I just stumbled upon a piece of queer-slang trivia: In England, "bender" can mean "a man who has sex with another man". But this ain't the first time I've "outed" a cartoon character.
Here is the site that told me about "bender":
http://www.dazbert.freeserve.co.uk/mirror/rudefood/food/bender.htm
Lord! Yes, bender means gay! I'm english, and the Americans must be on to this, because I have seen marketed a "Gender Bender" pushing the boat out a bit, which was a female bender... LOL
"Chief Thracian" wrote in message news:[email]...
no, that was just Bender's costume from the episode Raging Bender.
Gender bender is a term meaning someone who "bends the rules" for a certain gender, like a man wearing lipstick, etc.
English/American slang can be quite confusing. Ask a Brit if he cares for a fag and he'll probably respond that he quit smoking years ago.
"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me" - General George S. Patton.
[email] (Chris�) wrote in message news:...
Or he'll say, "Sure, mate!"
Trust me, "bender" is definitely NOT slang for "gay" in the states. "Gender bender" is someone who "bends the rules" of a gender. For example, as a rule men don't wear women's clothing, so in the US a man who dresses in women's clothing is sometimes referred to as a "gender bender." In the UK, I believe, a man who dresses in women's clothes is usually referred to as a "comedian".
"Stevie D" wrote in message news:perqa.10331$[email]...
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Thats true , but its also quite an outdated term from the 70s and 80s , at least in adult usage. Kids still use it as an insult without having much understanding of what it really means.
[email] (Chief Thracian) wrote in message news:...
Didn't realise that the term "bender" wasn't in common usage in the states. Yes, to call someone "bent" or a "bender" is to imply that they are gay. Thus the joke in the first episode: "I don't want people to think we're robosexuals, so if anyone asks, you're my debugger"
On Sat, 26 Apr 2003 06:39:08 +0000, Some Bloke wrote:
No. As an American, I would say that joke had nothing to do with his name being Bender. It was completely in the context of a human and robot spending too much time together is suspicious. In this country, bender only refers either to something or someone who bends something, or a period of binge drinking, which if done right, you won't remember much of. You have to put "gender" in front of "bender" for it to sound gay to us. And then it only refers to cross-dressers, which we assume are gay unless told otherwise. (I would not ask for proof either way.)
It's interesting y'all took it that way though.
"Randy Bot" wrote in message news:...
Hmmm, I disagree. "Debugger" is an obvious pun on buggary, and to my British ears the joke is in the irony of someone called Bender worrying that he'll be considered a "robosexual" if he spends to much time with a guy, rather than worrying that his name is a word for homosexual.
We have those meanings too, but I think the "someone that bends" meaning is a bit obscure. I've never heard the word bender used in that context, and there isn't really much of a joke in a robot that bends girders unless his name also means something else. It seems unlikely that Groening would miss the oportunity for a pun when thinking up the name for a robot character, and having his job being to bend girders would be rather obscure unless there was some other reason. I could think of funnier jobs for a robot.
I realise that futurama is american, but I can't believe that the makers aren't aware of the homosexual connotations of the word Bender. The fact that you guys don't have that meaning for the word explains why they don't make a bigger thing of it (plus the fact that it wouldn't be very funny if they over-did it), but I'm sure it's an intentional joke, even if it seems obscure to you guys.
On or about 26 Apr 2003 17:33:54 -0700, Some Bloke made the sensational claim that:
I don't think the homosexual connotation enters into it all. It's obviously a pun on the drunken rampage sense of the word.
LooseChanj wrote in message news:...
"Obviously", eh? Not even a smidgeon of room in your brainpan, to allow even the REMOTIST possibility that "Bender" may also be a gay pun. Yes, keep your hetero Amerika "squeaky clean"...no faggots in "God's country", don't you know!
I believe that the creators of Futurama are far more sophisticated (read "worldly"), than a large segment of its Amerikan viewers.
I'm glad now, MORE THAN EVER, for bringing up one British definition of "Bender"...seeing how it irks some folks. (Especially when a participant regards referral to Bender being gay as somehow "sad". Oh, boo-hoo...did I hurt the sensitive widdle feelings of a homophobe? I sure hope so!
Had no idea such prejudices are still harbored by fans of counter-culture style animations. Guess y'all just remain SILENT whenever some positive references to homosexuals occurs in Futurama.
On 9 May 2003 00:29:49 -0700, [email] (Chief Thracian) spewed forth:
Wow, he spelled it "Amerika"...my mind is SO BLOWN, MAN !
On 26 Apr 2003 17:33:54 -0700, [email] (Some Bloke) spewed forth:
Um, no it's not. It comes from the term "bug". Though I do like it in that context.
Didn't stop them when it came to Smithers.
A "debugger" is one who removes bugs from a software program. Bender believes people will be more comfortable thinking Fry's his debugger if they're seen together a lot. Considering the creators/writers/producers of the show are all American, I'd say there's a 0% possiblity of "debugger" being in reference to "buggary."
It does have a second context, which was explained precisely in the previous post. A bender is extended period of binge drinking. Bender is a heavy-drinking robot, who happily happens to be skilled in bending girders. His name has absolutely nothing to do with a hint at homosexuality.
Nope.
"Bender" wrote in message news:...
I'm aware of what a debugger is, that's why I said it was a *pun*. You know, a play on words? That pun would work even if the Bender thing isn't intentional, because "robosexuality" has just been mentioned. I don't see what the writers being american has to do with it, unless you don't use the word buggery (which is the american heritage dictionary).
That's feasable I suppose.
Don't worry about it, it's not your fault that the point sailed over their heads. Anyway, sometimes a joke is funnier if it's esoteric, which in this case it could *possibly* be. Put it this way, a few of us Brits had a good laugh at that, whether intentionally done or not.
It seems absurd to argue that there's *no* possibility for the American writers of Futurama to pick up on the usage of the slang term bender to mean gay. Do people here think that the writers don't have any comprehension about what's outside the US borders? I think that the writers of Futurama are intelligent enough to throw in some esoteric stuff occasionally. Sure, it's more likely that they didn't throw that in, but it's certainly a possibility.
Graham
On 27 Apr 2003 06:15:52 -0700, [email] (Some Bloke) spewed forth:
We generally don't. The ones who do use it often are generally the same ones who say "bloody" alot because they think it makes them look cool.
I have never, in my 38 years in the US, heard an American use the word "buggery." I have heard the word "bugger" used by Americans but it never meant anal sex, it meant "rascal." However, I think most Americans are aware of the British meaning of bugger, and it is quite possible the writers did intend "debugger" as a pun, and "Bender" as a sort of double pun. I'd like to think so. It's fascinating to see another dimension of comedy open up in lines from which I thought I had extracted all available humor. I believe it was Nelson in the Simpsons who said "That's funny for so many reasons..." Thanks for the enlightment, dude. By the way, is the word "dingleberry" used in the UK? Just curious.
"Some Bloke" wrote in message news:[email]...
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believes
seen
are all
reference to
previous
girders. His
"That Guy" wrote in message news:Avhra.139$[email]...
It was. The creators have publicly indicated they were surprised that got past the censors.
"That Guy" wrote in message news:...
Thanks! Now, if only we can get the homophobes toilet trained, we wouldn't have to be forced to wallow in the dirty newsgroup nests they create! I mean, what would a "gay" Bart Simpson say?
"Bender" wrote in message news:...
Oh, come on. You could be more naive, but I don't see how.
It's *humor*, it's a joke, it's wordplay: it doesn't necessarily mean that character (a) has sexual orientation (b) or that you need to call Fred Phelps. They're just playing with words and innuendo for fun. There's no way that "debugger" was an innocent word choice. Yes, everyone involved is American, but they're also worldy, clever, cosmopolitan people who have been around and know stuff.
"Bender" has a number of meanings, some risqu�, some not -- people "go on a bender" of drink/drugs/debauchery; a bender is a homosexual; a "gender bender" is someone who challenges gender roles in the David Bowie stylee -- and a bender is also the real, honest term for machines that bend things. That's part of the fun. It allows them to create ribaldries like the robosexual/debugger one, and absolute deadpans like:
Bender: Of course. I'm a bender. I went to Bending College; I majored in Bending. Fry: What was your minor? Bender: Robo-American Studies.
ben
"Bender" wrote in message news:...
Hmmm, I've just noticed from you screen name that maybe you're slightly biased about whether or not "bender" might have homosexual connotations... I hope you have a little more self confidence than to reject outright anything that you percieve might cast a modicum of doubt on your virility.
Some bloke
"Bender" wrote in message news:...
Yep, you're the man...the last word on everything "Futurama", esp. when it concerns HOMOSEXUAL issues. Yep, you sure know what you all is talkin' 'bout, eh?
Work it, girl! Yup, you sho' are the LAST WORD in this matter. Yep. Nothing queer about Bender, don't you know!
Yep, you be the last word. Meanwhile, I'm gonna pick up a Gay Bender doll for my boyfriend's birthday.
"Randy Bot" wrote in message news:[email]...
I'm 99% sure Bender was meant to refer to his propensity to indulge in alcohol.
A.C. wrote:
Think about The Breakfast Club also...
"A.C." wrote in message news:...
Yes. No doubt you've done the research: consulted with one or more Futurama creators. I'm 99% sure you're an uptight wanker.
[email] (Chief Thracian) wrote in message news:...
Aww, did someone have a bad day?
Interesting, I never knew 'bender' and 'bent' meant gay on the other side of the pond. There have been 'gender bender' references in the show. However I would like to point out a few things. 1)Bender is from Mexico. his full name is: Bender Bending Rodriguez. (thats very funny name if you think bender means 'gay') 2)Just because something is funny one way doesn't mean it was intended to be funnt in that manner 3)The joke refers to 'robosexuals'. That has nothing to do with homosexuals. 4) bender is easiuly distracted by robots of the oposite robot orientation. I mean really, how many gay pimps are there? I joke..
5) bender says 'Get bent' all the time. Is he saying 'get gay'? no. I looked up bent in an english slang dictionary, bent meant 'gay' in the mid 1900.
6) Both Bender and Bent are derogatory remarks. It would be the American equivilant of naming him 'Fag'.
Personally, it had never occured to me that he may be gay, and I din't know the slang terms. But after researching them, I don't think the author intended the 'gay' meaning. I think it was because he bends things. Mostly because of the de-bending reference in the first episode.
But hey, its a tv show, if you get laughs by finding gay jokes, more power to you.
So when Bart Simpson says "Get Bent", he means "Get gay?"
"Some Bloke" wrote in message news:[email]...
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wrote:
Zing!
[email] (Some Bloke) wrote ...
As a Yankee, the only meanings of "bent" or "bender" that I've ever known have to do with drinking. "Man, I got really bent/hammered/tanked/drunk last night." A "bender" is a prolonged period of drinking, at least in the US ("He was on a three-day bender.")
After all, doesn't Bender drink a lot?
PGK
"Pete Killigrew" wrote in message news:[email]...
As an American, I can assure you that if an American tells you to "get bent" he does not mean you should "get drunk."
"That Guy" wrote
You do not drink, obviously.
Off the bat, I have no comment for either drinkers or homosexuals.
That being said, "That Guy" seems to be a Baptist with no idea of real life. "Getting bent" or "going on a Bender" are not in your vocabulary (this is not to say that you have ever done this, despite his objections)?
You protest too much.
And you suck.
PGK
"Pete Killigrew" wrote in message news:[email]...
bent"
LOL!! You're WAY off here...
Get bent.
"That Guy" wrote ...
Before beginning my reply, I apologize to "That Guy" for my belligerent response in a previous message. That being said ...
Point taken. "Get bent" doesn't necessarily mean "go get drunk," but I have heard the phrase "I got bent" as another way of saying "I got drunk."
I apologize for that remark, also. "Baptist" is a pretty strong word to throw around. :)
Touch�.
PGK
Thats nice and all, but you see, here in the modern world we call America "Bender" means a "One who, or that which, bends" or "a drinking spree" and in england its a nother word for a sizpence... Bender is a robot who bends things and drinks constantly and looks nothing like a coin so i'm sticking to the terms that make sense rahter than flights of fancy from the minority definition of from the gay brits... . Also did you know that in english Thracians were ancient Bulgarians? I guess that makes you bulgarian?
gay brits? gay brits? fuck you, asshole, it was one of you american pigs who started this whole 'bender=gay' thing in the first place! besides, we noticed and thought 'that's odd', when we first saw the show, but now if someone says 'bender' to me, i think of the robot, not the word for a gay person. That use of the word was pretty obscure before the show came along anyway, even here in england. So stop arguing about suck a pathetic topic!
"Darius" wrote in message news:[email]...
minority
guess
message
Oink, oink.
Jonah Falcon
"Albert the Mildly Deranged" wrote in message news:...
Wow. Homophobia from the other side of the pond. No surprise here. In fact, someone is so freaked out by the suggestion that Bender could also mean "gay", that he felt he had to start a NEW THREAD just to expound against this. Can you say, "rabidly insecure"?
Hey, hey, I aint being homophobic - I just object to the generalisation that all Brits are gay, especially when it was clearly originally meant as an insult, and also when the vast majority of us clearly aren't!
"Chief Thracian" wrote in message news:[email]...
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pigs
"Darius" wrote in message news:...
Never heard a sixpence being called a bender before, but then I was born after decimalisation, so I've never even seen a sixpence. The most common meaning of bender i've come across (or at least as common as the drinking binge meaning) is as a slightly derogatory term for a homosexual. As a brit watching futurama who didn't know until recently that that meaning does not exist in the states, it seemed natural that that was the joke the writers were making. It is interesting to discover that the joke is a bit more obscure than I first realised, but I am confident that the writers had it in mind. I'm not sure if your use of the term "gay brits" is referring literally to gay british people. If that is the case then I'd point out that it is not their "minority definition". I think "bender" is considered slightly derogatory by most gays, and I don't think I've heard any gay people use the word. If on the other hand you were just calling british people gay, then please grow up. I am not offended by being called gay (though it is innaccurate). However, it might offend gay people reading your posts to see you consider that the word "gay" is an insult.
Some bloke
[email] (Some Bloke) wrote in message news:...
Many blessings to you, "Some Bloke", for your considerate insight. Likewise to others of the same cloth.
Shit happens. Don't want to be called gay, just don't buttfuck other men. "Chief Thracian" wrote in message news:[email]...
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Whoa, what is this, some gay vs straight group? we're all here to talk about Futurama, right? If you're not, get out and find some alt.gay.discussion or something, i dunno
"Kuja" wrote in message news:b9j1il$254j$[email]...
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"Albert the Mildly Deranged" wrote in message news:...
The thread is on topic, as Bender is the subject of discussion. However, the original poster's logic is flawed: 1) The character's name is Bender. 2) The term "bender" meant "homosexual" once a long time ago, very far away. (We'll give the poster the benefit of the doubt on this one). 3) Therefore, the character Bender is homosexual. The conclusion here is a HUGE stretch, as we wouldn't know the intent of the character's creators, unless they have said so explicitly somewhere. It seems to me if the writers wanted to give a hint that the robot was gay, they would have named it "Buttfuckbot" or some such.
-jww
On 10 May 2003 18:47:45 -0700, [email] (J. Wellington Wimpy) wrote:
But since no-one has ever said that the robot was gay, that's a pretty silly argument. That there have been gay-related jokes with the robot's name is inarguable unless you a) have no sense of humour, b) decide to call yourself Bender on the internet and appear to be rabidly homophobic. c) find it impossible that the writers of the show may have a somewhat wider cultural range than yourself or d) all of the above.
And anyone who fails to see the 'debugger' joke is so far in denial that the Egyptians won't even see their head above the river surface.
On Sun, 11 May 2003 13:21:07 +0100, Tan Coul spewed forth:
Or thinks you're wrong about whether the bug or the debugger came first.
On Sun, 11 May 2003 17:37:35 GMT, Rev. Bleech_ wrote:
See what I mean? Classic case of denial :-)
[email] (Chief Thracian) wrote in message news:...
I was recently chided in this newsgroup over thinking too much about "cartoon DNA" (Fry being his own grandpa). Now here is a thread about the sexuality of a cartoon character which by definition has neither genitalia nor DNA, and has even voiced disgust about "organisms shooting DNA at each other". Talk about a thread being a non-topic... -jww
here here, nice to see someone else thinking this whole bender=gay thing is sad. i'm gonna stop posting on this thread, in case it benefits such grade-A assmongers as 'Darius' [email] and 'Jonson M.' [email]
"J. Wellington Wimpy" wrote in message news:[email]...
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"Albert the Mildly Deranged" wrote in message news:U_Vqa.167$[email]...
is
grade-A
huh what? I saw my name.
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On 27 Apr 2003 11:28:14 -0700, [email] (J. Wellington Wimpy) spewed forth:
My God...IT'S TURNED INTO ALT.TV.SIMPSONS
No. Bender in this case means "drunk", as in "he went on a bender."
Jonah Falcon
Jonah Falcon is due for a full frontal lobotomy:
It could of course be a double (or even multiple) meaning name. Just because someone points out something you hadn't thought of before doesn't mean it's wrong.
"The Infamous N" wrote in message news:...
Or that something didn't happen just because you weren't there. Or that homosexuality truly is evil just because you were brainwashed by a religious Troglodyte.
Homosexuality isn't evil, nor necessarily wrong, but you sir (with reference to gay-bible) are a fucking tool.
You are so typical of gays that have to force their sexuality into everyone's faces and make it an issue where it is anything but relevant. The idea that Bender's name suggests he is gay is dubious at best.
I suggest you crawl back under the bridge from which you came, and continue with your childish tripe at gay-bible, instead of trolling here.
By the way, a phobia is a fear. Thus homophobia is an irrational fear of homosexuals, rather than the more common disagreement or disgust with the gay lifestyle.
"Chief Thracian" wrote in message news:[email]...