver” controversy.

Everyone is required to issue apologies for objecting to the whole “macaca” thing. Preferably in writing. Because even though the whole friggin country had never even HEARD the word, as soon as it was made clear that it had a history of being offensive, the sirens went off.

Unlike pansy, which was just a clear anti-gay slur for generations nationwide.

What? No? Overreaction? Calm down. No offense as long as it was said politely? Oh. All those other things really are offensive? Once again, the rules for gay people are completely different than those for straight people.

Apparently, we’re the only ones who are not allowed to take offense when offensive words are used. For everyone else, the measure is whether the target is offended, with the responsibility lying with the speaker to know the meaning and connotation of the words they use. But for us, the measure isn’t even whether the SPEAKER knew it was offensive or not.

You people are actually sitting here telling us that a word we know to be offensive, that has a history of being offensive, which has been personally directed to many of us for the purpose of being offensive, and was used publicly by a man of a generation which ONLY used the word as an anti-gay slur, is to be given a pass because uninvolved listeners didn’t know it was offensive.

Everyone else is supposed to learn. Gay people are apparently just supposed to take it.

That does clear it up. A lot.

I wasn’t that offended by the use of the word by an asshole politician. I am deeply offended that you people, in this venue, are defending it.

Insert expletive of choice. I expected better here.

but how do you explain their songs?

(I’m not a NCer, but I’ve been here five years.)

Look, if you want to play semantics, ‘pansy’ is just another version of ‘gay’-as-insult. ‘Fairy’ is in the same semantic area. It just is. From my perspective, it just lumps Hillary in with the bits of NC that pine for a Mayberry that never frakking existed.

Anyone who was an American schoolchild in the fifties (which both Hillary and Easley were) would know what “pansy” means. It’s the same as faggot, queer and fairy. It implies male homosexuality and effeminacy and weakness all in one.

I can’t believe people are denying this. Just because you don’t know the history doesn’t mean it’s not there and it doesn’t matter.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? Haven’t people discussed something a *lot* *like* *this* on this very blog? Something to do with.. oh, I dunno, savage tribesmen? gorillas?

I can’t quite remember, it’s all so long ago and so hazy and it was such a small thing anyway.

Sigh.

Anyway. Hillary wasn’t the one who said it, and I agree that she was caught in a no-win situation. I wish she had had the guts to say, hey, wait a minute, let’s not use “pansy” like that, but I can just imagine the “OMG she’s so PEE CEE” reaction. She’s already got the pedantic harridan schoolmarm radical feminist image working against her. Sucks that she has to choose between that and looking like a gaybasher. Or clueless.