Pascoe's Argument About The Fag Discourse

544 Words3 Pages

Pascoe’s main argument about the “fag discourse” is that the practice of predominately straight males to call other people, objects, or events fag or gay isn’t simply a matter of homophobia or a negative outlook on gay men and that instead it is part of a larger societal issue that promotes and encourages any male to be undeniably masculine. She expands on this by exploring and discussing some of the many ways that this mindset harms all those within its reach at any and every level. As the term would imply, the use of fag or gay as a negative term hurts those that are in fact gay males. Despite the fact that the term has slightly deviated from its specific use to put gay individuals down and has become a generalized insult, it still has and for the indefinite future will maintain that connection to gay men. Whether it is used in a specifically homophobic way or as a general negative term, the fact that it is being used as an insult shows the underlying negativity to men that are attracted to other men. It supports the long and ongoing …show more content…

Pascoe explains the teenagers use of the fag discourse by stating that “becoming a fag has as much to do with failing at the masculine tasks of competence, heterosexual prowess, and strength or in any way revealing weakness or femininity as it does with a sexual identity” (Pascoe, 54) The only reason these teenagers feel this way is because they have been socialized to believe that masculinity is the cornerstone of being a male. They grow up seeing this reinforced on all levels and they witness firsthand the range of repercussions for not following this model. It only takes a moment to fail at being masculine, and when you fail at being masculine you are and should be bombarded with judgement and