"That's Gay!": Offensive?

i think's really offencive because straight people use that term to describe "shit" or "crap" to offend us

so i'd go with offencive

 

Gedio, have you ever visited YouTube, and looked at the comments? They're teeming with users calling any video or contributor that they didn't think was good or entertaining as "gay". Gay is being used as an insult that literally means anything negative. There's no logic, it's not just used to mean effeminate, or even stupid. It's being used as a word that stands for anything bad. If they don't like something, they call it gay. It's hard as hell to find a video that's not been gay-bashed.

See why I'm worked up now? I don't hear it as frequently IRL as it is on the internet, 'cause people have infinate courage online. But even IRL, I hear people say "gay" as a catch-all insult. I'm shocked you haven't. You're lucky. But people do things in order to not cause conflict and to be liked every day, I don't believe you that complaining about it never helps.

 

Yeah, I'm with Gedio on this one.

This PC nonsense in the end is infinitely more annoying. For the most part usually doesnt come from gay people, more so the PC police talking for us or the odd miltant type gay who has it as part of their job description.

The last thing I want my friends to do is edit themsleves or tip toe around me cos they fear letting out a "dude, thats so gay"

In the past I've had some straight friends who got my blood rushing a little more than usual, I felt self conscious about that, after a while they got a little uncomfortable. There really isnt any difference between being uncomfortable around me than being around a girl they feel they are leading on and are not interested in.

Straight people for the most part only do the "thats gay" thing to fire themselves up anyway, it usually comes from guys that have to overcompensate for lack of height or machismo, and the girls only really tend to do it when they are around guys they want to eee-orrrr eee-orrr. So the primary reasons dont even really have anything to do with us

And as for Gay guys and girls, I'm going to generalize again, but for the most part those that have to go around waving the rainbow flag, fighting the good fight do tend to be the ones that have to convince themseleves first (unless it is part of their job, or they are running some group/club).
In fact thats the best way to sort out the 100 percenters from the rest, exclusive gay by the end of their teens will be skilled in the art of using humour to deflect comments, know when to stand firm and when to keep that mouth shut. Will know to go by instinct and not by some bullshit label that comes out of their mouth

 

Maybe it's not so bad in the UK and Australia as it is in America. But it's pretty fucking bad on the internet too, and here we are on the internet, so I can't believe you guys aren't with me.

Once again, this shit is so far beyond being merely politically incorrect. I'm curious, is there anything that you think a person could say that it would be okay for people to take ofense over? If there is, then why do you make an exception for offense toward people like yourself? I'm not a rainbow flag waver, a lot of people who know me don't know I'm gay. Maybe I'm not a gay zealot, maybe you're a little on the self-hating side, if you want to be liked by straights so much that you'll put up with them using "gay" to mean everything negative. And I don't think I've ever known a woman who jumped into bed with a guy because he was a gay basher. ???

 

Women aren't attracted to homophobia, you're right. But in "macho bravado" psyche it is seen as both attractive and "cool".
I'm not "with you" because I see no reason to be.
Vanilla gorilla had it right, you don't have to criticize EVERY use of the word gay. Laugh it off, turn it round. whatever. The point is that even if you decide that it IS insulting to you...
So what?
Our homosexuality offends Certain religous groups. Should we change merely because they are offended?
No.
Perception is everything.
It is a commonly used word.
deal with it.

 

The history of the African-American and Women's movements shoes that language and attitude can be politically important. PC can be annoying, but it played a role in waking up minorities and majorities alike to attitudes that kept classes of people in a one-down position. The African-American who said "I don't care what you calls me, 'long as you calls me to dinner" was basically bending over for the man. No, it's not okay for whites to use the "N-word", or for guys to call women "Ho" or gays "fags". And people who use "gay" to mean anything weak or mediocre have to be straightened out, the way I've been on occasion if I lapse into using the old words (like retarded) for whatever is the current PC euphemism for that.

 

nope, i say it all the time.

 

Are you really comparing the horrors that africans suffered for hundreds of years of slavery to people saying "that's gay"?

And political correctness does NOTHING except to create segregation betwen absically everyone. It is counter-intuitive to it's own goal and is a logical fallacy. I find it more absurd than the notion of a "God" or "soul".

 

Do you not know about the horrors gays have suffered throught history, Gedio? All the ones that have died by violence? This decade? In developed countries, never mind all the ones where gay sex is illegal and punishable by execution. I think maybe you're just really young and ignorant. Not that Okie was even comparing blacks and gays as a whole, just the N-word and "that's gay".

 

I think you're a whining tool.
I'm not denying that homosexuals have suffered.
That would be insane.
What i'm saying is that someone saying "you're a ******"
and someone saying "that film was gay"
are two completely different things.
If you really can't see the difference you need to step back and re-examine the world.
Peace.

 

Obviously, the use of the words 'gay' and '******' are two very different things. One is a mere common day adjective, the other is a derogatory term. But I don't think that's really the issue. I think a more accurate question is whether saying "that's gay" is the same as saying "that's black." Is it ok to say one and not the other? Is it ok to say both? Neither?

I personally think political correctness is a dumb idea, since there's always going to be someone somewhere who finds something offending. But I also think we need to recognise that words themselves can have a lot more power than we might think, and using the word gay to mean signify stupid can have important connotations.

It seems to me like most people these days use the word because they're lazy. After all, it's a monosyllabic word that can stand in place of a dozen other words that take way longer (a whole second sometimes ) to pronounce. When looking at it that way, I don't really see a problem with it. But I think we also need to recognise that until the word gay stops being used to mean anything negative, homosexuality will always be an uncomfortable subject for most people because they will still be making that connection, even if only subconsciously.
(note: I am not a psychologist, that's just my opinion)

 

yes, this is offensive. It's using a word that does not have a derogatory denotation in a derogatory way. If they want to say something negative they should do it with words that don't put others down in their use.

 

I find the use of the word, simply, useful.
It's the same as when I used to have a mohawk.
If someone's really arsed about it, they're not someone that's worth my time talking to 9 times out of 10.
If someone will attempt to lecture me on how offensive it is, we're clearly not going to be the type of people that are compatable as friends.
People who reprimand others for things like this are people who are IMO fools and have absolutely no understanding of the science of human relations. If you criticize anyone on anything, they instantly become defensive and defend themselves, just reassuring themselves that they are right.
The problem, IMO is people who are so insecure that they feel the need to defend every last thing about themselves to a point as a way to redirect their own deep seated self-loathing.

 

I think everybody you know are assholes, if none of them are able to consider critcism. I guess you can't be arsed with people capable of introspection or growth. When you say that those who think it's wrong to make gay a synonym for everything negative are fools, is it because you're just reassuring yourself that you're right? I mean, obviously women don't like to be called bitches and whores because of their own deep seated self-loathing.

 

It's not everybody I know, it's everybody. The human mind is a rebellious thing. Want proof? Don't think of a blue square........ What did you just do? If you tell someone they're wrong they're automatic reaction is "no, i'm right". If criticism is presented calmly and in a positive manner then it's fine. Buit what I am referring to is when people come over like "You can't say that, that's wrong, OMFGZZZ stop oppressing me". What was the old saying? "Where there is shouting, there is no knowledge".

You're example is inadequate and inept. You're not going up to someone and saying "queer", i'd never do that. You're using the term as a way to describe you're distaste for something. It's like saying that using the term "Iggy Pop is a sell-out whore" is offensive to prostitutes who identify themselves as whores. It's something that has nothing to do with gay people exept on face-value. And more often than not when this word is used i'd be more than willing to bet it has absolutely nothing to do with you. It is directed at a object or social situation someone has distate for. Not a homosexual person. If you really lack the ability to read between the lines do this degree you fail at life.

Either back up your point with logic and reason or don't make it.

 

You're not giving people any credit in such a sweeping, misanthropic denounciations of all of humanity's ability to reason and wish to make things better. I know a couple of people, but most are capable of hearing criticism and considering it. Being humble, and thinking about other peoples' input. This "blue square" thing is ridiculous, when you think of the blue square it's because you understand what words mean. To not think of something when it's described you would have to not understand what's being described. A better explanation for your compulsive rebellion theory is if you said "don't draw a blue square on my face" and no one was able to resist attacking you with a pen.

Because people understand words, they understand that if you describe Iggy Pop as a whore it's because you think he sells himself in an unsavory way, and if whores hear you say that... well, then they understand that you think selling yourself is something you have a negative view about. When you use the word "gay" to describe a television show that you don't like, then people understand that you're saying that "gay" is something you don't like... and if people who are gay hear that, they understand that you think there's something unlikeable about being gay. If that's not what you meant, then why did you say it? It doesn't make sense, it isn't useful, unless the user and the people who hear it get the context that gay = bad. There's plenty of other words that are available to describe what you mean. Maybe you're saying it just because you've heard it before, and you're conforming. Well, you're the one who says he thinks conformity is "gay". If something doesn't make sense to you and you say it anyway because other people do...

 

I'm not gay, but I see people who say "that's gay" as low-brow and moronic. There are literally thousands of alternatives, most of them being far more eloquent, but they never even give a second thought to that or to the implications of using "gay" as a negative, which obviously stirs bad feelings in many gay people. And I don't understand how some people get so defensive over it and say that there's nothing wrong with it. They have this "I can say whatever I want and if you don't like it, fuck you" attitude, and it's really lame. The bottom line is that it does upset people, so if you use or defend the usage of "gay" as a substitute for "bad", you're a fuckwit and a loser. I'm rarely offended by anything so I don't know if it really "offends" me. And I'm not gay so there's even less possibility of it offending me, but I don't see people who use "gay" like that in a very positive light.

 

That's the point stabby, people CAN say pretty much whatever they want. Freedom of speech doesn't only apply to the people you just happen to agree with. Whatever you say is going to offend someone somewhere, so fuck it. It isn't low brow humour because it's simply not humour. It's a word that people have grown up using. Should people change that because a few pissy uber-liberals are offended? No. Who is the moral authority on these things? On what can and can't be said? Me? You? Perhaps the thought police.

The fact of the matter is that if you idiots were in charge of anything the entire country would turn into some bastardized Orwellian hell. Avatar, when did I say it doesn't make sense to me? It doesn't make sense to YOU, and that's what all the bitching and shouting is about really. Confirmity? No, why should I conform to your will? Especially when I strongly disagree with it.

 

It shouldn't be a big deal. I am not oblivious to its offensive potential. I will not post that on my Facebook status ever, or write it on Facebook, because I have many gay friends and I am not "homophobic" (dumb term, NOBODY is afraid of gays, some people just don't like them, lol), and have no problems at all with someone being gay. Since I pretty much hate the idea of kids, and gay guys aren't pumping out kids and living mediocre lives, it could even be said I respect gay guys more than most straight guys, hahaha. So out of respect for them, I will never write, "Jon thinks bad weather is gay" or something like that.

But in person, sure, I say it all of the time. "Wow, sorry dude, that's so gay" or "Man I cannot believe how gay this site is, it won't even freakin' work half the time!" But since I know who I'm talking to, it's not going to offend them, haha.

Honestly it's just a saying everyone uses, though, and when it comes down to it you could say this of ANY word. "Well you can't say that's retarded, because some people are retarded, and it's offensive to them. You can't say that's lame, because my cousin was lame. Don't say that's gay, because my buddy Jay is gay." I mean get real! At some point it just becomes absolutely absurd. "Don't say that's stupid, my friend Katie is stupid, it's offensive to her!" Umm yeah... alright whatever, haha.

 

Jon I see your point and I imagine most people, gay or straight, are about where you're at with using"thats gay" But, I also agree with Stabby that it's low brow. I don't make a crusade of calling people on it especially if I don't know them but people I do know or care about, I usually tell them to avoid the slur. It is a slur whether intended or not and a better dismissive word or phase can be used.

I mean, I could refer to things I don't like as "that's so republican" or "that's so christian" two categories of people I find lacking in value in many ways. I don't simply because it is a slur and I don't want to put down an entire group of people just because I disagree with their values.

In the overall scheme of things to get bent out of shape by, I am a whole lot more offended by religious wars, world hunger, environmental damage etc....