Oh, Fanthings....

[said_scarlett]

I'd forgotten how indignant some people can get over the smallest perceived slight. And how some people can be remarkably dense and...well...silly.

Once more, I ended up getting raked over the coals by some random internet person over word choice. The last time it happened, it was someone bitching me out for using slightly racist terminology in dialogue. Dialogue spoken by a character who is canonically more than a wee bit racist, and has said much, much worse than 'oriental'. (It was a Venture Bros fic, dialogue was between Jonas Venture Sr. and Colonel Gentleman. Horace 'Bitches Need a Good Smack in the Mouth' Gentleman. Yeah.)

This time? Apparently it's an insult on par with skinning puppies to use 'queer'. As in 'the white stone floor gleamed queerly in the haze of the oncoming storm.' No, seriously, that's the exact line from the fic. At first I was just 'buzzah', until after a brief e-mail exchange I realized....

This person had no idea that queer is a synonym for strange.

This boggles my mind. The textbook definition of queer is 'strange or odd; unusually different'. When I pointed this out, I just got a 'you still shouldn't use it, it doesn't mean that anymore' reply.

*headdesk*

Oh fandom, how I missed you. On the plus side, at least I know there are people out there reading!

Comments

[trialia]

Whoever that was, they're a dumbass, clearly. *hugs you* That they don't know any better is not a reflection on you.

Though I do have to admit that "strangely" actually scans better in my head with the rest of that line.

[cross-the-sky.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. I'm more boggled and amused than anything else. And kicking myself for missing a chance to use my 'sense: this makes none' icon. ;)

I will readily admit that I probably use 'queer' way too often, but I blame it on reading truckloads of George R.R Martin.