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Pastimes : THE SLIGHTLY MODERATED BOXING RING -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (11616)	5/2/2002 11:21:15 AM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

As to your sense of helplessness that you cannot find words to describe people who hate without actually having an unconscious irrational fear...you surely are not trying very hard. There are myriad words to describe irrational hatred of people. Its not that I can't find words I can. But people use homophobia anyway. Also they use it even where there is no hate or fear. "If that was the only way it is applied I would not have any problem with it". That is the way it is properly applied. I have never heard it applied otherwise. There is always the assumption that there is anxiety underlying the aggression. This is commonplace and common sense, and need not be stated unless one is in a teaching seminar. It's used in the absence of agression, and I don't think the assumption that there is irrational fear behind all dislike, discrimination, agression, or even just different political opinions (like being against state sanctioned homosexual marriages) is a reasonable one. If a person hates homosexuals because of the irrational belief that they are evil simply by virtue of their innate biological gender bias...BUT they have no awareness of any unconscious sexual anxiety...what is the alternative word you would like to use? What would such a person prefer to be called...if they are so absolutely convinced that their hatred does not have a component of fear? Can we simply call such people "honey"--or does that distort the language and cause anxiety and confusion? Good question. I am not really as much focused on those who overtly hate. Even though I do think that calling them homophobes without evidence of irrational fear is a good use of the language I don't have quite as much of a problem with it as I do with some other uses the word is put to. For those who hate we could talk about their bigotry, predjudice or hatred rather then their homophobia. There are a number of words to discribe people who act based on bigotry, predjudice, or hatred and I think they could apply here. I'm not sure a specific word for people who hate homosexuals is needed, but if I think of one I guess I will post it. For those who don't seem to hate or fear I wouldn't think we need any word for them. If you disagree with their ideas about homosexuals or homosexuality or their opinions on political issues that are or at least are often considered related to homosexuality then I would deal with these opinions or ideas or political viewpoints rather then making a big effort to come up with a label. Tim