Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The use of the word "gay"
- Thread starter vmardian
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
"I like bananas."
"Bananas are so gay!"
Was that a compliment? Gay, the way it's often used today in casual speech *is* derogatory. If you use gay to talk about something negatively, you are implying that being gay is wrong, whether you like it or not.
"Bananas are so gay!"
Was that a compliment? Gay, the way it's often used today in casual speech *is* derogatory. If you use gay to talk about something negatively, you are implying that being gay is wrong, whether you like it or not.
It's tricky. It's such a great derogatory word (comes off the tongue nicely) for random bad happenings but it also represents homosexuals. I've got into the habit of using it to express distaste but that annoys me simply because I don't think it's fair on my homosexual friends. They understand I don't mean anything by it and they're not offended, but I'm still trying to replace it with something else... Maybe frack™?
Either way, the days of gay directly meaning happy and colourful are long gone.
I give this ten minutes before it hits the Politics Forum. Any wagers?
Either way, the days of gay directly meaning happy and colourful are long gone.
I give this ten minutes before it hits the Politics Forum. Any wagers?
This reminds me of the case of the word "******" (oh, we're off to the poli forum now).
In both cases, by repeated popular usage, the term became divorced from it's original definition, with a new de-facto definition(s) replacing it. To a degree the two definitions live together, but the more popular one(s) gets assumed in conversation. Or, in some cases people don't care what the definition is, only that the word has a positive or negative value assoicated with it.
It's all pretty ironic.
* the profanity filter strikes - I was referring to the "N" word.
In both cases, by repeated popular usage, the term became divorced from it's original definition, with a new de-facto definition(s) replacing it. To a degree the two definitions live together, but the more popular one(s) gets assumed in conversation. Or, in some cases people don't care what the definition is, only that the word has a positive or negative value assoicated with it.
It's all pretty ironic.
* the profanity filter strikes - I was referring to the "N" word.
I try not to say it....it does sound funny when people say it though but i really don't see it as disrespectful to others....well someone is always there to break ya ballz
anyone see TBS making fun of frodo and sam?....its truly funny. secret lovers
Bless
anyone see TBS making fun of frodo and sam?....its truly funny. secret lovers
Bless
mad jew said:
i give it a few hours at least. gotta give some credit to the peeps. (god, did i just say that word?)
i sometimes use the word to describe something "wrong" or strange. like "that shirt is gay." it's not very nice but i seriously don't mean it rudely.
i once slipped it in front of one of my gay friends. we were looking at something on HGTV and i blurted out "that is so gay!" and then i realized what i had said. (probably looked horrified about it) he just smiled and said "don't worry, it was totally worth it to see the look on your face."
thank goodness for the little thing called sense of humor.
stridey said:
Gay means one of three things: happy, flamboyant, and homosexual. Your banana example doesn't fit any of these. "Gay rainbow colours" on the other hand, fits the flamboyant case. It's not derogatory unless you consider the word flamboyant to also be deragatory. I don't. Flamboyance has its place, but consumer electronics is not one of them.
mad jew said:
I agree. I try to stay away from it, but it seems more and more that gay means more than just homosexual. I almost want to say that it is acceptable to use to mean weird or wacky, or at least many people are using it for alternative meanings.
stridey said:
Bingo- not a nice thing to hear. I hear it way too often. I do give a friendly reminder to some folks that the 6'3" 195# guy standing next to them in the bar is also gay and has just quit smoking and has one nasty temper.
I now use the word lame instead of gay. It gets my point across just fine without possibly offending my flamboyant coworkers and friends.
tweakers_suck said:
What about people with no legs then?...
I really try not to use it but I don't think homosexuals should be offended by it's derogatory use. I know this is easier said than done but there's no intent to offend. I can only ever get offended if there is intent to offend.
BTW, I fully realise the obnoxiousness of telling people what should and should not offend them. For this, I apologise.
mad jew said:
Oh OK, so I assume the next time you use the word "******" to refer to say, white trash, any black folks within earshot shouldn't be offended? See, I couldn't even type that word it got edited. It was the n word BTW.
leekohler said:Bingo- not a nice thing to hear. I hear it way too often. I do give a friendly reminder to some folks that the 6'3" 195# guy standing next to them in the bar is also gay and has just quit smoking and has one nasty temper.
<backs away sloooowly>
I'm not saying it's right. I'm making a concerted effort to avoid it in that context. My point is that when it slips out, it's not meant as anything derogatory against homosexuals. It's like the meaning of gay has a complete duality in that it can represent "homosexuals" and "something bad". I mean no link between the two but understand how this can be implied. It's more the fact that gay is such a catchy word to say. Just the process of saying it is like a release, which is great for moments of discontent.
I digress. If offence is not aimed at me, I don't let it offend me. Oh, and I don't use the N word on anyone. Thankfully, I never got into that bad habit.
I agree with the end result, but not the method. I don't think language can be reduced to equations, even by a madman.
I digress. If offence is not aimed at me, I don't let it offend me. Oh, and I don't use the N word on anyone. Thankfully, I never got into that bad habit.
vniow said:
I agree with the end result, but not the method. I don't think language can be reduced to equations, even by a madman.
mad jew said:I digress. If offence is not aimed at me, I don't let it offend me. Oh, and I don't use the N word on anyone. Thankfully, I never got into that bad habit.
Then why use the "g" word?
mad jew said:
I like this sentence. Some people get caught up in words rather than the intent that they where used.
leekohler said:
I'm trying not to. It's just such a good word to say. It rolls off the tongue nicely. I really have been trying to stop for a while now and I barely say it at all. I recognise that it's not fair on homosexuals to use it in such context. I don't think they should be offended though.
grapes911 said:
oh the analysis of words could take us into a dark dark place. eeeeek!
thing is, i have banged my leg into a table and said some really foul things. it's a slip, a release of energy. my table doesn't really think it's a mother f[beeeep]er.
A lot of people used to say this in the high school, though I noticed that as everyone grew up, it was being used a lot less. I've always tried to avoid saying it, and can't even remember the last time that I did but sometimes it just slips out. I can totally understand the offensiveness of it and am in no way denying the connotations of it, but it has unfortunately become part of vernacular meaning "bad" or "stupid". So when people use it I can understand that they are not trying to be offensive.
mad jew said:
Bull it has a complete duality. I'm straight, but this annoys the **** out of me. Even if it's not how you intend it, where do you think this comes from? It comes from people who don't like homosexuals using the word "gay" to derogate other things they don't like by association.
How anyone can think that making "gay" a synonym for "bad" is just slang with no meaning is totally beyond me. It's loaded with meaning.
Anyone here think it would be Ok to say, "that's so black" when what you mean is "that's so bad"? Or do you think that maybe, just maybe, making a word that people use to define themselves synonymous with negativity could suggest something beyond slang? Gimme a freaking break here.