conflictofinterests said:
Drake_Dercon said:
I know this may sound like a stupid question but just hear me out:
I have two friends, of opposite sexes and both homosexual. They themselves are very close friends. I was visiting at one's house (on a completely different agenda than theirs, as both of my aforementioned friends were there, working on a project) and my two friends were in one room and wanted to be left to their own business, not to be disturbed by my other small group of friends kicking off a GURPS campaign. For a moment, I was inclined to make a snide remark about them being "closet heterosexuals", but I but my tongue. For some reason it seemed obscenely rude and I don't know why. I'm straight, so it should logically follow the blonde makes blonde jokes, jew makes jew (and I apologize if that sounded offensive, I didn't mean it that way) jokes social rule, but for some reason, I didn't think it would. And I honestly don't know why.
You feel that way as a flavor of majority guilt. I'm not entirely sure "guilt" is the right word for it, but that's the "wrong" behind it. You wouldn't make jokes to a black man about him not being white, so you wouldn't make jokes to homosexuals about not being heterosexual. It's different when the minorities are making fun of themselves, but you, the majority, is still making fun of your homosexual friends, the minority when you call them closet heterosexuals.
As a comparison, in my mind, I held it against a gay joke. Whereas a gay joke is "funny" at the expense of gay people and the target, but not straight people (and it only applies if the target is straight, because if they actually are gay, it's not a joke), logically a straight joke should make fun of straight people (which is fine as I'm the one telling it) as well as the subject (fine because that's the concept of a joke), and not gay people (by the same logic that a gay joke doesn't make fun of straight people). It should be absolutely fine (like I said before, blondes make blonde jokes, etc.), but for some reason, I didn't think it was.
Also, I have read a few comments about gay jokes also being fine if done with good intentions. I won't argue that, but having joined (on managerial staff) a gay rights advocacy group, I'm not allowed to make jokes at the expense of homosexuals anymore To be fair, not a huge loss).
Edit: No, it isn't a veiled gay joke. That's like saying that a joke two straight people of the same sex walking into a room together and closing the door (joke being: to be "alone") isn't a gay joke, but a veiled straight joke. While I admit my idea wasn't that funny, I don't think it was a "thinly hidden joke at the expense of my two homosexual friends". Also, making gay jokes in the presence of one of them is a very bad idea. She takes offense to anything that might possibly be construed as an attack against homosexuals (not because she's a bad friend, just because she's a really touchy person).
