Comments on: Only polite to insinuate a man could be gay?

By: Brian McManus

Brian McManus — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:29:33 +0000

I’m gay and still don’t own an iPhone… Sounds like he was avoiding the question.

It’s pretty cool that this neutral politeness is beginning to occur. I can easily see how someone may be offended. But many are pretty relaxed and don’t mind the neutrality…

In conversations like this the boss usually pauses and I will state what sounds PC “Spouse,” “Partner,” or “Other Half” is what I will usually interject.

By: Gary Drescher

Gary Drescher — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:03:12 +0000

Suppose the 21-year-old was white and the boss had spoken of “meeting the Caucasian you’ll want to marry”. It’d be unwarrantedly and unnecessarily presumptuous of him to be that specific (even if the specificity is statistically likely); and the same principle applies to the boss’s initial presumption about gender. So I think it’s to his credit that he amended his remark.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:10:56 +0000

So in the USA, the iPhone is famous for being preferred by gays ?? Here in Brazil, you could be suspected of being gay if you use a Macbook.

By: David H

David H — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:40:11 +0000

Even if not an attempt to be politically correct, personally I really see no need to be offended by someone suggesting I would be straight or gay or whatever, if no harm was meant.. Unless of course it was used as an insult, but then it wouldn’t be about the content anyway..

By: Peter T.

Peter T. — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:39:17 +0000

I chuckled when I read your story. But the boss wasn’t being polite, just clumsy. He could have easily kept it gender neutral by stating that it would be easier to find the right spouse in college — there was no need to be gender specific especially nowadays where more and more states are allowing gays to get married.