Word Usage Amongst Douchebags

Apparently, someone threw a shoe at Queen of the Stone Age's lead singer Josh Homme at a recent concert and hit him.  Understandably, he got quite upset, and proceeded the chew the kid out, dropping the "faggot" word several times and threatening the teenager with anal rape.  After getting flack for his words, he then issued a non-apology apology that he's not homophobic and people need to lighten up about their language. Here's the video: [Warning:  the language is very rough]

 Okay, look. Here's the deal.  If someone threw a shoe at me, I'd be pissed too.  Yes, I'd even yell at the kid who did it.  And yes, I'd use some rated-R language.  But what I don't understand is the leap from "What the fuck did you just do" to "I'm going to buttfuck you in front of all of your friends", as if this is the most humiliating insult one could to to another.  So that insult?  Is homophobic and yes, douche, that makes you, in that instant, a homophobe.  And then to go on and say that people need to lighten up about their language then just cements how much of a total douchebag you are, Josh Homme. 

For me, it's the same thing as Mel Gibson's anti-Jewish tirade when he was arrested and other public figures who say horrible things under the influence of either drugs, alcohol or flu medication (like Josh Homme).  Just because you are under the weather doesn't excuse any behavior you do, and that includes saying horrible things.  The excuse of "Oh, that's the alcohol talking" or "I was mad" or "I had a fever" really doesn't cut it with me.  At all.  No one I know, myself included, ever saying anything way out of character if their drunk or buzzed or under the weather.  They may say some loopy things, but never something completely out of context with their character or something that they didn't believe.  I've been buzzed plenty of times but I've never said the earth was flat and gravity was a myth.  I've been sick before, and not once have I ever start saying that Jews are the root of all evil or that golf is a fascinating sport to watch.  Doesn't happen. 

So, why did Josh Homme make the leap from being mad to dropping the f-word and threatening sexual violence on a teenager?  Because he's a homophobe. Dude, seek some help and when you issue an actual apology for your words, then come talk to me.  Before then, keep your distance, douchebag.

Comments

[bstewart23]

Thanks for this, Jon. It's a topic that's been weighing on my mind, a lot, lately. On one hand we have douchebags like this rocker, whose casual use of "faggot" as an epithet is clearly homophobic and, in other areas of The Intertubes, it's unwise to refer to The Other F-Word as anything but "the f-word", lest it's casual use, even among homosexuals, be construed as tacit approval of it's widespread use under any circumstance.

And this is troubling. It's all about context (and I'll get to my main point in a sec) and I regret that recent discussions in my city around resurrecting "Rock & Roll Fag Bar" have, apparently, been nipped in the bud due to objections over That Word. (Fortunately, it's not the case in NYC).

In context, a pub night by and for slatternly gay men called "Fagbar" is not homophobic (internally or otherwise), it's ironic. In context, hurling abuse at a rock fan, calling him "faggot", "pussy" and threatening to, um, anally pleasure him in front of his friends -- insert joke here about personal ads requesting exactly such an act -- is very, very clearly homophobic.

My larger point is this: is the oversensitivity to offense preventing us from even stating what "the f-word" is, in a discussion of that word, the reason why the mainstream media has been so utterly failing in their duty to report on McCain calling his wife a... "c-word"?

This is a HUGE story, and one which absolutely must get more and continued traction. And yet, superoversensitivty to even referring to That Word seems to be preventing a reasoned discussion of the facts.

[Jon]

I completely agree. For me, it's like this: if you own it, you can say it. I'm gay, I can say the f-word. That's why I'm comfortable with blacks saying the n-word and no one else, 'cause it's theirs. If we own it, own the word, then we can use it and we can turn it around to our advantage.

[Mat]

The romans had a saying "in vino veritas" meaning in one's cups you find the truth. Drugs expose our inner selves to the world for better or worse. Alcohol doesn't hate, A-holes do.

It is the emotional content behind the words that really matter. Mister Josh could have used politically correct terms but that would not negate his homophobia.