SOME THINGS in life are worth worrying about. Some things are not. Two words shouted in the middle of a song at a college football game are not.
Certainly one can empathize with those who take serious offense at the "Not Gay!" refrain in the middle of "The Good Old Song." This is a debate that has engaged the University - or at least, this fine publication - every year without fail. Each time it comes down to a split between those who are appalled that University students would proudly utter what many would call a slur, and the other side that insists it is their right to express themselves in this manner. They are both correct. Yet one has to question why the first side is taking its antagonists so seriously. After all, it does not require a high maturity level to shout "Not Gay!" with your friends in the middle of a crowded stadium.
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I'll admit that I have participated in the "Not Gay!" chant on previous occasions. I didn't do it out of any animosity towards the gay community. And I don't feel any particular pride or shame in having done it. Why?
Because it's not a big deal. And it's highly doubtful that any of the few hundred students that do shout those two words mean any serious offense or ill will towards the University's gay community. It is simply an infantile and immature thing to do at a football game with your friends. The act itself becomes even more absurd when one thinks about the thought process behind it. Why do we throw in those two extra words? Do we somehow need to remind ourselves that this is not a "gay" University (whatever that would be)?
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One of the complicating factors in this blown-out-of-proportion mess is the fact that American society, particularly in one of its more conservative pockets where we reside, has not yet decided how it views gays. The jury is still out on this one. While many Americans believe homosexuals are entitled to as much respect as anyone, there are others who believe homosexuality to be an immoral lifestyle. At the very least, they have the right to express this view, even if such an expression makes them look bad in the process.
Combine these factors with the fact that the University is, in many respects, a Young Republican factory and one sees that it is nearly impossible to put an end to this practice.
Students here are not especially inclined to fall in line with the ideals of political correctness. A major campaign to eradicate this chant from Scott Stadium would more than likely cause a serious backlash, making the situation more awkward than it would be otherwise.
There are plenty of issues here at the University that do not receive their fair share of attention from the press and from the student body. The "Not Gay!" chant is one issue that has received a disproportionately large amount of coverage over the years, from opinion columns to lead editorials to letters to the editor.
Few of the game attendees who participate in the chant would wish any serious harm to the University's gay community. Though others will undoubtedly disagree, "Not Gay!" is not hate speech. It is certainly immature and perhaps insensitive, but hateful it is not. It offends a certain portion of the student body and that is unfortunate.
On the whole, however, it is not a problem that deserves this much attention. In fact, continued attention to it could just as easily make things worse. If those who feel so strongly about it simply leave it alone, chances are good that it will fade away.
(Timothy DuBoff's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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