Posted on 07/21/2004 6:45:10 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past
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The Denver Postal knight
Snips and snails
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently labeled some of his critics "girlie men," may be catching heat for the wrong reasons. Democratic legislators in the Golden State have been after him, saying his language is demeaning to women, gays and lesbians. The "girlie men" label, which originated on the television program "Saturday Night Live," doesn't have an entirely clear meaning. Schwarzenegger's recent use of it doesn't help provide one. In its original setting, it meant men who didn't do body building. It has since come to mean something quite different, but what? The related term "girlie boy" has been used to describe men who have taken on some of the social and behavioral characteristics of women, especially those listed in the 19th century rhyme: "What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails. That's what little boys are made of! What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of!" "Girlie boys" are, in other words, boys or men who are especially nice, sensitive, caring or cautious. This is not the same as saying they are effeminate or gay. Columnist Ann Coulter used the term correctly in 2001 after the editors of National Review Online pulled her column. They said they were offended by her alleged intemperate remarks following the attacks of Sept. 11. Coulter had written, partly in jest, that the United States should invade Muslim countries and convert them to Christianity. When her column was dropped, Coulter labeled the editors "girlie boys," starting a controversy that lasted for months and ultimately helped define the term. In that context, it meant young men who were both overly sensitive and overly cautious. One can, of course, argue about whether a governor should call members of his state legislature "girlie men" for refusing to support his budget proposals. Whatever the merits of his word choice, it seems quite clear that his critics now want to have it both ways. Some of them seem to suggest that negative terms be avoided altogether. That is almost laughable in an election year. Sen. Gloria Romero, a Los Angeles Democrat, is quite direct in proposing the double standard in which Democrats would be able to name-call while Republicans couldn't. She said of the governor's comments, "About a fourth of the Senate are women. This is offensive for women. It is offensive to gays and lesbians in the legislature because of the way that term historically has been applied. 'Girlie man' is a negative term. It is inappropriate for a governor or anybody to name-call someone who, whether he likes it or not, has been elected by a majority of people in a district to represent them." Romero's remarks raise an interesting point. If it is wrong to name-call a member of the California Legislature, is it also outside the bounds to call the president of the United States a traitor, liar or a deserter? That's not a tough question. Thankfully, the English language is an incredibly flexible instrument. New words and constructions are constantly being introduced and the best of them last. Some of the constructions have, it must be admitted, negative as well as positive meanings. The fact is, there are behavioral characteristics that have little or nothing to do with sexual orientation that are generally recognized as either male or female. Just as there are men in the workplace who have taken on some of the characteristics of the old rhyme, there are women who have taken on the management style of the plantation owner, outdoing men with their aggressive style and use of explicit and vulgar language. It's the business of language to describe new developments and changing circumstances. That requires new words and new labels. While it's not yet clear that Schwarzenegger's remarks will give the term "girlie men" staying power, he certainly didn't break any new political ground by using it. Al Knight of Fairplay is a former member of The Denver Post editorial-page staff. His columns appear on Wednesday.
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I thought it hilarious that ZsaZsa Huffington was called upon to criticize Arnie; if anyone ought to know about girly-men...
Why is it an insult to lesbians anyway? Wouldn't they be manly-girls instead of girlie-men? I am not even clear as to why it insults women.
And the more the Dems flounce and pout, the more obvious it is that Arnold was right ;-)
A woman is not supposed to be "girly." She is supposed to be an amazon, like Sasquatch Reno. Girls are not to be given dolls to play with. I was thinking about going to see that movie, King Arthur, until I found out that Guinivere had been turned into Xena, Warrior Princess.
Nah, even on SNL, it meant wimps, and that's what Aaahnold meant too.
That's bad? Xena is pretty hot. Honor Harrington would whip your a$$ for such a remark. (Probably not, she's a lady too, but Nimitz might rip your face off. :) ).
"Girly men" used to mean pansys and wimps, whimpering sissified mama's boys, pantywaists and limpwrists. Now it means all that and liberal Democrats too.
"Girly men" used to mean pansys and wimps, whimpering sissified mama's boys, pantywaists and limpwrists. Now it means all that and liberal Democrats too.
Hmmmm...... I wonder
Who he has in mind.
Her name might sounds like a War cry.
Or it could be the sound of croup cough.
Or a happy cheer.
Please help me out.
I'm a little confused.
Ewwwww. I think I Know.
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