The use of Bummy really upsets and annoys me so I want led to write down my thoughts and I hope you can share š
Is the use of Bummy as a ship name offensive?
Yes, it is correct if you put the BU from Buck and the MMY from Tommy. Yes you get āBummyā.
So what is the issue? Itās common practice in shipping, fans combine two characters names together, forming a new ship name (portmanteau or smushword). For instance, the ship name for Dean Winchester and Castiel from Supernatural is referred to as Destiel. The 'De' from Dean, and 'tiel' from Castiel.
Well, itās the use of ābumā as part of the portmanteau and the closeness to the word ābummerā and ābummingā.
Number one because the word āBummerā is a gay slur word in British English & slang. Number two because this is a gay ship. Number three the majority of people using this ship name dislike the coupling. Itās generally used as part of a wider negative sentiment about the couple. Number four the fact one member of the pairing is a British actor meaning itās a bit close to home.
One of the common responses to people saying the name being homophobic and offensive is that pro BuckTommy fans have dug up an obscure slur to find issue with the use of the ship name.
Letās break it all downā¦ weāll start with the etymology first.
American English and British English as a language has a good few words with very different meanings. Itās understandable that both side would be unaware of subtle language differences. Itās easy to talk about trash vs. rubbish. Itās much harder to talk about words that could be used as offensive or considered a slur. I donāt want to start listing slurs for obvious reasons that fall under this umbrella (there is actually a few) so Iāll try to be concise.
Letās use the example of āfannyā as word that in UK considered a vulgar word meaning the female genitals but actually means butt in America. A polite way to say fanny in the UK would be āfront bumā. Because your ass, or buttocks in the UK is your bum. Aka your gluteal muscles.
So itās means your bottom. But like most words you can use it in multiple ways and it can have multiple meanings. Bum, bummer, bumming etc. Various meanings depending on the context. A bum can be a homeless people or my backside. If I add an action word āto bumā itās anal sex. If I said āwhat a bummerā I might be saying thatās disappointing. Or I might be using it as a slur to describe a gay person. Everything from tone of voice and inflection to your physicality can change the meaning.
Does the fact itās of British language, history and cultural background mean it doesnāt count?
The slur ābummerā in the UK and Ireland is one of a number of terms beginning in the 1980s, and especially in the late 1990s, as an insult amongst young people. While curse words were cracked down someone using it as an insult could mostly fly under the radar. A school yard taunt.
The peak use of the word as a slur was over 20 years ago. Of course if youāre 21 years old that feels completely irrelevant. If youāre a millennial and lived through that peak of popularity then you have entirely different perspective.
In fact, as UK or Irish society has evolved in the last 20 years and become more progressive homophobic language is widely unacceptable in polite society. Itās not that specific slurs have become obsolete but that any slurs or micro aggressions in general have becoming broadly intolerable.
For me, obscure would be a word where no one living would recall it.
Similarly the word āgayā its self which was also used with derision during this time (being stupid, or equivalent to weak.) The pejorative use of the word "gay" was waved away as banter for more than a generation. But even then using such words and slurs as āa jokeā had a knock on effect. So for example, college-age men were more likely to repeat the word negatively if their friends said it, while they were less likely to say it if they had lesbian, gay or bisexual peers.
Words such as āqueerā or āgayā have been reclaimed by the Queer community since but it isnāt as clear cut as that and often there is a generational issue where younger people ā millennials are fine with it. Gen Xers are less comfortable with it. And then older people or boomers, maybe, who find its use problematic.
What is the relevance of bringing in the wider use of homophobic slurs? Well we see fans waving away concerns about the use of Bummy as ānot that deepā itās just their names mashed together. Dismissal of the slang term as obscure and BuckTommy fans scraping the bottom of the barrel to find a reason to be offended. That narrative is repeated whether true or not because their side of the Fandom said it. The main demographic using the term is younger Gen Alpha Gen Z and American. A cohort with no frame of reference. And seemingly uninterested in extending curiosity to learn or to listen.
That all mirrors behaviour we have seen before. Does that mean I think anti BuckTommy fans are homophobicā¦ no actually I donāt think that at all. Because there is nuance. Instead I think that they are okay using an offensive portmanteau because they intensely dislike the ship and that is simply slippery slope.
But is there a counter argument to that? Why jump to that conclusion?
Letās say they just donāt want to use Tevan as that has Evan as part of the name. Okay, thatās a good reason. But wait? Why not use BuckTommy the most popular ship name? Or Kinley? Or Tuck? Why say Bummy Bones and not BuckTommy Bones? Why despite being told itās offensive and having the ability to just Google it do they hand wave that away with wilful ignorance.
I do think the ship name of Bummy is used to intentionally have negative connotations. Itās meant to annoy BuckTommy fans. Perhaps itās just engagement bait.
I've held on to this ask waiting for a good time to post it.
snowghoul
gracieabrams
vaporwave
2087
