Good Sports/Bad Sports: Inclusivity, Camaraderie and Collegiality
Just because a term is culturally acceptable and has been used for decades doesn't make it correct. "Puto" in Mexico is a pejorative against male homosexuals and means they're bad and low-life's. When used by fans against an opposing sports team, it still makes male gays in the audience feel badly and conjure up lifetime memories of its use as an insult directed with impunity.
Another insult used similarly in other regions of Latin America can be found when Venezuelans use the term "Marica" -- a diminutive based on the offensive "maricón" (faggot) and is now used as a cultural term of endearment. However, this does not make it right when its roots, still pervasive, are an insult against male gays communicating a cultural sanction that it's OK to make some, without any other condemning factor, feel like a 2nd class citizen.
Society has been, is constantly evolving and must continue to do so. One hundred years ago white people in the USA used the term "nigger" as a pejorative against blacks with impunity, but today that is socially unacceptable. FIFA's rules against racism and homophobia by fútbol team players and/or fans warrant imposing a warning, sanction or fine against Mexico ~ I embrace the process ~ JUSTICIA!
NPR Morning Edition
Labels: Camaraderie, Collegiality, Discrimination, FIFA, Fútbol, Gay, Hispanic, Homophobia, Inclusivity, Justice, Justicia, Latino, LGBT, Mexico, Pride, Soccer, Sports, Venezuela, World Cup

