InnocentEnough

Honestly, I've used the word "gay" as an insult but not towards homosexuals as well, I am one.

I always say to my friend, "You're so gay!" because, it's out of habit. And I mean, I don't find it offensive at all. It doesn't mean that people are homophobic if they say it, it's just a bad habit.

I'm not saying it's right to say "You're so gay!" but it's a hard habit to break. People shouldn't be like "OMG! OFFENSIVE" if they hear it, they should know people don't mean it in a cruel sense.

Llywelyn

I have heard the same thing, when I have pushed that same point.

This is, specifically, why I implied that it is potentially derisive slang. It is too easy to confuse the word 'gay' as "indicating a mild sense of dislike or distaste" and the word 'gay' to mean "homosexual or homosexual-like."

So phrases such as "stop acting so gay" or sentences of the form "<x> is gay" can hold either meaning, and it is not immediately clear which one the speaker intends. This makes the latter acceptable in a negative context, by allowing it to mask as the former.

In short, this is less a matter of political correctness and more of a matter of not obfuscating--intentionally or otherwise--the meaning of what you are saying. There are a variety of colloquial expressions that will serve for the same purpose that can be meant figuratively that do not carry the same sense of obfuscation.

stewie Griffin

Well said

We ahd some friends visit and we were discussing music and bands. Every 2 seconds one of our friends would say "They're so gay".

Another friend then proceeded to tell us how someone at his school would call everyone "gay".

In response to him I said "people like that should be shot".

Sleepwalkers Dream

Why do people say they are going to 'bum around' when they really mean they are going to a friends place to do nothing, or shop in town? I find that word, used in that contex, utterly pathetic. I think anyone who says they are going to 'bum around' is trying to be cool, it's a stupid word and I'd love to know why anyone who says it seems to think saying it makes them oh-so-cool.

Gay can be used in more than one way. Gay means homosexual, it also means happy. If kids of today want it to mean something is crap, good luch to them. I was at school over 6 years ago and my friends and I were the first to use the word gay to describe something we didn't like. Within the week, everyone was saying it. They still do, to this day, and will continue saying it until someone invents a different word.

Llywelyn

While I am familiar with it I have actually never in my life heard that expression used by anyone that I know. The implication here, however, is direct. It is slang but its meaning is clearly associated--what does a "bum" conceptually do all day? Hang out on the street and do nothing.

Diamon's example of "raped" also has a direct connection in its use.

What is your point, however? To me it sounds like you are trying to justify your own use of the term in an inappropriate context, rather than explaining why it is appropriate.

The word was likely invented for its use in this manner specifically because it refers to a homosexual male. It also has two clearly defined meanings, both of which are over 70 years old.

That words change over time in their meaning is not a valid defense. It would be highly inappropriate for me to walk out and redefine a word such as "nigger" and just start using it to refer to an "upstanding businessman" (moving in the opposite direction as the "gay" reinterpretation you are defending). There would be no reason for it, and it would not clarify, refine, or improve the quality of my communication with others.

superman

I know what people mean when they call things gay, and I don't think people should get mad because of it. It does get very annoying after awhile and it makes people look very stupid, but theres nothing I can do about it without making people mad so i just live withit.

Ainu Laire

I have a quite extensive vocabulary, varying from slang words to words that the average person has never heard in their lifetime.

However, if I am not in a formal situtation, I will use 'gay' as describing something that is stupid. I would not use 'gay' in an essay or if I am talking to a stranger, but it'll slip out here and there if I am in a familiar setting, like school. Frankly, 'gay' in my vocabulary goes with the words crap, stupid, retarded, and other words that would not be used in good company.

But as it is, I think using the slang version of gay and being majorly offended is just another example of political correctness. I am no fan of political correctness, and while I will not use it excessively just to piss off people, I am hardly going to make an effort not to use it here and there. People need to develop a thicker skin, especially if you are *not* gay and are offended by it.

So yes, while I don't go offending people on purpose, I won't stop using it because someone wants me to. I'll stop using it in front of them just because I'm nice like that, but not out of my vocabulary *shrugs*.

'sides, I love seeing my ultra-picky teacher pissed off when I use words like 'gay' *snickers*

Llywelyn

[QUOTE=Ainu Laire]I have a quite extensive vocabulary, varying from slang words to words that the average person has never heard in their lifetime.

However, if I am not in a formal situtation, I will use 'gay' as describing something that is stupid. I would not use 'gay' in an essay or if I am talking to a stranger, but it'll slip out here and there if I am in a familiar setting, like school. Frankly, 'gay' in my vocabulary goes with the words crap, stupid, retarded, and other words that would not be used in good company.

Actually, I would argue that not using it has nothing to do with offending others or with political correctness. It has to do with effectively and precisely communicating what you mean.

Even saying something such as "I was raped by that test" can be extremely offensive to some, its meaning is both clear and singular. There is no double-entendre, and it's meaning is clear: "I was unprepared, I was violated, that test hurt."

So, which is meant when the word "gay" as used to convey a mild feeling of dislike? If someone says "Alice is acting gay" does that individual mean "Alice is acting like a homosexual" (with a negative connotation attached) or "Alice is acting like a fool"?

Allowing for the latter lets those who use the pejorative version to slip by and both justify and obfuscate their use in context. This allows real prejudices to slip by under the radar, rather than forcing them out into the open.

Or, worse, it can allow prejudices to be openly accepted and acknowledged and imprinted upon others in one's peer group.

This is not about who is offended, nor about issues of political correctness (which I have virtually no use for, the mods have had to edit my posts for Blazing Saddle references before because of the number of complaints). This is an issue of not allow prejudices to be flaunted in the open and clearly communicating what is meant in any given context.

ectius

When it's 3:00 AM and I turn away from a videogame to my precious stash of Doublestuffed Oreos, only to find the last one being shoved into my friend's grinning mouth, I'm fairly certain that he'll know exactly what I mean when I say, "Dude you are so fu*king gay."

I'm also fairly certain that my other friends in the room will not be confused by my word choice.
Nor the dog.
Nor anyone or anything else within earshot.

My friends and I have a certain way by which we communicate. It is different from the way that I would communicate with my parents, my professors, an elder, or a stranger.

Communication is all about giving the correct impression. If that is accomplished, then I see no reason to dwell over specifics.

b00bles

Using gay as an insult is the equivalent of certain types of people using "nigga" as Hello or a term of endearment.

The word gay itself has taken on a new meaning, kind of like the word retarded.