Sunday, September 23, 2007

God, Gays, Cherrypickers & Cheesemongers

This exchange was heard recently on UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE...
Paxman: What is another word for ‘cherrypickers’ and cheesemongers’?
Contestant: Homosexuals?
Paxman. No. They’re regiments in the British Army who will be very upset with you.

And in other news today, the Archbishop of Canterbury says 'homosexuality is not a disease'. Well that's a relief then.

Actually, what he said was this: "I do not assume that homosexual inclination is a disease." Which means he's keeping his options open. Nice to know our leading Churchman is such a man of conviction, isn't it?

27 comments:

Jonny Wright said...

Wouldn't it be great if the Church of England were finally disestablished? Then Rowan Williams could say whatever the heck he liked about homosexuality, as a private individual at the head of a private organisation.

As things stand, the Church is a public institution which sends legislators to our Parliament, and their view on homosexuality affects all of us, whether we're Christian or not. That means that an awful lot of non-Christians have the moral right to try to change Church policy, because has an impact on us.

Can't Anglicans see that a disestablished Church would be to their benefit? It would stop them from using the criminal law to influence the lives of non-Christians, but it would also stop non-Christians from being legitimately able to demand a change in their policy!

Anonymous said...

I do not assume that religious bigotry is a mental illness.

I love options.

Anonymous said...

The Cherrypickers (11th Hussars) were also known as the Cherrybums because they wore scarlet 'overalls' (trousers). In the movie 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' their commanding officer, Lord Cardigan, played by Trevor Howard, has a wonderful line: "I always feel randy when I've had my Cherrybums on parade."

Anonymous said...

Give it a rest, Iain. All that political correctness is so last week.

Anonymous said...

How does one mong cheese?

dizzy said...

"Nice to know our leading Churchman is such a man of conviction, isn't it?"


Well he is an Anglican after all.

Anonymous said...

I don't think homosexuality is a disease; Iain if you made an effort, you could snap out of it and find a nice girl instead. At least the Catholic church is more robust about these things -- it's a sin (and is condemned in the Bible, whereas, e.g. paedophilia isn't!) So stop it at once, you dreadful perverts.

Jane McDonald

Anonymous said...

I usually comment using my username, but I'd rather not this time.

Personally I've suffered discrimination due to religious bigotry because of my sexuality - why do church people have to talk about it? why can't they talk on the REAL issues where they actually can make a difference.

Raedwald said...

Actually, Catholic thinking is quite complicated on this.

Homosexuality is not a sin but a moral disorder, much like alcoholism or a propensity to gamble. What is a sin are homosexual acts. In other words, if you're homosexually inclined but do nothing about it, its fine. Buggery, whether male-female or male-male is a definite no-no.

'Marry or burn' St Paul said. It's never been quite clear whether he meant marry or burn in hell, or marry or burn with unconsummated lust.

I think the church tends not to rely too much on Leviticus these days, as this would also require the Archbishop to smite to death anyone enjoying a lobster for lunch today.

Perhaps Onanism is the safest course.

Tapestry said...

with many political leaders probably being of gay inclination, the churchman choses his words carefully.

homophobia is not big on dale's blog for obvious reasons. go to guido for that. but the sexuality of Nulab's leading lights has seen some interesting revelations of late...

http://tapestrytalks.typepad.com/tapestry_talks/2007/09/is-gordon-brown.html

Anonymous said...

Not very "recently" on University Challenge, Iain - as I recall, that question was answered by a member of the UMIST team from 2000, a mere seven years ago...

Anonymous said...

lunartalk - English not your first language, then? Or were you "educated" fairly recently, in an English state school?

One doesn't mong cheese or anything else. One mongers it. Trades it. Deals in it. As in ironmongers.

Anonymous said...

or fishmongers.

Dave Cole said...

The Devon and Dorsets were known as the Donkeywallopers...

Anonymous said...

Trumpeter - I'm remiss on my mongering index, so thank you for the reminder. At the same time, we should not forget those scurrilous, scandalous people who keep us - often baselessly - amused, the rumourmongers.

Anonymous said...

What do you expect him to say ?

"Hey, let it all hang out, because this stuff in the Bible about homo sexuality is all bollocks anyway!"

Grow up - as it is worth repeating, these people are not homophobic, they are against heterosexual sex outside marriage.

You and I may not agree with them, but they have a belief system which they are entitled to in a free country.

You might give them short shrift if they tried to impose their views on you - so why are you trying to impose your views on them ??

If someone of a more liberal persuasion took exception to you not be willing to smoke dope, you might be a bit upset. So why are you showing such a limited ability to understand that other people may have a different view to you.

Grow up !!

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Not all homosexuals are at one on the reasons for their orientation.

Barry Smith, the unfortunate local politician mentioned below in the Grell case (Who I staunchly defended, by the way) is quoted in the Times article as desribing being gay as a "biological glitch"

Ironically, Alcoholics are fond of telling you that they do indeed have a "disease" - it seems to make them feel better about it, and even if you don't get the detestable "Bishop" Gene Robinson on being gay, you can certainly get him on being an alcoholic, which suggests to me, one weakness too many for someone who claims high office in a church.

Anonymous said...

Verity -

Is English not your first language? Have you had your sense of humour surgically removed?

Your attempt sneeringly to criticise lunartalk indicates only that you failed to grasp a really rather witty pun.

Unsworth said...

It's really not fair to keep on bashing the bishop. He's a bit of a spent force, I fear. Give him time to reflect and I'm certain he'll come to a more rigid conclusion.

Anonymous said...

Doctor Syn - the level of your appreciation for wit is sadly demonstrated by your asking whether I had had my "sense of humour surgically removed". If American TV talkshow wisecracks from the Nineties make you laugh, good luck to you. Here's a couple more of the same vintage: short people are "vertically challenged". And bald people are "follicle challenged". Laugh? I almost did.

Iain's pun was mildly, glancingly amusing, although 19 comments celebrating it, without addressing any other subject on the thread, might have been a bit drab.

What is "Syn" short for? Synthetic Outrage?

Anonymous said...

Verity -

Do you know what pun I was talking about? Do you know what you are talking about? It appears from your response that the answer to both questions is "no", as your response, puerile abuse aside, makes little sense in the context.

Anonymous said...

In addition to the fish, iron, cheese and rumours already mentioned, I am fairly sure one can also monger whores, war, scandal, news and costers.

Just, you know, thought you'd like to know.

Anonymous said...

Sockpuppet - Well, I think my rumourmongers would have included scandalmongers and gossipmongers, so no points there. But well done for whore, war and coster.

Dr Syn - God, what a boring pedant! Only you, with your glinting insights, can appreciate a pun, eh? Why don't you go and mine old TV shows for some more frightfully clever barbed witticisms like "sense of humour surgically removed". If you can get access to American TV, David Letterman has good scriptwriters and you could get some more contemporary wisecracks.

Anonymous said...

Verity -

Blah, blah, blah.

I've been reading your posts here and elsewhere for long enough to know that this is how you operate - if someone disagrees with you, you dodge the issue and hurl abuse instead. Well, that and also passing off urban myths as "this really happened to a friend of mine, honest guys, it really did" anecdotes. It's your SOP - standard operating procedure. Now that's boring.

To drag you back on topic, it's not about whether or not I'm the only one to get a pun. I doubt very much that I was. It is, however, about you missing the pun and then making a song and dance about the pun-maker being illiterate.

It's not "synthetic outrage". It's not even contempt; it's much to far beneath that.

Anonymous said...

Dr Syn - I'm not going to refute your points one by one because I don't care and I can hear light snoring among the readership.

Bat back a triumphant purloined quip and we'll leave it at that.

Anonymous said...

That said, I must say I'm surprised to hear I say, "This really happened to a friend of mine; honest, guys". It sounds like pub talk.

Anonymous said...

at the risk of further pedantry, verity, I'm afraid I fear one would 'mong', and not 'monger' cheese.

Because a cheesemonger is one who mongs cheese, in the same way that a singer sings a song (he/she wouldn't 'singer' a song) and a bringer brings things .

If you were to 'monger' cheese then you would surely be a cheesemongerer.