Greetings Economists, On Sep 26, 2007, at 3:34 PM, raghu wrote:
Btw what's the difference? (i.e. between 'gay' and 'queer'?)
Doyle; Gay was an invention at about 1968 or so for unambiguously homosexual person without a pejorative meaning. A sort of title of respect but also social identity (and identity politics example). Queer as a word has been around much longer and usually was pejorative about suspected homosexual behavior. And the lead into violent retribution by those who didn't like queers. As the sixties wound down, pride theory about renaming names of oppression picked up queer as a positive buddy sort of shared identity in hardcore gay life so to speak. Queer theory appeared out of that milieu and added a universalist meaning, all deviant sex is 'queer'. This then sort of erodes identity fixed and permanent to fluid adaption of meaning when someone does something 'bad'. Therefore a kind of liberatory term for private sex activity into a larger context of social change. What I find a bit hard to swallow about taking over of a pejorative is the idea this really erodes prejudice. Personally having been beaten up for just that sort of affront to a bigot, I find the left way of fighting back a bit more persuasive than word play. Feelings (I mean intense sexual feelings) I think are a kind of knowledge work which names don't really gauge. Secondly, the privacy part of sex is not a socialistic concept of society. So even though I might find it interesting to say sex is fluid, and what names there are for describing that sort of persons behavior, Queer does not appeal to me as a means for society to make liberation on the subject of sexual connection. Thanks, Doyle Saylor
