03 Mar 2009
What's in a word?
It's an old question but the answer is that there is usually a lot. This is probably why RTÉ presenter Aidan Power's use of the word "ponce" in a negative fashion on the box recently got my fellow blogger Stephen Myler all hot and bothered. Let's take a look as to why.
Most dictionarys define the word ponce as either a noun in British slang for an effeminate male or a port in Puerto Rico. Therefore, in order for a negative reference to a ponce to be inferred as homophobic one must first of all accept the outdated assumption that all gay men are effeminate. Surely, the LGBT community today is, by definition, a diverse mix of all different types of men and woman. I do not see Power's comments as homophobic - I just see him as taking the piss of girly bois - be they straight or gay. I also find it unfortunate that at a time when a whole continent refuses to even allow the mention of the word "gay" on public television, a skilled writer such as Mr. Myler is concerned by something far more parochial and ultimatly irrelevant.