In this column of mine ( “Is Ron Paul an Antisemite? No.”) I stated: “Gay people, it is said, have a radar system (gaydar) which enables them to discern anti-homosexual bigotry, even when it is not in your face…” I was very much in error on this, and I apologize for my mistake. (My “motto” in writing is that nothing stops me, even total ignorance, and this case, this motto of mine bit me.) I have been corrected on this matter by several readers. The correct interpretation of “gaydar” is the ability to tell whether a straight acting person is actually gay; or, a gay person’s ability to sniff out another homosexual, even if he is “straight” acting; or the ability/gift of being able to detect homosexuality in other people. However, there SHOULD be a word, I suppose a different one, to describe gays who can discern people who hate homosexuals even when they try to hide this behind a facade. Linguists, get to work on this! Where is Noam Chomsky when we need him?

The Best of Walter E. Block