Thread: John Ahlers anti-gay comment

I'm not saying he should be fired for one mistake but I think he should be made aware that it is unacceptable to use these terms in 2010. My father was a straight up racist to I had to teach myself that calling a Brazil Nut a N***** Toe was not correct even though it was what I heard all my life. Fixing your car with a paper clip is not n***** rigging it. etc. To me those were everyday terms that I was taught as a kid and I didn't think of black people when I heard it, it was accepted as a proper description. Part of growing up and becoming an individual and an adult is learning ON YOUR OWN what is right and wrong and not accepting what is fed to you, even by your own parents.

what about the Quackers calling us the Queenies? I say let's call GLAAD organizations and have them hold protests at the Ponda.

anyone? annnnyone? Bueller? Buuelllerrr?
Posted via Mobile Device

It's exactly what RR said. By continuing to allow this speech to continue just because it was said during our childhood, and therefore innocent misses the point entirely. There are a lot of things we said and did as children because we didn't know they were offensive. As RR said, we just heard or parents, or some other adult say them. It is time for us as adults not to pass these same mistakes to our children. There's no need for it.

Also, language creates racism. Think of that.

Originally Posted by rinkrat

I'm not saying he should be fired for one mistake but I think he should be made aware that it is unacceptable to use these terms in 2010. My father was a straight up racist to I had to teach myself that calling a Brazil Nut a N***** Toe was not correct even though it was what I heard all my life. Fixing your car with a paper clip is not n***** rigging it. etc. To me those were everyday terms that I was taught as a kid and I didn't think of black people when I heard it, it was accepted as a proper description. Part of growing up and becoming an individual and an adult is learning ON YOUR OWN what is right and wrong and not accepting what is fed to you, even by your own parents.

/Thread. Rinkrat is 100% right on this, to argue that is insane imo. When I heard him I was shocked he said it.

like I said, correct him. who condoned the use of the word? what exactly are you guys arguing? the OP has an agenda and might be just as bad as the racists - he'll scream Wolf when there really isn't a wolf around (again, don't know Ahler's intent), going after a target that potentially doesn't deserve it. If it is so serious, why is he drawing attention away from the anti-gays killings that have been happening for this?

in the meanwhile, don't give power to someone else's words. language doesn't create ****. People giving meaning to a word creates racism. Think of that. I didn't know what a "queer" was when I was a kid. I played the game. I'm certainly not a homophobe to this day. I haven't uttered that word in decades. *** used to be a cigarette. how the heck did that become a term for a gay person?

I've been on the receiving end of racial slurs before. you know what? I'm not letting any racist ignorants have any power over me with a word. Those words only gain power if I allow them, and nothing makes me more pleased to see someone getting all steamed because they didn't get the response they expected out of me.

Originally Posted by nosoupforyou

like i said, correct him. Who condoned the use of the word? What exactly are you guys arguing? The op has an agenda and might be just as bad as the racists - he'll scream wolf when there really isn't a wolf around (again, don't know ahler's intent), going after a target that potentially doesn't deserve it. If it is so serious, why is he drawing attention away from the anti-gays killings that have been happening for this?

In the meanwhile, don't give power to someone else's words. Language doesn't create ****. People giving meaning to a word creates racism. Think of that. I didn't know what a "queer" was when i was a kid. I played the game. I'm certainly not a homophobe to this day. I haven't uttered that word in decades. *** used to be a cigarette. How the heck did that become a term for a gay person?

I've been on the receiving end of racial slurs before. You know what? I'm not letting any racist ignorants have any power over me with a word. Those words only gain power if i allow them, and nothing makes me more pleased to see someone getting all steamed because they didn't get the response they expected out of me.

+1

i'm with rr on this one. the word is derogatory and should not be anywhere near a sports broadcast.

however, it is equally reprehensible to ONLY have an issue with the use of the word when someone you don't like uses it as the OP seems to be doing.

hold your horses a little, queer alone is not a deragatory word. For those of us who knew the vocabulary growing up in the proper context the game smear the queer is a perfectly non deragatory game, you are getting the person with the ball. They are the queer as they are the unusual one with the ball. People actively wanted to be the queer playing it. I'm sick of having words like niggardly that I can only use in conversation with people I'm reasonably assured of have an education level high enough to realize it's not a racial insult. Queer doesn't always mean something hateful, neither does queen. Can it, yes, but these words also had real meanings that are valuable to language.

I'm with IanMonsta on this. I disagree with RR.

Smear the Queer was a game "EVERYONE" played. No one knew what it meant. It was just the name of the game.

Now...... I can't believe he said it. He should have been smarter than that as a broadcaster, but he did, and he should be corrected.

But to go after him for something unintentional and most likely completely accidental is childish and wrong.

I bet he would take it back if he could in an instant. Haven't we all said something that sounded worse than what we really meant?

Stop being so sensitive.