Words, words, words

[antiochian]

Yesterday, I gave my English colloquium presentation. As sexuality and faith was a major topic in my portfolio, that's what I presented on. The English faculty asked me some interesting questions, such as if I could write an epistle to St. Paul (supposed author of the NT clobber verses), what would I write? I was feeling quite confident, and am overall happy with my performance.

I received feedback today from my advisor. A couple professors apparently disliked my use of the terms "homophobia" and "heterocentrism." They called it equivocation. I looked up that big, fancy term, and here's what I got. Equivocation is the using of misleading and emotionally charged terms or words.

Are words like "homophobia" etc. emotionally charged? You bet! Misleading? I say, if the shoe fits, wear it. I suspect a few Christian faculty members want to have their cake and eat it too... they want to be able to say that we are living in sin and are going to burn, but not want to be considered bigots. If someone discriminates against women, that's sexism. If a straight person discriminates against gays, that's homophobia... Is it really so difficult to grasp?

Am I missing something here? What do you think?

[keltic63]

people don't like to be called on their stuff, especially when the person speaking (yourself) has them by the cajones!

I'm experiencing the same thing at my job right now. a co-worker who has not been well-liked, nor well-treated by the rest of the staff, was just given 2 weeks to live. this happened suddenly and has caught us all by surprise. Those who have made her life miserable for the past 2 years are now the ones who are literally beating a path to her door to visit her as she dies.

I posted some lyrics on my FB page:

Everybody loves you when you're dead
And everyone is suddenly your dearest friend
Nobody talks no dirt about you
But life it just goes on above your head
When you're dead

just an oblique reference to what I've been observing, but it caught the attention of one of those women who is guilty. Tongues are wagging! they don't want that to be pointed out. It's all for show, and these women want everyone to see that they are sooooo goood for going to visit this dying woman.

of course, I never made reference to the guilty parties, they simply found some meaning in the lyrics that I posted

I'd say the same is happening for your professors. the Christians often do what they accuse you of, inserting "homosexual" for "gay" and "lifestyle" for "orientation." The reduce orientation to an action or behavior, and try to come off as opposing sin instead of appearing to be a bigot.

[Daniel]

What other terms did your professors suggest instead? None I bet. Sounds like they are doing exactly what your observe them doing: having their cake and eating it too.

You didn't mislead them. You gave them the opportunity to examine their assumptions, and they didn't like it one bit.

[antiochian]

Thank you both for confirming what I felt--no alternative terms were suggested, and I stand by my choice to call a spade a spade.

Incidentally, the other major criticism of my presentation was that I was sermonizing. English profs are hard to please, much like cranky 5-year-olds. Wish y'all could have been there. The critics who mattered most, my parents and a dear lesbian friend whom I invited, said I did great.

I'm really thinking about trying to get my independent project published. It's called "The Lessons of Laramie: A Letter to Matthew Shepard." My advisor loved it. We shall see.

[scott snedeker]

I think that your professors have been awakened to their own feelings and biases. This made them uncomfortable.

While I agree that homophobia is emotionally charged and reactionary, I feel that heterocentric is not. Heterocentric is neutral in it's flavor. So if a person feels emotionaly charged by this term I feel that it reveals the underlying homophobic undertones the professor who is consciously or unconsciously adding transferrence into his scholastic criticism.

As a counter criticism you could invite them to search within themselves with curiosity for the possiblity that transferrence did color their criticism as an exercise in intellectual insight.

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by scott snedeker

I think that your professors have been awakened to their own feelings and biases. This made them uncomfortable.

While I agree that homophobia is emotionally charged and reactionary, I feel that heterocentric is not. Heterocentric is neutral in it's flavor. So if a person feels emotionaly charged by this term I feel that it reveals the underlying homophobic undertones the professor who is consciously or unconsciously adding transferrence into his scholastic criticism.

As a counter criticism you could invite them to search within themselves with curiosity for the possiblity that transferrence did color their criticism as an exercise in intellectual insight.

Bishop Robinson said once that he prefers not to use the word 'homophobia' because it's a conversation stopper. The person you're talking to, rightly or wrongly, just shuts down. He prefers the word 'heterosexism', which is probably more correct anyway, though I can't imagine that word being mainstreamed. He said (here's the clip; having a blog to put things in comes in handy sometimes!) that using 'heterosexist' "points to where the responsibility lies. It lies with the oppressors, not with the oppressed, to dismantle the system that benefits them."

I don't understand the objective problem with the word 'heterocentrism', though. It's rarely enough used that I think it would probably be best if you defined it on first use, but it's a recognized phenomenon. And yeah, if they didn't offer any alternate word or tack, I don't think it's outrageous to suggest that they may have been uncomfortable with the topic in general rather than the term in specific.

My current favorite is 'heteronormative'. I'm dying to fit that into a conversation.

* * *

Alternately, it could be that that isn't what they meant by 'equivocation'. As a logical fallacy, equivocation could be meant as a term that has more than one meaning.

[Gennee]

Homophobia and Heterocentrism are pretty self explanatory to me. Many educated people try to exonerate themselves from being called bigots and yet their words or actions may demonstrate otherwise. Being able to defend yourself with facts goes a long way toward not being used as a pawn.

Gennee

[PROVISM09]

The most important trip you may take in life... is meeting people half way.



I just saw this and thought it was SO worth sharing

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by PROVISM09

The most important trip you may take in life... is meeting people half way.



I just saw this and thought it was SO worth sharing

But in terms of homophobia and heterocentrism and this discussion, what are you suggesting?