Loverrated Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 I would suggest that you be careful about calling something "gay" and using it to mean something "sucks", is "stupid", or whatever the case may be. It is in the same vein as calling something that you don't like "retarded", or, for another example, saying you bargained a seller for a lower price meant that you "Jewed him down" to a lower price. It's considered impolite, and is often considered offensive - there are tons of better words you could use to get your point across, m'dear. oh really, is it so?? I also use the word gay when I mean somethg is extraordinary differently amazing beautiful and gergeous....do you think I should stop to use it in that way too??? Actually the question is: can I use the word gay at all?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackViolet Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 oh really, is it so?? I also use the word gay when I mean somethg is extraordinary differently amazing beautiful and gergeous....do you think I should stop to use it in that way too??? Actually the question is: can I use the word gay at all?? Why not just use it to mean the two things it means in the dictionary? "Merry" and "pertaining to same-sex romantic interest"? --Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmbm Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdgpgRgwM8c Click that link, hence the reason I posted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loverrated Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Why not just use it to mean the two things it means in the dictionary? "Merry" and "pertaining to same-sex romantic interest"? --Jack OMFG!!! because I'm a language lover and a language needs to be alive, if we cant (re)/invent words and new colors then life/writing IS completly pointless and so STRAIGHT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loverrated Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Finally!! i do get left out because im not a 'big girl'!! **** I started the whole topic as a joke and now you tell us that.... have you been left out for that particular reason sweetie??was it here or in your "real" life?? that's so STRAIGHT really, I mean some people are just so intolerant and narrow minded... I was born skinny too but have never been left out for that, I'm really sad to hear something like that...and i'm with you darling!! loverxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico_collard Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 OMFG!!! because I'm a language lover and a language needs to be alive, if we cant (re)/invent words and new colors then life/writing IS completly pointless and so STRAIGHT Why not relax a little? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happikali Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Why not relax a little? Ummmmmm ..... yeh ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah_loves_mika Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 **** I started the whole topic as a joke and now you tell us that.... have you been left out for that particular reason sweetie??was it here or in your "real" life?? that's so STRAIGHT really, I mean some people are just so intolerant and narrow minded... I was born skinny too but have never been left out for that, I'm really sad to hear something like that...and i'm with you darling!! loverxxx no. i dont really get left out. Sarcasm does not come over well on the internet. There's way more shapes and sizes than just skinny and fat. so, whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngievV Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'm average, but I do not see the point of the topic. When Mika said: "Are there any Big Girls in the house tonight?" I just screamed along with the crowd, I love the song Big Girl and I do not think I'm every left out because of my size, nor do I or my group of friends ever leave someone out because of their size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Click that link, hence the reason I posted it. Nice to see Chris Crocker speaking coherently for a change. I don't ever use the term "gay" in that context publicly because I agree that it is subconsciously spreading homophobia. I still think it though and don't feel uncomfortable when people my own age use it on occasion. Unlike other words I learned as a kid that are no longer acceptable, it wasn't something I understood as offensive to anyone unless you were calling them gay. Even though racial slurs or calling someone a retard were more acceptable in the '70s there was always a sense that you were doing it at the expense of someone else's dignity. Of course using gay in that context is just as wrong, but it doesn't set off my internal alarm bells in the same way. It wasn't just acceptable when I was a kid, it was felt to be innocuous. In the same way that the term "geeky" is fairly innocuous. In my day it didn't have a generic meaning like "bad" or "sucks". It's very specific and part of the reason it's retained in my consciousness is because there is no other word in the English language to replace it. So much so that I don't even know how to describe it. I just know if I say it to another 40 year old Canadian they'll know exactly what I mean. I wonder if it's making a comeback because people my age and a bit older have been using it around their kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah_loves_mika Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Nice to see Chris Crocker speaking coherently for a change. I don't ever use the term "gay" in that context publicly because I agree that it is subconsciously spreading homophobia. I still think it though and don't feel uncomfortable when people my own age use it on occasion. Unlike other words I learned as a kid that are no longer acceptable, it wasn't something I understood as offensive to anyone unless you were calling them gay. Even though racial slurs or calling someone a retard were more acceptable in the '70s there was always a sense that you were doing it at the expense of someone else's dignity. Of course using gay in that context is just as wrong, but it doesn't set off my internal alarm bells in the same way. It wasn't just acceptable when I was a kid, it was felt to be innocuous. In the same way that the term "geeky" is fairly innocuous. In my day it didn't have a generic meaning like "bad" or "sucks". It's very specific and part of the reason it's retained in my consciousness is because there is no other word in the English language to replace it. So much so that I don't even know how to describe it. I just know if I say it to another 40 year old Canadian they'll know exactly what I mean. I wonder if it's making a comeback because people my age and a bit older have been using it around their kids. mmm. I remember using it as a kid, but that was when i didnt really know what it meant. As soon as i knew what it meant and what offence it could cause, i never used it in that context again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 OMFG!!! because I'm a language lover and a language needs to be alive, if we cant (re)/invent words and new colors then life/writing IS completly pointless and so STRAIGHT I too am a language lover - in fact, I'm a linguistics student who recently completed an essay on language change. Languages and vocabularies change for many different reasons - but those changes take time. At this point in time, "gay" means, as JackViolet said, either "homosexual" or "merry". It does not mean "stupid", it does not mean "amazing" - when you use it to mean those things, your point is lost. Furthermore, as I've said, using a term that is understood to refer to sexual orientation to mean "something negative", often resutls in people feeling offended. It would be no different than if I were to think it's stupid that Mika's latest song is moving down in the charts, and I were to express that by saying "Ohmygod, that's SO Belgian". Again, all I ask is that you choose a more appropriate word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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