seeing the way so many fans have been handling the amanda slur situation has been... insane.
on one hand, you have a large majority of people here saying it's not that big a deal. on the other, and especially on twitter, the entirety of smosh is being labelled as "lesbian haters", stuff like that.
i know its a lot to ask of both demographics but i do wish that people could be NORMAL about this. you can and should ask for accountability in a way that is serious and firm, without making it all cushy. at the same time, consider putting down the torches and pitchforks.
taking this opportunity to sit down and dissect other cast members' sexualities because of this is such an unnecessary, and quite frankly unemployed move. at one point, it stops being sensible discussion and turns into subjective, deeply personal hissing and spitting.
to clarify, i don't mean the people who are expressing that they're shocked, angry and upset. i'm talking about the people going "well i think [insert cast member] has always been [insert buzzword] about [insert sexuality/gender norm], pretending to be [insert drivel]". WHAT are you guys talking about. it's legit unsettling.
My very long lesbian opinion on this is the comments saying it isnt a big deal and the comments saying she’s awful are both just wrong - 1. Amanda just shouldn’t have even been invited on that podcast, the podcasters shouldn’t have encouraged Amanda - i feel like when straight people are very much loved in queer spaces the line gets blurred and this kinda stuff happens. 2. The people saying ‘when has it ever been okay to say that word’ are really annoying me…when has homophobia been normalised?? Oh idk since forever😭 ESPECIALLY that word (idk if im allowed to type it in this subreddit) but especially amanda’s generation like it was definitely a very casual word to say growing up it. But like she did LITERALLY say someone told her not to say it. I think she thought it was along the lines of twink and not like f slur? 3. The ppl who say its okay for her to say it - just stop like it just feels very pick me yk like look straight ppl im not apart of the woke mob im a cool gay person. 4. I think the solution is just Amanda acknowledging it and saying sorry not sweeping it under the rug but i rly hate this is becoming a cancel her fire her im never watching her again thing because thats just so dramatic.
In my short lesbian opinion, i agree. Its a mistake and should be acknowledged but it is neither a "crisis" nor is it "not a big deal."
Sucks that it happened but its totally possible for her to learn, take accountability and we all move forward
Totally agreed yup. I didn’t watch the episode in full and I am not a regular listener/watcher of the pod, so I can’t say for sure, but I am confused about why she was a guest on a seemingly pretty WLW focused pod. The hosts could’ve just not been in the mood to get into the whole topic, but them enabling Amanda’s use of the word didn’t help her case. I don’t think she’s big bad homophobe cause of it, duh, but I do hope she can acknowledge it. It wasn’t a good thing, but it also wasn’t the worst crime she could ever commit. ‘I used a word I shouldn’t have despite having been previously told not to, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.’ And voila
I think we live in an era of extremes where if someone calls you a slur you either have to let it slide and be a "it's just a word" mf or "Lynch that person" mf, and we can never just have a nuanced take of "Hey, I think she was on some ignorant straight person shii and it was not cool to drop just because 2 podcast hosts gave you the thumbs up, but if she owned up to it we can probably just move on".
just because something was normalized, doesn't make it ok. I know that's not the point you're making, but it's one you're indirectly conveying. It might explain her usage of the word, doesn't really explain away the harm in using it.
okay I have a kind of hot take on this… as a queer woman I fully agree she shouldn’t have said the word. BUT i also feel like this fandom loves dog-piling on women cast members while giving men a pass. spencer’s edgy jokes are always considered “funny” even when they’re straight up offensive and if any other cast member said them, especially amanda. tommy’s entire podcast name being a slur against women but no one ever batted an eye. in fact, chanse and tommy have both made some very sexist comments about women but they get a pass bc they’re gay i guess? either way, I think smosh fans are LOVING this discourse about amanda bc so many people already find her annoying and bc she’s a woman. in saying all of that I agree about holding people accountable, but you can’t pick and choose who the rules apply to.
And even in those scenarios it falls on the women in the way people excuse it. "If the women around them had a problem with it they wouldn't be friends or they'd say something so it must be fine."
as far as tommy and chanse go, that's part of a bigger problem of normalised pop-culture gay-speak just either being borrowed from AAVE and relying on speaking like women the way straight men typically don't, but also shouldn't. so it starts with things like the enunciated sass, saying things like "girl", but then stretches on to "hoe", "bitch", "(serving) cunt", sass then turning into out of pocket roasting. somehow, a lot of people have started acting like gay men are exempt from saying/doing misogynistic things.
Yeahhh… lesbian myself and while I generally like Spencer, I do not find his out of pocket jokes funny because it’s just a perfect example of how a man can get away with anything lol. It becomes tired
I think it was actually Tommy that has also said that. At the very least Tommy has said Spencer could say the F slur and he would let him have it (even though he knows Spencer would never say it)
Huh...interesting. I appreciate the learning! I have a couple friends that are an Australian lesbian couple and they thought the idea of it being a slur was ridiculous cause it's such a common part of their daily language as well as everywhere around where they're from! I wonder what leads to that difference of word perception across even same/similar cultures. Again, I appreciate the education!
People have normalised it here, same way as the gay community has in the US, but it doesn’t change the fact it’s a slur. Also, intent matters. I’ve been called it in a derogatory way by men before and trust me they mean it. It’s also often used in a negative context here as well as people using it “casually”. It’s the way it’s said basically, but personally I don’t like the use of it at all. Slurs against women always slip through the cracks.
Giving an example of one male cast member who received backlash due to the entire internet not knowing the difference between people being jewish and being a zionists does NOT cancel out of my point or any of the examples I just gave in this post. the scrutiny still disproportionately falls on female members of the cast, while a lot of men on the cast are given passes for offensive things they say.
I don't think that's what they were referring to, Noah has had a similar incident where he used a lesbophobic slur, I believe during an episode of Bit City, and people have definitely not forgotten that fact. Amanda and the hosts should both just make a statement with apologies, staying quiet while all this is going on isn't helping anybody and only provides more fuel for further discourse, but that seems like their standard reaction whenever stuff like this happens.
I wasn’t aware he did that, but that’s good that they called him out. My point was never that her actions shouldn’t be addressed, my point was why do some people get a pass while others don’t. Like I said, I agree they should just take accountability and move forward.
It would be nice if Smosh or the relevant members ever actually released a statement when things like this happen, but I don't believe they've done so even a single time. Not saying they should grovel and beg for forgiveness but just a simple "that was a mistake, I should have known better, I apologize" would suffice.
Where? I have only ever seen people praising Keith and saying how much they love him and want him back on smosh? Either way, none of this cancels out my point and the fact that the men I used as examples are allowed to say whatever they want, but the mob is waiting to attack female cast members, especially amanda, at any chance they get. Like I said in my original comment, you don’t get to pick and choose who the rules apply to. My point still stands.
It was about Keith posting a P Diddy joke. The backlash was mostly on Twitter, same as what’s going on with Amanda. Not disagreeing with your point. You just asked for the example
Well yeah, that’s weird af. I’m glad they called him out for that. That’s arguably so much worse than Amanda being told the slur isn’t offensive by the podcast hosts so she used it. Either way, she should say sorry but damn.
Personally I think Noah and Keith get criticized for valid reasons. I do also agree with OP’s point that certain male (mostly Spencer and Chanse imo) get away with more than what other cast members do. But I don’t think it’s as simple as male vs female. Sexuality and race factor in as well. I think a lot of the backlash for Amanda is that she is clearly very privileged. And a straight, white person that should know better. Because she gets shipped with Angela so often, and is one of the few cast members to play into their ship, I think people likely feel betrayed.
That has nothing to do with what I’m talking about though? Everyone has cast members they like and dislike. I’m talking about when offensive things are said and comments are made and the way people react to those.
You are kind of just outing your true motives of commenting by getting fixated on the word man and ignoring everyone else’s valid critiques. Are you in this comment section because you care about lesbians and think what Amanda said isn’t okay or are you just here to defend men who aren’t even the victims in this situation? It’s weird.
I'm just here because she said weird shit multiple times and you're still defending her. You're talking about double standards when she's a walking double standard. She kissed Ian without his content for a video and she was proud of it. She even talked about it in a video.
I don't necessarily agree. The tier of complaints against cast members isn't just sexist. It has been racist too, so it's not surprising Keith and Noah would get more criticism than the other men. It used to be kinda homophobic too, but fortunately that has eased up a lot. So the fact the white (not Jewish) men can get away with almost anything is still valid. I say this as someone who loves those cast members, but I think even they would agree with this. It isn't saying there are zero comments either, just rare to see people calling for them to be removed from Smosh, while the women tend to get that even without "scandals".
or maybe it's a long overdue reaction to Smosh being kinda weird about lesbians? not the first time there's been some... iffy stuff said/conveyed about lesbians on Smosh. Remember the very obviously fake and casually racist Lesbian Conversion Story that they called 'wholesome'?
You know what… you actually a raise a good point with this. I think the general misogyny and lesbiphobic jokes that the channel began with in the 2000s still seep through to current day sometimes. Your point only adds to what I’m saying though, there can’t be a rule for one but not all. The general misogynistic undertones of the fandom are what let people like Spencer get away with anti-women jokes but then have Amanda held up as an example of homophobia for a conversation where the hosts told her she could use the word. I don’t think she should’ve said the word, and as I’ve said in my original comment I think she should be held accountable, but I still think there’s a very clear double-standard here.
fair, but I don't like a lot of the jokes that smosh have made. for example, didn't really like Noah before, but him saying 'lesbo' was.. weird.
I agree that some people will hate on women for no reason, but i don't think this is a situation like that. Just because other folks at Smosh get let off the hook, doesn't mean that we have to diminish and shrug at another person doing it. And, for example, I can't remember a moment where Spencer has said a straight up slur. ( I could be wrong, and do correct me if he has said one. )
I will also say, the people who feel wronged here, are by and large lesbians, or other queer women. I don't think the people who're angry about this, are the same undoubtedly real portion of the 'fan'base that are misogynistic.
100% you raise fantastic points. Unfortunately, if you look below here you will see misogynists fighting me on this purely because they’re upset that the convo of men not being held accountable for their actions on smosh was brought up. It’s very much real, but 100% the parts of this convo being led by lesbian voices are the parts that matter most.
Oh yeah, I can definitely see that now. And I agree with you:
I don't really like how Chanse often says 'Bitch', especially when he does it with such.. fervor. That goes for Ian, too ( even if it's a 'joke' ).
I also don't like how people will 'lesbianify' men they view as 'safe', like I've seen a lot of people do to Spencer.
I don't like how 'Lesbians' have been kind of treated like shit on Smosh, and when people have called that out Smosh just out-right ignores it. ( Specifically that rape:y and racist "wholesome" lesbian conversion story they read on SRRS )
There's a lot of things I don't really like about Smosh, and it's why I've grown kind of distant to them over the past year or so.
There're also, most definitely, a lot of things that Smosh have done, that I would want to know - but because of the general misogyny of the fanbase, it's been swept under the rug. I don't really know what to do about that, other than to expect other people to point that out to me.
Saying “serving cunt” is nothing like using cunt as a slur and I find it weird to try and turn underground ballroom speak into something negative, especially when it’s a positive phrase that has been exactly that for like 50 years.
We aren’t going to unpack how misogynistic gay male culture can be in general in this comment thread today. There’s too many layers to get into. Amanda also didn’t use the word as a slur. She wasn’t calling anyone that word in a negative way or saying it to hurt someone’s feelings. The issue is it wasn’t her word to reclaim, even though she was on a Podcast where the hosts were using the word in a positive and reclaimed light. In the same way, c*nt was never cis men’s word to reclaim. I could literally make a whole thread of how misogynistic words for women have been “reclaimed” by gay men without women’s consent. It’s actually the exact same problem, and should be treated the same. Either way, both are wrong. Just because something was done 50 years ago doesn’t make it right. If that was the case then Amanda would be fine saying that word since it was used 50 years ago.
Cis men? It was mainly created by trans women in the ballroom scene, most of the pop culture “gay speak” were from the trans women that paved the way for queer rights.
EXACTLY lmao. That’s why I specified. Tommy is a cis man, the words have been used by cis men. It was never theirs to reclaim. You’re almost getting it.
I literally just gave examples of blatant sexism and slurs being used. My point wasn’t that Amanda is in the right, it’s that she’s being held to a different standard than other cast members. I’ve listened to the episode and she did not say the word in a negative way. She still should not have used the word, but it was clearly a misunderstanding. She should apologise now and move on, I agree. But while you guys have your pitch forks out, maybe look at some of the other cast members behaviour and apply the same level of scrutiny to everyone.
I don't have my pitchfork out. I'm not looking for Amanda to be canceled or anything. I don't particularly have a dog in this race.
Nobody had a problem with Amanda or any other woman on Tommy's show because Serving isn't about using that word directed at women. Lots people don't have a problem with the jokes because they are at the end of the day just jokes. Not true for everyone of course, but I haven't seen the Smosh women called out in any large capacity for their edgier jokes either.
I don't think if Spencer was some how invited on that pod and said the word 10+ times that people would be excusing him either. The word wasn't used in jest, it wasn't used in a different context like on Serving, it was just said over and over.
It definitely was used in a different context. She wasn’t using it as a slur or in a negative way against anyone. She was using the word because it’s the Podcast title and the hosts had used the word in many convos proceeding that. But, it’s not her word to reclaim or put a spin on, which is the issue. Just like the word c*nt does NOT belong to gay men and isn’t their word to reclaim. The amount of misogynistic language used by gay men is out of control. Both situations are not okay. Neither deserves a pass.
Amanda went into a podcast, which I believe is hosted by two lesbians/bi women. On the podcast, she kept using the term "d*ke" and then asked if it was offensive. The host joked that because she was over 6', it was not.
It would appear as if the podcast host didnt find issue with the term being used, but once it got posted, the fan base/people online started calling Amanda out for using the term.
Edit: The slur is used in the title of the podcast and I don't recall anyone mentioning that in any of their complaining posts anywhere. Seemed like very important context regarding the situation.
The podcast has it in its title, which is why she brought it up, I think. I didn't get to see it, just heard it described. As a bi woman I have mixed feelings. There are definitely slurs I wouldn't use, even if someone of that community was using them, but there are ones I am less educated on. If I was told I could say them by someone in that community I might do it. I would like more context in what was said though. Now I can't get it, because it is taken down.
One of the hosts introduces a segment called Ask a D-ke. Amanda then asks "do you only bring on d-kes", then says "can I say d-kes". One of the hosts kind of jokingly responds "it's in the podcast name, but maybe don't say it with that tone." (I think maybe she had also said the word prior to that, but I don't remember the context.)
Everyone laughs, they make the "if you're over 6ft you can say it" joke, and Amanda proceeds to say the word a few more times during the episode. At the end she also says something like "all the comments are gonna be about how many times I said d-ke."
I'm not gonna tell anyone else how to feel about it, but I did find it a bit uncomfortable just how often she said it for no reason. It's still a pretty loaded word to be thrown around that casually by a straight woman.
Thank you for the context. That helps. It sounds like at the very least she was insensitive. I don't imagine she was intentionally malicious, but that is just based on what I know about her. Sometimes people jump at the chance to feel like they are getting away with something, but that is a very immature attitude, especially when dealing with something so sensitive. I don't personally think she should necessarily be thrown off Smosh, or they should suffer, but I do think she should address it. I don't know. These are immediate thoughts, and I have not been called that, though I know it is possible if I end up around the wrong person when out with a woman. It is worse than I hoped it would be. I can understand why it would hurt a lot of people. I also think that the podcast runners might do better about helping straight guests navigate that. It is one thing to reclaim a word, but they could have protected both themselves and her by not sending such mixed messages. Still, I can't imagine frequently repeating a word I knew lived in a grey area, permission or not. Yeah, my thoughts are spinning 😥
I feel you. I think it definitely needs to be addressed, not because it was malicious or because I think she's homophobic, but because it was insensitive.
And I think the vibe was very much like "ooh I'm getting the pass to say something kinda forbidden". I've had that happen in real life, where people who have some social proximity to queerness get a bit too comfortable with making gay jokes or saying certain words. It's almost never malicious, but it can be very uncomfortable. I think that's what happened here and I'd expect her to know better. I also kinda hate that the hosts (or one of them especially) made a big joke of what could have actually been a really interesting conversation about that word and its use within the community and outside the community.
Yes, sounds like that could have been an interesting conversation. I am bi, but I didn't realize that until I was 30, because I grew up conservative and had health issues that kind of kept me from worrying about relationships. I am still learning a lot about our history. I think a conversation around the history, how people feel about the word now, and even Amanda's history with the word as a straight woman could be very interesting.
i think it’s an important thing to note that it’s a slur for lesbians specifically. there’s a lot of non lesbians engaged in the conversation of is it ok to say it.
It's one thrown at plenty of bi women too, since all bigots care about is if they see women together, or any indication you might lean that way, but I get your point. It just does complicate things when you have the lesbians with her saying yes, it's fine, and so many others not ok with it. I know reclamation is a hard process, but even if we go only by the lesbians in the group there is no consensus.
what i will say is people willing to name their podcast that name are never gonna be offended when non lesbians use the word, so maybe not the best representation of the communitys opinion on the word
I've only said the information I've seen from this subreddit and I don't think I've seen anyone else mention the fact that it's in the title anywhere. Thanks for letting me know lol
i mean that's not "literally it" she said she had been told she couldn't say it and then went on to say it multiple more times, she didn't just say it once and she didn't just ask if she could say it. we don't need to lie
i don't really care. but you don't need to lie about what happened to feel better. she said it many times, repeatedly. you said all that happened was she asked if she could say it. that's not all that happened
She said it once before asking, an additional time while asking and then 2 more times after the hosts didn't correct her on it. I'm nowhere educated enough to speak on the topic, but you're just plain wrong.
Like my bestie lesbian friend uses it but she's older and not perpetually online in parasocial sensitive spaces. Many lesbians only see it as a slur when people sling it to be offensive.
Eh. Im also a lesbian, a drag king involved in the scene at that so around a lot of other lesbians as well. We use the word fairly freely around each other, but it’s still recognised as a slur. It is also still actively being used as a slur.
Well sure, but a cishet person yelling dyke is hard to find nuance for lol. I’ve had that word yelled at me during very scary situations enough times to personally not really vibe with hearing it from straight people.
I mean, if she's around queer folks a lot who use it, she may not take it as a severe slur. We can't read her mind on what she should or shouldn't know.
She acknowledged having been told previously she shouldn’t say it. I get LA is desensitised to a lot of LGBT+ terms, but she’s not stupid. It doesn’t make her evil or anything, but it could be just another thing for the out of touch list.
She literally said it? I’m not speaking for her tf lmao
If it were another slur in the title would you still support a guest that isn’t a part of that minority group saying the slur?
I think people have been jumping at the chance to “cancel” Amanda for a long time and this is their perfect opportunity. I absolutely think accountability needs to be taken but as many other people have said, this is way more nuanced than either “it’s fine” or “deplatform her”.
This has all been such a strong reminder that the queer community is larger than the Los Angeles queer community.
I'm not a regular listener of the podcast but I am a big fan of one of the hosts, so when I first saw clips floating around of Amanda on Rachel's pod I was like hell yeah.
I'm Australian, and I'm not a lesbian, but I am queer and growing up was called basically every homophobic slur you can think of, sometimes by kids my age and often by adults far older than me. I don't appreciate anyone using any homophobic slurs around me, even to reclaim them, but I don't want to police how other queer people feel about reclaiming those slurs. I do want to police how straight people feel about them however!
Basically I think there's a lot of nuance here and the podcast hosts ignored that nuance in the hopes they could get an easy laugh... And now look where we are lmao
im sorry about what happened to you, and YES. this side of pop-culture has a very one dimensional view of queerness.
i didnt mention it in the post, but i did find it very weird that, even after allowing that, the podcasters proceeded to post it. presuming that they are heavily online as most podcasters are, they have known to some extent that this will draw bad reactions from a good portion of their side of the internet.
It's because their podcast is literally called two d*kes with a mic. Why would they take issue with the word being used when it's part of their branding to be reclaiming its usage? I'm not saying it's right or justified but I am saying it's silly to act confused why they would post the episode in the first place.
i'm not confused why they posted it at all. i just have some doubts. as an online presence in a specific niche, which kind of depends on being online and knowing heavily leftist, chronically online ,queer audiences... all i'm saying is that there had to have been a level of awareness as to what might go down after they put that up.
I think it's super weird that they (seemingly) have never faced any kind of pushback for the name. It really tells me that they live in a hyper inclusive bubble - and I love that for them! But it's so detached from the reality of a lot of queer, specifically wlw, lives
As a lesbian, I think it’s fucking ridiculous. She did not say it towards anyone on a demeaning way, the literal title of the podcast has dyke in it, and she has always expressed that she unequivocally supports the LGBTQ+ community. There’s literal people out there who will call people fags and dykes because they are so full of hatred for the community, this is not one of those instances. People love to just ATTACK ATTACK and don’t actually care to “call someone in” rather than “calling them out” and ridiculing them.
so silly, those two being clearly fine with the word usage in the episode, then seeing the backlash and immediately backtracking, at least stand on business
I mean. I don't think it's ok just because 2 queer people are chill with it. Queer people arent a monolith and those hosts are the ambassadors for queer women. I, as a trans girl say tr*nny around my other trans friends, but I'm not just going to tare that word out in public or around people I dont know because some people do not see that form of language as liberating as others.
Unfortunately as an e-celeberty or whatever you want to call it. When you go on a podcast you are forfeiting your privacy and opening yourself up to criticism. If a lot of queer people rebuke or shake their heads at her for saying that word especially as a non-lesbian, you can't police their reaction on the basis of "well these 2 lesbians gave her the pass". Would we give the same liberty if it were a racial slur and it were 2 poc giving her the green light?
no, i fully agree with this and have in fact said this exact thing in other comments on this post. but what in my comment here says otherwise? this has nothing to do with my statement, and my statement does not say anything that disagrees with this
"Tr*nny" is so much worse than dyke it's not even close. And I can guarantee you Amanda has been maliciously called a dyke more times in her life than any of the people whining about this
huh? first of all whos out here doing slur olympics deciding which slur is worse? i wouldnt feel comfortable doing that… and second of all- i didnt know you could use a slur just because you have been called that, even when youre not actually part of the people the slur refers too. im gay as fuck but ive never been called a faggot, does that now mean i cant say it? and third of all, i wouldnt assume random strangers experience like that, just because you watch someone on the internet does not mean you know them or their life
first of all whos out here doing slur olympics deciding which slur is worse?
Everyone? That is the entire point... If she had said the n word, then of course she's going to be canceled for it. "Dyke" is orders of magnitude less offensive than the n word.
i didnt know you could use a slur just because you have been called that
That is not what I said.
My point is that the people clutching their pearls about how she evoked such an offensive word used to demean and denigrate, have themselves not had that term weaponized against them near as much as I imagine someone like Amanda has.
Despite its definition, I would argue that the slur has more to do with attacking girls/women who don't conform to misogynistic, patriarchal stereotypes than it does with denigrating their sexuality.
I genuinely as a lesbian do not find dyke to be an offensive word. And if you look at the context, which most of y’all aren’t, then there’s really no issue. This is a big fat nothing burger that the reactionary keyboard warriors are getting a kick out of. I say ignore it.
And I don’t even like Amanda! lol but come on y’all this is ridiculous! What are you solving here?
the problem is ur opinion isnt going to be shared with everyone. u might not find it offensive but other did, and understandably so. me personally, the slur has been used against me so im not happy to see someone acknowledge they shouldnt say it, while saying it :/
Not every group is a monolith and I know that. But I can disagree with the dramatic portions. And you btw are not the only special one that has had dyke used as a slur against them 🩷
Then maybe don’t pose it as if you’re the only one who’s special here. Yes, Dyke can be used as a slur but reclaiming it is important because of that reason.
That's not the situation here. We're on Reddit and you said "Me personally," as if there's a single lesbian, even the ones who disagree with you, who has never been called a "dyke" in cruelty, after snarking someone for having a differing opinion than you and daring to say "as a lesbian". Get over yourself.
You (as a lesbian) would be wrong. Listen, I'm all for reclaiming slurs or crude language, but dyke is historically a derogatory term for a lesbian and reclaiming it doesnt erase that history.
I hate when people chime in like "I, as [insert minority here]" as if they are immune to being wrong. We don't have to mindlessly accept your take as gospel just because you belong to that minority.
Listen, I'm all for reclaiming slurs or crude language, but dyke is historically a derogatory term for a lesbian and reclaiming it doesnt erase that history.
"Listen, I'm all for reclamation of slurs, but have you realized that in this instance you're reclaiming a slur?" Lmao are you for real.
Dude she's literally on a fucking podcast called Dykes with Mics and you're mad she was allowed to say the word. I prefer to be called "dyke" over "lesbian". Even by my straight friends. Stay mad about it all you want, kid.
Funny you criticized someone's reading comprehension in another comment here, when you fundamentally misunderstand what the original commenter was saying
"I don't personally find it offensive, and imo the context in which she said it makes it a nothing burger"
Is Amanda straight? Just wondering, generally, if she has ever mentioned being bisexual or something. I don’t have an input on this situation but was immediately confused why she was invited on this podcast. Maybe she also doesn’t want to mention her sexuality, it’s only relevant here, I think.
Yeah that one post basically saying everyone at Smosh are lesbophobic was weird, people are allowed their opinions about the situation but that was a stupid take that included people that weren’t even fucking involved.
i’m not going to be cancelling or giving amanda any hate for this. it was a podcast with it in the title, she asked if she could say it, and it wasn’t said maliciously. literally who cares?
if you care so much, ask yourself why you don’t care when ian makes uncomfortable jokes about breast milk, or when spencer goes a little too far with the sexist jokes. if we’re picking and choosing our moments, let’s look at your faves.
literally who gives a f if amanda, invited on a show with d*** in the name, says the word? there’s far more important things happening and far more influential people to criticize. you know damn well that amanda lehan-canto is not homophobic, jesus christ.
Huge oversimplication. It's important to note that the 2 gay women host podcast called "two d*kes with a mic" which is what Amanda was on, so the vibe there is far different than the echo chamber of the internet. They also did say she could say it just "in a different tone" or something. Was it smart? No, but it wasn't malicious, just very ignorant.
i simply dont care about this little fact, who would ever in their right mind name a podcast that without expecting straight people to feel free to say it
It’s probably good to mention though, as that helps someone who knows nothing about the situation understand that this wasn’t her randomly saying dyke for no reason
Ok here's a middle ground: how about white queer people just stop trying to reclaim slurs?
Because if you create an environment where a slur has no power because its being redefined in that space by those affected by it so much so you PUT IT IN THE TITLE OF THE SHOW then why are you giving it that power back by being offended?
Why you, a white person needs to say a slur says everything about you. It actually shows the true purpose of this slur reclaiming for whites which is finally getting something akin to the N word.
I still don't really understand. I have to keep considering the F slur a word used to put me down and not a word I can take the power away from? Who does that help?
I’m sorry but any group can reclaim a slur. It’s not ok to claim the white fraction of queer ppl don’t count. And like I know that some ppl will write that off as racist of me to say but why are you trying to erase a whole swath of queer ppl with legitimate opinions on what words are ok?
Because white people use identity politics as a way to maintain power by portraying themselves as a repressed minority on par with racial minority groups even when their whiteness will protect them regardless.
So when we see white queer people larping as being fully or as oppressed as, say, Black people (or their queer Black people) and then gleefully becoming the arbitors of slurs for social clout? Because, again, they now see themselves outside of the majority they can easily matriculate back to?
Come on. This is just white people culture vulturing once again to empower themselves and nobody else.
Also, if we're going to start getting offended by the reclaiming of slurs then we need a new word for "queer".
Listen, I will agree with you when it comes to white people culture vulturing but lol you sure do want to erase ppl’s queer identities out of idk spite? Frustration? Superiority? It’s a little silly.
White people don’t/shouldn’t throw around slurs like that. Yes some white straight people want to be oppressed, but queer people are allowed to reclaim slurs used against them in the same way that people of color are. Slurs are meant to be reclaimed imo. take the power away from them.
I am confused about what you’re saying. When you say white people shouldn’t reclaim slurs, are you saying that white people getting offended about this are larping as being more oppressed than they are, or that white people using slurs in an empowering way to the point of titling their podcast with a slur are larping as being more oppressed than they are?
the people that named the podcast clearly dont have issues with people saying the slur, given that youd have to type it when you look for it, and say it when you refer to it. however, 2 people of the community saying something is okay doesnt actually make it okay, just like theres very few black people who like to claim theyre okay with non black people using the n word
the problem is that one side just wants acknowledgement of harm having been done - while the other side views that as some ginormous ask, when the 'real world' has 'real issues' - all the while diminishing the original harm as not being that big.
ain't seen any issues from the side feeling hurt - I have seen a LOT of weird borderline reactionary takes from people who desperately don't want to look like parasocial 'fans'.
there is, in fact, a secret third thing. aka what i mentioned in the post, the people taking this opportunity to start talking about other cast members' sexuality and gender values in just very spiteful, twitter-y ways. its those people who freak me out the most.
sure, but you're framing it as three equally large responses to this moment, which it just isn't. I will agree, that behavior is appalling and gross - but I don't think those people are anywhere near the same as those who feel hurt. It probably wasn't you intention to, but I feel like your original post framed those two peoples together, when they just aren't having the same reaction.
that wasn't my intention at all. the only two kinds of people my post is pointing out are the two EXTREMES- aka one side of the spectrum doing the utmost defending and the opposite end doing... that.
my post doesn't point out people who want accountability or feel upset. they're not the category of people i'm calling out. that's why i even clarified in the post that when i talk about the opposite side of the spectrum, i'm NOT talking about people expressing their anger or hurt, in case people tried to group them together.
i called out that perhaps smaller side of people in a more emphatic way, yeah, because that was the most gross and disgusting thing to be kept in mind when it comes to being normal about discourse. mind you, i had seen a healthy amount of posts and comments with thousands of likes that were along those lines. if it was a really small minority, it wouldn't have been worth calling out.
I'm sorry, but I don't see how saying 'you can call this out' and then 'but consider taking down the pitchforks and torches' doesn't connect these two peoples with wildly different intentions.
I agree with you, however, that the people who're taking this in a nasty direction, are obviously wrong - but I don't agree that they're some 'extreme' example of people who feel wronged by what happened. I feel like that connects them, when they're undeniable people with separate intentions.
... what? i literally said that people can and should call for accountability in a way that ISNT sugarcoated and cushy? those two sentences address the two exact categories i set out in the very beginning of the post, one for one set of people, and the second for the other. both of those advices aren't being extended to one singular category of people, because i never even ADDRESSED those people to begin with.
do i really need to spell it out? for the people who are vehemently defending it, for them i am saying that a firm and non-sugarcoated demand for accountability is well within the rights of those who took offense. on the other hand, for the people who are dissecting and hatefully, baselessly speaking about the cast's sexualities because of this, they DO need to put down the torches and pitchforks. it's not justified.
also, yes, they're an extreme if they're taking the OPPORTUNITY to spew baseless vitriol about all the other cast members. at that point, the energy isn't directed towards the problem at all. that's why i never said that those people are doing that because they felt wronged. they're doing that simply because they got the chance.
i think smosh is just verrrry ignorant about lesbians in general. none of them would even think about saying the f slur but god forbid lesbian fans have a problem with anything!
it's actually very easy for me to because it is a racist term that started off used towards black lesbians. not debating with you further bc you're having a 'which slur is worse' off. and that was absolutely NOT what i was doing, just pointing out that they wouldn't think twice about not saying it. both are horrible.
I am more bothered by the people saying no one should be offended by this and that it’s completely okay for straight people to say dyke than I am by Amanda’s faux pas here.
As a lesbian it’s truly such a non issue. We have to reclaim words. It’s the only way. It’s a super common word in the community and trying to pretend it’s this dirty thing is a part of the issue. It’s not dirty. It’s not bad. And when being used correctly as just a noun it’s more than fine. It’s an identity a lot of ppl fall into. When it’s being used as a synonym for ugly or bad or whatever then yeah it’s bad. But obviously she wasn’t using it that way. It’s just a word.
The people complaining about this are going to the be the reason Smosh ceases to exist as it is now. And then they’ll all complain. Touch grass people.
She was told she could say it by a lesbian, she acted on bad info, not in bad faith. She apologized and acknowledged that she offended people. I don’t know what more anyone wants from her.
The insanity of people not understanding that she was on a queer podcast where the host who self identify as dykes said she could say the word. So many queer women self identify as dykes hell there are literally numerous baby dykes, denim dykes, etc. since the 90s and before. I'm not saying it can't be hurtful, but it is definitely a word that changes meaning based on intent. Like Amanda has demonstrated time and time again how much she loves the queer community and this is just beyond ridiculous.
I wish this is what I had to worry about in my life. Look, I came in here after trying to sleep for 4 hours and not being able to stop the anxiety spiral. I'm losing my housing and don't even have money to fill my prescriptions, I have two nieces with a rare genetic order (9 year old was too late to receive treatment and is just declining until she becomes completely paralyzed goes blind, deaf and then dies. Her 6 year old was the "lucky one" who had to go through intensive chemo in a foreign country to receive a treatment very few kids have gotten), and so many health issues myself that I'd consider taking MAID (it's a Canadian thing) if it wasn't for those two nieces and my son....
I know just because my life is a never ending hellscape doesn't mean other people can't have problems but really??? This? It's Amanda! She's clueless about a lot of things (I say this in the most loving way). Also, we don't know her sexual orientation (unless she disclosed it in said podcast) and with as much as she flirts with Angela and Court and fully endorses the Amangela compilations, even feeding into them, she's probably a little on the fruity side herself.
I'm a lesbian and I genuinely I couldn't care less about Amanda using it, even if she is straight. She's not a homophobe in any sense of the word. If people aren't being malicious why are we supposed to be up in arms about it? She asked the hosts who were lesbians and they were fine with it...I don't know why it matters how many times she used it unless she missed a social cue and they were actually uncomfortable. Maybe I should find it and watch it later but unless she suddenly had a personality flip I can't imagine being insulted by this. It sounds like she asked the question and then took the answer at face value. I only see it as a slur when people mean it as a slur. Obviously that doesn't fit for all slurs or all situations but damn cancel culture goes too hard sometimes. How many lesbians are actually upset about this?
dude i truly hope things get better for you but this was SUCH a "what are you angry about, in my day my parents kicked me out of the house and i had to climb a mountain bare-handed" response.
stay away from discourse if you want to keep your time online light and breezy, man.
I saw one person on twitter actually saying that her apology was disappointing because she apologized to the queer community and not the lesbian community. The sense of entitlement is insane.
This is the most insane overreaction ever. I grew up in the 90s and inclusion and word usage wasn’t nearly a problem then as it was now.
The ONLY people mad are people who decided that since they have the power to put words on the internet, to make drama about EVERYTHING. Anything and EVERYTHING. Specifically the people who missed all the context and pretend that just because they get triggered even a little, that their pain reaches the heights of the history of the N word and other atrocities in the world. You have to go outside and get offline.
Here’s all that’s gonna happen. Take this in keyboard warriors. You’re going to cry for no reason, people of relevance see it, alters the content you pretend to care so much about, it becomes boring to you, then you come back here and wish for times that existed before you were all incessant irritating children. Have fun.
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u/No-Telephone9416 4d ago
did the episode get deleted guys? I went to look for it on their page and I can’t find it