I love it when old media is accidentally progressive.
There’s an 80s horror movie called Sleepaway Camp that was (probably) intended to have a problematic plot point, but is so ridiculous in its execution it swings over through the lens of today into unintentional satire.
Had two friends growing up who were OBSESSED with that movie. They are both masculine lesbians now (is "bitch" "butch" a word I can use? The one I still talk to calls herself butch)
No idea if it's related but I haven't thought about that movie in 2 decades and it came to mind lol
[Edit] autocorrect changed butch to bitch and I would never call her a bitch lol
I personally don’t use “bitch” ‘cause I’m a heteronormative cis male, and I’m of the mind language shapes how we behave in the world.
When I don’t like someone it’s not because they’re a woman but because they’re a jerk, and using “bitch” can give other parties the wrong idea that I conflate the two, or add data points to other men’s confirmation bias of them thinking women are jerks, so I just avoid it when I can.
That said afaic women or genderqueer people can use it as much as they want. This is just my treatment of the word and others like it. I also recognize it’s empowering when used in some contexts.
…men can use it too for all I care, but if I notice that and other terms that conflate women and jerk behavior used frequently in a man’s vocabulary, the red flag goes higher and higher on the mast that the dude’s probably a misogynist.
Edit; oh right, all that said, great movie it its absurdity.
Lol autocorrect got me!! BUTCH. She calls herself a BUTCH lesbian. I'm wondering if that's acceptable for non-LGBT to say. Like gay guys will say they're a "bear" and it isn't insulting if I say it. But some also call themselves a certain F word and it'd be shitty for me to say it.
Usually the question I ask myself is if the word is typically used by my demographic (again cis male) to put down a demographic with far less privileges than myself (ie everyone but the rich), I avoid it.
But it is an apt word for masculine-presenting women, and I’m not sure of any synonyms that would suffice.
I always thought it was interesting how bitch means two different things depending on the gender of the person it's directed at. A man is a bitch when he's "unmanly" and a woman is a bitch when she's "mean"
So calling a man a bitch is saying he's a non-bitch woman. Or something. I don't know, I just think it's really weird and couldn't think of any similar insults.
trust me when I say I put far too much thought into language and how it’s used.
sometimes I wonder if there’s sciences or maths that need an overhaul because some Jenga brick of its tower is such an extreme misnomer that it’s been hard for pioneers to undo/think around/reconsider.
It is neat to see language evolve over time. I recognize it’s sad to see some words fall out of fashion (or be nearly forgotten entirely), but it’s also fun to see phrasing adjust for accuracy and better relay ideas between people.
There was also Camp Blood which featured a lesbian mechanic who SPOILER turned out to be a serial killer in a clown mask, and when I saw that I thought "cool, breaking the mold, ladies can do it too"
It's nice how accepting they are of his pronouns given the time period.
I love it when old media is accidentally progressive.
There’s an 80s horror movie called Sleepaway Camp that was (probably) intended to have a problematic plot point, but is so ridiculous in its execution it swings over through the lens of today into unintentional satire.
Had two friends growing up who were OBSESSED with that movie. They are both masculine lesbians now (is
"bitch""butch" a word I can use? The one I still talk to calls herself butch)No idea if it's related but I haven't thought about that movie in 2 decades and it came to mind lol
[Edit] autocorrect changed butch to bitch and I would never call her a bitch lol
I personally don’t use “bitch” ‘cause I’m a heteronormative cis male, and I’m of the mind language shapes how we behave in the world.
When I don’t like someone it’s not because they’re a woman but because they’re a jerk, and using “bitch” can give other parties the wrong idea that I conflate the two, or add data points to other men’s confirmation bias of them thinking women are jerks, so I just avoid it when I can.
That said afaic women or genderqueer people can use it as much as they want. This is just my treatment of the word and others like it. I also recognize it’s empowering when used in some contexts.
…men can use it too for all I care, but if I notice that and other terms that conflate women and jerk behavior used frequently in a man’s vocabulary, the red flag goes higher and higher on the mast that the dude’s probably a misogynist.
Edit; oh right, all that said, great movie it its absurdity.
Lol autocorrect got me!! BUTCH. She calls herself a BUTCH lesbian. I'm wondering if that's acceptable for non-LGBT to say. Like gay guys will say they're a "bear" and it isn't insulting if I say it. But some also call themselves a certain F word and it'd be shitty for me to say it.
yeah good question.
Usually the question I ask myself is if the word is typically used by my demographic (again cis male) to put down a demographic with far less privileges than myself (ie everyone but the rich), I avoid it.
But it is an apt word for masculine-presenting women, and I’m not sure of any synonyms that would suffice.
Side note on bitch, though:
I always thought it was interesting how bitch means two different things depending on the gender of the person it's directed at. A man is a bitch when he's "unmanly" and a woman is a bitch when she's "mean"
So calling a man a bitch is saying he's a non-bitch woman. Or something. I don't know, I just think it's really weird and couldn't think of any similar insults.
trust me when I say I put far too much thought into language and how it’s used.
sometimes I wonder if there’s sciences or maths that need an overhaul because some Jenga brick of its tower is such an extreme misnomer that it’s been hard for pioneers to undo/think around/reconsider.
It is neat to see language evolve over time. I recognize it’s sad to see some words fall out of fashion (or be nearly forgotten entirely), but it’s also fun to see phrasing adjust for accuracy and better relay ideas between people.
There was also Camp Blood which featured a lesbian mechanic who SPOILER turned out to be a serial killer in a clown mask, and when I saw that I thought "cool, breaking the mold, ladies can do it too"
I love a “good for her 👏” ending.
One of the most classic Chicagoland commercials of all time
Also, there's only one! Bob ROOOOHHRRMAN