Homophobia, a linguistic approach

[Lucifer_Carroll]

Homophobia as we know it and use it means a fear of homosexuality, however, technically it means a "fear of similarity or being the same". In other words it is the default emotion of most rebels (of which to some part gays and lesbians are included). The interesting thing is those currently charged with homophobia are actually people in favor of absolute conformity (one mom, one dad, 2.3 kids, and dog family units, upper-middle class white, suburban housing, respectable jobs, white picket fences, etc.). In essence what most of them suffer from is really heterophobia, the fear of being different.

So the homosexuals tend towards genuine homophobia and the heterosexual reactions towards heterophobia. Funky, huh?

P.S. I think the true word for a fear of homosexuality would be "homoerophobia", but i'd have to check.

 

[Guest]

Smartass.

Lou

P.S. Sorry, couldn't resist. Don't burn me too much.

 

[Guest]

from the OED:

homophobia, n.1 [f. L. hom man + -PHOBIA.]

Fear of men, or aversion towards the male sex; also, fear of mankind, anthropophobia.

1920 Chambers's Jrnl. 5 June 418/1 Her salient characteristic was a contempt for the male sex as represented in the human biped... The seeds of homophobia had been sown early. 1960 T. KORA in Koestler's Lotus & Robot II. 213 Of nervosity symptoms, homophobia appears most frequently. In this is included fear of blushing when appearing before a person, or erythrophobia, feeling of getting stiff or oppressed before an individual.

homophobia, n.2 [f. HOMO(SEXUAL a. and n. + -PHOBIA.]

Fear or hatred of homosexuals and homosexuality.

1969 Time 31 Oct. 61/3 Such homophobia is based on understandable instincts among straight people, but it also involves innumerable misconceptions and oversimplifications. 1971 Gay (N.Y.) 30 Aug. 15/1 A colleague..who read a paper of mine on homophobia, did the first piece of research on homophobia that I [sc. Dr. George Weinberg] know of. 1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 4 Sept. 7/3 There is no such thing as the homosexual problem any more than there is a black problemthe problems are racism and homophobia. 1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 19 Dec. 1440/5 Homosexuality does indeed pose serious problems: chief among them is widespread homophobia. 1988 P. MONETTE Borrowed Time vii. 171 It would be harder and harder to be openly gay. For once we would not internalize the homophobia.

homophobic, a. (and n.) [f. *HOMOPHOB(IA n.2 + -IC.]

Pertaining to, characterized by, or exhibiting homophobia; hostile towards homosexuals. Also occas. as n., a person who displays homophobia.

1971 Psychol. Rep. XXIX. 1091 The 21 highest and 21 lowest scores were designated the Homophobic Group..and Nono-homophobic Group..respectively. Ibid. 1092 Homophobics said ‘yes’ significantly more often than Non-homophobics to the following statements: [etc.]. 1975 Citizen (Ottawa) 5 Sept. 2/3 The prime concern of homosexuals..is..in curing the public's widespread disdain toward gays, dubbed homophobia... A member of Gays of Ottawa called the Christian ethic the most homophobic in history. 1981 Observer 3 May 29/5 Rat-packs of homophobic punks, white or Latino, prowled gay neighbourhoods. 1986 City Limits 15 Jan. 7 A parents' rights group..began..leafletting the area with crude, homophobic literature. 1991 Outrage (Austral.) Feb. 3/1 Remembered for his frankness about his sexuality in homophobic Hollywood, Mineo was acclaimed for his roles in Rebel Without a Cause, Giant and Exodus.

homophobe, n. [f. *HOMOPHOBIA n.2: see -PHOBE.]

A homophobic person.

1971 Gay (N.Y.) 30 Aug. 15/4 The homophobes tended to disagree significantly more than the others. 1980 Berkeley Graduate Oct. 1/4 Gay people, however, often build entire social lives around homophobes, all the while reciting the virtues of ‘discretion’. 1986 Time 14 July 15/3 Homophobes ‘want us to go back into the closet’, says Jean O'Leary, executive director of National Gay Rights Advocates. 1990 Gay Times June 10/2 In the US it is now rumoured that the arch-homophobe himself, Senator Jesse Helms, is queer.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

Perdita-
I wasn't using the english definitions, but rather the scientific process of taking latin or greek words to describe a process. For the most part phobias are named with a greek or latin (what's the name of the first part of a word again?) something and end with phobia, named after Ares's son Phobos, god of fear. Thus hydrophobia, agrophobia, arachnaphobia (this one uses the famous spider myth of Arachne), etc. Homo- means same whereas hetero- means different. That's why they preface sexual to denote tastes in sexuality. I know the common English usage of the word which is what is seen in the dictionaries. I'm just pointing out that by traditional naming styles of phobias, it's incorrect. The first definition would follow traditional naming styles, but the latter doesn't.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

homophobia, n.1 [f. L. hom man + -PHOBIA.]
Fear of men, or aversion towards the male sex; also, fear of mankind, anthropophobia. . . .

Now who’s the smartass?

Or, do it mean sapientsemanticist?

 

[Guest]

I wasn't using the english definitions, but rather the scientific process of taking latin or greek words to describe a process.

I don't get that, Luc. Where do you think the English (and other translated) definitions came from? I'd not heard of the 'scientific' process before. I'm narrow-minded enough re. English to stick with the OED.

Perdita

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I don't get that, Luc. Where do you think the English (and other translated) definitions came from? I'd not heard of the 'scientific' process before. I'm narrow-minded enough re. English to stick with the OED.

Perdita

I'm sorry, I meant that the use of greek and latin prefixes for scientific names is nearly demanded and phobias are considered scientific (especially in naming scheme).

Overall the point was the translation of the greek prefixes and suffixes and what they are genuinely meaning versus what common usage has determined their names to be. As an english major I'm sure you know the power common usage has on the language and how it can change the foreign meaning of the word.

 

[Guest]

Overall the point was the translation of the greek prefixes and suffixes and what they are genuinely meaning versus what common usage has determined their names to be. As an english major I'm sure you know the power common usage has on the language and how it can change the foreign meaning of the word.

Ok, I get that. However, once the English definition has been established, the origin matters only academically. I do enjoy learning how words come into their use and contemporary meaning, but in using them actually in the present I don't see the point of acknowledging their history.

I'm not argueing (I don't think), just wanting to explain my point, or attitude.

Perdita

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

Ok, I get that. However, once the English definition has been established, the origin matters only academically. I do enjoy learning how words come into their use and contemporary meaning, but in using them actually in the present I don't see the point of acknowledging their history.

I'm not argueing (I don't think), just wanting to explain my point, or attitude.

Perdita

No, I understand. It was just a scientist's and greek language lover's fancy of the moment. I understand that yours is the proper and firm english definition, but I always find it interesting to look at origions and what they mean. Sometimes, it provides interesting entertainment and factoids like what I posted.

"Matters only academically." Yup, I'm an academic geek. I'm so ashamed.

Or not.