On Thu, Apr 11, 2013, John Sweeney wrote: > > Anyway, back to reality: I am sorry, Dave, but it seems very silly to me > to accuse someone of a hate crime just because, regardless of how they > feel about homosexuality, they are uncomfortable with close-hold > same-sex swings.
Words change their meaning (remember "gay"?), and even within the formal definition, subtle shifts often take place. These days, "homophobia" (similar to "racism" and "sexism") refers to pretty much any instance of discomfort with same-sex interactions that comes from systemic hatred of homosexuality. (And if you're think there's no systemic hatred, you're not paying attention. People still get killed for being gay in the US.) Maia's analysis is pretty much spot-on -- if there were no discomfort with homosexuality, it's unlikely (statistically speaking) that people would have discomfort with same-sex swings. You're right, we're not accusing anyone of a hate crime just for discomfort with same-sex swings. But it all comes from the same source. -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ <*> <*> <*> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
