A Girl Figuring It Out Aloud

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 “Bummy”.

So what is the issue? It’s 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, it’s the use of “bum” as part of the portmanteau and the closeness to the word “bummer” and “bumming”.

Why is that an issue?

Number one because the word “Bummer” 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. It’s 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 it’s 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.

Let’s break it all down… we’ll start with the etymology first.

American English and British English as a language has a good few words with very different meanings. It’s understandable that both side would be unaware of subtle language differences. It’s easy to talk about trash vs. rubbish. It’s much harder to talk about words that could be used as offensive or considered a slur. I don’t want to start listing slurs for obvious reasons that fall under this umbrella (there is actually a few) so I’ll try to be concise.

Let’s use the example of “fanny” 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 “front bum”. Because your ass, or buttocks in the UK is your bum. Aka your gluteal muscles.

So it’s 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 “to bum” it’s anal sex. If I said “what a bummer” I might be saying that’s 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 it’s of British language, history and cultural background mean it doesn’t count?

Is it obscure?

The slur “bummer” 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 you’re 21 years old that feels completely irrelevant. If you’re 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. It’s 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 “gay” 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 “a joke” 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 “queer” or “gay” have been reclaimed by the Queer community since but it isn’t as clear cut as that and often there is a generational issue where younger people — 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 “not that deep” it’s 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 homophobic… no actually I don’t 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?

Let’s say they just don’t want to use Tevan as that has Evan as part of the name. Okay, that’s 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 it’s 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. It’s meant to annoy BuckTommy fans. Perhaps it’s just engagement bait.

I've held on to this ask waiting for a good time to post it.

Drew's obsession to prove that he was right about Seth, while in turn, not realizing his own obsession with ruining and humiliating Phil ultimately allowed him to let his guard down and ruin the moment he'd been desperately begging for.

Roman's obsession with getting even with Seth. Restoring the pride that he felt was ripped from him. But ultimately, it was returning a debt of betrayal that haunted him for nearly a decade. The person he love and trusted most stabbed him in the back and he couldn't let it go. Title be damned, he had to take the opportunity. But in the end, it cost him everything.

Becky's obsession to prove everyone wrong. To show that she still belonged at the top and that she was still the best and the obsession of proving that she was better than Rhea, ultimately led to her downfall (outside of kayfabe I know she was sick which probably played a factor)

But in the inverse, Sami and Cody's obsession with proving their worth. Proving they had what it takes and that they could overcome anything. That they were worthy of greatness and that they did deserve to be seen ultimately led to them both ending the greatest title reigns of the modern era.

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she lays an idea egg every day whether you use it or not

Anyone with a name that starts with a “Z”, ends with an “i”, and isn’t some kind of Italian pasta, IS SERIOUS