That's so gay.

twocows said:
Again, I don't see a problem with words having multiple meanings.
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There is nothing wrong with words having multiple meanings. We have plenty of that in the English language. But slang is not an alternative meaning, and using the word gay as a pejorative is slang. Slang is a way of associating a word, or series of words, with a different concept, but without changing the meaning of the word. In this case, the use of the phrase "that's so gay" automatically associates the meaning of the word (homosexual) with a negative concept. It's implicit, even if not intentional. You can't just get away with using slang in casual conversation and expect everyone to instantly know that you mean no offense by it because its very use is offensive. It's understood to be offensive by a huge majority of people, including the people who say it. They're not stupid. They know exactly what they're saying, and what it implies. They just don't care or are too lazy to choose suitable language.
 
Jay0173 said:
There is nothing wrong with words having multiple meanings. We have plenty of that in the English language. But slang is not an alternative meaning, and using the word gay as a pejorative is slang. Slang is a way of associating a word, or series of words, with a different concept, but without changing the meaning of the word. In this case, the use of the phrase "that's so gay" automatically associates the meaning of the word (homosexual) with a negative concept. It's implicit, even if not intentional. You can't just get away with using slang in casual conversation and expect everyone to instantly know that you mean no offense by it because its very use is offensive. It's understood to be offensive by a huge majority of people, including the people who say it. They're not stupid. They know exactly what they're saying, and what it implies. They just don't care or are too lazy to choose suitable language.
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I disagree that there's an implied association any more than any of the other thousands of homonyms or homophones associate concept a with concept b. I feel like I'm going in loops here, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
 
twocows said:
I disagree that there's an implied association any more than any of the other thousands of homonyms or homophones associate concept a with concept b. I feel like I'm going in loops here, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
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You are free to disagree. I just know I cringe every time I hear those words and it cuts right into me every time I do.
 
twocows said:
I disagree that there's an implied association any more than any of the other thousands of homonyms or homophones associate concept a with concept b. I feel like I'm going in loops here, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
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If there were no implied association then no slurs would make sense. Take for example the word "jew". Many people commonly use that word as an adjective that describes someone as greedy, cheap, or stingy and such usage over the years created the stereotype of Jewish people being cheap. The way in which people use gay as a negative adjective today helps paint the common thought that being gay is a negative, undesirable trait.
 
I see it like this. It is the year 2014 there is nothing wrong with being gay. So when people use it like that I don't offended.
 
Language changes. I completely understand it, but it doesn't really erase my hate for the word being used in that kind of context.

I think about all the other people out there who are in the closet, and for them to hear the word "gay" used in such a negative context bothers me. I feel like it bothers them to and I feel that it could possibly make them feel like that being gay is something to be ashamed of. (I felt that way for a long time and being insulted by the use of my sexuality really didn't help.)
 
When I was younger, I would say things like this and call people derogatory terms as it was part of the vernacular in my area. Everyone said it and there were very few openly gay people that lived around town. I quit using this type of language long ago once I was able to comprehend that it was hurtful to others.

I lived in San Francisco for the last two years and consciously reminded myself why using this type of language was alienating and offensive, so I've continued choosing other words to express myself. :)
 
Weeaboo Name said:
I suppose this is the most butthurt, up itself part of the forum. Infraction points for a clearly ironic post.
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I'm truly sorry that you received infraction points, but the post you made was not ironic. It was offensive. You easily could have used language that was less offensive and still got your point across. Instead, you chose to use a derogatory term used to describe gays.

The English language allows us a great number of words to choose from. It's laziness that leads people to use words in a way that can easily offend. Things like "that's so gay" have no real place in civilized conversation, and certainly your use of the word "bender," in my opinion, was way out of line. Had you said that to someone's face, the reaction likely would have been swift and unpleasant.

The freedom of speech is not just a right, it's a responsibility. And while we are largely immune to government sanction for the words we use (except in extreme circumstances ie. causing a panic, inciting violence, etc.) there are nevertheless consequences to the things we say.

I have seen some people complain that they are being denied their freedom to speak when they say something that offends another person. But the problem with that complaint is that their right to speak their mind isn't actually being infringed upon. Rather people are responding to their choice of words by exercising their own right to speak freely. Just because you can say something does not mean you are immune from criticism.
 
Jay0173 said:
I'm truly sorry that you received infraction points, but the post you made was not ironic. It was offensive. You easily could have used language that was less offensive and still got your point across. Instead, you chose to use a derogatory term used to describe gays.
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lol, without using a derogatory term it wouldn't have been an ironic post.

If you were hurt by a word that was fired with no intent then I really feel bad for you.
 
Weeaboo Name said:
lol, without using a derogatory term it wouldn't have been an ironic post.

If you were hurt by a word that was fired with no intent then I really feel bad for you.
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Look, I'm not going to argue with you. You chose to use a word that was derogatory, knew that it was derogatory but used it anyway. That speaks a whole lot about your character as a person. And not in a favorable way. Your intent is irrelevant. And yes it did cause offense. Because it was offensive.
 
Wow, I didn't know the word "bender" was derogatory.

Guess that means we should ban that word along with "bossy" now, huh? NO, I'm not even joking:

https://banbossy.com/

As pathetic as the No Cussing Club.
 
This is the world we live in now, I suppose. Muh political correctness.

Words are words, and I suppose it varies depending on where you grew up. Where I am kids grow up calling eachother ♥♥♥♥♥♥s and there is not a shred of homophobia behind it. A majority of people that use the words causally would not call a gay dude a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ because he is gay, of course if he was being a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ then it would be ok to do so.
 
Weeaboo Name said:
Did you not read the second part of my post? Stop being a *derogatory name for a homosexual*, m8.
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Frankly, I saw no reason to respond to the second part of your post. And I still don't. It's behaviour that is indicative of people who are lazy, rude, and ignorant. And I don't waste time on such immaturity.
 
All I see is you ignoring evidence and logic from personal experience and spamming words like ''rude'' and ''ignorant''.
 
Weeaboo Name said:
All I see is you ignoring evidence and logic from personal experience and spamming words like ''rude'' and ''ignorant''.
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I see no logic in rude and ignorant behaviour. All that you've demonstrated is that the people you hang around with are people who use this kind of language to try and impress other people, to make themselves look more "cool" in the eyes of their peers. Please. It's an ego trip. Nothing more. It's rude, it's ignorant, and it's very immature.
 
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