Islamophobia and Homophobia to be exact.
But the world-famous news agency Associated Press (AP) yesterday deemed the attributing of other phobias – in particular homophobia and Islamophobia – inappropriate. Their new style guide warns reporters against using phobic terms in “political or social contexts”.
Sounds reasonable to me – after all a phobia is an extreme and irrational fear or dislike to the point of being unable to function. Usually, these terms are used to deride someone who dares to challenge the latest leftist orthodoxy.
Still, this being the Groan, they don’t agree. Well, they wouldn’t would they?
It is commendable to strive for accurate, neutral reporting and “homophobia” or “Islamophobia” are not ideal, as they denote solely the fear motivating prejudice. But they are the best we have.
Actually, they are not the best we have. They are artificial constructs designed to silence dissenters, in the same way as the words “racist” or “denier” are now used. They are meaningless gibberish. It is entirely possible to be opposed to same sex marriage, for example and not be – as is usually bandied about by the usual suspects – homophobic. Just as it is entirely possible to not be homophobic, yet insist that gay couples do not share the same bed under one’s roof as one does with unmarried heterosexual couples. Equally, despising utterly the medieval savagery of Islam does not make one Islamophobic, because such dislike is entirely reasonable and rational – unless one is a Guardianista, of course.
Given this, I can report with a certainty rarely enjoyed by straight journalists that being anti-gay is, without exception, at least partly fuelled by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of unwanted sexual attention, fear of gender roles being flouted, fear of humanity being wiped out by widespread bumming, fear of a plague of homosexuals dismantling marriage, the family, the church and any other institution held vaguely dear. And, of course, never forget: fear of what lurks repressed and unacknowledged in the homophobe. Irrational fear. It’s a phobia, people.
No, chum, that’s what is inside your head and it is rampant bollocks to a word.
“Phobia” is what pisses me off.
NO! I am NOT scared of them, I just “DON’T LIKE THE BASTARDS!”
What, in that staement, do they find hard to understand?
I don’t like milk. Am I a “Milkophobic”????
I Don’t like cabbage.
Of course, I am TERRIFIED of cabbage, and travel miles out of my way to avoid a cabbage field! Cabbage patch dolls were nearly my downfall!!!
….Can they see my point yet?
The word ‘phobia’ in connection with islam is a misnomer, there are perfectly reasonable grounds for disliking Islam.
What would you call the very considerable number of people in Uganda that rather like the idea of killing all the gays? How do you separate out the obvious barbarism, cruelty and intolerance of Islam from Muslims as people? I very, very much agree that “Islamophobia” is a bullshit word used to stifle dissent, but how do we refer to serious intolerance towards Muslims (none of which really exists in the UK) compared to, I don’t know, the regular murderous hatred exhibited towards Christian and Jews in Muslim countries (which does) and the serious anti-gay sentiment in the Caribbean and Africa?
It does really all feel like the boy who cried wolf, doesn’t it?
Furo T. … I think you may be mistaken.
I have a very rational fear of SOME SECTIONS of those adhering to the muslim collection of fairy-tales. [ Salafist, Wahabi, extreme Sunni, ditto Shi’a ]
Wheras the others [ Sufi, Ahmadhi, Ismaili, some Sunni & Shi’a ] are mostly harmless nutters, no worse than the Quakers, the Unitarians or trad CofE. Of course there are dangerous-nutter christians, as well – starting with OSD, & the Dominionists in the USA ….
I think they all need their heads read, but … some are dangeorus, others, not so.
It’s worth remebering the amounts of murder & persecution going on RIGHT NOW in the “muslim world” of – can’t you guess – the second group I listed, by the first.
IN Saudi & Pakistan, the Wahabi & Sunni nutters are killing Ismaili & Ahmadhi & some Shi’a in droves. Just like Europe 1540-1648, in fact.
I can…maybe, see your point.
I am just adverse to the commy/hippy crochet Knicker wearing brigade/watermelon/etc groupings telling me that “you FEAR them!”
NO!
I fear for the effect they have on MY culture, MY beliefs and MY bloody “Government”.
I do NOT fear THEM!
I fear for the effect they have on MY culture, MY beliefs and MY bloody “Government”
It’s “your” personal government, that owes allegiance only to you?
I do NOT fear THEM!
The stridency of your arguments suggests strongly that you do.
No, it doesn’t. It suggests that he has strong feelings on the matter.
Thanks LR, and a computer that refuses to accept Italics.
You could always try using the standard HTML tags < i > and < /i > for example (remove the extra spaces).
Heterophobia! The fear of being NORMAL!
Oh Hel, “NORMAL”…. THAT could open a whole new can of worms!! 🙂
Heh! 😈
Heterophobia! The fear of being NORMAL!
Homosexuality is as normal as heterosexuality, as both species of human sexuality have evolved in the natural word and were not created artificially. I’m afraid that your juvenile portmanteau isn’t going to cut it.
You really don’t have any humour, do you? The comment was clearly facetious and aimed squarely at the self-righteous, pompous lemon-suckers who use the term homophobia. The only people who wouldn’t see the underlying humour are those at which it it aimed.
Looks like a hole in one from where I’m standing.
Oh dear. All words are “made up”. To be precise they are portmanteau words, the joining of two other words together, much like “Television”, which was decried by conservative boneheads for being a marriage between Greek and Latin roots.
I dislike “Islamophobia” and “Homephobia” not becausae they are made up but because they rather too kind on the psychotic tosspots they describe. Anti-Muslim bigot or Anti-homsexual bigot seems to serve rather better.
The only tosspots are those who use these terms, as disliking homosexuality or Islam is not a phobia. But, then, labelling those who dare to vary from the approved orthodoxy as having some sort of mental illness is typical of the cheap jibe I would expect from those who use such artificial constructs. Yes, I’m aware of what a portmanteau is; I merely refuse to dignify these expressions as such.
As for bigotry – frankly, this is invariably a euphemism for “doesn’t agree with me”. After all, disapproval of homosexuality and Islam is not bigotry and those who accuse people of such are usually the ones displaying all the hallmarks of it.