If you don’t know who Katy Perry is, she is the chick that has made a hit out of kissing a girl (even though Jill Sobule did it many years ago, and unlike Perry, didn’t seem to have any issues with it) and then telling the world about it. As much as I wanted to like the song “I Kissed a Girl” (currently #2 on iTunes) by Perry, I initially didn’t feel like it was a good message. She sings about how it feels “wrong”, and even worse, she says that kissing girls isn’t what “good girls do”. However, after looking at the song from a different perspective, I figured that maybe she didn’t mean that at all; in fact, perhaps what good girls don’t do, is cheat on their boyfriends… and in that case, this song is playful, and not grounded in hate at all.
However (and a HUGE however), after checking her out further, and really trying to give her the benefit of the doubt with her “experimentation” with homosexual kissing, I found something that really makes me scratch my head and wonder if there is some problem that Katy has with gay people. She has a song called “Ur So Gay”, which has been called the “ultimate kiss-off” to a boy that was too “full of himself” to give her the time of day. In the song, she describes everything “wrong” with him, building to the conclusion that he must be gay, even though he doesn’t like boys (which, is the actual only ACCURATE use of the word gay… that which is glaringly absent from her song).
While many will see this accurately as a joke, the underlying message is too clear to ignore; Katy sees being gay as wrong, abnormal, and most importantly, as an insult that she uses to make herself feel better for being dissed. What’s wrong with that, some of you may wonder? Well, the underlying message is hate speech, and here again, I can’t believe that we have yet another example of someone using the description of a person’s sexual orientation as a slur of any kind.
Katy dear, this is 2008. We need to stop using gay as an insult; being gay is normal. If you use “gay” as synonym for bad, negative, horrible, stupid, or any of the many other derogatory words it has been used in place of to place insult, then you are propagating and continuing the underlying bigotry that is so fervent in this country. Continuing this form of “hidden” bigotry is just intolerable, and I for one feel like I must continue to speak out against it.
“Artists” like Katy Perry should be confronted with the fact that their “silly, harmless jokes” are grounded in hateful, shameful, and derogatory feelings that only further the bigotry against gay people in this country. It isn’t “cute” or “funny” that she kissed another girl, it is normal; whether or not she can deal with her homosexual feelings is her problem, not ours.
If you don’t see this as a big deal, ask yourself: would it be cute or funny if she wrote a song about how weird it was for her to kiss a black person?? How do you think that would that go over? Additionally, if she were to write a song about how awful a boy was because he was so “stereotypically black”, how would that sound? Well, I know how it would sound, in one word: RACIST. So I want to know why is it okay to apply that same sentiment to gay people?? Clearly, it isn’t, and I honestly can’t believe that this type of message is still put out there; yet here it is.
Shame on you Katy Perry. Grow up. Become more than that stereotypical playground bully. Gain some intelligence (clearly, that is lacking, because being gay means “liking boys” if you are male, and she doesn’t seem to put two and two together in her song) and perspective, and realize that, even in a “joking” manner, that using the term “gay” to insult someone is causing harm to the gay community in perpetuating the very hate and indifference we are fighting so hard to get rid of. I always cling to the hope that people can be better than they are, but it is people like Katy Perry that continually let me down. Unfortunately, there are people out there that are just waiting to gobble this crap up, and morons like Perry are ready to give them more. I have to ask myself, can there truly be a time when we can all stop the name calling, and just see each other as equal? Can their truly be a time when gay people can be treated as the normal people that we are, and not continually insulted and have our lifestyle continually used as a form of degradation? Little things like this really make me wonder if people are truly capable of that at all, unfortunately.
Sigh. Hopefully, she will fade into the distance soon, and people will rightfully forget about her ignorance; even though it is bound to pop up somewhere else.
You forgot about your girl Winehouse, as well.
http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/2008/06/09/video_amy_winehouses_racist_song_and_apology.php
AHHHH!!! I hadn’t heard about that, and now I wish I hadn’t! What is it with people?!?! Stop the hate! Is that so hard?! Gah.
Or she’s just cashing in on the gay thing a la t.A.T.u…
Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday James! I don’t know who Katy Perry is, and from your description, I am not rushing out to buy the cd. She sounds pretty stupid. And you ARE right, it is 2008. We are beyond that now.
I did pick up the new Cyndi Lauper (love it!) and am ready to buy the new Fratellis CD when it comes out on Tuesday (I love Mistress Mabel) but then I am a Fratelli fan. Did you hear Newton Faulkner? I love the song “Dream catch me” It has been out in the UK for a long time but just came out in the US I think in April. You can see it on youtube.
Stay cool, Duane!
great post Duane….
Duane, I remember when your mom would not let you listen to that jill sobule song. so very very long ago
I am really disappointed by Amy…
What is YOUR problem? You are telling Katy Perry to stop being a hater and stop insulting people, and what are you doing? Do you read what you write? Yes, i realize being gay or bysexual or straight is normal, but when you first think that you could be gay or by, you are normally confused! Have you ever wondered if maybe she is just confused and doesn’t know how she should act? A lot of the time when people are confused, they act in a way that they normally don’t. maybe she doesn’t mean what she is saying, or maybe she is just trying to get a new song out there for those of us who don’t know what to do and in a way, she is letting us know that there is more people out there who are like us and that we should just be ourselves. Ever thought of that? Probably NOT!!!
geez.
how do you know that she doesnt like lesbians.
have you asked her?
didnt think so.
for all you know she is a lesbian.
dont get your panties in a twist.
I couldn’t agree more. Great post.
rachael, when you say,
are you saying that I am insulting her in the same hate-speech fueled bigoted manner she is attempting to insult some boy who blew her off?? Because I don’t see how you arrived at that conclusion. If Katy Perry is just “confused” as you put it, it isn’t acceptable to just say, “oh well, she didn’t know” and let the fact that she is using hate speech and fueling anti-gay propaganda in her song. Using that “well I didn’t know any better” excuse really doesn’t hold water when you are over the age of 5.
singapore, huh? I didn’t say anything about her liking or disliking lesbians; what I did say, was that she was using the word gay as a slur, and in doing such, was fueling anti-gay hate speech. I don’t care if she is a lesbian or not (I seriously doubt she is), but if she is, perhaps she could employ a little more tolerance for her own community, eh?
Your viewpoint is articulated in your post, which is appropriate since it’s your view. What you don’t stop to consider is her viewpoint. Her parents were pastors, so she was probably brought up in a conservative household (unfortunately a lot of children are brought up believing homosexuality is wrong). Also, I would say that a lot of heterosexual girls are uncomfortable kissing other girls, even though it’s not wrong. It’s just that they have never had the experience. So, perhaps we should view “I Kissed a Girl†as a song about how exciting it is to experiment, beyond one’s comfort zone.
I really don’t think her song is fueling anti-gay propaganda. If you want to know the real issue it is parents, bible interpretations and how children are brought up. Last year I took a moral philosophy class (in Kansas). Our teacher polled us on our beliefs and almost all the people who were practicing Christians and were heterosexual believed that homosexuality was immoral! It was unbelievable. I really do not think a silly song is going to aggravate the problem.
duane calm down u dont kno anything about her, u can’t just judge a person if u never have met her before, or kno her personally. She might a better person than u think she is if u did get to kno her. my advice is never judge a person before u get to kno them b/c u sound more like a hypocrite 2 me right now, no offense.
Jessica, it isn’t I Kissed A Girl that I have a problem with; I gave her the benefit of the doubt for that one in my original argument. However, if you think that her ignorance of growing up in a conservative household justifies her using the word gay as a slur, then I cannot agree. She is propagating that very hate speech and philosophy that you identified as wrong, and I for one am appalled that the song was even made, let alone put on her record. She can kiss and tell all she wants, but calling boys gay and meaning it as an insult is where I draw the line.
none ur business, how is hypocritical? I am saying that I am against her hate speech, and calling her a bigot for using it. I am not judging her in any way; I am judging what she is saying, and has put out as a representation of herself. If she doesn’t believe that gay is synonymous with bad, awful, and a slur, then she shouldn’t be using it as such. I frankly don’t care who she is; however, she is using gay as a slur, and that makes her a bigot in my book.
My sister’s and I don’t really see I Kissed A Girl as hate slur or having anything to do with being gay or anything concerning it for that matter. Sometimes girls kiss other girls. It’s just the misadventure of growing up and even if it’s one time people will say it’s wrong or have their big speech or soap box rant on morality. But theres alot of times that experences like that are just purely innocent. I don’t think Perry has a problem with homosexuality. She states in the song that girls are kind of wonderful in many ways and I have to agree. It’s not what good girls do could just be a stab at her conservative parents, and it felt so wrong it felt so right is kinda like saying it feels good to be bad.
I think she just made a a song about a controversial topic and that has everybody on their soap box, but its a good song and its catchy.
there is no underlying message for or against gay people with this song.
the only message is “Look at me!”
Katy Perry is a phony just using whatever phrase or fake subversive slang she can to get attention. You can cite Jill Sobule or t.A.T.u. or whatever, but really she’s just trying to be an American Lily Allen who is tongue and cheek and ‘cute’ while also being somewhat filthy.
thing is, Lily pulls it off because she’s actually kinda nuts and kooky and weird. Katy merely sees those quirks as something she wishes she could be and is putting on an act.
You know, Perry kind of reminds me of Diablo Cody in this regard. Showy hipsterisms that fail to ring true, catchphrases in place of substance. I especially hate the way Perry tries to incorporate net culture into her songs even though its clear she has no idea what she’s talking about.
Will, thanks for your comment, but please know that I gave her the benefit of the doubt for the kissed a girl song. However, the point was in her Ur So Gay song, which is using the term gay to describe someone in a negative way. The use of that word is rooted in hatred, regardless if she feels that hate or not; if she uses it that way, she is perpetuating it.
Goon, that’s an interesting perspective. If she is doing it all for a show, though, why the need to put down the gay community? That’s pretty much what I was pondering in the whole post, really, is why she felt the need to use negative stereotype reinforcement of the gay community to work out her frustrations. I just wish people could stop that, you know?
“why the need to put down the gay community?”
i dont even think she’s trying to put down the gay community. if she was i doubt Madonna would have endorsed her (not that i think madonna is a saint) – its hard to explain to gay people, but i mean, my gay sister understands it even though she doesnt condone it, how like the word ‘retard’ it gets thrown around without intent to hurt, even though for some people it does. its all about context. i think Perry is clumsy, but whatever. she’s going for irony throughout that entire song but she stumbles.
i mean think of it like this. a couple times i have called an overly macho person a ‘faggot’, ironically, because its the only term that gets them upset. they then yelled back, ‘well suck my dick’ and i say ‘well, drop your pants then’ – it simply confuses them that they can call other people gay and it doesnt make them mad, but it hurts them in return. just being honest, i get a sense of satisfaction at hitting them with their own game and seeing how they like it. confusing them sometimes is the only way to make them think about what they’re saying and the real reason it hurts their feelings.
anyways, if i were to take offense at perry’s use of the word, it would not be in trying to figure out if her use of it is a statement on gay lifestyles, but would be that her sense of ‘gayness’ in her other song, ‘i kissed a girl’, is essentially a promotion of girls gone wild style antics, the faux-lesbian chic that makes people think that homosexuality is just a phase, a choice, clearly unnatural. the whole ‘whoo i got drunk and kissed a girl to tease my boyfriend’ thing probably undermines the gay community to me a lot more than ‘lol irony’ style use of the word ‘gay’.
Goon, I understand what you are saying, but even using retard as a derogatory slur is harmful. My main reason for questioning Perry, is because she has not one, but two songs about something related to being gay; which made me wonder what was up, you know? As Christina Riche said it best in the movie the Opposite of Sex, straight people just don’t spend that much time thinking about man on man action. LOL, my point in writing this was to vent my frustration about the clear use of what can be called hate speech; whether it is ironic or not.
i hate this song, payola, the majors that back her, her religious undertones, her fake rebellion, the millions dropped for her to be on radio, and a headlining spot on the warped tour. i think she’s a fake and full of hate, “ur so gay” is totally offensive. “i kissed a girl” is completely unoriginal. i think it’s convenient that her people announce in a full press release a “promise ring” just days ago, given to her by the lead singer travis mccoy of gym class heroes. share an agent, do ya? sounds similar to the tom cruz gay rumor coverups with a marriage to kay holmes. i’m sure it’s in response to questions about her being gay herself. i want someone to ask her about her stance on gay marriage, her beliefs about pre marital sex, her concepts on feminism, and jill sobule, but they shut down interviews like that to protect her. i totally think that this is a pathetic attempt from the major label that she’s on to make some money. i don’t hate katy perry for being a pathetic lyricist with anti-gay messages only, i hate her lyrics for punch lines like “until you get me a diamond ring” and “i saw a spider and din’t scream”. this is not just anti-gay, it’s pro stereotyping. and katy, it’s okay that you’re gay, but u make a shitty female role model. thanks for posing in penthouse, you christian sellout. there’s nothing i hate more than people who try and mask their agenda and message. do you know what mine is? i hate your songs.
Duane,
I really appreciate your viewpoint about this song, because my initial reaction was exactly the opposite. I’m gay, too, but the sad truth is that I think this song is progress for some people in our generation. For one, I don’t think this song is going to “persuade” anyone to be more homophobic, which it seems you’re implied. But for people like me who live in rural areas of Ohio and otherwise in the MidWest, a catchy song like this is necessary for people who barely understand the idea of homosexuality. The fact that a song can become popular at least introduce the idea of homosexuality to some people. I think talking about it in general is beneficial to society’s homophobia; if we can at least unearth the issue at every possible corner, we can have people moll if over and come to their own conclusions about issues like gay marriage and gay adoption.
I don’t think you should go jumping down Katy Perry’s throat. After reading a number of articles about her career thus far, she’s cited influences like Queen(gay lead singer) that had led her to have more respect for the gay community. We need straight people like her who are willing to “experiment,” which, to me, means being OPEN to the idea of homosexuality, so that people can think it’s okay, at least to a certain extent. We need to take baby steps, Duane, and while I long for your vision of a homophobia-less world as well, we can expect the world to take a giant leap overnight to come to its senses.
Thanks.
Zac
I just think her song is playful. I’m not offended at all by her music.
The whole situation with the song feels odd – it’s mostly the straight people who attack her about this. Both “Ur So Gay” and “I Kissed A Girl” are very popular in the gay community, I’m not offended as gay and not a single one of my gay friends have been offended either. To me, “Ur So Gay” isn’t about mocking gay people, rather the so called “metrosexual” guys. The word “gay” has nothing to do with sexuality in the song, it uses the stereotype itself of a gay man. It has nothing to do with the people behind the stereotype.
Oh Duane.
Who would have thought you’d get so much backlash for disagreeing with anti-gay slurs.
I heard this song (I kissed a girl) yesterday and I really liked it… but like you, something made me uncomfortable. So, I did some research and I found an interview she did. http://www.thenewgay.net/2008/06/katy-perry-new-gay-interview.html
This interview proves all of your points. She gets defensive and uptight when the interviewer asks her about how her song ‘Ur So Gay’ has anti-gay connotations. She admits she has NEVER kissed a girl which basically proves that she’s all talk… only out for the popularity. She actually states that she “loves” her men. Also, it does matter if your parents are homophobic and we should be working to EDUCATE (very key word here) others to become a more tolerant society.
When you demand that inequality be changed, you’ll always get backlash because it forces people to question their own sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, classist, able-ist ways (I’m sure I’ve forgotten some… forgive me if I did).
Don’t let the rants of ignorant and hatred-filled people stop you from posting Duane. We should all be standing on rooftops yelling that inequality is obscene (to quote Stephen Lewis).
I don’t mean to beat on dead horse since this topic is old. No offense to Ur So Gay, but one of my girlfriends had a boyfriend who turned out to be gay and she was revolted, just wanted to kiss someone straight. She didnt have anything against gay people she just didnt see why he was with her even though he didnt like women. My point being if Katy wrote UR So Gay because of the pretenders ok if not then shame on her. I don’t think people should pretend, this is the 20th century. Gay is ok and is less of a minority than ever. I just think the song is about someone who either doesnt know their gay, or is and is trying to pretend to be straight with her.
Although I hear your point loud and clear … I really don’t think she has anything against people who are gay. And I say this because I saw her about 3 weeks ago in a restaurant, giving complete love eyes to a beautiful woman she was having dinner with. They left holding hands… So although her use of the term “gay” isn’t as PC as gay people, including myself, would like it to be… I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse her of calling homosexuality abnormal and wrong. Because believe me, I don’t think she thought it was wrong when she left hand in hand with that other girl. And they definitely weren’t just friends.
Yeah, like Pretty Fly (for a white guy). We stereotype all the time.
Actually, if you listen to the lyrics of UR so gay, almost everything she describes as “gay” is a facet of the metrosexual or emo/indie lifestyle, which often emphasizes androgyny and carries with it a degree of narcissism. Is it really hate speech to point out the irony of a man who doesn’t like other men purposefully acting effeminate?
She’s not a fourteen year old boy in a gamer forum, calling anything he dislikes “gay”, she’s making plain her disappointment with a particular man who clearly failed to meet her standards of masculinity.
Hey all, I’ve taken the post and most all of the comments (there’s a lot here). What I think it comes down to is this. Duane, you wanted to vent frustration … go right ahead. Have at it.
I’d like to point out though that we live in a free country. One that allows an artist to put on an act, say whatever she wants. Singers have been offending people groups for decades, if not all of history. I myself am a Christian (grew up one, and my life belongs to my Savior). These days I think it’s fair to say Christians are given a lot of crap too. Point is, there’s hate speech against every people group. Every song offends somebody.
God has called everybody to be loving as He himself is loving. I don’t condemn homosexuals, though I believe the Bible to be the word of God (and despite what some say, it out-and-out claims homosexuality is perverted sexuality and not the way God intended it). But the message of the Bible is not “condemn the wicked” but to love your neighbor (all people) as you love yourself. One of my best friends is a homosexual and I love him to death! I would do just about anything for him – I’d give my life for his. Isn’t that love? that one would lay down his life for his friend? In fact, it’s not agree with all of his opinions.
I digress, whatever Katy meant “ur so gay” to mean, she is entitled to that opinion/usage and I don’t think she should be insulted for her it. If one person thinks being gay is wrong/unnatural and another thinks it perfectly natural – who’s right? Is there some overriding moral law that states one or the other is true for all people? For Christians, the Bible is that moral truth (hence why most Christians take the viewpoint that homosexuality is unnatural). But non-Christians do not abide by the statutes of the Bible, so for them to say it’s natural for themselves is ok with me. Bottom line, nobody has the right to knock on anybody else’s opinion – because nobody’s opinion is superior to another’s.
Austin, by your logic, a racist is entitled to be a racist, and use racist hate speech because it is their opinion. I have to disagree wholeheartedly with that being okay; especially in a song.
Duane,
I would like to hit on several of your comments that you made about Katy Perry. First, I disagree with almost everything you said. Everyone stereotypes; it is how the human brain functions. We as humans are built to find patterns in things and therefore it only makes sense that we find societal patterns as well. I definitelty disagree with using those stereotypes in a negative way or even making an assumption about someone because of a stereotype, but we use them all the time. If you have ever laughed at a comedian, then you probably laughed at a stereotyping joke. Should you be ashamed of yourself. No. So to take her so seriously just means that you take yourself too seriously. She does not say anything hateful about homosexuals. She does use the word to make fun of a guy, but this is the same as if you called a guy a girl. Is this offensive as well? Does calling a guy a girl make being a girl offensive. No! It just means that someone is being called something they are not. Such as because I am 6′5″ I get called Tiny. Should people who are “vertically challenged” be offended? As far as her other song “I kissed a girl” and how she says it felt so wrong, this also only natural. If someone told you to put your pants on with your other leg first instead of the one you normally use, you would say it felt wrong as well. I am sure you do not think people who put their pants on with their other leg first are wrong for doing it that way, it just felt wrong to you which is perfectly normal. Now, if Katy Perry feels that being a homosexual is immoral, that is perfectly acceptable and you should acccept that. Some people believe telling a white lie is not immoral, while others feel strongly that it is immoral. Immoral is in the eye of the beholder and should stay that way. It is wrong for you to try to convince her that it is moral, just like it is wrong for her to convince you that it is immoral. Morals are left to the INDIVIDUAL, not society. Should homosexuals get equal rights in the eye of the law; Of course! Also, this might offend some people, but I feel that I must say it. From the scientific perspective, homosexual is unnatural. Hear me out before you start screaming. Sex’s sole purpose is for procreation. But two people of the same sex cannot procreate, not without scientific intervention. Because nature did not design for procreation to occur with 2 people of the same sex then by definition I would say that it is unnatural. Which, by the same logic, artificial insemenation is also unnatural, which it is, but I certainly do not think it is wrong. I would love to hear counter arguments on that from an intellectual level, not an emotional level. Now, I think that what needs to be corrected is that unnatural should not carry the negative sting that it does. Unnatural does not mean anything negative, it is just a scientific term that should be left in the hands of scientists.
But a racist is entitled to be a racist. It’s not against any law to just be a racist. There are no laws governing thoughts and beliefs, just actions. Yes, it’s illegal to allow racism to influence hiring practices and such things, and it’s morally indefensible, but it’s not illegal. No one is going to arrest my grandfather for not trusting the Japanese.
Also, you’re defining hate speech too broadly here. Hate speech isn’t simply using racial, gender or orientation slurs. It’s the purposeful dehumanization of a group combined with the exhortation to action. While it can be argued that the use of slurs is dehumanizing, it is merely vulgar, not outside the bounds of the first amendment.
Hate speech is a specific crime, and watering down its meaning is dangerous. I’ve seen the insanity that can result from the watering down of the definition of Sexual Harassment from “job pressure and serious abuse of power” to “anything that makes a woman slightly uncomfortable”. It leads only to disregard of real issues in a sea of minor incidents that lack merit and the empowering of the easily offended.
So I guess I’m saying, call the song vulgar if you like, it’s not the first pop song to be, and won’t be the last. Just don’t crucify the girl on the bigot tree for using a word in a common, if unflattering, way.
Your loyalty to political correctness is admirable, but your association of her songs to ‘hatred’ is a bit blown out of proportion. Those with a homosexual agenda use the word ‘hate’ way too liberally (no pun intended). Just because someone sees another lifestyle as weird doesn’t mean there is a lack of tolerance. Tolerance in our society is a good thing — why don’t you try a little.
if u dont have anything nice to say about katy perry or her songs then dont say anything at all
and yea this is one of her obsessed crazed fans talking so dont mess with me i flicker like a lightswitch!!!!
DONT MESS WITH US FANS WE WILL BEAT U DOWN!!!
i hate homophobics and she is not one of them dont talk about her in a negative way
DONT MESS WITH THE FANS WE WILL BEAT U DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
U HATERS SUCK!!!!!!!!
It’s just a joke.
You’re right, it’s 2008.
We all need to stop paying sooo much attention to this gay thing.
Some people need to get a grip. I know it offends some people.. but, you know. >_>;;
Goshhh ;]
Jonathon, first of all, not to belittle your height-plight, but I am fairly certain that tall people (myself being one of them at 6′1″) don’t fall into any category of historically disenfranchised and discriminated peoples. When you say,
you rest of the laurels of, “oh well, they say it, so she isn’t doing any harm by repeating it”, which doesn’t work for me. If it does for you, that’s your bag, but again, it is reinforcing what you identified as a societal belief that being gay is somehow wrong or “unnatural” as you put it. I could not disagree more with your classification of being gay, or the use of IVF, as unnatural, because if it were unnatural, it wouldn’t occur naturally (which IVF doesn’t occur naturally, but because of our natural advancement in science and intelligence, we created the process, so you could argue some “natural” foundations for the process). Homosexuality is widely documented in non-human species, which is more than enough evidence to prove that it is indeed a natural thing.
Ben, my only problem with it, and the reason I classified it as hate speech, is I am tired of people of falling on ignorance is bliss as an argument. Regardless if we use it purposefully or not, it still hurts us as a society, and it shouldn’t be something that we condone; and with my post/vent, I am making it known that I don’t condone it. She is entitled to her freedom of speech (as you mention), but so am I, and I am against slanderous use of bigotry; regardless if it is intentional or resting on the laurels of “but they say it, so it’s okay if I do too”. I respect your opinion, just know that this is a vent, not an over-reaction; I don’t want to crucify her, I just wanted to call attention to it… which I seem to have done! LOL Additionally, just because it isn’t illegal, doesn’t make it right.
Lori, I am criticizing her lack of tolerance, which is calling for more tolerance. The reason that we use the word hate, and why I attribute this to hate speech, is because the root of the use of gay as a negative slur comes from a societal hatred of the gay lifestyle, and homosexuality. Regardless if people recognize that background when they use the term negatively or not isn’t the issue, the issue is the continuation of gay being associated with bad, wrong, or used as a slanderous insult. I have merely pointed out that root, and called her on her so-called ignorance.
weazley, chill dude. I’m calling the girl out of insulting gay people by using stereotypes to insult someone in a song. I DOUBT that will have any impact on her record sales.
Um, well she must have done something right for it to be a number 1 single!
oh yea u can send me all the emails u want and i wont give a crap im an obsessed fan dont mess with me or katy i am a HUGE defender of my ppl dont talk about her or her songs in a negative way cuz all her songs r good and she is a good person i swear one of her friends is gay so she isn’t against gays so stop saying she is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR U SPELLED MY NAME WRONG
ITS WEAZLY
NOT WEAZLEY
WEAZLY IS THE NAME OF MY CAT AND I LOVE HIM SO PLZ DONT MESS UP THE NAME:) <3
Arjan posted on Katy today (as if she needs another f*cking blog post) and wrote Happy Pride at the end of it. It was the last straw and I had to comment.
I think she appeals to the most base elements in pop culture and that is what offends me most. Some suit in Hell Lay saying, “Let’s whip up a vaguley lesbo song and titillate the the kids” or “let’s whip up a vaguely offensive song and pretend it’s sociocultural pomo homo analysis.”
I get like 2 emails from her PR a week – it sickens me how much money is being spent on this person.
PS: Update! To be fair -Arjan writes to me that his Pride comment was facetious, so perhaps he doesn’t love her as much as I thought.
I don’t think she actually means “Gay” in the sense of homosexuality, I believe she is using it with the definition that it’s all so stupid, and the line “And you don’t even like boys.” Is just clarification to what she means.
If you don’t understand, I put it to you that she is merely doing what many teens would do if a joke is told that is just not amusing by using the term “Gay”.
“Katy sees being gay as wrong, abnormal”
Well, wrong/right is a matter of opinion, and statistically speaking, it is ab-normal.
I’m bi, aint got any problem with homosexuality obv, but there’s no point getting worked up about stuff like this… welcome to being in a minority, we aren’t normal, other people think we are weird, lots of people think it is wrong. If you let it get to you, you’ll end up going crazy.
being ‘Homosexual’ is kinda wrong, it isnt what “normal” people do, normal is what is seen as ‘general’, just people see ‘emo’ kids, ‘goths’ etc as wierd, so are gay people.
Humans are a fucked race, we dont accept anything but the majority, gays these days are what the natives where before.
You will never get rid of the hate in this world its just like that here.
Don’t think im some anti-gay person now, one of my best mates is gay, I’m just saying you can’t force your views on others, if they think its wrong, no matter what you say/do they will not change there mind, they might tell you they have, but thats a load of bull.
wth, i love katy perry! plusss she sings “i felt so wrong / it felt so RIGHT”. this review is biased.
Thank you for writing this blog post so I didn’t have to!
Get over it. ‘Gay’ is now a synonym for ‘bad’, ’stupid’, whatever. That’s the way it is. Language evolves. If it is okay for language to evolve to the point where the word ‘gay’, which formerly merely meant ‘happy’, can now mean ‘homosexual’, then it is also okay for the word ‘gay’ to also evolve to mean ’stupid’ or any other negative word. Call it hate-speech if you want, but it’s just other people utilizing their right to cause our language to evolve, just as gay people did when they appropriated the word ‘gay’ without asking anyone else’s permission, and thus making the original usage of ‘gay’ no longer applicable. Any person today who wished to use the word ‘gay’ in the traditional sense would be unable to because everyone would jump to the homosexual conclusion.
And no, you can’t compare being gay to being black. Being black is normal, but being gay isn’t normal…it’s not the gay person’s fault and they shouldn’t be persecuted for it, nor should they try to quell their urges, but nor should they have any delusions that they are just as normal as anyone else. They are about as normal as someone born with a mental or sexual disorder. Homosexuality is clearly a disorder because by its very nature it makes the affected person sexually dysfunctional, because within the normal course of homosexual activity the person cannot reproduce, even though they are probably perfectly capable of reproduction if they had sex with someone of the opposite sex. The fact that homosexuality has been taken off the list of disorders is not because it is not a disorder, but because too many people want to be politically correct and not hurt anyone else’s feelings.
And no, I’m not a homophobe. I’m actually gay myself, and am in a wonderful relationship with a woman I love dearly. I am grateful at times that I was born with this disorder because it means she and I can be together, but I have no delusions that we are normal.
Wow…I didn’t get that at all from “Ur So Gay”…what’s wrong with being straight and not wanting your boyfriend to act gay? That’s what the song is about. Its about how she doesn’t like him to “ACT” gay since he’s straight…why be something you’re not?
ehh, nothing to get all hot and bothered about, I think. I think you are failing to appreciate the humor of the song. I’m gay, and I think both “I Kissed a Girl” and “Ur So Gay” are great songs.
Duane, in regards to your response post (June 30) to my original commentary:
I often go against the flow of popular opinion, because these days, popular opinion has become much more liberal, self-focused, and abstract. What makes you think “hate speech” is immoral? Think carefully, it’s a radical question.
Perhaps, to you, hate speech is immoral, just as being a homosexual or racist is immoral to me. I made the point that Christians look to the Bible for moral authority, but even the morality of the Bible, which our country was built on, should not be forced on anyone who isn’t a Christian (or should it?). If I am willing to concede that the moral authority in my life isn’t to be forced on others, shouldn’t you be willing to concede that what you consider “moral law” isn’t to be forced on others either?
That being the case, I say yes, racists have the right to hate speech – that doesn’t mean we have to like it. If on the other hand, you think others should be held to “some” moral standard – WHICH STANDARD? Where can the ultimate moral authority come from? Who has the right to set the standard? I think Jesus set the best standard: Love God above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself. However, some people disagree.
I love that comment: “This review is biased.” Yes, it would be because it is a review.
Me thinks you’ve been linked on some messageboard, hence this new wave of posts.
I’ve read your article entirely. Do you realize how many other people out there are taking this song the complete opposite direction? People who believe that homosexuality is wrong (like myself) see this song as promoting homosexuality to be more normal. She says in the song that she liked it. Hmmm, why would she be bashing it if she liked it? Another thing is that she never actually kissed a girl. She says “it felt so wrong” because it was something she wasn’t used to and two girls kissing does fall under the category of “naughty”, don’t you think? BUT, right after that, she says “it felt so right”. So here we have that she said that she liked it and that it felt right. That does NOT sound like bashing to me.
Go fuck yourself, assmunch.
Being gay isn’t wrong, so stop using that as an argument, folks. Also a note from me: if you write hate speech in your comments, I am going to delete them, so no matter how many times you post it, I will delete it. Just a note for those of you that are looking for your hateful comment, and it isn’t posted.
xolondon, it is strangely linked on the wikipedia page for the song!!! I couldn’t believe it myself; perhaps that is where all of the noise is coming from.
Kitty Purry, I love that you actually start to have a legit argument, and then go down the road of the high school bull I am condemning in my post. Wow. Mature.
“Being gay isn’t wrong” that is your opinion. You may not think its wrong but dont tell me you think its natural.
Ok, really though. A song that is #2 on itunes that was previously #1 for quite some time about a girl kissing a girl is only promoting homosexuality. Just think about how many influential teenage girls have experimented with each other just from this song. Her intentions of this song were not negative toward homosexuals or bisexuals, IMO. I can GUARANTEE you that she doesn’t have an underlying hatred, or derogatory feeling, as you put, against gay people.
Kate Perry is a cool and popular girl with talent. Some people don’t like that, even hate that, such as the writer above, who is gay & full of hate of all things not pro gay. I don’t think being really gay is normal. Do you think everyone needs to be normal? Also, I’m turned off by the self absorption of most gays. Does one really need to like everyone? If so, maybe the self proclaimed gay writer above should start liking Kate Perry more. Of course, he can’t, because he is jealous that she can get all kinds of boys his gay ass can’t!
Tom, being gay is normal. It isn’t a choice either, that is, unless you consider being straight a choice as well. It is natural to be gay, because that is the way that I was born.
Kitty, read the post again. I gave her the benefit of the doubt for the kissed a girl song, but not the other one. Two songs focusing on some issue of homosexuality just made me question what is going on in Katy’s head that she is so focused on it, you know? Also, like I said, regardless if she “meant” hate or not, it is the underlying point of how she is using the word gay; and in this case, “ignorance is bliss” just doesn’t cut it.
Jesusinapotato.
I have nothing against gays, and I’m sure Katy doesn’t either.
But I’m like, SO sick of gay people getting all ZOMG THE WORLD IS LYK TTLY ENDING SHE H8S GAYS !!!111! But you know what, it isn’t just gay people who’s acting like that. Oh no, it’s uptight gays AND straight people. Jeeze.
Katy Perry’s song is about this one guy, HER EX, who acted like he didn’t like her, like he was gay. [Although, from other things, it sounded like the song was for 'emos', in which case, lol.]
Sure, it has some stereotypical gay shit, but you know what, that’s what makes the song funny. Personally, I don’t care if you don’t find it funny. Too bad, get a sense of humour.
Music, especially stuff like Katy Perry music’s music, shouldn’t be taken so seriously.
People need to stop taking everything so basically and stop blowing up like balloons n___n
lol D: typoo.
“Katy Perry’s music” * ;]
I love straight people who sit around for inordinate amounts of time contemplating the wrongness of gay people. I don’t get that at all. I am not saying Kitty is doing that – this is not directed at her. Kitty you are funny b/c you make interesting cases but then sabotage them with “go fuck yourself” comments!
I believe that Christians INTERPRET the Bible for moral authority. Some parts are straightforward and some are not. People overlay meaning on much of the text, which is fine. Except – IMO – when it is used to curtail human rights.
Someone who calls themself a Christian with a capital C has no more of a hotline to God than I do. Their interpretation of the Bible is no clearer than mine, though they probably do know the text itself better.
My take on Katy Perry is that she is the tool of her record label. I agree that she probably doesn’t hate gay people, but I also think she’s not really thinking about how those words could be perceived. She’s been bounced around the industry for years and is doing what she needs to do for success. The whole thing rings hollow and I think that’s something (perhaps!) that Kitty and Duane agree on.
At the end of the day, one man’s satire is another man’s weapon – as we saw this week with Obama and the New Yorker cover.
Duane – check the definition of “normal”; you will find “usuall, or ordinary, typical”. Sorry, but what is normal to you, is not normal to most, and no amount of thought control by people like you will change that. In anycase, why such fear of not being normal? Is it because you are power hungry?
The use of the word “Gay” is morphing again — and yeah, it does not have positive connotations. Sorry – but the whole “look at me” i’m an effeminate & sexy material guy, look at me!” — just doesn’t cut it anymore with many. As you abuse language, so will it abuse you. (By the way, not all homosexual men are “Gay” as the term is now used – sexual identity is more fluid with the new generation, and kids are having more fun with it than you can imagine — check out “faux sexual or heteroflexible” for example)
Finally, sorry again, but it is O.K. not to like everyone equally. As you should agree, from your haty of girls like katy.
I have to agree with the article writer in that the song is far from empowering for women. If the bottom line is that women are awesome cause they smell nice, are soft and pretty, then I don’t quite know what to say here. It’s no secret that men love lesbian porn, as long as those women are hetero, gorgeous and ultimately performing sexually for a male gaze. Porn-gay is a-ok even with the homophobes. Let’s reverse the situation and think how popular a male anthem along the same lines would be.
Yeah. Not so popular.
The song actually does a disservice to the LGBT community by reinforcing the idea that it is all about random sexual encounters, like it’s a naughty and depraved act. So in as much as it thrusts ‘gayness’ into the limelight, it still falls into a kind of backward provocation where a lesbian act is a source of titillation mainly played out for a hetero man’s pleasure.
I’m not trying to be over-sensitive here, but if ever we want to move forward on this gender thing, we have to call stuff like this out.
All my love.
Greta
Please explain what is NOT funny about gay people. You folks are just plain weird. I don’t hate you for it and think you should be able to do what you want, but i do find it humorous.
Sheryl, that’s exactly the point, we have to move to a point in society where these jabs aren’t used as derogatory insults. Making a big deal out of it is the only way to continue to draw attention to it until we can make real, lasting changes.
xolondon, preach it sister. I appreciate someone as awesome as you having my back!
RH, it just sounds like you are all over the place to me. Being gay is normal, regardless if you see it that way or not. Hopefully, by changing society’s views on gay people, more people like yourself will become accepting of us in the future. Also, I am confused as to how all gay people are so “self absorbed” as you put it. That just doesn’t make sense. All in all, you think it is funny because you like Katy Perry; take yourself out of the situation for a second, and see if you can understand that any situation where a group of oppressed people are further being oppressed (regardless if it is under the guise of humor or not) is a negative situation that only further hurts our entire society. That is my point here, and I hope that we can mature as a society and get beyond these high school mind games.
Greta, thanks!
chris, seriously? WTF? Gay people are just normal people, all shapes, sizes, colors, races, etc. If you find that funny, you surely have a strange sense of humor.
You go Katy Perry! Being gay is NOT okay. Being gay is NOT normal. Being gay is NOT acceptable. It is an abomination. And why do gays have to bring kids into it? Why ruin their lives? If being gay is so “normal”, why do gays have to seek out members of the opposite sex to produce these kids whose lives are going to be so messed up and confusing. So stand you ground, Katy. People need to stand up against such atrocity.
Hate to break it to you, but being gay is not quite “normal” as you described it. I’m not saying people should hate or gay bash or whatever, I’m just saying, it’s still an enormous minority and therefore simply not normal.
duane,
when you say that Katy has an issue with kissing a girl it makes me think that you didn’t even listen to the song actually, because she says “I kissed a girl AND I LIKED IT” and about “that’s not what good girls do” I guess it’s only humour, as well as the whole song and album.
You also said that “Katy sees being gay as wrong” but I think that she sees her boyfriend as wrong.
Anyway I couldn’t stop laughing when I read that she is “propagating and continuing the underlying bigotry that is so fervent in this country”.
Yeah, kissing girls is a clear evidence of that…
In a comment you also say that it was her boyfriend who blew her off. Well, I say: what the hell you know about it? Did she tell you?
Oh, wait. What’s this? “she is using hate speech and fueling anti-gay propaganda in her song”.
I don’t know which song you’ve been listening to, but I couldn find anything angainst anyone else but her boyfriend.
The point it that (as you said) he was so in love with himself that she got to say he was gay even if HE DIDN’T EVEN LIKE BOYS.
Nothing about being gay is wrong or immoral.
Questo lo scrivo in italiano perchè in inglese non so come si dice: basta fare le vittime e strumentalizzare ogni uso improprio (anche se in questo caso non lo è) della parola gay.
I’m sorry for my english (as you should have noticed I’m italian, from Milan), I couldn’t understand the post completely so please let me know if I did some mistakes in reporting any sentence from the original text.
Thank you!
Have you thought that maybe she’s adopting the vocabulary of homophobia to satirize it through parody?
The song Ur So Gay is about emos.
Get over yourself.
I think your stupid. Your thinking way to much into this song. Its just that, a song. Get over it, you clearly have nothing to blog about anymore.
Duane, I have to applaud you for actually addressing these comments. If people like RH and chris were commenting on my blog they would’ve both been told to eat a cold bowl of dicks and fuck the hell off.
Louise, are you writing from the 19th century? When you say things like this:
It really makes me question where in your backwards brain you come up with this crap. Think for yourself, and stop listening to all of those that think being gay is an “abomination”; it isn’t. It is clear that I am not going to change your mind, but I challenge you to look outside of your bigoted view, and see that we are normal people just trying to live our lives; we aren’t indoctrinating anyone.
Dan, so being a minority isn’t normal? I think you should be the one to let black people know that they aren’t normal.
Kuz, this is my interpretation of what she is saying in the song; and I am not alone in my view. You don’t see it that way, but her use of the word gay as a derogatory term for her ex is rooted in homophobia, plan and simple.
Matt, parody or not, it is rooted in homophobia. Black jokes, “Pollack” jokes, and Jew jokes are all rooted in bigotry, but they are sarcastic jabs at those communities; should we just chalk those up to satire and laugh it off? In my opinion, if they are given the limelight in ways that this song has been, they are harmful, and should be questioned; which is what I am doing here.
daggotht, then why didn’t she say Ur So Emo? Yeah, it’s because she is using gay to make fun of him, therefore, she is being a bigot by doing so. You get over yourself.
Jon, oh Jon. People like you are hilarious to me. First of all, any argument that you have is completely undermined when you use the incorrect form of “you’re”. Thanks for bringing some (more) grammatically incorrect comments, though! (and a laugh)
Chris, I know, right?
Wowser! Who would’ve thought that a post about dumb Katy Perry would spark a book’s worth of comments? Duane, I would just like to point out that the Dan who made the idiotic comment above is not me (lowercase ‘dan’). Didn’t want there to be any confusion. LOL. And don’t forget, Katy Perry is just another flavor of the moment singer who will soon skip off into the netherworld with the ranks of other similarly untalented, forgotten “artists.” Do what I do. When her insipid song comes on the radio in the car, loudly shout “Shut up Katy Perry. No one wants to hear you!” in your best imitation of Jack from Will and Grace. It will make you feel better and everyone in the car will giggle and ask why she stinks. Then, you get to have this fun conversation all over again…
Oh boy – first of all, the word “gay” does mean different things – homosexuals do not “own” that word any more than they own the word “fag” or “faggot” – words have different meanings and that is how language works. I grew up calling friends “fags” and it had NOTHING to do with them being homosexual, whether you want to believe it or not. People striving to classify words as only having one meaning get on my nerves, give it up…
Another thing, and I know this may be a shock, but, there are many people that believe being homosexual *isn’t* normal. Why should they change? Because *you* think it isn’t “right” or “normal” to think/feel/believe that way? Hmmm, sounds familiar – let me think…oh right: some people think/feel/believe that being homosexual isn’t “right” or “normal”, so homosexuals should try to conform to *that* view, right? We can go in circles with this.
The problem is, you want to change someone’s beliefs, and believe, based on your own value system, that you have the moral high ground. Well, that makes you no different from them. I don’t think Katy Perry’s songs are worth getting yourself all worked up about. Honestly – is it worth it? If she were singing “let’s kill homosexuals” then I could see your anger, but not over these songs.
Totally as an aside, I think it would be funny if a well-known homosexual male would do a parody of her “I Kissed a Girl” song – I think *that* would be an appropriate response. At least it would lighten things up a bit…
i agree with Duane about everything! though, however, i do own her cd and i like some of the tunes, but if you actually listen to the words then i understand where Duane is coming from…
actually, she had her phone number thingy on saynow.com and this girl had left a message for Katy and she said “Katy, i love you dearly but your song ‘Ur So Gay’ is really offensive to me and i have a gay brother and he is actually ‘emo’ so you need to come up with better lyrics” and i totally agreed with her, which got us into a lot of fights with the other fans, but all we told them was ” we were stating our opinion” because you know we have rights to state opinions, but yeah.
i just found this sight and i thought all these little statements were interesting.
kudos to you Duane!
seriously, and you have a great way with words:)
You know what the real problem is here, censorship. I wish we could blast everyone for everything. Blast the whites, blast the blacks, the gays, the “straights”, blast everyone and everything. Only then will people open their eyes and realize how stupid their prejudices really are. Stop saying some words are taboo, when others aren’t. If someone wants to call me white trash in their song, go ahead. If someone want to say there’s a white conspiracy to spread aids in the black community in their song, go ahead. If someone wants to call a black person a you know what, be my guest. If they want to call a gay person that word that starts with an f go aheah. They call women terrible things in their songs and nobody says boo. What a bunch of hypocrites. See, I can’t even say these words in my reply because I’ll be called a HATER and my post won’t get shown. How wrong. My freedom of speech just went right out the window. I think being gay is natural and normal. I didn’t see much wrong with Katy’s songs. I kissed a girl sort of turned me on and so does her pictures. She seems like a sweet heart to me. Why is it ok to pick on some and not others? I say it’s way past time we leveled the playing field. Does a lesbian white girl who grew up in the projects and was molested by her father all her life have it better than a straight black man who comes from a wealthy family and got his doctorate at Harvard? No. Then why is ok for him to call her a god knows what, but she can’t call him an insert word here when he does it. Exactly. The hypocrisy is suffocating. You want to call me a racist? Go ahead. You want to call me a gay basher, be my guest. I’m glad you have the right to say it and I’m happy to hear it.
dan,
just to remember you that this post is not about her music.
When you say “Katy Perry is just another flavor of the moment singer who will soon skip off into the netherworld with the ranks of other similarly untalented, forgotten “artists.— I wonder what would you think about her if you had only listened to “I kissed a girl”.
This is not because I’m way far from saying that she is untalented, but just because your comment is completely off-topic and influenced by the lyrics in the song.
Cassandra,
please, can I ask you to sign the guestbook on my Space?
I just love the name “Cassandra”, even if we have different ideas about Katy Perry I wish I could have something yours here with me in Italy…
Thanks
dan again,
I know my comment is off-topic just like yours so… I pre-apologize to you, but I still try to convince you to revalue her skills. She is really talented!
Thank you again,
Kuz
Someone deleted my comment and there wasn’t an ounce of hate in it. fuck you you fucking pussy hypocrite. Yeah, that’s right, delete that bitch!
Sam, you waited what, ONE HOUR before flying off the handle? Chill the fuck out, and learn some patience, jerk.
wow.
it’s just a song.
there was a comment somewhere that if being in a minority is not normal then tell a black person they’re not normal.
I’d like to point out that black people aren’t a minority. In some societies yes black people are a minority. But looking at the bigger picture there’s a lot of black people in the world. Whereas there’s not as many gay people in the world.
I believe that you should be able to say what you want and then let people decide whether they agree or not. you believe that katy perry is promoting homophobia and from the comments lots of other people do. other people believe that katy is actually promoting homosexuality and they can think that.
basically debate helps us to form opinions. and creating a debate is a good thing. it’ll never happen that everyone thinks the same thing and basically for people to at least think about things and make up their own mind is fine.
Good on you for givin ur point of view. and good on the people who disagree with u for giving us theirs. Maybe now we can all think what we want to. In my opinion she isnt being homophobic in I kissed a girl – which was released after Ur so Gay. Ur So Gay (never heard it but read lyrics online) seems to use gay as a bad term, but not to condemn gay people but to condemn her boyfriend. Maybe she realised that it could be seen as homophobic so she’s redressing the balance by releasing what i think is a more pro-gay song afterwards.
Lol thanks this debate has actually been the highlight of my day. U rock!
Well, Miss Katy kissed at least one, woman that is. On “The View” today, Whoopi gave her the old lip-lock, and nobody got too upset over that even though it was inter-generation, inter-ethnic, but not inter-gender. Whoopi, as usual, was looking timeless, but let’s face the facts, she’s old enough to be Katy’s mother, if not grandmother!
Statistically, the “normal” person is neither male nor female, not black, white, yellow, red, pink, green, blue, or purple. So, the “normal” marriage has two people, and, the “average” person who is married, they are neither men nor women!
My personal theory is that for those who say that being gay is a choice (and, since it’s the other side of the same coin, that being straight is also a choice), perhaps, for them, it was a choice! Since all those people chose to be straight, and it’s not likely that many people set out to choose to be a persecuted minority, the Bell Curve predicts that on the other side, there’s a similar percentage of the population who didn’t have a choice about being straight!
Of course, there are some of those who aren’t straight, aren’t gay, didn’t choose, and didn’t feel the need to. Hello, bisexuals. I’m not going to get into the whole polyamorous/monogamous/monogenous thing, if you don’t understand this, then that will turn your mind into a steaming puddle of goo.
There’s a lot of stuff in that book that some people like to thump that an awful lot of people choose to ignore. Like slavery, incest, hideous forms of torture, the whole blended fabric and seafood debates, the dreaded fig (sadly, http://www.godhatesfigs.com is down for cybersquatting), the proper price for selling your children, and that whole “throwing the first stone” thing. But if you take a look at the big top-ten list, an awful lot of them are pretty hetro-specific, and none are directed specifically at gays. It’s an exercise for the reader to figure out where the ass-coveting should be filed, although I have seen some guys who probably should be considered asses.
One lovely story from the thump-book talks about a fellow named Onan. This guy was a sinner because he refused to have sex with his brother’s wife and get her pregnant. I don’t know if he would have been a sinner for cheating on his own wife or not, or if he got a special exemption for it being his brother’s wife. It seems so confusing.
But to get back to the topic, would “Ur So Thump” or “Ur So (insert ethnic or minority identification term here)” have upset anyone? How ’bout “Ur So Crip” / “Ur So Blood” / “Ur So Bitch” / “Ur So Plumber” / “Ur So Telephone Sanitizer”? Perhaps it’s a case of a lack of education that keeps “Ur So Narcissistic” from being a hit. And has anyone figured out who Carlie Simon was talking about with “Ur So Vain”? (and who wouldn’t think that that song was about them, if they heard it, and knew they were the “you”?)
When it comes right down to it, it’s just a song, admittedly, one with an unfortunate choice of lyrics. Hopefully the controversy will spark some intelligent discussion. It’s highly unlikely that this will become some country’s national anthem, or that it will have the long-term staying power of, say, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl”. In another 10 years, I expect more people will remember Golden Earring, Procol Harem or The Troggs than Katy Perry, unless she comes up with better, more memorable material.
Yeah, I’m sorry duane. I was being a you know what. And no, it’s not alright to call black people those things. I feel really bad about acting so immature. I guess I was just stressed out about things and took it out on you. I guess I’ve been pretty edgy lately. Still, it doesn’t make it ok to fly off the handle like some jerk. I’m deeply sorry man. You seem like a pretty nice guy and I was just a total prick. I completely apologize man.
“You’re so vain. I bet you think this song is about you.”
wow, you need to stop being a cry-baby… “Someone made a song that was hurtful to my feelings”… big deal… reading your complaint made me want to punch a kitten… did i do it?… no… because i don’t think the world is insulting me, and if it is, i don’t think their insults actually have merit…
by the way, your arguement about substitution of other groups is not a valid arguement… there are many examples of “majority” people acting like “minority” people and getting no reaction, whatsoever… and you fail to have any outrage at “minorities” acting like “majorities”… you cry about the speck in another’s eye, but can’t see the log in your own…
as for the I Kissed a Girl, again she’s making fun of those people who are acting in a manner incongruent with their sexual identity… the girl of the song got a thrill out of doing something that she believed to be taboo, i.e homosexual kissing… the girl is obviously not gay… she’s experimenting with something she finds alluring because it IS taboo (in her mind)… Katy Perry is making fun of people… straight people…
and the UR So Gay song is hardly homosexual-unfriendly… it’s making fun of guys who think it’s cool to act more female than most females… if he was gay, there’d be no song… if he didn’t ACT gay, there’d be no song… she’s saying “I’m a girl. Not you. Stop it.”… she’s making fun of those guys who are unsure of their own identity, so they say “I want to be different. I’ll act like THOSE GUYS.”… the song is just pointing out those people we all see and shake our heads about… men, women, and homosexual alike all think those wanna-be-emo-punks are pathetic… she’s just saying in a girly manner what macho men always say; “Grow a pair.”…
and that’s what you might need to do, too… sac-up and realize that not everyone is trying to insult you… jeez, ur SO gay…
I don’t exactly understand why y’all are up in arms about this. As a gay man, I find Ur So Gay to be a great song. I watch the video and laugh my ass off. Y’all apparently are too busy looking for ills in things, too busy trying to find something to complain about to just lay back and be chill. Not everything in life is always directed at someone in a derogatory manner. Her song is about an ex-boyfriend who is obsessed with himself. He’s an emo dude, for lack of a better way of putting it. Just calm down everyone, she didn’t collaborate with Fred Phelps on this one. Take a deep breath and remove the stick that’s firmly lodged. Have a great day.
Just as some here mentioned, the song is clearly not about homosexuality, but about being gay as in the ‘oh my god, darling, that’s so fabulous’-boy george kind of way. If I see a man wearing tight clothes, perfectly maintained fingernails, a pink scarf, sipping latté while walking down the pavement shaking his hips while saying ‘that’s like soooo…true’ in a girly voice to a friend over his purple/gold-coloured lady-phone, I’d call him gay also, not at all referring to his sexual preference. In her song, she clearly stresses her boyfriend is not a homosexual, but simply adresses the way he behaves. During some concerts she aks the audience ‘If anyone sees my (ex-)boyfriend, tell him I want my jeans back.’ That’s funny.
Also, the reference to racism is so lame.
I think wearing baggy pants, XXXXL-sleeveless shirts, a bandana AND a baseball-cap, golden jewelry and listening to rap-music is stupid. Most people ‘behaving’ like this are african-american, but does disliking this behaviour make me racist? No. Does it imply all african-americans dress/behave like this? No.
Let’s try it for a moment:
I hope you hang yourself with your red handkerchief from your left backpocket
While jacking off listening to 2Pac
You bitch and moan about the suburbs
Wishing you were sipping gin&juice in compton
You don’t eat nothing that isn’t from a grill
And drive a jumping caddilac
You’re so hip-hop it’s almost an art
You need Dr. Dre just to stay alive
You’re so black and you don’t even have dark skin.
etc. etc.
That the follow-up song to her ‘oh so gay unfriendly’-single tells about her actually kissing another girl isn’t stressing an anti-gay attitude; it seems like irony to me.
While on the subject, I don’t get why some homosexuals like to stress their sexual preference so much by dressing ‘gay’ whilst in a country which is generally gay unfriendly. I’m a convinced atheist, hate country music and despise Nascar, but you don’t see me bragging about it in the Deep South. I don’t mind them doing it, but simply don’t understand the underlying motivation when it clearly decreases their social acceptance. ‘Because we can!’ is a dumb answer.
No one would have criticized Katy Perry if she had been a twenty-year old girl grown up in Manhattan with two same-sex parents but héy, she comes from a very christian family with two parents from the clergy, so it must by bashing! Very open-minded…
I agree wit u
it’s very sad that people still use “gay” word to insult someone…
First of all, Duane, thanks for being so awesome, levelheaded, and reasonable.
You know what? Katy Perry is not the problem. Katy Perry is just a kid who wrote a juvenile but passably clever, catchy tune about a failed relationship, using the sort of language kids today actually use. Katy Perry writes and sings about the kind of experiences many young adults today have actually had, and young people in this sex-saturated culture tend to spend a lot of time thinking about sexuality – their own and other people’s. Sometimes in selfish or less-than-complimentary ways.
The problem is not Katy Perry. The problem is with everyone who uses the word “gay” (or any other word that refers to a broad group of individuals on the basis of sexuality, race, etc.) to mean “stupid,” “sexually inadequate,” or any other insult, and those who tolerate the use of such language. The problem is with those who perpetuate the idea that there’s a “correct” way to be a (heterosexual) man or woman in the first place, and that anyone who deviates from our ideals of masculinity or femininity deserves to have his or her sexuality called into question. The problem is with those who still believe humans can easily be divided into the ranks of the “normal” and the “abnormal,” and more importantly, that coming out on the “normal” side of things is better.
I’m a heteroromantic asexual (which is to say, I don’t have a sex drive but I do fall in love with the opposite sex). Am I in the minority? For sure. Am I normal? I’ve been this way my whole life, so anything else would feel decidedly abnormal. Would it be painful for me to listen to a song full of distorted stereotypes and misconceptions about asexual people? Probably.
Perhaps more to the point: I’m a woman, and although I would rather look good than not, I suppose, I have better things to do than spend a lot of time fussing over my appearance. I don’t wear makeup, and I prefer to keep my hair short so it’s low-maintenance. A man who put gel in his hair every morning would use more product than I do and probably take longer to get ready. Does that make him gay? Does that make me gay? I’m attracted to sensitive men – macho types who don’t admit their feelings turn me off. So you’d think I’d keep falling for gay guys – but actually the problem is that I keep falling (unrequitedly) for happily married husbands and fathers. It’s true that stereotypes are a natural result of our valuable cognitive ability to categorize and recognize patterns. If we recognize the stereotypes we’ve been raised to believe in, so that our higher minds are in control and not our subconscious prejudices, they can serve as sources of information in social situations (knowing that MOST teenagers would rather talk about the lastest summer blockbuster than the economy) or when a quick decision needs to be made (who would you ask for help? the grandmother type or the gangbanger type?), or even as a source of humor if used very carefully (the male sports fanatic married to the female shopper is a stereotype often used to comic effect, but just as often allows people to laugh at themselves as at each other). However, some stereotypes are simply hurtful, wrong, and/or outdated – such as many of those relating to gender and gender preference. And as individuals and as a society, we need to make a decision to throw those tired ugly stereotypes out.
I hope Katy Perry has a long, prosperous career – singing about other things. I’m always up for clever lyrics, catchy tunes, and insightful glimpses into the way people live. But putting down a man as “gay” because he’s sensitive and spends a lot of time grooming is a slice of life we would all be better off without.
I’m WAY old here, but I really want to thank you for your post, and really tearing into ‘Ur so Gay’. I heard it twice, and the second time, I actually said ‘wait…what?’ aloud. I don’t givea damn about her religious backround and upringing. She’s been away from her family long enough to enlighten herself, and if she actually did have gay friends when she wrote it, than I doubt how many of them still are friendly with her, unless they’re sucking up to her.
I hate the use of ‘gay’ as a derogatory term and it’s things like this, not the politicians or there views, but more subtle damning jabs at our community, that are the worse kind of homophobia, because they get away with name-calling, and perpetuate stereotypes of what ‘gay’ is, or how to ‘act gay’. No two gays are the same, and there are plenty of gays who are nothing like the stereotypes here. I have similar issues with the phrasing/idea of ‘acting black’, but that’s a different story.
so, thanks for this.
perfect. Whether you love it or hate it look at the publicity this is generating. This is the word of mouth that you simply cannot buy! The hype that surrounds this song is hilarious, shes probably never kissed a girl…
Look, the amount of artists that actually write their own songs in mainstream pop music is minimal, but at the end of the day, if shes selling millions of copies of a catchy song because the masses like it, who are we to diss her? Shes becoming a hugely successful phenomenon! haha good on her! build a bridge guys…
I have to agree with brice on this one too. I really think famous people all get a bad rap. Famous people were once just people. they made jokes, they had their own beliefs and opinions, they expressed them to friends, they developed their own character. When songwriters sing, they sing about their life (usually) and their experiences – the good ones do anyway. We should applaud, or at least respect, any artist who is gutsy enough not to hide who they are but bring it out in the open.
Instead, they get judged. I’m a movie watcher, so let me say this: To the issue of stereotypes, go watch “crash”. Stereotypes exist for a reason, and though they are never true in ALL cases, they are true in THE MAJORITY of cases. As for people in the spotlight, let me bring up politics as a prime example. Everybody wants a president who can relate to people and who is just “himself.” In reality, presidents (or candidates) have to follow scripts and guard their words because they are afraid to step on toes. Take that Robin Williams movie, for example, where he was a comedian running for president. No one can really get away with that because he would also offend a lot of people. We fight against censorship, but then we turn around and say that famous people should be censored … doesn’t make sense.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Duane. I was waiting to read this. I can’t believe (well I guess I could) that people considered her music “cute”. That bitch is ridiculous and she sucks. Her music is shitty and offensive. And you are TOTALLY RIGHT! If the lyrics had been changed to “I kissed a (insert ethnic group here), and I liked it” everyone would be in an uproar. She is so offensive and people are just too ignorant to recognize it. It’s a shame that she has gotten so much publicity off of her garbage music. Unfortunately it’s only made her more famous. She is a terrible human being and I only hope she cannot reproduce.
wow… this thread is great… i love hypocrisy, and this group of comments is full of win on hypocrisy… “Perry made a song that is hatefull to homosexuals; therefore she must DIE IN A FIRE!”… how about some of you having the same disdain for the plethora of anti-male, anti-white, antiestablimentarianism songs on the radio?… do you have the same fervor against those?… of course not… but make a comment about kissing a girl or “he’s so gay” and you’re up in arms, looking to “Stop the hate” by using hate… borrow a sense of humor and realize that not everyone is against you… jeez, you’re so gay…
A few idiotic comments do not mean everyone thinks Katie is evil or should die, etc. Some people think her song’s lyrics have some flawed logic. I am not losing sleep over it, and I doubt Duane is either.
I don’t know what music you’re talking about specifically, rvolt24, though last I checked white men were not a minority (in most of the country). Of course, that day may be fast appraoching and then we’ll really say how white men feel. I wish every person could have the experience of going to someplace like rural China and see how it feels to be a minority. Being gay, one can slip by, but being a white person in a place such as rural China can be eye-opening, especially when you can understand what they’re saying about you as you pass by them.
xolondon,
the “not a minority” is part of the point… people here are up in arms over “hate speech”… (we could argue the validity of that arguement but i won’t at the moment)… but their reaction to “hate speech” is to speak of their own hatred of others… thus, the DIAF reference… i’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of being all “stop the hate” and wishing Katy Perry harm… so, either people should feel the same antipathy for all “hate speech”, no matter where it is directed, or they should STFU…
and for “how it feels to be a minority”, i won’t go into that… let’s just say that of all the people in the world today, i am hands-down the most hated… entire works of literature discuss how terrible i am… and me and my people are expected to sit and take it like good dogs… and we do… do you know why we do?… because we know that you can’t fight hate with hate…
which is why this thread is so damn funny…
last thing… “Being gay, one can slip by”… i consider that statement more anti-homosexual than any in Perry’s songs… but i know that you’re not insinuating that gay people should hide or mask themselves… because i know that, i don’t hate you for it…
see how that works?
My “one can slip by” comment was anticipating the usual comment of “oh, being gay and being black are not the same thing” (re color, etc). I don’t ever advocate slipping by unless you’re about to get your head bashed in. I was not being anti-homosexual, but think what you want.
In terms of free speech, I get your point. That does not mean I think the actual speech is valid. Which is my right and yours. Agreed?
I think there is a grey area here you are not acknowledging. You are lumping the extreme points of view with the reasoned ones, IMO. People who wish Katy ill based on a song lyric are – to ME – either simpletons or being inflammatory and undermining the greater point.
I don’t find this thread funny at all. It’s full of good points AND opinions I think are utter shit, but hey, have at it!
Coming back to the original idea though, to be angry about the Katy Perry song is not hyprocritical. It is simply one peron’s POV.
I should add that there are plenty of people who are willing to get beaten up or killed for what they believe in. I’m not that way, but I recognize the bravery in being yourself at any cost.
xolondon
aw… you take all the fun out of everyone else’s hysterical rantings by being all rational… just kidding… i think you and i see things in a similar manner… maybe from opposite sides of the coin, but i appreciate your comments… i just hope more people would approach this from a rational, reasoned perspective… thanks for being one who does…
I haven’t read all the comments on this post, so I can’t see if you’ve replied to something like this, but:-
“My main reason for questioning Perry, is because she has not one, but two songs about something related to being gay; which made me wonder what was up, you know? As Christina Riche said it best in the movie the Opposite of Sex, straight people just don’t spend that much time thinking about man on man action.”
Actually, they do. Have you ever heard of slash fanfiction? Widely, widely read and written by, most commonly, straight teenage girls.
Wow, this thread is crazy. And I just seem compelled to reply. I only heard ‘Ur So Gay’ for the first time about twenty minutes ago. There was so much controversy, that I just had to get it from iTunes just to see what the fuss was about. I didn’t really like it, but that’s besides the point.
But, I do have to say, hearing anyone using the word ‘gay’ as an insult does really offend me. My younger cousin is going through that phase right now, and trying to get him to understand why its so offensive is like trying to catch a greased pig. Anyway…
And may I just say that I can’t believe the guy that she wrote this about is still talking to her. Sheesh. If one of my ex’s wrote something like that about me, there’d be a lawsuit happening about now.
Like someone said previously, Perry’s songs have been opening up lines of communication where there previously wasn’t even any thoughts about homosexuality. And while ‘I Kissed a Girl’ doesn’t necessarily promote the message that homosexuality is just fine, it does get people to start thinking. And talking. And arguing apparently.
Heh.
I was expecting a better song, to be honest. Although after reading this thread for a good hour, I was expecting far worse.
I quite liked ‘I Kissed A Girl’, more because I thought her singing wasn’t all that bad. I am, so far, disappointed with the rest of the album.
I did enjoy the thought of having an openly gay male artist doing a cover of ‘I Kissed A Girl’. Seriously, it would rock.
And for the haters…tolerance people. Tolerance. That’s a message for everyone.
Happy Saturday.
Otter.
Just to say I loved your post and I’m saddened by the kind of bigoted comments people have been leaving.
This is just a song for God’s sake!
There are far more things that cause hate towards gays than a song.
hey look folks ive listend to both of katy perrys songs and im gay myself and me personaly shes just giving her puoint of view have you ever thought she might just mean other people think its wrong and others right being gay is a more common thing now more people are coming out of the closet its not an omg thing any more
Honestly its just a song. Katy is just out, doing her thing, making it big. I dont understand how people blow things way out of proportion and make them into things that were not intended. Give Katy a break, she’s just doing her job, and making a living. if you dont like her music, its as simple as not listening to her. She has enough fans. a few less wont hurt. All the “haters” who have nothing better to do than sit around a computer talking down about people making a living have no life their self. GET IT GIRL!
Yeah, Katy Perry is a piece of crap… she’s just one of those bitchy straight girls who dumps on gays.
My personal opinion is that, with “I Kissed a Girl”, she means that “good girls” don’t kiss random people, whose names they don’t know, when they have boyfriends; I’d say that’s an understandable thought.
hahaha.. this makes me laugh my ass off. do you realize where you live? this is the united states of america. we’re a country driven by media.. sex sells, duh. that’s what is on peoples’ minds and of course it’s going to be picked up for regular airplay! lighten up people, we don’t live in 1945 for cryin out loud.
i can’t believe some people are so damn sensitive about that “gay” quip. i could understand if it said something like, “god hates queers” or something completely outlandish like that.. but please, quit being such a sensitive little girl about it. it seems like you’re just looking for something to complain about because you need the attention. sad, my friend, very sad.
AND furthermore look at her background.. she’s christian- mind you not a completely “devout” or “good” christian.. but she was still raised with those christian beliefs of “what a ‘good’ girl should do.”
lighten up or shut up. you’re all making fools of yourselves.
-mitch
I hate it when people are all “Lighten up” when others care about social issues.
“Dear Dr. Martin Luther King,
Lighten up about civil rights. You’re making a fool out of yourself.”
If people didn’t take a stand against racism or sexism or homophobia (YES, using Gay, as in UR So GAY, as an insult is anti-gay!) then those social ills would not come to be recognized for what they are.
Hats off to people who actually care.
Mitch’s “quit being such a sensitive little girl about it” says it all really. People who are not open minded often like to pretend they are, but the truth comes out in subtle ways, hence that comment.
I get incredibly worn out by conservatives who throw flames about hypocrisy, etc. You want hypocrisy? Burn a cross and see how they react then. They’re the same people who wanted to have a “straight pride” day at my alma mater. Whatever, I have no time for that bull.
And I would never tell someone quit being a sensitive little girl about it.
hey man, this is brilliant
Society needs to understand that bigotry, no matter how subtle, is still a disgrace. People may claim that ‘gay’ no longer has any relevance as being a homophobic insult, but it is, just because you use the word to the point of disgust doesnt mean it stops being discriminatory. Instead of trying to justify your own dated social commentary perhaps you people should use those brain waves to read a thesaurus and maybe find a new word to show your displeasure with something, that doesnt completely put down an entire group of people. Heaps, HEEEEEAPS funny that you think its fine to think of gay people as second class citizens because of the people they choose to LOVE.
I cant stand this fucking womyn. Katy Perry, you have succeeded in making my skin crawl. You are a joke. Take a reality check, you have the pedestal for the WORLD STAGE, perhaps say something profound instead of cheap, maybe advocate homosexuality? condemn racism? anything, same goes to all pop stars, get a fucking clue. Singing the same old shit for the last 10 years, it makes me sick!!!
GET SOME FUCKING PASSION
How about you go to rappers to stop using the N word? Like it or not the word “gay” is slang, and Katy didn’t start it. Not to say it is not hurtful. Same with the word “nigger”. Me being a black guy I’m not the least bothered by the n word, because when people say it, it’s either to get a rile out of someone or the same as calling someone “dude”.
I know some gay people who are totally fine with this song and or like it. I think we all have to look at the context of which these words are being used.
With her song “Ur So Gay”.
It was about her ex boyfriend who did effeminate/metrosexual things like “wearing guyliner and taking pictures of himself in the bathroom”
http://www.prefixmag.com/features/katy-perry/interview/17027/
Stereotypical? Yes. Hurtful? Apparently to some. But where do we draw the line? What’s fine and whats not ok? I’m all for being courteous to people but soon well get to the point where we don’t say anything in fear of offending others.
Lighten up, people are entitled to their own views. If you dont like the song dont listen to it. From what I garner her lyrics are basically satire and not intended to discriminate or promote hate/bigotry. Someone could well write a song about ‘kissing a black man’ or being ‘too black’, once it was a sort of ‘joke / satire’ song based on sterotypes. I would see no problem with it once it did not promote hate.
One thing we must distinguish is that being Gay is not a ‘race’! One can ‘choose’ to accept being gay or not, being of a race is not a question of acceptance it is you identity for life…..
Jason, you are right about one thing; people are entitled to their opinions, and as such, I am entitled to call those opinions out as bigoted hate speech. I never said being gay was a “race”. However, you are completely wrong; you don’t choose to be gay; you either are, or you aren’t. Not “accepting” the fact that you are gay just makes for a miserable life, wherein one lies to themselves, and is usually wrought with unhappiness. Being gay is a part of my identity, and it shapes my life; by your argument, I assume that you “accepted” your sexuality, and essentially had to “choose”? Not so much.
I’ve heard the “It’s a choice”/”It’s not a choice” thing so many times, and have come to the conclusion that indeed, for some, it is a choice. And there’s a word for those who really have a choice: its called “bisexual”. If they respond to societal pressures and choose the opposite gender, for them, it’s a choice. If they choose to ignore their attraction for members of their own gender, then, obviously, it is a choice!
I suppose the same can be said for those who are gay and “choose” to try and pass, but it’s not quite the same thing. And then, there are straight people who didn’t choose to be straight, and can’t understand why anyone would choose to be anything else. Looking at it this way, it’s easier to understand the “it’s a choice” people.
If you didn’t understand, stop being so Amish, read it again, and let it sink in. Denying bisexuality isn’t just a choice, but a sign of ignorance. Similarly, not acknowledging that for many, there’s no choice, is just so Amish.
(and in case you are totally humour-impaired, I’m using Amish the same way Katy is using another word.
heh said:
>And no, I’m not a homophobe. I’m actually gay myself,
wow…i’m not gay & it doesn’t take a genius to see that it’s one step forward, 200 steps back for the gay community with one post. so let’s get started:
1) >Any person today who wished to use the word ‘gay’ in the the traditional sense [would be hindered by the homosexual community's repurposing of the word 'gay']
do you mean… when you’re talking to 150 year olds? (i.e. who else uses the term gay to mean happy…and if they did i don’t think gay/les would care). i mean, what in tarnations?
2) >Homosexuality is clearly a disorder because by its very nature it makes the affected person sexually dysfunctional
god, i would give anything to be your partner right now. ANYTHING. the long-winded conversations & lackluster sex we would have.
and i love the use of the word “affected”. i’m still not gay (since the last couple of paragraphs) and i clearly know people aren’t “affected” with this “affliction” you speak of. i think you need a hug.
3) >because within the normal course of homosexual activity
hah! you said normal! black-black no takebacks!
or is that not PC of me to say?
4) >the person cannot reproduce, even though they are probably perfectly capable of reproduction if they had sex with someone of the opposite sex
you think so, do you? how do you know this?
and i’m glad you pointed out that TO BE NORMAL ya gotta be able TO HAVE BABIES WITHIN YOUR RELATIONSHIP.
oh wait…we can adopt. ok let’s modify:
TO BE NORMAL…you HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE NORMAL BABIES… with YOUR GOD-GIVEN NORMAL PRIVATE PARTS… within a NORMAL relationship with a NORMAL person from the OPPOSITE sex. i.e. a person with parts that don’t look like yours.
i got it now.
no wait – i don’t got it…that is crazy talk. i think you need some validating affirmations taped to your bathroom mirror to peruse while you brush your teeth before heading out.
[re: ur so gay] i think duane’s right – many young impressionable peoples will be listening to this girl & may misconstrue her msg/ rant & feel it’s OK to put the hate out on certain types of people who are different from them (gender, race, etc.) and hate comes in large & small packages. one day your small package of makin’ fun of people behind their back could turn into a situation where people ostracize others in an attempt to impress friends & fit in.
er…ostracize…or tie to a fence & beat to a bloody pulp, left for dead.
an extreme example, but we’ve all seen where hate can lead.
let’s go the other way please.
The diversity of definitions and attitudes in response to this post is staggering. So many people have valid points in relation to differing interpretations/senses of what to make of this pair of songs. I’m not homophobic and do believe that, all in all, using the word ‘gay’ in a derogatory sense probably does little for the cause of people who already live in a world where they face prejudice and hatred from a pretty huge number of people. This ranges from people who are simply amused by it on the one hand all the way to those who see it as an abomination and, on occasion, assault/even kill someone because of that person’s perceived ‘deviancy’. On the other hand, this usage of the word ‘gay’ does indeed seem quite separate from having anything to do with actually being gay – hence the fact that’s it’s a term sometimes used by openly-gay people themselves. It seems to be the context and intent which matters here. But whatever.
Without elaborating on the (im-)morality of homosexuality itself, my main problem with KP’s ‘Kissed’ song is how contrived, childish, improbable, and uncommitted it seems to me. A daughter of evangelical preachers, KP was (up until a few years ago) well on her way to a career as an evangelical musician. One can respect why she might have genuinely reacted against this and gone in the ‘opposite direction’. But that’s just the point; she hasn’t at all. Her lyrics in Kissed – along with the extent to which these in no way match her actual lifestyle – place Perry as one of the worst/most obnoxious kinds of ‘gay-chic’ poseurs to hit our radios in recent years. As she over-emotionally warbles and ‘rebelliously’ emphasises the words “…and I LIKED IT!”, we can’t help but be struck by a number of things. (1) Girls kissing girls isn’t actually a huge deal these days – certainly not so much as to justify some people’s suggestion that she’s ‘really doing something’ for the gay community. Let’s face it; this is the lipstick-lesbian, bread and butter of the hetero-aimed soft-porn industry – there’s no societal rebellion here. (2) She very overtly ‘reassures’ her listeners/’maw & paw’ by mentioning that she has a boyfriend and that this kissing a girl lark is more about getting his attention (think about the playful “hope my boyfriend don’t mind it”). (3) Perry’s ON RECORD as never having kissed a girl – this ‘confessional’ farce is an act – one presumably hoisted upon us in the same kind of uber-cynical manner as that of the music execs responsible for that pair of twits, TaTu. If anything, this song will REASSURE those who see homosexuality as an abomination in that it demeans, trivialises and makes a fluffy little kitten of genuine homosexuality. The covert message may well be “Don’t worry. Let your daughters (but not sons) play around a little. Eventually they’ll pass through that ‘phase’ and get on with their real, heterosexual lives”.
In brief, Perry is a cynical poseur. There are indeed many gay people who like her music and that’s fine. Lots of people seem to find it catchy. But only the true morons amongst them will actually think that this does any GOOD for their community. Because Perry’s music is little more than a modern, soul-less attempt to cash in on young people’s tendency to be attracted to those things they perceive as having a ‘rebellious’ veneer. And that’s all it is; a cynical (albeit catchy to many), bubblegum-chewing nod in the direction of the true issues surrounding sexual orientation – something for the little girls to listen to whilst pillow-fighting before they become all dreamy-eyed over pictures of Normy High’s ’star quarterback’. And why shouldn’t they? They’re kids. At 23, Perry isn’t. For shame.
Well, I’m not going to pick on this young girl. I think she meant no harm, and that’s the main point considering one song she is saying that she likes girls. So, when i hear her song Ur So Gay, she may as well be talking about herself. Get it? Not saying that her song is right, but she is young. That has to be taken into consideration. I like her voice, and her tunes are catchy. That’s what i see. There is a lot of humor in her songs.
So, i hope she grows as an artist, and does not fade into the distance like you wish her to because you are homosexual. That is something you chose, and you have to deal with it. You can’t expect others to understand it, but i think part of homosexuality is caused from feeling somehow different from mainstream society. One of the results of this is homosexuality or being gay as you call it.
I have found a lot of gay people to be extremely defensive over the littlest things not having to do with sexuality. I have found many of them to resent the traditional idea of making a family or being tied to anyone especially those of the opposite sex. It really had nothing to do with sex itself, but when you don’t feel like you have any control with the opposite sex, naturally you are afraid to have sex with them. They lack that sexual confidence, and so they continue to play with their own kind. This starts in childhood which the person never grows out of this adolescent phase.
In a man’s case, he may have known women in his early upbringing who to him may have seemed to look at sex as shameful. Sometimes the man is brought up very religiously. He may view a woman as almost unearthly; therefore, someone he can’t see having sex with. He may have had a bad experience with a woman where she made him feel ashamed to want sex. These are all false perceptions of women. All women are not like this, but the natural sexual curiosity between the genders or sexes is intentionally blocked by the homosexual. This is not natural, but i believe sexual orientation is ONLY a symptom of something more emotional within a particular individual’s make up.
When people are emotionally sensitive, some turn to different alternate means to deal with it. One of these choices is the comfortable and safe choice to be homosexual. You say, but it’s not an easy choice. But, I believe it is a more comfortable choice for the sensitive individual. So, since they might feel different from society anyway in other areas, they feel more comfortable with choosing to be gay. yes.
Het: I think “us young people” know enough to decide for ourselves what to do, and won’t be swayed by a stupid pop song.
Great point about racism.
God that girl makes me cross. I read an interview where she said “I kissed a girl” is aimed at women! Has she even seen herself sing? She is not talking to a girl.
What annoys me the most is that she doesn’t even recognise that she’s homophobic. At least when somebody says “I think homosexuality should be illegal” there is no hypocrisy about it.
If only all homophobic playground bullies publicly humiliated themselves with a giant cake.
One can only assume that if Katy Perry thinks reading Hemingway is ‘gay’, then she has never read any Hemingway. Or maybe it’s just reading on the whole that is gay. If so, where might I sign up?
Well, first of all I want to tell you that I’m an argentinian, so excuse me if I don’t speak with the proper english or using the right terms…
Right now I want to thank you, because being gay in my country involves to be a victim of a lot of jokes and hate from all of your partners at school. And I’m not out of the closet yet, so I’m really proud that there’s someone out there who thinks exactly the same as I do!
I’m going to be honest with you. I loved Katy Perry, and I was actually listening to her songs… until I found your post. I didn’t really know though that she had a song called “you’re so gay” beacuse it’s not a single here, so I searched for the lyrics of that song, and when I started to read it, tears just started to fall from my eyes. It’s sad, beacuse I’m young yet, and I don’t know how to handle such an offense like that…
Thank you so much for the post.
I would like if you sent me an e-mail.
Oh! Another thing!
I want to thank God for letting a gay person have such a big inteligence as your’s, because I would be lost if I had to answer all of the comments of these ignorant people!!! And I understand why you HAVE to be so patient about this issue with the ignorant people and you’re not searching for their adresses to go to their houses and fucking kill them for being so freakin’ dumb! Just kidding…
WE have to be patient and tolerant, because mentality is not going to change from one day to another, but I honestly think that we have to do something BIG, like something massive, to show the world that we are not all the same people… Every person in the world is UNIQUE.
Another correct definition of gay is happy, silly.
Gay has multiple definitions, one of them happens to be a common insult used by younger people, especially high schoolers(which appears to be perry’s target audience) others include happy and homosexual. Gay doesn’t have to specifically mean homosexual(obviously, genderless objects or concepts are often described in a derogatory manner as gay). In fact, the only word that does have to is homosexual.
I don’t think it’s wrong to be gay and I’ve thought that since I learnt what it meant, then I heard UR So Gay in 2008 and liked it. But just because this song is homophobic doesn’t mean I changed my mind. A song isn’t that powerful and I’ll always think it’s okay to be gay and I’ll always like this song so there.
Also, songs like: Quite Fly, For A White Guy and Viva La White Girl, could be thought of as racist and a lot of songs by rappers such as the song Low (Flo Rida talks about how he prefers women with no clothes and how he likes them “all exposed”) are sexist, so why is UR so gay or I Kissed A Girl any different?
People really need to quit trying to be so PC and grow a thicker skin. I personally, do not think that gays have to worry about Katy putting them down, as the male homosexual community does a good job of doing that themselves.
Harsh?
Not really, I am a gay man, who happens to be a man, and is gay. It’s not my world, and most of the gay men I have met, are so busy pounding the fact that they are gay down your throat that you begin to wonder if there is anything more to this person, other than they wear their sexuality on their sleeves.
It’s funny how the gay community has somehow adopted the same attitude that racial minorities have. “I can say ‘fa**ot, gay, and queer as much as I want, but you had better not make one derogitory comment about homosexuality, or I’ll be offended!”
Fair is fair, and further, if gay men didn’t live up to the sterotype that comes to mind by a majority of the US. Then her song would definitly be an insult.
For the record, Katy’s song isn’t about gay *males*. Doesn’t mean the connotations are any less hurtful, but I would agree that a thicker skin is a good thing for gays.
I’m gay, too, and I welcome a challenge; people who confront me about being gay are simply informed that I’m not bothered by it, so why are they? Is there something they want to tell me…?
That throws most for a loop!
The song, though, I think is about a girl getting shitfaced and kissing another. She’s not gay, she just kissed a girl and …. well you get it.
The song “Ur So Gay” on the other hand… holy crap. Tougher skin aside, since when do adults revert to schoolyard insults? Aside from drunk adults and obvious homophobes, of course. Can we just grow the hell up and find another way to insult each other?
i feel kind of silly posting this, i mean this thread’s been inactive for awhile now…but i wanted to join this discussion cause the popularity of katy perry kind of got to me too. ‘i kissed a girl’ made me feel uneasy when i heard it. i had a reaction very much like the one so well articulated by eoin above, that katy perry was just shrewdly pandering to the status quo. i mean, this candy-coated (if i may) representation of a lesbian encounter hardly makes katy perry brave. i might be wrong but it seems as though ‘a lot of hetero guys get off on girl/girl action’. you could even imagine that there’s an entire industry devoted to this assumption. so, just postulating here, katy perry would have to be ‘a f**king moron’ not to realize that. katy perry is ‘not a moron’, sex sells, cute lesbian sexuality sells in a male-dominated society; katy perry is a (insert synonym for capitalist whore).
i mean, i try to put things in perspective. how would ‘i kissed a boy’, sung by a boy, go over? idk, but i do know that katy perry wasn’t breaking her neck to find out how the public would respond to a legit gay song.
so whatevs. sorry for wasting ur time, if ur reading this. i know it’s all been said already, better than i did. and maybe i’m just cynical, and it is just a song, and katy perry is just an idiot. i guess the thing that bothers me the most is the defense of katy perry’s songs on the grounds that ’she didn’t mean anything bad by it.’ okay, lots of ppl don’t ‘mean anything bad’ when they use homophobic slurs. that’s a problem. and there’s a difference between being p.c. and just being aware of the consequences of your actions/words.
something i found amusing/suicide-inspiring: amazon.com’s review of ‘one of the boys’ called ‘ur so gay’ hilarious and ‘zeitgeist-capturing’. signed, ashamed to carry on a societal legacy of passive-agressive gay bashing.