Peredhil Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 This isn't about orientation, but about terminology and maximizing respect for as many people as possible. The last Lesbian I met was Dimitri, at his Court Martial. He'd broken some arms for laughing at his nationality, as he was from the Greek Island of Lesbos. He made an interesting point, I thought. Sapphos of Lesbos, a few thousand years ago, wrote very elegant and literary love poems to her girlfriend. In his six foot six inch 285 lbs opinion, he thought that using a nationality to refer to a small international group of people was offensive. He wondered how we'd react if other nations referred to their female homosexuals as "Americans". He proposed that we use Saphhiite, rather than Lesbian, for the euphemism. I'm wondering what y'all think? Is it too late to change? Should it even be changed? How would you react if your nationality was used as a euphemism for something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signe Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) I think that we use all sorts of terms to describe things. Some kisses are French. Some waffles are Belgian. That isn't going to change, and certainly won't because such a small population wants it to. I think that it should only matter if it's a really offensive connection (I doubt the people we call gypsies are flattered when people use the term "gyp" to describe cheating someone out of something). I would only be offended if it were a euphemism for something I found offensive. If Canadian were a euphemism for polite, I would be amused. it might occasionally provoke misunderstanding, but the english language is full of that. I don't find the idea of women loving each other offensive, so I find their argument silly. Edited June 9, 2009 by Signe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynx Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I think the biggest cause for contention here is the fact that the term that's being used isn't coming from any particular trend that originated in Lebos. I'm inclined to agree with using the term Sapphite because that fits the idea behind the term - Sapphos is known for her love poems to her girlfriend. Using the term Lesbian implies that the proverbial gay is "Easier to catch" in Lesbos than anywhere else, or that the percentage of homosexuals is higher there than it is elsewhere, which as far as I know is untrue. Plus, while us girls might be able to laugh about it, I can feel for guys who would find something like that much harder to let down. If I were a guy and in Dmitri's position I'd probably have done the same thing. We use plenty of terms taken from country names, but I think the difference here is that for most of the terms, they originate from a habit or trait of the *place*, whereas here the term originated from a *person*, but the place was still used for the term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Pointy One Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 I've always been of the opinion that if you get offended by something someone says, most of the time it's your fault, except in cases where someone's being a real jerk. Also, english being the 'language' it is, one has to accept that words can have more than one meaning. If lesbian describes a female homosexual, and someone who comes from the isle of lesbos, so be it. Just because it's the same word, that doesn't mean they have to intersect. If someone was using one to describe the other, then it sounds to me as that person is deciding to be ignorant, or rude, or something else. If someone has a problem with the two words having the same meaning, I'm thinking they're of the opinion that one word is an insult, or degrading in some way, which is also wrong. You have to step back and say, "Okay, WHY is this person offended that this word has two meanings? What's their problem with the word?" /two cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regel Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 A lesbian is a citizen of the Greek island of Lesbos? And here I thought it meant a Shakespearean actor. Actually the L word is just a word like "brick" or "wall" it conjures up images ideas and or concepts. They don't always mean the same thing to all people so if you get them wrong there could be trouble. What bothers me more than the word lesbian is the concept that people find it offensive to be one. I have come to realize (slowly) that these are simply people first, male and female second ,attached or unattached third. Why do we concern ourselves with peoples sexual orientation? They like you or they don't. They find you attractive or they don't. If the lesbian in front of me is a big Greek man I think I can some up with another way to refer to women that find other women attractive or potential partners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynx Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 A lesbian is a citizen of the Greek island of Lesbos? And here I thought it meant a Shakespearean actor.I think that's "Thespian" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katzaniel Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Two words with the same meaning can be confusing and for that reason alone I would switch, if switching weren't just going to confuse everyone anyway. I know several people who know what Sapphic (or by extension Sapphite) means, but in most conversations I would have to stop and explain myself. Easier to stop and say "and I mean the country" when talking to people of the lesser-used (by me and mine, anyway) meaning. Easier isn't always better, but I guess it comes back to the fact that nobody really thinks all or even most Lesbians are lesbians. It isn't an insult, it isn't even an insinuation of any sort. The real problem is that the country isn't very well known, and that it causes confusion for the people from there - but getting everybody everywhere to change their terminology now just isn't going to happen, and as such I'm not sure that there's any point in a few people doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peredhil Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 The real problem is that the country isn't very well known a-HA! Size does matter! I've long suspected it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Pointy One Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 ...but I thought it's how you use your country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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