Hello all,
I hope that you all have a sense of the expectations for this assignment now that you have looked at the blog page from last year. As promised, I am posting the first blog (and yes, it's the same posting as last semester...I will cite myself).
Watch the following video and share your thoughts. I've also included some questions for you to consider and respond to.
Do you hear the term "no homo" often? If so, where? Do you believe that this term is really necessary in regards to defending your sexual orientation? If not, why then is it used so often? As well, Mr. Safi only shows males using this term. What does this imply about men and women? Essentially, do you think that men are more concerned with upholding a certain image and therefore feel the need to explicitly state their sexual orientation?
Furthermore, do artists (particularly rappers) try to maintain and uphold a certain image? Do you think that their image would be shattered if they identified their sexual orientation as homosexual?
Additionally, homophobia is definitely prevelent in our society (as it is in other parts of the world). Homophobia is also a cause for concern because we have heard of numerous teens who have taken their own lives due to the fact that they were bullied . What do you think accounts for this irrational fear? Why are some people so homophobic? Is it related to ethnicity, culture, religion, personal ideologies and beliefs, values, our upbringing, and/or the media?
Lastly, do you think that Bryan Safi has gone too far with this video? Will it be offensive to some viewers? Or, do you believe that he has brought humour and sarcasm to a topic that needs to be addressed?
Looking foward to your insights (Ms. P. 2011).
"No Homo" - Is this really necessary?
I believe it's mostly media to begin with. When you tell your friend for instance "you look good", people around you start looking at you. Because he is your friend he understands what you mean by saying that. Others around you would think you're attracted to him. These types of comments are mostly said to girls or women. When you are sitting at a table at school, Tim Horton's or wherever, and one of your girl friends come, you can compliment her by saying "you look good". When you say that to a guy, it's gets awkward for people around as in "his gay". When rappers say it its a no problem thing, because when Lil Wayne was talking about his *****'s, his friends would know what he means. So people need to understand people (even rappers) say "no homo" because of people around you.
ReplyDeleteI never gave term too much attention. I thought the world was smarter than to let such an arrogant term be embraced as much as it has. To me it just sounds kind of dumb and harldy clever in the first place. I knew the term was trending and showing up frequently in social media and in day to day life. I am definitely not surpirsed the term has gotten so much attention as today, most generations know that it is almost "kool," and socially acceptable to clarlify ones hetersexuality when it seems appropriate. I had usually heard the term around school, but when the term was used by friends of mine I simply shook my head. Knowing they were just simply conforming to the days trends. The term is definitely not necessary in defending ones sexual orientation and for that reason, surprised me that the term has trended so well and for a decent amount of time. But bases on that i supose most feel it is necessary. I am proud I do not resemble such a group. When it comes to rappers, rappers are funny. Listening to some of their suposed homosexual rhymes and lines, i knew what they were trying to say and never accused them of being even slightly homosexual. For that reason I am unsure of why rapper try to defend their sexuality while they are also known for unshaken confidence and mental and emotional security. I believe the video from Byran Safi was quirky and funny. It shows the stupidity of the term well, as it should.
ReplyDeleteI suppose values, religion and media accounts for people's fear of homosexuality. We tend to care more about what others think of us in society than what we think of ourselves. Thus, it makes us conform to society by reconsidering our thoughts and actions into attempting to form the right choices to other people's expectations. Also, religion is a big factor, I don't think any religion persuades or supports homosexuality, certainly not in the Islam and Christian bible. This is why people that are brought up through religion are more fearful of homosexuality. It's not that easy to see the other side of it by moving away from a belief that you've had for your entire life.
ReplyDeleteI think rappers are so cautious about what others will think of them that they need to point out that they are straight once in awhile. Reason being is that majority of the people consider homosexuality disgusting, unmanly and wrong from the influence of media, religion, etc. and this affects rappers way of expressing what they want, thus, mentioning the words "no homo" resolves their problem of being seen as not gay. Furthermore, I'd like to point out that I rarely hear the term nowadays, however at some point it became a 'day to day trend' at school as Spencer mentioned. People end up saying it because they don't want to be judged negatively. Hence, the term "no homo" became prominent due to conformity. Lastly, I think Safi's video was intended for humor and how meaningless the word really is. It's possibly offensive to rappers, a way of mocking most of the rappers nowadays because of their illiterate and absurd lyrics.
From my perspective, first of all i think this topic is brought up more than any other topic now because firstly not only homosexuality is peculiar in front of several people such as myself but also many famous celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris is homosexual too.
ReplyDeleteThe term" No homo" is nowadays used more than often and mainly only around teenagers from a humor perspective. It is obviously not used in manner of protecting your sexual orientation, it is rather used as a funny way just to make things not awkward especially someone around us.
Men nowadays are kind of self-concerned in protecting their sexual orientation by stating "no homo" because it does not pose homosexual view of you in front of the opposite sex. But mostly again..it is used in a humor way. It's just amusing :P .
Regarding artists, they are the ones who especially try to hold a certain image of themselves because they do not want to be viewed as someone, who would be hated than loved.
For example, Adam Levine or Justin Bieber even if were homosexual, would not state that in front of media because than homophobia would come in their life, where they will be hated for their likes which type of gender * They are not gay, just an example*.
Some people are extremely homophobic mainly because of their upbringing because as kids we have always viewed couples with one male and one female NOT one male and one male, or one female and one female. The reason for that type of upbringing was mainly to procreate and continue the generation not rub or take it in the arse for amusement.
Bryan Safi has definitely not gone too far with video he has compiled his message with complete sarcasm and humor in order to get the attention of desired audience which are teenagers.
Bryan Safi brilliantly conveyed his message through the perks we all teenagers are equipped with.
The term “no homo” is completely ridiculous in terms of defending your sexual orientation. For instance, would you say to your dog “I love you, no bestiality.”, or your brother “I love you bro, no incest.”? You obviously wouldn’t because that is clearly not the type of love you are referring to. Context is all you need here.
ReplyDeletePeople may feel the need to defend their sexual orientation by stating “no homo” because the media has inclined you to do so.
Secondly, homophobia isn't even a real phobia. Stating that the dislike of homosexuals is a phobia is like stating that the dislike of black or Jewish people is a phobia when it clearly isn't. Instead, you should be called an asshole.
I think the this term is overused, and quite honestly, it is very tacky. I don't think that a person should always have to defend their sexual orientation. If a guy wants to hug his buddy, he should be able to without declaring "no homo." Personally, I used to think that it was awkward for guys to be hugging, even if they were just friends. However, I started looking into other pop cultures (K-pop) and in their shows, I noticed that it was and is very much accepted for males to hug and be very affectionate with their male friends. Now when I see this in Canada, I don't think it is so weird anymore.
ReplyDeleteYes I hear the term “no homo” very often and always just among teenage youths. I don’t think this term is necessary at all to defend your sexual orientation because you don’t need to prove to people that you aren’t gay. I think due to all the homophobic comments nowadays and the thought that gay men are more feminine makes even straight guys insecure and want to create a defence mechanism and suddenly you have everyone saying “no homo.” I’ve never seen women saying that to each other only men. I blame our society as well in this because when you see two girls hugging no one assumes they are lesbian but if two males are doing the same people will assume that they are a couple. Why do we have such an imbalance in the interpretation of actions and gestures among the two genders? I strongly believe that a lot of guys are concerned with upholding a certain masculine image and by stating that they aren’t homosexual, they believe they’re more “manlier” than gay men. A lot of times also I think people confuse a feminine man and a gay man because we always assume that gay men have girly actions, the way they speak etc.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot traditional values which some kids are fed from an early age by their parents cause them to be narrow minded. I don’t understand why people think that every gay person will be attracted to them therefore they must keep a safe distance from them. Homosexuality is not a disease and certainly not contagious. Prior to all the positive media exposure, gay men and lesbian women were only subjected to their stereotypes of feminine men and masculine women. People have drawn such ridiculous conclusions about homosexual couples but the bottom line is that whatever occurs in someone’s bedroom or own privacy is not anyone else’s business. I don’t hear gay people lashing out about hetero couples or trying to evade their privacy. All of the factors you mentioned contribute to the narrow mindedness of people nowadays but I think that our generation, we will change the world’s perspectives. As we have been taught to be accepting of all kinds of people, we will as well teach this valuable lesson to our children and about that time I think homosexuality will become a societal norm.
I don’t think Brian Safi went too far because he correctly addressed the issue which no one cares to talk about. All these homophobic speeches are corrupting our generation especially through the music we hear. I feel like just by saying “no homo” people think they can say anything and just get away with anything but they don’t realize that that term is very derogatory.
I don't hear the term 'no homo' used nowadays to the extent that it was a few years back. I don't think that this term is necessary in defending one sexual orientation and the term 'no homo' is stupid and overused anyways.
ReplyDeleteI think that that both women and men are concerned about holding a certain image, but its in men nature to be more defensive than it is for women when it comes to pride. I think that is also has something to do with gender roles and the stereotypical role that men have to be strong and brave. I think that the reason why some people are homophobic has to do with their personal beliefs as well as the way their brought up. Ethnicity, culture, religion, personal ideologies and beliefs, values, our upbringing, and media are all factors that could be associated as to why people are homophobic.
I don't think that Brian Safi has gone too far in the video but was bringing awareness to the situation in a way that will make the youth listen.
I still hear the term "no homo" very frequently amongst male youth, especially those who are still attending high school. I hear this term a lot in school and also witness it on social networking sites like Twitter. I honestly believe this term really isn't necessary in order to defend your sexual orientation. In my opinion, I think the reason why males use this term just to prove they are not homosexual is because they are very self conscious. They care way too much about how others in society would view them and think of them. It's a very ignorant term to use. Men tend to be very fond of their image in comparison to women. The pride of a man is very important to him. But I personally blame the media being the root of all this pride. We are so caught up with reading major headlines and listening to music with ignorant messages. This is exactly where artists in the industry connect to this issue. Rappers have to withhold their image in the media. Most of them believe that sexually exploiting women in their music videos and using very profane language towards women in their song lyrics will prove to the world they are straight. But why? Why do they try sooooo hard to prove themselves? If you're straight, then you're straight. If you're homosexual, then you're homosexual. That's it. Singer Frank Ocean is one person who showed that coming out the closet would not shatter your image. He revealed to the world that his first love was a man. This made headlines on magazines, Twitter, TMZ, and many other sources. He was acknowledged as a very strong and brave person and also recieved support from a lot of people. But then again, there are a couple people who will always have something negative to say. I believe that others may look down upon homosexuality due to their religion, values, culture and upbringing. People are taught they way of living at a very young age, and when you adapt to this, especially because of religion, your mindstate will not change. I don't think Brian Safi has gone too far in the video. His approach was clever and it appeals to young people in my opinion, since he used many different aspects teenagers are surrounded by.
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ReplyDeleteThe term 'no homo' is still used as of today, not as much as a few years ago but it is still used a lot. People feel the need to justify saying nice things by saying no homo or the person they are speaking to might think that they are homosexual which is a norm in today's society. However a lot of people still think that being homosexual is a sinful act or is frowned upon. The reason why I think some people are so homophobic would be mainly because of their religion but culture, beliefs, our bringing and the media also contribute to it. If someone believes that two males cannot fall in love, form a family and raise a child, they will never accept homosexuality. If someone was brought up by heterosexual parents and their parents told them that homosexuality is wrong, it is most likely that the child will grow up believing in the parents. I said the media is a an example also as in Safi's video he showed us that a lot of the famous musicians used the term 'no homo' which shows that being gay is not cool, I think entertainers should take up the responsibility of educating people of homophobia. Because as entertainers their words would have a great impact.
ReplyDeleteI hear the term "No Homo" more often now than I ever did before. Especially at school, and in the mall. This term is not necessary in order to defend your sexual orientation, however, I feel it used in that way. Males feel that they need to protect their sexual orientation, just so no one assumes they are homosexual. For heterosexuals, it is considered a "diss" to be called a homosexual. It seems as if subconsciously though people may say they are not homophobic, it think they are. I think this leans more towards men than women because, according to society, homosexual males are disgusting, but homosexual females are attractive. I think this is stereotyped this way because of the media. Everyone has a tunnel vision and don't research anything they don't know about. They automatically beleiev everything in the media is correct, and believe it. the reason everyone is homophobic, according to me, is because of culture. In many cultures it is considered a sin to be a homosexual. While growing up, you hear many things about your religion, and due to the naive brain of a child, you believe it. It is imprinted inside your brain. I think this is a topic that needs to be addressed, and, no, I don't think Brian Safi has gone too far with this. The only people who would have a problem with this video are the homophobics themselves.
ReplyDeleteI hear this term frequently when I am minding my own business at school. Many use this term with no feelings of hate toward individuals who identify themselves as homosexual. I have concluded after years of observation that users of the term "no homo" are insecure about their sexuality. It has nothing to do with hating a group of people. People are afraid of being called out about their sexuality. If you are confident with your sexual orientation, you should have no problem responding appropriately. I have also noticed that this term is mostly used by males. From this observation, I can conclude that more men are uncomfortable about their sexuality compared to women. Also, it is true that certain rappers use the term frequently. This is due to there still be being a negative stigma in the minds of some people. Especially in the rap world. There are rarely any openly gay rappers. Religion is also a cause of homophobia. Homosexuality is restricted in the most popular religions. So it makes sense when people use religion as a reason to fear homosexuals. I think Brian Safi has done a great job with this video. He exaggerated in his video to tackle an unnecessary term
ReplyDeleteI have heard this term being used, but its has decreased in usage lately. I hear the term "no homo" being used in high schools and middle schools and i think that it is being used because it is considered "cool". Children assume that the people using this term are famous and what they do is right, so they follow in their foot steps and do what they do.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this term is necessary, yet people use it. I think this idea came to be because of the idea that people can be homo and they don't want to associate with or confuse those who are. I think women do not use the term "no homo" because women are more open with their feelings and don't find it weird to hug, or talk about their feelings.
Homophobia, in my opinion, is due to how people are raised and with this many facts have an influence. Religion being of the the main influences, Families that follow their religion point out to their children "so and so is bad, don't do it". Family and upbringing are huge but along with this, Media plays a role as well. Media only portrays what they think is right and so far in the media, there has yet to be an act that promotes homosexuality to an extent that it would change everyone's opinion.
I don't think that Brian Safi has gone to far with his video, I mean, it's supposed to be comedy and it is. Sure there is some unnecessary things in the video and other things are exaggerated but overall I think he did a good job.
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ReplyDeleteI do hear this term used often. I know people use this term in an attempt to protect their sexuality. In western society(Mostly in the United States) that people use the term in a response to someone else who says words such as "Pause" or "Suspect". I think it is the fear that people have of others assuming their sexual orientation which have them using the term often. I know I, as well as many others, wouldnt like to be assumed "gay". People wouldn't care as much if they were assumed "rich" or "A-class" but would if assumed "gay". The problem is fear which one has of how society would view them which prompts them to use the term "no homo". The real question is why do we fear being perceived "gay"? Why does it matter so much? I think that Rappers use the term because rappers cannot be gay. The whole genre of rap is masculine, am I lying? No, what type of rap songs sell? Not ones with men rapping about trying to be with another man. Rappers talk about women not men, Rappers say things like "Told that Bi%@# gimme head, Ochocinco"(French Montana,2013) or "...Is Brother that'll smother ya mother, and make ya sister think I love her"(Eazy-E, 1988) or "So what about a b#&% that got shot, f@#% her. You think I give a f$#^ about a b@^#* I aint a sucker"(Eazy-E, 1988) they dont say the same things about men. Brian Safi is a comedian and comedians aren't supposed to be taken serious and for that reason, my feelings are neutral.
ReplyDeletei've heard the term no homo numerous of times and I believe the reason why people might refer to term "no homo" is because of society and being judged. However, you don't here it as much as you use to, Although,if you were to see guys hug, some people might find it awkward and some might not care and find it normal, i think todays generation is becoming more accepting of certain actions portrayed by the different genders, and now a day most guys refer it to be bromance.
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