I wasn't going to comment on the decision, apparently rescinded, by the BBC to bleep, or whatever the fuck they do over there, the word "faggot" from The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York." Why? Because I'm busy, dammit.
I got sucked in, though. More on that in a bit.
Anyhow, the very existence of the controversy, such as it is, is a good thing. Why? Because it fucking should be "controversial" to say "faggot" in public, that's why. Everyone should think twice or maybe three times before using that word. "Dirty" words mark social boundaries, and I'm glad that a word commonly used to express hate creates problems. We're all growing up a bit, and casual bigotry against gays is no longer winked at. Good.
That said. The use of the word in this particular song is not offensive. It's voiced by a character, a woman who is apparently an Irish immigrant to New York in the late 1950s early 1960s. She's not an especially nice person, nor are we meant to accept her moral pronouncements at face value. She's a junkie, for openers, and so is her boyfriend, whom she is calling both a "faggot" as well as a "maggot."
This is an ugly part of the song, in other words, and it's supposed to be. But this ugliness counterpoints the calculatedly schmaltzy, very Christmasy music -- as well as the deliberately sentimental bit in the chorus about the NYPD Choir singing "Galway Bay." What we should take from the song is that scraps of love and beauty can enter into even the harshest and tawdriest lives, and that Christmas is as good a time as any to remember this. The song says, hold off on the judgments, it's Christmas for fuck's sake, just be human for a bit, could we? In that regard it's a damn powerful pop song -- hence its obvious appeal.
But I don't know why the BBC should be faulted here. Seems to me like the system worked: the song provoked a debate, all sides were heard, and there you go. Knee-jerk condemnations of "PC!" are puerile: the BBC should be sensitive to homophobia. A defense of the song was mounted, the argument took place and -- great! I mean, isn't this the whole point of having a democracy? The rights of homosexuals and of artists were at least given respect. I don't know that we can expect much better nowadays. It's not really all that long ago that Shane MacGowan could easily have gone to jail in Britain and the US for singing this Christmas song, you know. Nor all that long ago that homosexuality was a criminal offense. Progress, I'd say. Let's hear it for Liberal Fascism.
Given, though, that you can listen to the damn song online for free as much as you like, the whole affair looks rather quaint. Maybe someday we'll miss how Big Media flashpoints precisely these issues. Oh well! So much for Liberal Fascism! Wheeee!
Oh, as to why I got sucked in. I accidentally clicked and read this shit. I like the last comment the best. But it's all good.
