homosexual is the right term as is heterosexual is for straights.  

I was told once by a journalist years ago that he always uses the term homosexual  for his editorials because gay was never meant to be used for homosexuals.  They basically took this perfectly good word to describe themselves and I don't usually think of homosexuals as "gay."

When I was a kid I was an avid reader and the word gay was used throughout my reading material.  In no way did it refer to homosexuals.   So it was the same here as what you grew up with but somewhere along the way the homos took the word and destroyed it as the dad said in your movie. 

"We have no gay people in Russia—there are homosexuals but they are not allowed to be gay about it. The punishment is seven years locked in prison with other men and there is a three-year waiting list for that."

But he wasn't Russian-born, he was Jewish-born. He was born IN the Soviet Union (Ukraine), but he wasn't born Russian or Ukrainian. (I used "Russian" as a shortcut to describe anything slavic in the Soviet Union. I didn't think it would matter in this case.) Most Jews in Russia and Ukraine spoke Russian (as opposed to Ukrainian). But they were not "Russians" (or Ukrainians).

I find jokes funnier when I know more about the perspective of the person telling the joke. The famous Radio-Yerevan jokes about the Soviet Union are a lot funnier because the source is (allegedly) Armenian. Similarly a view of Soviet Russia from a Jew is more fascinating than a view of Soviet Russia from a Russian.

I have no idea about Smirnoff's religion, whether he even is religious, whether he believes in G-d, whether he prays. But I do know Russians and Russian Jews. And I know that they have different perspectives on life.

He was born in Odessa, a city famous in the Soviet Union for its comedians and large Jewish community. The city was once 1/3 Jewish in the 19th century and was a bastion of Yiddish culture, Zionism, and Jewish religion. It remained very Jewish under Soviet rule as it was, if I recall correctly, just outside the Nazis' reach. And that was the situation Mr Smirnoff grew up in. It's not the same as being Russian in Moscow or Ukrainian in Kiev. It's a totally different life.

Where U been Zoo?

Stuck with slow as hell internet over Winter break.

These last two weeks, though, I've been getting back into learning mode.  I'll try and frequent JU a bit more...think I got this semester all figured out.

~Zoo

I prefer 'camper than a row of tents' myself.

The word 'gay' is just a euphenism that people liked, presumably because it's non-perjorative and fairly apt in describing a stereotypical gay man and doesn't require any mention of sex, both essential requirements for new garden party words.

I'm not ignoring you guys. I just got back blogging, I'm a proud grandma!  I will respond to your witty and informative comments later!  Mad, me, why would I get mad...Nitro....that's a gladiator name you know!

Thx! My some of the people in other depts in our bldg are amazed that I even have a child old enough to have children!lol!  I'm about to brag about him on my next blog!

American!lol!

Asking questions for clarity is always a good thing!

I also think most people think only of men when they hear the word "Homosexual" and of both genders when they hear 'Gays"...to me at least!

Only when it is not pronounced properly or used in its correct format...at least IMO!  great point though!

I used to find him very funny when he was popular some years ago!

I saw that!

You let that be a lesson to you mister!   Hijack away my friend, those hijacks can lead to some interesting roads sometimes!

Nice to see ya Shaun!

I go both ways....I mean I use either depending on what I'm talking about!