DCP: Homophobia is "a nonsense word."

[_Doctor Scratch]

Unsurprisingly, in the wake of the Church "walking back" its revised policies on same-sex behavior at BYU, the Mopologists are exulting. They really ought to restrain themselves, though, because their true colors are starting to shine through. Just check out this recent exchange on "SeN":
:

Moksha: "I can understand why the Church rolled back its policy:"

The Church didn't roll back its policy.

Moksha: "It was appeasing the outrage of its most conservative members."

It was clarifying.

Moksha: "the Church's homophobia"

That's a nonsense word. And clearly inapropriate in this case.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.... Homophobia is a "nonsense word"? You'd think that, at this point, he'd know better than to say such things as that. But, no, he's asked about it and holds his ground:

Daniel: “That's a nonsense word.“

Homophobia is a nonsense word?

It's a nonsense word.

For the record, "homophobia" *is* a real word, as anyone with a functioning brain and basic literacy level ought to know. For example, consider this definition, from Oxford Reference, which is operated by Oxford University Press:

Negative attitudes towards homosexual people and homosexuality which may be manifested in discrimination, hostile behaviour, or hate crimes. The term was adopted in 1972 by George Weinberg (b.1935), an American psychologist. The use of ‘phobia’ has been criticized as implying a pathological and irrational fear rather than a form of prejudice analogous to racism. The term is sometimes reserved for more extreme forms reflecting hatred and revulsion, the term heterosexism being favoured in other cases. Homophobic attitudes have been associated with conservative ideologies and authoritarian personalities. Extreme homophobia is often attributed to unconscious homosexual desires but it can also be due to ignorance or function as a means of gaining approval from a reference group. Institutional homophobia is reflected in laws, policies, practices, and the history of invisibility of gay people in the mass media. One theory is that the social function of homophobia is to enforce rigid gender distinctions (see also heteronormativity). Internalized homophobia refers to gay and lesbian people themselves adopting negative attitudes about homosexuality from socialization into a homophobic culture, leading to denial or self-hatred because they feel that they cannot live up to dominant cultural gender expectations.

Surely we can all definitively agree that "homophobia" is indeed a real word, and not "nonsense." To call it "nonsense" is to be dismissive of some very serious things, as the Oxford definition shows. And bear in mind that this is being said in a context where LGBTQ+ LDS youth are committing suicide at alarming rates. I'm sure that these communities on the BYU campus are reeling in the wake of this, and yet here is this prominent BYU professor popping off, saying that homophobia is "a nonsense word."

In my view, this ranks right up there with his posting of lynching photos as a "joke." Quite shameful.

[_Smokey]

Someone could certainly see how Michael Quinn, a homosexual pervert with a decades-long grudge against the Church and more specifically BYU, might have an axe to grind and thus be an unreliable reporter on this non-event.

[_Lemmie]

Unsurprisingly, in the wake of the Church "walking back" its revised policies on same-sex behavior at BYU, the Mopologists are exulting. They really ought to restrain themselves, though, because their true colors are starting to shine through. Just check out this recent exchange on "SeN":
:

Moksha: "I can understand why the Church rolled back its policy:"

The Church didn't roll back its policy.

Moksha: "It was appeasing the outrage of its most conservative members."

It was clarifying.

Moksha: "the Church's homophobia"

That's a nonsense word. And clearly inapropriate in this case.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.... Homophobia is a "nonsense word"? You'd think that, at this point, he'd know better than to say such things as that. But, no, he's asked about it and holds his ground:

Daniel: “That's a nonsense word.“

Homophobia is a nonsense word?

It's a nonsense word.

For the record, "homophobia" *is* a real word, as anyone with a functioning brain and basic literacy level ought to know. For example, consider this definition, from Oxford Reference, which is operated by Oxford University Press:

Negative attitudes towards homosexual people and homosexuality which may be manifested in discrimination, hostile behaviour, or hate crimes. The term was adopted in 1972 by George Weinberg (b.1935), an American psychologist. The use of ‘phobia’ has been criticized as implying a pathological and irrational fear rather than a form of prejudice analogous to racism. The term is sometimes reserved for more extreme forms reflecting hatred and revulsion, the term heterosexism being favoured in other cases. Homophobic attitudes have been associated with conservative ideologies and authoritarian personalities. Extreme homophobia is often attributed to unconscious homosexual desires but it can also be due to ignorance or function as a means of gaining approval from a reference group. Institutional homophobia is reflected in laws, policies, practices, and the history of invisibility of gay people in the mass media. One theory is that the social function of homophobia is to enforce rigid gender distinctions (see also heteronormativity). Internalized homophobia refers to gay and lesbian people themselves adopting negative attitudes about homosexuality from socialization into a homophobic culture, leading to denial or self-hatred because they feel that they cannot live up to dominant cultural gender expectations.

Surely we can all definitively agree that "homophobia" is indeed a real word, and not "nonsense." To call it "nonsense" is to be dismissive of some very serious things, as the Oxford definition shows. And bear in mind that this is being said in a context where LGBTQ+ LDS youth are committing suicide at alarming rates. I'm sure that these communities on the BYU campus are reeling in the wake of this, and yet here is this prominent BYU professor popping off, saying that homophobia is "a nonsense word."

In my view, this ranks right up there with his posting of lynching photos as a "joke." Quite shameful.

Lately, it seems Peterson’s responses to any commenter have been throw away comments like this one. No thought, low effort. He does get paid by the page view, though, right?

[_Smokey]

Negative attitudes towards homosexual people and homosexuality which may be manifested in discrimination, hostile behaviour, or hate crimes. The term was adopted in 1972 by George Weinberg (b.1935), an American psychologist.

Weinberg huh. Interesting last name. I’m sure whatever his background is, it’s just a coincidence.

[_Philo Sofee]

I smell another caricature coming on.......and with a caption.......

[_Smokey]

Imagine losing everything, family, faith, the respect of your community and children, and being left to fish for compliments from apostates on a Friday night over some mediocre coloring. If the Kerry Shirts story isn’t a tragedy I don’t know what is.

[_Lemmie]

I smell another caricature coming on.......and with a caption.......

Oh this will be good.

Especially since here we are in Terrestrial and the troll is again engaging in “bluing.” Note that the subreddit named after this bluing tactic is no longer in existence, and its old page shows this message:

”This subreddit was banned due to a violation of Reddit’s content policy against harassing content.”

[_Philo Sofee]

Imagine losing everything, family, faith, the respect of your community and children, and being left to fish for compliments from apostates on a Friday night over some mediocre coloring. If the Kerry Shirts story isn’t a tragedy I don’t know what is.

Maybe I can pull a Midgley and call you a chicken coward for posting anonymously you COWARD! Come out with your REAL NAME and face me like you miserable pile. I'm going to look up your files and scent you out like a dog on a coon trail, and EXPOSE you, CHARLATAN!

[_Dr Moore]

It is shamefully insensitive, at the very least.

I am personally incredibly ashamed to be a Cougar alum right now.

[_Physics Guy]

I'm pretty sure Peterson was carping about the pseudo-Greek etymology of a word that would literally mean "fear of sameness" or something. I'm afraid I have to confess that for a few years I often bridled inside, in a similar way, at discussions of privilege, because I thought that "privilege" ought to mean having a "private law" and that didn't really fit the situation. Thankfully I never actually wrote or posted that brilliant analysis anywhere that I can recall.

It was a stupid approach to semantics. Words mean what most people intend them to mean, not what some learned wiseass thinks they should mean. English is full of firmly accepted words with bizarre etymologies.

More importantly, of course, in a discussion of something that harms a lot of people it's vicious to deflect the discussion with pedantic quibbles over terminology. It would still be vicious even if the pedantic quibbles were right.

At the far end of this spectrum are the morally brain-dead idiots chiding people for using the term "Holocaust" for an event in which not literally the whole Jewish people was burnt. I feel that I once took a few wretched steps along the start of that road, in my thinking. I've run back and don't want to go there again. It's sad to see Peterson a little farther along. He should hurry back, too.