AP nixes 'homophobia', 'ethnic cleansing'

[redstar826]

By DYLAN BYERS

Comments

[ahria]

I've always thought "homophobia" was a bullshit term. You're not afraid, you're just a biggot.

[redstar826]

does 'phobic' always mean fear though? I mean, when we say that a substance is hydrophobic, we don't mean that it is afraid of water.

[the_physicist]

That's actually what it literally means. The material is afraid of water... Phobos is ancient Greek for fear.

[redstar826]

ahhh, okay. although I think that kind of shows that we don't always mean literal meanings when we use certain words. I think people use 'homophobia' to mean other things beyond just a fear of gay people.

[the_physicist]

Oh, I agree with you the word means more. I don't think it needs to be replaced. It means fear of in it's origin, it doesn't originate from the comparison to something like agrophobia. Or we should have to change words like hydrophobic too.

The argument can be made to change the word, but I feel not on an incorrect basis.

As such I feel the push should come from LGB folk campaigning for it not to be used. I don't know, but if the AP said: "we no longer want to use the word as queer people asked us not to" I would be fine. Their reasoning seems off to me though.

[yamamanama]

Should they use Deimos, for panic?

[moonshaz]

Or at least rooted in fear.

[ahria]

Ah, I've never heard that but that would make more sense.

[squeeful]

I got that root word meaning as well in class. Translating "phobos" as "fear" without touching the cultural connotations and linguistic differences between modern English speakers and ancient Greeks is way way simplistic.

[brittlesmile]

I mostly see phobos/phobew in the context of fear, awe, and the like but it's a really context-specific and culturally loaded word, so I checked Perseus and it seems like one of it's more basic meanings is a kind of feeling that makes you want to move away from something so it's not totally out there for it to mean a general aversion. /classics geekery

But at the end of things, the original meanings of a word's greek roots shouldn't really dictate the meaning of the English word/compound since English isn't ancient greek.

[teacoat]

But at the end of things, the original meanings of a word's greek roots shouldn't really dictate the meaning of the English word/compound since English isn't ancient greek.

Bingo!

[bushy_brow]

But at the end of things, the original meanings of a word's greek roots shouldn't really dictate the meaning of the English word/compound since English isn't ancient greek.

Yep. "Homophobia" should no more be considered a "fear" of homosexuals than "hemophilia" should be considered a "love" of blood.

[rhysande]

The prefix misos or mis means hate, e.g. misanthropy, but I don't think mishomosexual would take off either.

[skellington1]

I have issues with the 'you're not afraid, you're just a bigot' sentiment because I think a lot of bigotry IS rooted in fear -- fear of The Other, fear of change, fear, especially, that whatever special privileges you've been accustomed too will somehow be taken away. 'Fear' is always part of the equation.

I totally agree it's not really a phobia (irrational, uncontrollable fear, often to the point of mental illness), though.