"that's so gay!" - offensive, no?

[MarkM]

Honestly there are so many words that we use that could be offensive to someone. The words "indians" and "blacks" are politcally incorrect. We are supposed to say "native americans" and "african americans" but do we? and do they really care? One of my best friends is black and i say black because I have never met one black person who is offended by that. Its just like saying I am white. Im not offended at all. I dont care if you call me caucasion or white. Too much crap is considered PC. I use the word gay all the time and i wont change it either. I dont care if there is a gay guy standing right in front of me. I have no qualms about using it in the context I do.

You posted this reply as I was typing so I will quote all of it since I agree and disagree with a couple of the things you have said.
First the disagree part. You would use the word Gay in front of someone you know to be gay?...you said in front of, not at, a world of difference but still very inconsiderate and that is not being PC that is plain politeness. I am sure that you have something in your character or manner that you would be offended by if it was brought up in front of you. (however minor it was since we all have weak parts to our makeup).

The agree part.. Black...well I can see the reasoning for native american but think that american should suffice (who cares who was there first...actually the native americans since there are discoverys being made that are contrary to the whole being first arguement but that is another discussion entirely)...of course a black man is not offended by being addressed as black any more than you are offended by being addressed as white. The exception to this would be of course using the term in a different way and cuts both ways for both black and white.

Also what is with America's perceived stance on insisting that you are not Americans but African Americans or Irish Americans and the list goes on and on. You are Americans pure and simple. I am English but my family tree isn't but I don't use that family tree in my description of myself. I am English end of story just as you are an American end of story.

[SCpoloRicker]

you got me there , i cannot answer that.

I'll go ahead and say it again.

Gay in the context you are referring to began because we as a society view homosexuals/gays/we as second-class/non-equal/worthy of discrimination. Therefore we will occasionaly refer to other things that are second-class/non-equal/worthy of discrimination (such as a car) as gay.

That's why its wrong. Not PC, "ohh he's African American" PC. More like, a class of people is being denied rights. Seems we as Americans have done this a few times already. Women's suffrage, and the Civil Rights movement. Now that I think about it, we amended the constitution (x2) to establish that EVERY American citizen is entitled to certain rights. First, to give women the right to vote, and then to remove "seperate but equal" *cough, civil union*

The fact that you don't consider your and your friends homophobic doesn't mean that calling anything other than a gay "gay" isn't offensive. Which was the title of the post.

[edited]

[paintballrulzs]

You posted this reply as I was typing so I will quote all of it since I agree and disagree with a couple of the things you have said.
First the disagree part. You would use the word Gay in front of someone you know to be gay?...you said in front of, not at, a world of difference but still very inconsiderate and that is not being PC that is plain politeness. I am sure that you have something in your character or manner that you would be offended by if it was brought up in front of you. (however minor it was since we all have weak parts to our makeup).

The agree part.. Black...well I can see the reasoning for native american but think that american should suffice (who cares who was there first...actually the native americans since there are discoverys being made that are contrary to the whole being first arguement but that is another discussion entirely)...of course a black man is not offended by being addressed as black any more than you are offended by being addressed as white. The exception to this would be of course using the term in a different way and cuts both ways for both black and white.

Also what is with America's perceived stance on insisting that you are not Americans but African Americans or Irish Americans and the list goes on and on. You are Americans pure and simple. I am English but my family tree isn't but I don't use that family tree in my description of myself. I am English end of story just as you are an American end of story.

I agree with you 100 percent. I just mean that I wouldn't change the way I talk even if someone was gay and would hear me. When I say "that is gay" i dont mean wow it sucks because gay people suck and i said its gay so yada yada. Its just a term that has more than 1 definition to many people. It isn't necessarily derrogatory its just a different meaning for the word gay that it has adopting in my vocabulary. Yes I do have a problem with gay people but everytime i say "thats gay" I am not referring to gay people at all. If that makes any sense....

[red robot]

I agree with you 100 percent. I just mean that I wouldn't change the way I talk even if someone was gay and would hear me. When I say "that is gay" i dont mean wow it sucks because gay people suck and i said its gay so yada yada. Its just a term that has more than 1 definition to many people. It isn't necessarily derrogatory its just a different meaning for the word gay that it has adopting in my vocabulary. Yes I do have a problem with gay people but everytime i say "thats gay" I am not referring to gay people at all. If that makes any sense....

Why not say "oh, that's lemon!" Why not use some other completely arbitrary word? That's what it is, a completely arrbitrary word. It is arbitrary because the definition of the word that you are using has no connection to that which you are trying to describe. You could make just as much sense calling things lemon, racket, spoon, etc.... Unless, of course, that which you're describing actually is a lemon, racket, spoon, and so on.

[paintballrulzs]

Why not say "oh, that's lemon!" Why not use some other completely arbitrary word? That's what it is, a completely arrbitrary word. It is arbitrary because the definition of the word that you are using has no connection to that which you are trying to describe. You could make just as much sense calling things lemon, racket, spoon, etc.... Unless, of course, that which you're describing actually is a lemon, racket, spoon, and so on.

Because if I was to pick some completely arbitrary word noone would understand me.

[MarkM]

wimag posts like that will get the thread closed and some people unable to log on

[red robot]

Because if I was to pick some completely arbitrary word noone would understand me.

I'm sure the first person to use the word "gay" to describe a vehicle was looked at with a raised brow, but it caught on didn't it? Try it, just to see what happens; use a word like "lemon" to describe somethint that sucks or is lame. If the word is short enough and catchy I bet it could stick.

[HoppysMag]

i now find any application or occasion of "E" in a word insulting, and must not pup up in any post for now on.
with a 50,000 word logical story by Ernest Wright to confirm it is doable. "E" must not occur again on AO !


/ rant

ok to use what i learned in college


THIS THREAD IS MOIST!

[red robot]

i now find any application or occasion of "E" in a word insulting, and must not pup up in any post for now on.
with a 50,000 word logical story by Ernest Wright to confirm it is doable. "E" must not occur again on AO !


/ rant

ok to use what i learned in college


THIS THREAD IS MOIST!

You have to temper that logic before you can use it. What about "E" insults you? Because there is no long definition of the letter E, besides it being letter, member of the alphabet, containing one syllable, and making an (ee) noise, there is no stated reason for you to be insulted.

[HoppysMag]

You have to temper that logic before you can use it. What about "E" insults you? Because there is no long definition of the letter E, besides it being letter, member of the alphabet, containing one syllable, and making an (ee) noise, there is no stated reason for you to be insulted.

its to point out that everyone and thier mother is offended by the stupidest things. and some people are so anal as to question the logic of an obviously exagerated example.


good job, your a winner there.

oh and what is the word "gay" but a combination of sounds to make a word whos definition is ultimatly decided by the populas

[spantol]

I'm not sure that I agree with this. I've been known to occasionally refer to things as being "gay" not because they're second-class, non-equal, or particularly discrimination worthy, but because they're consistant with stereotypes associated with homosexuality. There's no hate behind it, it's more of a linguistic shortcut.

While I try to be sensitive to my audience, I've nonetheless caught myself doing this while in front of some gay people (what's the appropriate collective noun? Gaggle?), and ended up saying "Man, that's ga...tarded. Extremely gatarded. *cough* [quick subject change]."

I'll go ahead and say it again.

Gay in the context you are referring to began because we as a society view homosexuals/gays/we as second-class/non-equal/worthy of discrimination. Therefore we will occasionaly refer to other things that are second-class/non-equal/worthy of discrimination (such as a car) as gay.

[red robot]

its to point out that everyone and thier mother is offended by the stupidest things. and some people are so anal as to question the logic of an obviously exagerated example.


good job, your a winner there.

oh and what is the word "gay" but a combination of sounds to make a word whos definition is ultimatly decided by the populas

Definitions of words in the english language are unchanging. They are, and must be, constant.

People are offended by things. Noted. Bad input. Please keep yourself from adding to bad input. Thank you.

[spantol]

Since when? Only dead languages are static.

Definitions of words in the english language are unchanging. They are, and must be, constant.

People are offended by things. Noted. Bad input. Please keep yourself from adding to bad input. Thank you.

[Dubstar112]

I avoid using the word gay on message boards because it is commonly taken out of context. Especially on a forum with immature guests.

There was a time when a thread like this was not needed to discuss our local behavior(local to AO). The issues were obvious then... I guess

[paintballrulzs]

I always see that pic that says "wow this thread is gay" and not once have i ever heard someone complain about the PC of the picture