# Why was this useage of "queer" offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 5, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320 "2022-04-05T15:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/239 "2022-04-16T21:08:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There’s a difference between “Queers” and “ _ **The** _ queers”. “Assimilating the Queers: Representations of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexual, and Transgender People in Mainstream Advertising” [https://doi.org/10.1353/asr.0.0042](https://doi.org/10.1353/asr.0.0042) “Cancelling the Queers: Activism in Art Education Conference Planning” > **[Cancelling the Queers: Activism in Art Education Conference Planning](https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jstae/vol22/iss1/13/)** > > This paper examines how individual and collective strategies and interventions countered homophobia and censorship in a public venue, in this particular case at a state art education association annual conference. We reveal our personal actions and... Again, I think we all can tell the difference. Language is tricky enough that there’s little point in trying to pin down all the nuances with simple rules; I’m ok with the mods’ know-it-when-they-see-it approach, with clarification like this thread as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/240 "2022-04-17T02:26:43Z")
Both of those are using those phrases as if they were said from bigots to show how bigoted perspectives are mainstream and common within the advertising and art space respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/241 "2022-04-17T06:32:48Z")
Anecdotal: All of my life, I’d heard the phrase “mighty white of you” as a way of recognizing what was a generally generous gesture. I’d always associated it with the “good guys wear white, bad guys wear black” stereotypes from 70s and 80s tv and cinema. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s and said it to the girl that I was dating that it was explained to me that it was actually a racial statement. I had no idea. I was completely blown away by that. In retrospect, I regret every usage of that phrase that I ever uttered. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/242 "2022-04-17T06:40:49Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I regret every usage of that phrase that I ever uttered. Well, that’s mighty… oh, right. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/243 "2022-04-17T06:43:22Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Well, that’s mighty… oh, right. I’ve used that one many times myself. I can think of a whole lot of worse things to say as far as racism goes. I guess the implication is that you’re not generous if you’re not white, which in my experience is nowhere near the truth. Where does “pretty fly for a white guy” fall now? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/244 "2022-04-17T06:51:44Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I’d heard the phrase “mighty white of you” as a way of recognizing what was a generally generous gesture. It would be pretty funny to reclaim (reverse reclaim?) this phrase - the new meaning could be anything from calling out overt white supremacism to a mild rebuke to “check your privilege”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/245 "2022-04-17T06:59:09Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > All of my life, I’d heard the phrase “mighty white of you” as a way of recognizing what was a generally generous gesture. I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard that phrase before in my life. So weird. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/246 "2022-04-17T07:11:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’ve never heard that phrase before in my life I think it’s quite dated, and endemic to the southern U.S… I certainly never heard it in the U.K., and I’m not completely sure I ever heard it in real life in the U.S., or maybe just in movie dialog. I would certainly think “WTF” if I heard it in real life. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aNiAOSKFNR4/hqdefault.jpg "Dirty Harry Well that's mighty white of you.wmv") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNiAOSKFNR4) Harry in 1971, obviously ironically, and in character as politically incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/247 "2022-04-17T07:36:03Z")
For context, if it helps, I was born and raised in Southern Indiana. Pretty much just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. And I was born in 1973, so my formative years would have been late 70s-early 90s, as I graduated high school in 1991. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/248 "2022-04-17T11:38:47Z")
I first heard the phrase in my 20s, in a conversation about racism. I’m pretty sure it’s a southern thing. (i grew up in the North Eastern US.) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/249 "2022-04-17T12:19:47Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > In the post in question, the word “queer” was used as a noun. I don’t recall ever seeing it used as a noun as anything other than a slur. It’s analogous to “gay” in this respect. > > “He’s a gay” > “He’s a queer” > Unambiguously offensive, even without other context. This is the right answer. It also works for other marginalized groups, as a general rule: “She’s Jewish” - ok “She’s a Jew” - bad “He’s Black” - ok “He’s a Black” - ok When you say “a something” as a noun, there’s always the possibility that it might not be a person. You can say “An American” or “A Swede” without pushback because the personhood of those groups has never been in question. Not so with Black or Jewish people. Really, we all instinctively know it’s ok to say “Go ask that Brit …” and not “Go ask that queer”. Even if we can’t explain why, we know there’s something wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/250 "2022-04-17T12:32:58Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@Superdude](#): > > > > I’d heard the phrase “mighty white of you” as a way of recognizing what was a generally generous gesture. > > It would be pretty funny to reclaim (reverse reclaim?) this phrase - the new meaning could be anything from calling out overt white supremacism to a mild rebuke to “check your privilege”. I’ve run across it every so often. I’ve never seen or heard an actual explanation, but from context when I’ve heard it, my idea has been that it’s used sarcastically: Mr. Perkins, owner of the general store: Well, Billy, you’ve been doing a great job stocking my shelves after school, and you deserve a raise. How does five cents an hour sound? Fourteen-year-old Billy, rolling his eyes in attitude if not literally: Gosh, Mr. Perkins, that’s mighty white of you. Mr. Perkins, thinking: _Little ingrate. Let him wait until I give him another raise._ ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/251 "2022-04-17T12:35:32Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > “She’s Jewish” - ok > “She’s a Jew” - bad You may wish to familiarize yourself with the earlier discussion on the topic of “Jew/Jewish” in this thread, starting around post 80 or so, IIRC. It may not be quite as cut and dried as you post here. ---
**Author:** ![omenran](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omenran/32/3318_2.png) [@omenran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omenran)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/252 "2022-04-17T23:06:46Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > I’ve run across it every so often. I’ve never seen or heard an actual explanation, but from context when I’ve heard it, my idea has been that it’s used sarcastically: A sarcastic usage is all I’ve ever experienced with the phrase. Until I read the posts here, I never heard it used straight. It’s always been used in my mind as a backhanded thanks and remarking on how white people’s have given gifts or made choices that affect others without consideration. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/253 "2022-04-18T15:09:14Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > > > “She’s Jewish” - ok > > “She’s a Jew” - bad > > You may wish to familiarize yourself with the earlier discussion on the topic of “Jew/Jewish” in this thread, starting around post 80 or so, IIRC. It may not be quite as cut and dried as you post here. If I’m counting the Jews in the group to make sure we have a minyan, I’m thinking “she’s a Jew, he’s a Jew, he’s not a Jew…” Yeah, it’s more complicated. But I agree that “go ask that Jew” is not a good look. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/254 "2022-04-18T18:57:26Z")
King of the Jews is also using the term as a noun. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/255 "2022-04-18T22:13:15Z")
As a supposed example of a non-offensive usage, I think this has deeper problems than its use of a definite article. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/256 "2022-04-19T11:57:03Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > As a supposed example of a non-offensive usage, I think this has deeper problems than its use of a definite article I won’t be offended so long as we can crown Muhammad King of the Christians ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/257 "2022-04-19T14:03:58Z")
That was a title bestowed on him by Roman Soldiers, not early followers. I don’t think it is the same. He was a Jewish man who was being proclaimed the Messiah and to the Romans stirring up a lot of unwanted religious troubles. Can you even tell me what religion Muhammad was raised in? As far as I know it was neither Judaism or Christianity. No one ever called him King of the Christians. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320/258 "2022-04-19T14:15:39Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > All of my life, I’d heard the phrase “mighty white of you” as a way of recognizing what was a generally generous gesture. I’d always associated it with the “good guys wear white, bad guys wear black” stereotypes from 70s and 80s tv and cinema. I knew a couple of guys in college (Wisconsin, 1980s) who regularly used the phrase, and while the contextual definition was clearly, “that’s nice of you,” it was also clear to me, even back then, that there was a racist subtext to it. They were both from very white areas of Wisconsin, so while it may have been a more common phrase in the southern U.S., my college acquaintances must have picked it up from somewhere. (Also, FWIW, both of them, even then, struck me as being casually racist, though I imagine that they had had very few actual interactions with black people.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-useage-of-queer-offensive/962320.md?page=13)