Christina |

We're falling behind in a war of words.

September 15, 2010

In the latest war on freedom and the right to live your life as you see fit, our enemies have a new weapon at their disposal.

Vocabulary and labeling technology.

This insidious, nay, diabolic tool has taken a single word and turned it into a derogatory term so vile I almost shudder at having to write it. It is a word so offensive it would make a Klansman recoil. It would easily get me slapped with an FCC fine if I said it on television.

This word, dear reader, is “homosexual.”

straight guy for gay rights by ~beanpatrol on deviant ART

…Wait what?

Yes, it seems that the word “homosexual” is now derogatory. This is news to me. A few days ago, Ana of The Young Turks published a very pro-gay couple article. It received some flak from the gay community, or at least some of Ana’s readers, since it referred to gay men and women as “homosexuals.” This prompted a segment on The Young Turks.

Basically, since conservatives use the term “homosexual” in a bad light, it’s apparently gotten a negative connotation. I guess it does sound cold, scientific, and some people got really mad at Ana for it. In particular, one response on the article was from a gay man who said he was offended The Young Turks would dismiss his concerns as craziness.

Well, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to call that reader, and anyone else who thinks “homosexual” is a negative term, an idiot. If you’re offended by a scientific term describing a sexual orientation, you should be equally offended by bisexual and heterosexual. “Homosexual” is a purely descriptive term that is often said with either revulsion or hate by many far-right wingers and fundamentalists.

That doesn’t mean it’s a bad word.

Remember when words like “liberal” and “progressive” got a similar treatment. Right now, Beck has turned the word “progressive,” which means “favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things the way they are, esp. in political matters” into a term for bad people. If you’re progressive, you’re against everything that regular, red-blooded Americans love! Oh noes!

Nothing in that definition about socialism, communism, or killing grandma by taking away her feeding tube, and yet now people are afraid of being branded “progressive.” Some people, like me, take the term to heart and believe its definition is the only thing that matters, not that some yahoo thinks it’s bad. I don’t care what they think. I know what it means to me. That’s enough.

Philosophy by ~sanitynvrfoundme on deviant ART

Likewise, even if the term “homosexual” is getting a bad connotation, that only means you’re offended by it if you’re offended by homosexuality in general.

Yes, I’m serious. Think of it this way. Why are so many people offended by the mosque near Ground Zero. Not ON Ground Zero. NEAR Ground Zero. It’s because they’re offended by Muslims. I’ve said it before. The same thing applies here. If you think a purely scientific description for a sexual orientation is offensive, it’s because you think the state of being it describes is offensive to you.

And what does that mean? You don’t like gays.

There are a lot of terms that are honestly offensive. I could list them, but I’m actually going to refrain because I haven’t the time or the energy. You know the terms for gays. So do I. Every group has its racial slurs, but the technical or neutral definitions of these groups are not insults and are not offensive.

The fact is that almost any term can turn into a negative if it’s used as such. However, we’re at a critical moment. The word “homosexual” as a slur hasn’t been established yet. It’s possible to salvage this by keeping it as a purely descriptive term. I don’t intend to use it any other way.

And really, do we need ANOTHER slur for minorities?

This is me by ~SmellyMarkers on deviant ART

Well, now that we have all that out of the way, let’s see some fun stuff.

If you’re ever caught with child pornography, don’t tell the cops your cat did it. It clearly didn’t work for this guy. Or, as my girlfriend joked, “Maybe the cat wanted to find ‘kitty’ porn and misspelled it.’”

If you’re on the internet, you’ve probably heard of Christina Hendricks’, uhm, ample bosoms. Yes, they have a loyal fan following, but an equally large group of people willing to look through hundreds of photos to see if these breasts are hand-crafted by God or silicone. The debate goes on…

With all the problems in the world, I thought that the debate on whether or not the Earth was at the center of the universe had been pretty much solved centuries ago. Alas, if you live in Indiana, you may be able to attend Galileo Was Wrong, a conference where they will explain the latest evidence for a geocentric universe. (sigh).

Governor Ah-nold of Conan blasted fellow Republican Sarah Palin. Apparently, says the Big Man himself, you really can’t see Russia from Alaska. Oh well.

This is fairly NSFW, but if you want to see some highlights of this year’s National Topless Day, go right ahead.

Calvin and Hobbes had a style all their own, and now some talented artists have done a few other images in that same art style. I’m a fan of the Star Wars themed images.

I have to admit… when it comes to trying to curve the solicitation of sex, it’s one thing to pass laws. It’s another to designate special sex areas where Johns can get their coffee percolated. That’s just weird.

And finally, see the VERY wrong way to go about running a business. A business that sells candy to kids. Penis-shaped candy. From a white van.

Even if it's jibberish, work with it.

July 1, 2010

I recently talked with a friend over FB chat. Over various subjects including gaming, and a reminder that while my job may induce headaches it also makes a difference, he said he wished he could make something creative. He just didn’t have the time.

A legitimate concern… And so I gave some advice I’d like to share with those readers with a similar concerns.

“I’m not creative enough.”

“I can’t write.”

“I don’t have time.”

Poppycock, I say!

writer’s block by ~sfalco on deviant ART

Buy a notebook, something small you can carry around in a backpack, purse, or on your person. I own a Moleskine notebook with no lines that’s perfect for doodles and random notes at any angle. Not only does the book have pockets and a band to keep the whole thing closed, but it’s very durable. They’re made with acid-free paper. As someone who spent the better part of his college life working in university and church archives, let me tell you that acid-free paper is a must if you want to keep things around for a very long time.

Plus, you’ll feel all nice and pretentious with a Moleskine. Try it!

Buy a set of pens. I prefer gel pens since I don’t have to press too hard on the paper to actually write, and when you get inspiration and just want to keep going, a gel-pen is salvation in plastic. Fine tips are best so the ink doesn’t run everywhere. Treat your tools well, folks.

I always keep at least two pens on me. And don’t lend pens. People tend to keep them. And I loves my pens… Loves them, I say!

Pens by ~heroleon on deviant ART

And finally, perhaps the most important part of all…

Listen to people. Some of the best lines I’ve ever heard have come from people just talking and trying to think fast. I write these choice quotes in my notebook and often look to them for inspiration or at least a chuckle.

A few choice quotes:

“Kennedy’s not dead. He’s in Cuba with Tupac.”

“I’m too Mexican to be vegan.”

“Where are you going?”
“South Carolina.”
“…Why there?”

“You are so full of beans and your nose is growing.”

“She’s going to come in and growl! Like an angry mother seahorse!”

To a Homeland Security employee: “Is that bacon? I smell a pork-based product.”

“How did you sneak in here!?”
“I’m wearing sneakers. So I can sneak.”

“Fuck you, rainbow-cake!”

“I did some morally reprehensible things on Friday… but I enjoyed them.”

“You are a broken cloud.”

“The strip club reminded me you can’t buy happiness.”

“It’s important to talk about sex, religion, and politics, just not before you put on a condom.”

Any one of these lines could be the basis for a character, a story, maybe a drawing, a poem, anything.

I remember working in DC and having one of the legislative assistants lament that, despite how much he enjoyed his job, he wished he could create something. If you really want to make something, even if it’s just haiku, devote some time each day, even ten minutes. Build up. Break it down. Rework it until you’re satisfied.

Perhaps most critically, have an ego about it. You can’t try to make something and think it will be horrible. That’s for editing or revisions. As you work, listen to inspirational music or music appropriate to whatever you’re making. Keep telling yourself it will be incredible. Force yourself to finish it.

You can create art. All of you. It’s just a matter of the right tools and mentality. Now get to work.

Here linky, linky, linky…

Model Larissa Riquelme has said that if Paraguay wins the World Cup, she will run through the streets naked in nothing more than paint. If you weren’t excited about the world cup now, GET EXCITED!

In what may be the dumbest movie name since 2 Fast 2 Furious or just dropping “The” from the last Final Destination movie, the NEW Final Destination movie will be called 5nal Destination. Anyone else thinks that looks like “Anal”?

I love the Young Turks, and their take on the new technology that allows plants to talk to you and even use Twitter is hilarious.

What do you do when your employees, like those in the Chinese factory that makes a good chunk of Apple’s products, keep killing themselves? No, you don’t raise wages or stop forcing them to work inhuman hours. You put nets around the buildings to keep them from splattering on the ground.

Great news in sex, folks. Scientists are just two or three years away from releasing the male birth control pill. You only need to take one pill every three months and human trials start next year.

Did you know that if you have more than one earring per ear you are a DIRTY, DIRTY WHORE?! Me neither…

Wizards of the Coast released an article detailing the pitfalls of playing a “villainous” race like drow or gnolls. It’s quite funny in a lot of areas, including the apparent lack of respect the company’s D&D products have for gnolls. How many other player races get beaten up every over cover or drawing?

Christina Hendricks, patron saint of hawt redheads, gave an interview where she talks about self-esteem and body image among other things. Part of me wonders if she’s serious about being so shocked people think she’s hot because she’s curvy, but it’s nice to see that we’re moving away from the stick-figure ideal and going back to women with curves. Go, curvy women!

And finally, this may be the funniest commercial I’ve seen all week. So, who has a man that’s cooked a gourmet cake in a kitchen he built?

“Homo” is a Four-Letter Word

Learning How to Spell: Part 2