Comments on: Another Zealot Takes Up The Cause

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 12:32:46 +0000

Is the phone being aimed at the gay market? I didn’t get that… where does it say that in the official release?

By: The Dark Prince

The Dark Prince — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:51:35 +0000

Things can be hurtful regardless of whether you’re gay or not. It’s a very rare person who’s never been teased about anything. The market being aimed for is the gay market. Thus, the comment is that the phone is gay. It’s that simple.

Of course the thing is that there are things that you say that offend people too. How many strict religious types would hate any of your opinions? You’d say they were wrong too, just as I’ll saying you’re wrong. The solution is simple. Don’t read it.

By: fish

fish — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 07:59:45 +0000

Tom did go a little off on one but there was a good point underneath the rant which would’ve benefited from a calmer explanation.

Contrary to what you say, humor doesn’t have to slag anyone off. It can affectionately tease or pointedly satirize instead. When people are genuinely satirizing something (as Idiot Toys claims to be doing to feminized technology) they have to do more than sling around playground insults. If the Idiot Toys writer had said the phone was ‘camp’ then he’d have been on solid ground. If they’d said the press release was ‘wanky’ or ‘up itself’, there could be no argument. But the simplistic, and for some people offensive, branding of those things as ‘gay’ is neither accurate or humorous.

What the people who think “Oh just lighten up” are missing is the real hurt experienced by the people these negative stereotypes have been aimed at. Words can and do hurt people. Those who grow up gay and have to endure an atmosphere of casual homophobia as teenagers are entitled as grown ups to point out when people are being as dumb and hurtful as the 13 year olds they went to school with.

I find it tiresome to see that there are people who think they’re being funny by simplistically saying something is ‘gay’. It offends my sense of humor.

By: Kaye

Kaye — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 04:25:05 +0000

It was ok with Tom at first, as he had pointed out. But the number of times that IT had a go with gays was what irked him. He had a point and the pundits at IT and its cohorts made it as if he was just crying foul over the smallest things. Blogging about a phone for gays once is alright, blogging about gadgets for gays for soooo many times is something else.

By: The Dark Prince

The Dark Prince — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:31:53 +0000

To be honest, 90% of humour involves slagging someone off. Americans seem to think that it’s actually 100%, but what would they know. Think of a single joke that you’ve heard that doesn’t in some way insult someone.

As for doing damage, I think Mister Tom “Gay” Coates has probably done more damage for the cause than this blog has.

By: NF Fielding

NF Fielding — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:04:05 +0000

It’s not nasty humour, but it is stupid humour and it does damage. Seems to me the person going on about how gay phones are is the one that’s obsessed, and the other guy is the one trying to make it a non-issue.