We regret to inform you the Fairytale of New York homophobia debate is back once again

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It’s officially the Christmas season, which can only mean one thing – the annual “Fairytale of New York” discourse has started once again.

Each year, at the start of December, people start fervently discussing the use of a certain homophobic slur in The Pogues’ classic Christmas tune “Fairytale of New York”.

The discourse is generally fairly predictable – someone says the song should be banned, or it shouldn’t be played on the radio. Somebody who closely resembles a gammon kicks off about cancel culture.

Suddenly, Twitter is in a heap; columnists are sitting down in front of their computers ready to unleash their latest treatise on cancel culture on the world; the rest of us start tearing our hair out as we mournfully delete the Twitter app, desperately hoping the conversation will end so we can go back to looking at memes.

The pointless, endless discussion has taken place each December for the last few years – and this year is no exception. The Christmas season has hardly even begun, and the usual suspects are already shouting at each other online over whether the word was intended as a slur or if Kirsty MacColl was insinuating that Shane MacGowan is actually a delicious meatball.

At this stage, the start of the discourse sends a clear signal to queer Twitter users that it’s time to pack their bags and run away from the platform before the “aul lads” take over.

Aul lads emerging on December 1st to start debating about Fairytale of New York pic.twitter.com/FoioidlBHD

— Joe Joyce (@JosephBJoyce) December 1, 2021

 

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not the Fairytale of New York saga starting already pic.twitter.com/rwVg5TELPq

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