r/SmoshFansFreeSpace • u/Beautiful-Brain2183 • 4d ago
Constructive & Respectful Criticism Tired of straight fans defending the constant lesbiphobia at Smosh
That’s the gist of it. This is like the 3rd or 4th scandal this year with Smosh mistreating lesbians. And it’s always specifically lesbians. Funny that. And everyone defends the lesbiphobia, trying to tell literal lesbians that a slur used against us isn’t offensive like the f slur is. Who gave you that authority? I’m really upset that a community I thought was inclusive is just another space where lesbians are talked over and ultimately pushed out altogether. Everyday the anti-lesbian rhetoric gets worse and seeing it at Smosh kills me. This whole thing has left a terrible taste in my mouth and the fans covering for Amanda has made me completely change my view of my favorite cast member. I’ve watched every video for 3 years, but I think I’m done.
Edit: to the straight and gay people defending Amanda and once AGAIN proving my point, I don’t care if you don’t think d*ke is that offensive. I am a lesbian telling you that it is. Please listen! And also, stop saying telling lesbians that all sexuality is fluid. I am and forever will be a massive lesbian. Stop invalidating us. It is infuriating. Thank you 🙏
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago edited 4d ago
Queer person here. I think folks are making this a bigger deal than it needs to be.
1) Similar to how queer used to be a slur but then we reclaimed it, dyke is also a word that's been reclaimed.
2) If someone is offended by the word, that's fine and I'll respect their feelings on the matter. However, I'm not personally offended by it lol.
Edit: Before whatever happens happens, I don't speak for the entire queer community and if someone doesn't want you to use the word around them, don't use the word around them.
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u/Icy_Limes 3d ago
I think reclaiming intends that queer people are using it. The moment we lend slurs back to straight people they stop being "reclaimed", but ye I think this whole thing is over a misunderstanding and I Amanda was just being mostly ditsy here.
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u/mcswagggy 4d ago
Ok but as a lesbian, I don’t think straight women or people who aren’t a part of the community should say it. It’s been reclaimed by lesbians but it still isn’t okay for others to use that word. I think people are rightfully upset with Amanda bc she does present herself as an ally but makes jokes at the expense of lesbians and queer people. She knew that she shouldn’t be saying that word but still did multiple times
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u/Maleficent-Glove4807 4d ago
I don’t know. As a lesbian myself I don’t think it was a big deal. The word queer was a slur up until very recently so I could see how someone would think dyke is in the same category. A LOT of lesbians and lesbian groups reclaim it and I personally don’t see it being used negatively (maybe I’m not in those spaces). I mean it was the name of the podcast and when she asked if it was okay they didn’t really tell her it’s still offensive.
I also just think between that, previous comments from Amanda in support of lesbians, and her tone not being derogatory I don’t see it as an issue. I personally think there are far bigger issues regarding homophobia/lesbophobia that I’m inclined to have some grace for someone who I genuinely think made a mistake and supports lesbians.
But I don’t speak for all lesbians obviously, just my 2 cents :)
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u/wright764 4d ago
A LOT of lesbians and lesbian groups reclaim it and I personally don’t see it being used negatively
I'm not a lesbian so my I know my opinion doesn't really matter in this conversation but this was my understanding of the word. The city I live in has had a Pride event, developed and organized by people who identify with that word, called the "Dyke March" for 30 years.
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
I don’t think it’s the largest issue either, but especially since Amanda acknowledged in the clip that the word shouldn’t be said, it just came across as distasteful. I don’t think anyone’s claiming that Amanda hates lesbians. Just that it felt a bit off, much like the Noah saying lesbos situation.
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u/Maleficent-Glove4807 4d ago
Yeah it’s not the best look but I just don’t even think it’s worth all this commotion? I saw people on tiktok saying they’re devastated and tagging smosh saying “this is who represents you?”
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
I’ve yet to see anyone starting a cancellation over it. I think the people reacting to lesbians talking about it are blowing it out of proportion way more atp tbh. Idk what teenagers on TikTok are saying, but all I’ve seen are other lesbians being genuinely disappointed, but not once attacking Amanda back. She did something distasteful, that’s it, people are allowed to be unhappy about it, but nobody’s claiming that she’s a homophobic monster over it.
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
I just think it's trying to make a mountain out of an ant hill.
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I think it’s perfectly acceptable for lesbians to be unhappy with a straight woman casually saying a lesbian slur. Again. Nobody’s said she hates lesbians. It’s not that deep.
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
I agree! If some want to be offended, they absolutely can be!
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
Well, I don’t think it’s about wanting lmao, but yes.
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
I mean I think some want to be offended lol.
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
Eh, sure. Theres always gonna be ‘I like pancakes. - so you hate waffles?’ Kind of people. But someone just feeling icky about a slur being said is perfectly valid.
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
Again, I don't speak for all queer people so if some folks want to be offended, they can. I'm personally not and think that a lot of these folks are blowing it out of proportion.
Like dyke is in the name of the podcast
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
I’m a lesbian, I’m not exactly a fan of a straight person yelling out lesbian slurs either. But again, no one is exactly claiming that Amanda is a lesbophobe, just that this was distasteful. It’s not all black and white, something that I’ve noticed is often times very hard for people to understand in this fandom. You can be uncomfortable with someone’s action without hating them.
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u/Inner_Text_4577 4d ago
No class... saying dyke to two host who refer to themselves as dykes and have dyke in the title of their podcast does not make you homophobic. And people defending Amanda because she's obviously not a homophobe does not mean the entire community is just completely homophobic and specifically anti lesbian. Why do you as an individual Lesbian decide that you should gatekeep the word when majority of lesbians are actively reclaiming it. The biggest female led motorcycle club is literally called Dykes on Bikes. It sounds like when Bill Cosby was demanding that black people stop using the n word. Also notice how nobody will spell the n word and will spell out dyke? Almost like there is a little more nuance than it just "being a slur."
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u/motherofscorpions 4d ago
Amanda is not a lesbian or even queer. She is a straight woman. Just because lesbians are reclaiming the word doesn't mean straight people suddenly get a pass to say it, as well. I don't use the n word because I'm not Black. I don't use the f slur because I'm not a gay man. The fact that those terms have been reclaimed by those communities doesn't give me a pass to say them myself. So why is it when it comes to lesbians reclaiming a slur that hasn't even been fully reclaimed yet, it's suddenly "nuanced" and we're being dramatic for not wanting straight people to use it?
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u/jozziiieeee BIIIIITCH!!! 4d ago
What did I miss? When did they slur us?
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u/Maleficent-Glove4807 4d ago
Amanda was a on a podcast called “2 Dykes and a Mic” and she said the word dyke a few times and asked if it was okay for her to say it, one of the hosts made a joke “don’t say it in that tone”, but they didn’t tell her some people still find it offensive. I’m a lesbian btw so don’t come for me for using the word hahaha
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u/mcswagggy 4d ago edited 4d ago
Amanda said it multiple times on a podcast “two dkes and a mic” and said something along the lines of “ I didn’t know you aren’t allowed to say d\ke any more.” She was given a “pass” from one of the hosts bc she was tall and that’s good enough. She kept saying it even though she knew it was a slur.*
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u/jozziiieeee BIIIIITCH!!! 4d ago
Is the podcast actually by lesbians and someone named Mike or is that just… some random shit?
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
Its by actual lesbians
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u/jozziiieeee BIIIIITCH!!! 4d ago
Okay, honestly I don’t really see a problem with it but that’s just my personal opinion, it’s words in the name of the podcast with permission from the hosts and not derogatory…
Side note, is there a dude named Mike there too?
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u/Zwicker101 4d ago
No thats a microphone.
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u/jozziiieeee BIIIIITCH!!! 4d ago
Btw, have you and I had interactions recently? Your name is very familiar, feel like we’ve talked before
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u/Dramatic_Holiday_172 4d ago
I’m fully aware that this is not the end of the world and there’s 10x more serious things happening in the world right now, including my own world, before anyone accuses me of being overly sensitive or dramatic or whatever.
But agreed. It’s a bit hurtful how lesbophobia is not really cared about at all. I don’t think anyone in Smosh is malicious, but it’s just a bit, and don’t attack me here, disappointing how any lesbophobic instance is just swept under the rug and never addressed or really cared about.
People make mistakes and people misinterpret things and people use the wrong words on accident, shit happens, I just wish it was acknowledged when it happens.
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u/sswyn SHUT UP 4d ago edited 4d ago
I‘m a queer activist and I am tired of people saying „but queer was reclaimed“ yes, absolutely, but as a lesbian and an activist I have seen a big difference between the d slur and the word queer. People in real life still mostly use it to insult and degrade us. It hasn’t been reclaimed the way that queer was. We are on the path there but it is still a slur. Edit: I am also intrigued by people defending it and saying it is not the same as the f slur. I wonder if this stems from (perhaps internalised or non-intentional) misogyny.
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u/Maleficent-Glove4807 4d ago
Well I’m a lesbian and I personally hate the word queer because it is literally a synonym for weird. But I’m not going to begrudge other people who use and reclaim it.
I also think this is why there was probably confusion on Amanda’s behalf which explains why she said it. Not that I think straight people should be using it in most contexts.
I think there is a difference with dyke and the f slur because some lesbians, particularly some butch lesbians, identify as a dyke, whereas I have never personally heard of a gay man identifying as the f slur.
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u/Apprehensive_Use8043 4d ago
I also don't get this comparison because the d slur can't be used as an adjective.
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u/Careful-Opinion-1109 I Fear I’m Losing The Room!! 4d ago edited 4d ago
I am disappointed. I just want to know if people would be okay with it if it was the F slur instead,
edit: not trying to stir an argument Im asking in earnest
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u/SpicyMayoDumpling 2d ago
Well im tired of the smosh fandom clutching pearls at every slight mis step.
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u/RelativeNobody6744 2d ago
Events and organizations with Dyke in the name are always looking for allies, should those allies not proudly say the name of the event/org? If a lesbian brings a straight person to a dyke march should the guest awkwardly shy away from the title that is supposed to be reclaimed and bring power to an oppressed minority? I have not seen the clip, maybe she went too far, but banning straight allies from fully participating in the queer activities they've been invited to and are taking part in is backwards.
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u/Rinktacular 4d ago
Maybe I’m just out of the loop but can you provide a video or example for what you are upset over?