"That's so gay" Commercial.

[Lefty]

Good question.

I don't know alt.

It shorely do beat the TEXAN outen of me.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

( popular culture )

any country figure it? dat expression

forgots

it okay ya no figure it as world a busy rushin ta correct countrys lack of memorys ons stuff

but a curious internet any idea it

anyway

G A Y flip flip flip YAY ans slideeeeeeee ooh green knees

 

[anchihiro]

A 6 year old nowadays goes around school saying 'that's well gay'. He thinks it means that somethings stupid or wrong. When he gets abit older, starts to understand abit more about sexuality he realises that being gay is also same sex attraction.

He puts 2 + 2 together, and develops the negative connotations concerning sexuality. But thats ok, because everyone in his class say 'that's so gay' all the time too.

Meanwhile the kid who is actually gay and has to be forced to listen to this day in day out starts to feel a little suicidal. If you're not gay then you're really not going to think about the consequences of what you say.

As it turns out, years later them kids didn't have issues with gay people. But the gay kid never got that impression during school.

But guess what, if people didn't go around saying 'that's gay' in the first place, more people especially kids would grow up feeling much better about themselves when they realise that being gay is ok.

Mitchymo, not everybody has thick skin like you. There are too many people who are insulted by this. Just like there are too many people who associate the word gay to mean everything negative including homosexuality.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

Question.

Is it offensive when someone says "that sucks dick" about something they don't like?

What if they simply say "that sucks?"

Equally offensive? Less offensive? Not offensive whatsoever?

no strain da internet ta think it break down

haaaaaaaaa

YO happy ya balls keep um sweet

 

[Lefty]

Fuck illy

that is so gay

quit being a dick about it

pseudo honkie

 

[FanofFiction]

I agree with Mikami. There is a distinct difference between referring to a specific group of semi oppressed people and referring to an act.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

I agree with Mikami. There is a distinct difference between referring to a specific group of semi oppressed people and referring to an act.

world watchin this thread

 

[Lefty]

Mika and Fano

you sound so haulie there.

lets
Drink a little drink (primo)
Smoke a little smoke (pakalolo)

and we can Aloha as one.

 

[altlover85]

Thanks Anchichiro and WaGWaG for adding the human side of this and the fact that it does affect people regardless of whether or not that is the intent.

That depends on the 'who' you refer to, and of course the origins of the phrase.

Anyone using the phrase today uses gay because that is part of the phrase, those who originally coined the phrase may have been using it to describe something peculiarly humourous for all i know, or odd, or curious.

Unless you can identify the source of the phrase, its not going to be possible to do anything but be presumptuous about its original meaning. There is every plausible reason to believe that the phrase was NEVER used in context of homoseuality as 'gay' has more than one meaning.

It is however entirely reasonable to assume it was linked to homosexuality to begin with on the basis that the 'happy' definition of gay is uncommon nowadays.

Either way, my point stands, its not always origins that are important, its the popular culture.

I would have thought that the effect of the phrase on others would have been more important than anything else. You do offend some people by using the phrase, so why continue to use it?

Popular culture isn't totally accepting of GLBT people, until it is, I don't think the phrase should get a free pass.

This is indicative of the origins of the phrase and the negativity, assuming that the phrase DID evolve from the homosexuality definition and not the happy definition, in remaining would be self evident, however, it doesn't change the point i'm making about the phrase usage today. I don't know what the semantic terminology is, but the negative origin has changed over time, it is still derisive, but to a completely different end, i.e. its not a gay slur, its a phrase meaning stupid or wrong or unfair, descriptive of thoughts, objects and experiences.

My point is, that comparitively, there is bigger, and unquestionably offensive speech that should be the focus of tackling homophobia, these ads are just a bit fickle in the issue they are addressing.

As to the tackling homophobia and Westboro issues, that's not in the hands of the media for the most part. It's a constitutional issue.

 

[altlover85]

For what it's worth, I think you won the debate.

Ditto.

 

[erobert]

OK, I think we can agree that the term is generally offensive and alienating to most of us. It not the word it's the meaning of the word.

Now group hug everyone, you too Mitch.

 

[Under-taken]

I think though that the more you try and put pressure on how it's wrong - which I'm absolutely certain everyone in this thread appreciates its insinuiation - just makes it have a bigger impact using it. The 'n' word these days is still used a lot, atleast in Australia, not in the harsh ways as it use too in the US but still is derogatory.

While government's and churches label it wrong, its always going to be used as that negative connotation because the higher powers in society are dictating it is, efforts would be used better in trying to change that then funnel out a saying thats ingrained into a generation.

Just emphasising that again, I don't think it's acceptable, but time would be better spent continuing to focus on gay rights. You make it acceptable, then governments/churches can lead by example, that will be far more influential.

 

[BigBulgeLover85]

It's extremely insidious, the verbal equivalent of nigger or kike. The use has an inherent meaning, that gay is equal to stupid and undesirable

It's actually worse. The difference between calling something gay and the word nigger is that nigger is already a derogatory word. Gay is just a word that describes same sex attraction, just like black is a word to describe African-American skin.

If we used the phrase "African-American" to describe something as being lame or stupid, that would be worse than calling somebody a nigger. I think using the word gay to describe something as being lame or stupid is worse than calling somebody a faggot because the latter is already a derogatory word.

There is a difference between using words that are already derogatory and using words in a derogatory way when they weren't derogatory to begin with.

 

[Kulindahr]

Best post in the thread:

A 6 year old nowadays goes around school saying 'that's well gay'. He thinks it means that somethings stupid or wrong. When he gets abit older, starts to understand abit more about sexuality he realises that being gay is also same sex attraction.

He puts 2 + 2 together, and develops the negative connotations concerning sexuality. But thats ok, because everyone in his class say 'that's so gay' all the time too.

Meanwhile the kid who is actually gay and has to be forced to listen to this day in day out starts to feel a little suicidal. If you're not gay then you're really not going to think about the consequences of what you say.

As it turns out, years later them kids didn't have issues with gay people. But the gay kid never got that impression during school.

But guess what, if people didn't go around saying 'that's gay' in the first place, more people especially kids would grow up feeling much better about themselves when they realise that being gay is ok.

Mitchymo, not everybody has thick skin like you. There are too many people who are insulted by this. Just like there are too many people who associate the word gay to mean everything negative including homosexuality.

 

[Musik2400]

Fixed that for you.

And I've heard plenty of people use Gay (meaning homosexual) when they wanted to be derogatory.

ps. I'm curious how 'Sissy' counts for homosexual and 'Gay' doesn't.

Because if someone says "I'm gay" and you say "sissy" that's offensive.

If someone says "I'm gay" and you say "you're gay" that's redundant.

As far as "Fixing" that for me. Isn't that exactly where we GOT our term "gay" someone created a new definition for it meaning homosexual, instead of "happy", and now teenagers created a new definition meaning "stupid"

as being lame or stupid

There is a difference between using words that are already derogatory and using words in a derogatory way when they weren't derogatory to begin with.

and what you've just done here is exactly that. Once upon a time lame was a word that described cripples, and people with walking problems. And yet you use it as the same meaning as stupid. You've taken a non-derogatory word and made it derogatory. I guess that makes you just as deplorable as the people who say "that's so gay"

Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone. Clearly this is not you.

 

[Kulindahr]

What's interesting here is the assumption this is a recent phenomenon. I remember the phrase being used in a definitely derogatory manner when I was still in town after finishing at OSU, which means it's been around since the mid-nineties.

I'd say the difference is that back then, if you asked anyone using it if they thought being gay was bad, and that's way they used it, you would have gotten a look that said, "Duh!" Now the use has become so rote that many who use it don't realize.

 

[Anders123]

I used to say it a lot, all of my friends say it CONSTANTLY, though none of them are inherently homophobic. Though, it still gets to me sometimes, despite the fact that they don't MEAN it 'that way', that's what it means regardless.

It's like when someone does something stupid and people laugh and say "Dude, that was so retarded". Some one who doesn't know somebody personally who's disabled is more inclined to use that word 'harmlessly' than someone who does. If they're exposed to disability however, they will be much more aware of the use of that word. The use of such terms as 'gay', 'retarded' etc. in derogatory context comes from ignorance. Like people who joke about rape as well, clearly haven't been affected by it.

Perhaps I'll go to a predominantly black neighbourhood and say things like, "that's such n***** shit", then proclaim that the word has unknown origins to me and I don't mean it in an offensive way. I'm ignorant to the 'true' history of the word, though I'm more conscientious so I wouldn't use the word anyway, but you get my point.

 

[USEDCAR]

It gets annoying and makes me angry sometimes But when someone says for example "My computer is being gay it deleted my music" I just kindly reply back Computers don't have a sexuality and they apologize for saying it.



Its just funny When something is straight it means its good and when something is gay it means its wrong.


I wish the word Nigger Nigga Nig would retire that's another annoying word i cringe every time someone says yo nig it just feel like they are calling me a nigger. And i feel like whacking people on the head with a hammer when they say nigger means a bad person.

 

[Musik2400]

I don't understand how sissy would be more offensive than someone using gay in the manner in the ad. The only way sissy applies to homosexual is the fact that people base that insult off the stereotype.

So again, why does sissy apply in to being offensive to homosexuals but using gay (meaning stupid) not fall into that category? When gay actually means homosexual.

Well clearly you didn't actually read my post carefully enough.

In my experience when someone says sissy, 9 times out of 10 it is used as a derogatory term for homosexual, and translates to "gay"

When someone says "that's so gay" it is a derogatory term to an INANIMATE OBJECT or IDEA, which translates to "stupid"

Because, again as I said before, if you call yourself gay then someone else calling you gay really shouldn't bother you, seeing as you already did it yourself.

I would be a lot more offended if someone called me a sissy (or any other ACTUAL derogatory term for gay) then if I heard a couple teenagers calling a porcelain chef gay. I mean if this is seriously what we have to get upset about... then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong.

The largest demographic to use this is teenagers, and emotionally underdeveloped white males... newsflash its in their biological nature to be idiots, to be offensive, to say things they shouldn't and basically be an annoyance to anyone outside that demographic.

Easier just to deal with it and wait for them to grow up, because eventually they all DO grow out of it, or they become homophobes who use worse slurs than that. Judging by how many use it and still have no ill will towards gays I'm guessing there'll be a much higher turnover towards the growing out of it than the homophobia.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

Grow out of?

this thread a represent thinkin fa ( new word GAY ) or anythin what human figurins real world ans life

nice day word human get born

-

anyway back ta

' OOH '
% Blips! %
' arrrh! '