Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
The folks in Queer Nation deliberately use the term "queer" often in order to rob it of its ability to shock, hurt, and dismay. Perhaps there are some who feel this strategy will work for the N-word as well. For my part, however, having been raised in the 1950s segregated (and anti-gay) South, I find both terms offensive, no matter who uses them. I think it's best to let such words die on the vine. That being said, I do realize that it's wrong to hold people who lived in different eras to today's standards. There's no way I could enjoy old radio shows, silent movies, and old books if I were to automatically banish them from my life's experience because they did not meet my 21st century ethical standards.
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Going to a very diverse school, I hear all sorts of things in the hallway. It almost gets to the point where (unfortunately) you're jaded. I'll never forget the day when we were studying the Civil Rights Movement and the teacher brought in a black woman who worked in our school who had grown up during the Movement. She said it disturbed and ashamed her when she heard black teens use the n-word so lightly. I knew the word was bad, but my only experience in it being used in a derogatory way was through literature. It was a very eye-opening experience for me.
Back to the original topic. I haven't had too much experience with the great classics yet. Most I've read, I've loved. The two that come to mind that I hated were
Heart of Darkness (read over this past summer, actually) and
Of Mice and Men. I will never understand people who love these works.