Not sure about you, but I was shocked – shocked! – to learn that anti-gay slang is sometimes used by certain members of America’s armed forces. This was the revelation that came from the videos shot onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise aircraft carrier by the ship’s second-in-command Capt. Owen Honors. Gawker graciously provided the world with a greatest hits collection of Honors’s comic stylings.
I didn’t find anything hugely offensive in what I saw. I also didn’t find anything hugely funny. As the kids today say, “Man, this is some lame shit.” What did tickle me was how quickly Honors’s “boys will be boys” horseplay turned (mildly) homoerotic. By showing a glimpse of two men rubbing each other in the shower, was Honors acknowledging that there are in fact gay sailors on board? Surely his underlings know that. My next observation – the good captain seems awfully obsessed with thoughts of male masturbation.
I’m not sure what Capt. Honors’s fate should be. I do lean toward some kind of semi-severe punishment for this reason: If he’d been running around and making a mostly harmless ass of himself in, say, blackface, he’d be outta there. Sorry to all you folks crying “political correctness!”, but the imminent end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell means a new and, at first, bumpy era for the armed forces. Once things settle down, straight soldiers may find that all the best gay jokes come from gay comrades.
I think Capt. Honors should at least be demoted for 1) being not so bright and 2) secretly thinking he’s the funniest guy on the planet.
I am sure years ago when the “N” word was used, people thought it was OK. Using the word faggot is not acceptable, especially when doing movie night. YES HE SHOULD BE FINED & FIRED. Its biggots like him that are causing young gay people to kill themselves; I don’t know how he sleeps at night.