That Line From Day Three
Jul. 9th, 2009 06:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mpsanguisFandom is imploding because of Clem’s "queer" line. So what do we have?
He can determine one’s sexual orientation with his heightened olfaction and he uses the term "queer" in a derogative manner.
The first makes perfect sense, given Clem’s ability, that has proven to work, when he smelled Gwen was pregnant. I don’t know whether this line has any further significance or was just supposed to be joke but nevertheless one could interpret it as a nod towards the "nature vs. nurture" argument that has so many scientists and men of religion captured in heated discussion.
The fact that Clem could smell Gwen’s hormone level makes it only logical that he can also smell one’s sexual orientation. Given that our basic characteristics like gender, sexuality, race and age are easily detectable by certain genetic markers that manifest in a specific biochemical identity, unique for every human being on earth, it’s not really surprising that he identified Ianto as queer. Naturally sexuality doesn’t apply to the phenotype as well an indicator to separate individuals, like gender, race and age do but in Clem’s case this is of little consequence, since he can rely on his incredible sense of smell to make the connection between a genotype and its corresponding phenotype.
Likewise it is within perfect continuity that he doesn’t register Jack as homosexual.
First of all Jack isn’t - neither by present day standards nor by the 51st century’s. Secondly, Jack’s biochemistry and biology must be different from ours, in fact we know that it is (cue 51st century pheromones and smelling estrogen in the rain), due to 3000 years of evolution, probably influenced by alien races and inhabiting planets with very different enviromental conditions. Human existence on earth is vastly determined by a series of the same biological events for every individual, which makes human reactions to most predetermined situations predictable, which is in return the genotype for human societies aka the phenotype, on a greater scale. Dude, care to elaborate? Sure: Human Condition equals genotype and human reactions/resulting societies equal phenotype. Really it's all just a question of your neural biochemistry.
Thirdly, Clem associates Jack with the arguably most traumatic experience in his live that has caused him to be locked up for most of it. His fear and distress don’t leave room for pondering on Jack’s sexuality.
Now, the part of Clem’s line where he uses "queer" as a derogative term for homosexuals is troublesome and I won’t try to excuse it by saying he is old fashioned and doesn’t know better because that’s bullshit.
I couldn’t put my finger on it why it bugged me, like so many others on my f-list and aside from the obvious. It seems vey random and superfluous. There was another incident of a seemingly random slur against foreigners, although![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
smirnoffmule gave a good explanation on the TWU, as to what that line uttered by Gwen probably meant and set it into cultural perspective. This might be coincidence or all part of something else.
Though I can’t shake the feeling that James Moran and RTD intended this as a comic relief and thought it’s funny, if that is the case than I gladly refrain from any claims to have a sense of humor.
I’m not even offended by the line as much as I feel I should be because I keep thinking there must be some kind of significance to it, but I might give them both too much credit. Something I’ve noticed that happens quite a lot in this fandom. And let's be honest, if the rumors of doom are true someone needs to revoke RTD's status as a writer.
To warp this thing up with something truly important and meaningful and sexy, Captain Jack Harkness in full rig gave me a bvvt.
He can determine one’s sexual orientation with his heightened olfaction and he uses the term "queer" in a derogative manner.
The first makes perfect sense, given Clem’s ability, that has proven to work, when he smelled Gwen was pregnant. I don’t know whether this line has any further significance or was just supposed to be joke but nevertheless one could interpret it as a nod towards the "nature vs. nurture" argument that has so many scientists and men of religion captured in heated discussion.
The fact that Clem could smell Gwen’s hormone level makes it only logical that he can also smell one’s sexual orientation. Given that our basic characteristics like gender, sexuality, race and age are easily detectable by certain genetic markers that manifest in a specific biochemical identity, unique for every human being on earth, it’s not really surprising that he identified Ianto as queer. Naturally sexuality doesn’t apply to the phenotype as well an indicator to separate individuals, like gender, race and age do but in Clem’s case this is of little consequence, since he can rely on his incredible sense of smell to make the connection between a genotype and its corresponding phenotype.
Likewise it is within perfect continuity that he doesn’t register Jack as homosexual.
First of all Jack isn’t - neither by present day standards nor by the 51st century’s. Secondly, Jack’s biochemistry and biology must be different from ours, in fact we know that it is (cue 51st century pheromones and smelling estrogen in the rain), due to 3000 years of evolution, probably influenced by alien races and inhabiting planets with very different enviromental conditions. Human existence on earth is vastly determined by a series of the same biological events for every individual, which makes human reactions to most predetermined situations predictable, which is in return the genotype for human societies aka the phenotype, on a greater scale. Dude, care to elaborate? Sure: Human Condition equals genotype and human reactions/resulting societies equal phenotype. Really it's all just a question of your neural biochemistry.
Thirdly, Clem associates Jack with the arguably most traumatic experience in his live that has caused him to be locked up for most of it. His fear and distress don’t leave room for pondering on Jack’s sexuality.
Now, the part of Clem’s line where he uses "queer" as a derogative term for homosexuals is troublesome and I won’t try to excuse it by saying he is old fashioned and doesn’t know better because that’s bullshit.
I couldn’t put my finger on it why it bugged me, like so many others on my f-list and aside from the obvious. It seems vey random and superfluous. There was another incident of a seemingly random slur against foreigners, although
smirnoffmule gave a good explanation on the TWU, as to what that line uttered by Gwen probably meant and set it into cultural perspective. This might be coincidence or all part of something else. Though I can’t shake the feeling that James Moran and RTD intended this as a comic relief and thought it’s funny, if that is the case than I gladly refrain from any claims to have a sense of humor.
I’m not even offended by the line as much as I feel I should be because I keep thinking there must be some kind of significance to it, but I might give them both too much credit. Something I’ve noticed that happens quite a lot in this fandom. And let's be honest, if the rumors of doom are true someone needs to revoke RTD's status as a writer.
To warp this thing up with something truly important and meaningful and sexy, Captain Jack Harkness in full rig gave me a bvvt.