Competition for funniest inquiry letter!

[A-two]

With Paolo's permission, I humbly submit the following entry to the Competition for the funniest inquiry letter. Sender's contact details redacted for privacy purposes.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: amanda [mailto:aexxx@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 9:58 PM
> To: joanna@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Vacation Home Rentals Inquiry
>
>
> The following inquiry came in for you. Here are the details:
>
> Property ID: 41
> Title: Waterfront Beach House, private beach & dock
> Web Address: http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/41/
>
> Name: amanda
> Email: aexxx@yahoo.com
> Phone: 646.232.XXXX
> Arrival Date: 2/19/
> Departure Date: 2/22/
> Adults: 5
> Children: 0
> Comments: Hello!
>
> I am writing to inquire if your beach house is available for the
> above dates, and how much you would charge.
>
> We would be two queer couples and our friend, quiet, responsible
> and definitely in need of a get away!
>
> Is there a train that is near the property as well?
>
> Thank you so much,
> amanda
>
________________

(I guess the friend needs the train to get away from the other two couples....

[sleekitbeastie]

I'm not sure why this is amusing. Perhaps if one were homophobic it might be worthy of ridicule. Given some respect for diversity it looks like a normal enquiry letter to me. Could it be the question about the train which is funny? I suspect not. If it is the reference to 'two queer couples' which is the object of your amusement then this post is extremely offensive and to have posted it or allowed it to be posted is a significant error of judgement. Given the level of fundamentalist bigotry sometimes found (especially in the bible belt states of the USA) I think the letter looks like a reasonable enquiry - in fact this response to the letter justifies it.

Perhaps if somebody could explain the source of the humour I can revise my judgement. I hope so because I rank homophobia right there alongside racism and religious bigotry.

[alexia s.]

I don't find it amusing, Sleekbeastie. I was surprised by the use of the word "queer", which I thought had only derogatory overtones in (British) English - but the international tel no. starts with 64, which is an Australian number. I wonder if the Aussie use of the word attaches a different value to it?? ("value", not "meaning".)
Otherwise, is the enquiry just a silly joke itself?

[sleekitbeastie]

Alexia s

I think the word queer is one of those pejorative terms now adopted by the maligned target as a term of pride. Certainly in the US and in London (and presumably Oz) it now has been claimed by the gay community as a badge of defiance. It isn't the word but the thought behind it which is offensive. I think the principle is that if you call me an offensive name I will use it myself and with pride. This challenges the offensive use and shifts the value attached to it. I think the same happened to black - when I was a child I was taught not to say black but coloured. Black is now the preferred word and coloured is rather unacceptable.

I had an enquiry from 'dykes on bikes'. This could easily be regarded as a pejorative use. I took it to be a disguised question - if I had a problem with gay women as guests - turn the booking down. Of course I had no problem - I have guests, not dykes, queers, blacks or any other silly category invented by small minds and smaller imaginations.

I'm still hoping that somebody can justify this posting and its acceptance by our moderator. It still looks like a shameful and shaming piece of naked bigotry to me.

[A-two]

Oh dear, now I'm sorry for starting this. I didn't read "queer" as meaning "gay", rather as meaning "odd", which made me laugh, but my knee jerk reaction was perhaps a little thoughtless from other people's perspective. No reason to send out the rottweilers!!!!

It's not an international inquiry. US customers do not include their country code, +1, when contacting US owners. The code 646 you are reading as Australian is in fact a Sprint cellphone (mobile) number currently overlayed secondary to the 212 area code, which is New York, and in use in areas like the Bronx, Harlem and Flatbush.

I think it's probably best if Paolo just deletes this whole thread, it's not very helpful and I apologize to him for messing up his excellent board with my poor attempt at being lighthearted.

All the best,
Joanna

[sleekitbeastie]

Joanna,

I must say I am very relieved to hear that there was a simple explanation. There is a French expression 'faux amis', or false friends, which refers to word the meaning of which we think we know but which turn out to mean something different. We are all constantly trapped by them - it is a problem when you live in the backwoods.

[paolo]

sleekitbeastie,

I didn't delete this post because it struck me as a light-hearted, innocent message. I think I know Joanna well enough now to know she is not some rabid homophobe. I thought the letter was quite amusing, and I assumed that the word 'queer' appeared because spellcheck had corrected a mis-spelt 'quiet'. I thought the train question was mildly amusing too.

Let's try to remember that this is a holiday rentals forum, not the Spanish Inquisition!

[paolo]

sleekitbeastie,

I have sent you a a Private Message.

[vrooje]

The message is lighthearted, but what's funnier is this thread! Some words just have so many meanings.

[PeeJay]

PC alert PC alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[robzter]

LOL yeah and im "queer"" so just you watch out!! LOL

[janskov]

<soapbox> You people really must remember that the majority of the rest of us do not have any variation of English as our native language.</soapbox>

Please allow for misspellings and misunderstandings and guide us in a gentle way when we are mistaken.
Even a US cell phone does not guarantee proficiency in English. Maybe the mail was a Babelfish translation from Spanish (or Chinees:o)