Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!mit-eddie!rh
From: rh@mit-eddie.UUCP (Randy Haskins)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Offensive to queers on net.jokes.d
Message-ID: <586@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Aug-83 12:14:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.586
Posted: Fri Aug 12 12:14:48 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Aug-83 19:59:52 EDT
References: <5635@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 24

It's interesting.  I'm a WASP, I guess, and I don't consider myself
(personally) very offensible.  I've yet to see a joke that offended
ME, although sometimes I have advised people that their joke might
offend others.  In the best of all possible worlds, there would be
no racial, ethnic, or sex-preference hatred, so all of these jokes
would indeed be funny without any bitter aftertaste.  I have a
homosexual friend who tells me "queer-jokes" (he even calls them
this) all the time.  I'm not sure if this is an attempt on his part
to 'cleanse' himself.  He's a nice guy with some obvious personality
problems caused by the way society and his parents have looked down
upon him.  He also tells me funny "breeder" jokes.  
	Anyway, my theory is that a lot of the people who aren't gay
and get up in arms about gay jokes are actually worried that if they
look like "queer haters" everyone will think they're latent.
(Notice they make a point of mentioning that they're NOT gay.)  I
think this is just as homophobic as someone who goes around beating
up gays; they still fear what they don't understand.  I, on the
other hand, like to behave in a way that makes uptight people unsure
of my alignment.  (I don't like uptight people very much.)  I'm not
even going to say whether or not I'm gay or bisexual or heterosexual
or even asexual.  (If you want to know, ask me.)
-- 
Randwulf
 (Randy Haskins);  Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh   or... rh@mit-ee (via mit-mc)