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Help[Facts] Re: Logan for a girl
in reply to a message by Öllegård
Allow me a small digression on the word "Homophobic" which you use.
The word is of very recent coinage and was designed to express the notion of "fear and/or aversion of homosexuals and homosexuality". However "homophobia" is etymologically unsound: "homo" means "same" and is the opposite of "hetero" (other, different); "phobia" means pathological fear. Taken literally, "homophobia" means "fear of sameness" or "fear of self" and makes absolutely no sense! It is funny, but the word "heterophobia" ("fear of other")would more accurately express what the word "homophobia" is purported to imply, i.e., "fear of someone who is unlike me, different". (unless "homophobia" is meant to express "fear of the 'homos'", which itself would be kinda denigrating to the gays :P)
Anyways, once a word is generally accepted and adopted by everyone, thats that. The moral of the story however is that coiners of new words should first consult a good etymologist :)
Whenever a newly coined word word is
The word is of very recent coinage and was designed to express the notion of "fear and/or aversion of homosexuals and homosexuality". However "homophobia" is etymologically unsound: "homo" means "same" and is the opposite of "hetero" (other, different); "phobia" means pathological fear. Taken literally, "homophobia" means "fear of sameness" or "fear of self" and makes absolutely no sense! It is funny, but the word "heterophobia" ("fear of other")would more accurately express what the word "homophobia" is purported to imply, i.e., "fear of someone who is unlike me, different". (unless "homophobia" is meant to express "fear of the 'homos'", which itself would be kinda denigrating to the gays :P)
Anyways, once a word is generally accepted and adopted by everyone, thats that. The moral of the story however is that coiners of new words should first consult a good etymologist :)
Whenever a newly coined word word is
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About phobias
The word "homophobia" always sounded kinda odd to me, too. Personally, I prefer the word "xenophobia" to cover all bases. Not just to describe a fear of gay people, but also a fear of any kind of people (or ideas) which are "foreign" to the status quo.
-- Nanaea
The word "homophobia" always sounded kinda odd to me, too. Personally, I prefer the word "xenophobia" to cover all bases. Not just to describe a fear of gay people, but also a fear of any kind of people (or ideas) which are "foreign" to the status quo.
-- Nanaea
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