Gregg on the senate floor - "people of homosexual persuasion"

[Mass]

Uh? What next? Homosexual religion? Homosexual opinion?

(talking about the Iranian president at Columbia).

[cosmik debris]

1. What's next?

Homosexualism. It is only a matter of time.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. I can only hope

:toast:

[zbdent]

5. A piece of legislation designating yesterday (I believe) a national day of recognition

because Newt Gingrich came to the defense of homosexuals ... because "Iran kills their homosexuals" ... (actually, they surgically change them to women, according to Stepahnie Miller) ...

[Bitwit1234]

3. Probably all the senate will show up to condemn them in a resolution.

[izzie]

4. Did you hear Gregg talk? I wonder if he has heard of the USSR?

If I have my facts sort of right, they were out to take over the world and did have the bomb and used to talk in the UN etc. Does any one really think that the terrorist are going to give more danger than the USSR did from 1910 to the 1990's? If I recall about 50,ooo men died in Korea alone fighting the REDS.One hardly even wants to bring up China, Eastern Europe, Vietnam and I think they were fights about what USSR wanted to do. Yet even with all that we still could let the USSR speak in NYC. What is with this scary stuff about Iran any how? Is it just working up another evil country so we can pass the military budget and get more money for them or what? Or am I just to opened minded to understand all this? Heck let any one talk that wants to, it is how we learn.

[Igel]

6. How about a set, yet jocular, turn of phrase.

Right up there with "of the female persuasion" ("But many persons who sell shorts in department stores are of the female persuasion" from http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/beagle/wb/wb/xp-127789 ).

And "of the black persuasion" ("broadcasters might have mentioned that nearly all the visible people left behind in New Orleans are of the black persuasion" at http://slate.com/id/2124688/ ).

And "of the Jewish persuasion". ("It is at these times that we of the Jewish persuasion ask" at www.yutorah.org/_shiurim/187-194%20Brown.pdf ).

I hadn't heard "of the X persuasion" for years. Must be something folk older than me use, or perhaps there's some geographical or social factor at play. But it's not derogatory; I've always taken it to imply softening of the attribution, often in a slightly humorous way. Rather than say "woman", "black", or "Jew", it demotes the adjective to a secondary status.

Compare, "But many people who sell underwear in department stores are women", "... nearly all the visible people left behind in New Orleans are blacks" and "It is at these times that we Jews ask ...". With "persuasion" you get person put ahead of the attribute.