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thats so gay

24

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think that if you're not careful you can end up taking offence at everything, which makes the whole idea of offence quite meaningless. Beyond that, I think it comes down to personal taste about what insults/terms are very unpleasant and which terms are less so.

    This. Some people love taking offence. It's such an overheard cry as to be almost meaningless these days.

    There's that anecdote about Dr Samuel Johnson, the compiler of the first comprehensive English dictionary IIRC, being congratulated by the Ladies of London who were delighted to find there were no swear words in his compilation. And his congratulatory response to them on knowing where to look for them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    its been on my mind because ive been called up the school recently about my 10 year old throwing it around as an insult. I had to sit him down and talk about it. He didnt even know what gay actually meant. He just thought it meant crap/stupid/pathetic.
    I had to explain to him that not only was it nasty to call people names, i had to explain what it meant and that there was nothing actually wrong with that, and that it could hurt people who were actually gay because youre implying that to be gay is all of those bad things.

    Its one thing when we're an adult and can make sense of it all, but people are growing up and thats the first meaning of the word gay they learn. No good if a young kid IS actually gay, or has someone close to them whos gay
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't think it works having a word in circulation with a positive and negative connotation at the same time. If gay is used as an insult, it then bares that insult when it's used as a description of sexuality, intentionally or not. And, for the same, well, similar reasons I don't agree with people trying to reclaim the word nigger, to take the offense out of the word through reappropriation, not feeling that at all.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Right or wron, it's language evolving and I don't see anyboyd beong able to do a thing about it.

    In several years we may see 'gay' used more commonly as a word for crap than a word for homosexuality. It may become the norm.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    its been on my mind because ive been called up the school recently about my 10 year old throwing it around as an insult. I had to sit him down and talk about it. He didnt even know what gay actually meant. He just thought it meant crap/stupid/pathetic.
    I had to explain to him that not only was it nasty to call people names, i had to explain what it meant and that there was nothing actually wrong with that, and that it could hurt people who were actually gay because youre implying that to be gay is all of those bad things.

    Its one thing when we're an adult and can make sense of it all, but people are growing up and thats the first meaning of the word gay they learn. No good if a young kid IS actually gay, or has someone close to them whos gay

    I think you've hit the nail on the head with that one. Young kids learn a lot of sweary words in the playground without knowing what they really mean. So words lke "gay" and "retard" get used out of context. Its kind of a viscious circle.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote: »
    In several years we may see 'gay' used more commonly as a word for crap than a word for homosexuality. It may become the norm.
    Gay = happy (evolves to) homosexual (evolves to) crap :lol:
    No reason why not I suppose :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dyslexia isnt a learning disability

    Yes it is, dyslexia is classed as a learning disability. Google it if you don't believe me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Spliffie wrote: »
    Yes it is, dyslexia is classed as a learning disability. Google it if you don't believe me.

    Yep, it is. And for people with dyslexia, that's a good thing. For uni students, for example, it gives them an entitlement to disabled students' allowances and extra support through the University, depending on the severity of the dyslexia. Dyspraxia is the same.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    She does have a lot to answer for:

    captureryw.jpg
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blaming Katy Perry sounds like a good plan to me.

    Look up "talentless squawky tool" in the OED and her face looks out at you.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, I cannot honestly say that I'm bothered by hearing people say that something is gay or whatever. Specifically regarding the word gay, if you go far enough back in history, the word previously meant happy. Some people still seem to get bitter about that even now, funnily enough.

    Mind you, there shall be no knocking of Katy Perry when I'm around. Knocking off to Katy Perry? Now that's just dirty.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep, it is. And for people with dyslexia, that's a good thing. For uni students, for example, it gives them an entitlement to disabled students' allowances and extra support through the University, depending on the severity of the dyslexia. Dyspraxia is the same.

    Having a learning difficulty per se doesn't give anyone entitlement to disability funding, having a condition or a disability (whether physical or mental) that affects study and requires levelling in the form of additional support gives someone entitlement...diabetics can qualify for example. Categorisation as learning disabled does not equate to eligibility.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    personally I find it incredibly offensive, but mentioning it usually leads to the discussion about it being me at fault, so I CBA.

    The one that really got me fuming was the person who apologised to me for having been using the expression, as he hadn't know I was gay.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big Gay wrote: »
    The one that really got me fuming was the person who apologised to me for having been using the expression, as he hadn't know I was gay.
    When I worked for my student union (equal opps and welfare) I used to get mad at people who used it in meetings but all this achieved was that the meetings ended up something like this:
    Finance Officer: We have to rename the bar because the current name is really gay (sorry, Kate), and ...

    :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Spliffie wrote: »
    Having a learning difficulty per se doesn't give anyone entitlement to disability funding, having a condition or a disability (whether physical or mental) that affects study and requires levelling in the form of additional support gives someone entitlement.

    Quite, but until very recently it wasn't acknowledged as a disability, rather as a sign of laziness, so people struggling with dyslexia and dyspraxia got fuck all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It doesn't bother me at all, although it's not a phrase I ever picked up myself.

    I have gay friends who use the phrase, themselves, even. No one gets offended at calling something "retarded", except the people who obsess over being entirely PC, and "gay" is no different to me. It's understood that no bashing of gay people is intended. Tons of words have multiple meanings. "Gay" already means happy/giddy as well as homosexual, so why not add a third slang meaning?

    I don't get offended when someone says, "Gawd, so-and-so is being so bipolar lately," when they mean that they're being bitchy and emotional. I don't feel the need to stop them and be all, "You have no idea what bipolar disorder even is, don't you dare say that." Likewise, I don't understand people who feel the need to stop someone for saying "That's so gay". Especially when the offended person isn't even gay themselves and has even less reason to be offended.

    Those "knock it off" commercials make me laugh, though. "That is so 16 year-old boy with a cheesy moustache" is my favorite.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I never really thought much of it and it was never really a part of my vocabulary. But when those "knock it off" commercials started to air, I started saying it just to be spiteful because I abhor hypersensitivity.

    idk. I always found political correctness prty gay.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    idk. I always found political correctness prty gay.

    What a helpful contribution. Did it ever occur to you that kids are being beaten up and committing suicide because of homophobic abuse and that going around calling things that are rubbish 'gay' is just buying into that culture?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    piccolo wrote: »
    What a helpful contribution. Did it ever occur to you that kids are being beaten up and committing suicide because of homophobic abuse and that going around calling things that are rubbish 'gay' is just buying into that culture?

    I think you're making a bit of a leap there. I'm pretty sure that my occasional use of the phrase 'that's gay' when among friends isn't me 'buying into a culture' and hasn't contributed towards, or caused any, homosexuals to commit suicide. Now I accept it's a crude use of language - a hangover from childhood that I should have made more a deliberate effort to shake off - but if you really want to advance the argument and have people take stock and be a little introspective, intimating that their behaviour is tantamount to homophobic bullying and buying into oppression, isn't likely to achieve that. Moreover, it's simply not true.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think you're making a bit of a leap there. I'm pretty sure that my occasional use of the phrase 'that's gay' when among friends isn't me 'buying into a culture' and hasn't contributed towards, or caused any, homosexuals to commit suicide. Now I accept it's a crude use of language - a hangover from childhood that I should have made more a deliberate effort to shake off - but if you really want to advance the argument and have people take stock and be a little introspective, intimating that their behaviour is tantamount to homophobic bullying and buying into oppression, isn't likely to achieve that. Moreover, it's simply not true.

    Sorry, was in a horrible mood, but I don't think it's an unreasonable leap to say that by sanctioning homophobic attitudes society as a whole contributes to the problem.

    It goes alongside the attitude that exists in the media that gay jokes are more acceptable than black jokes. I do think there's a cultural legitimacy given to a certain level of anti-gay attitudes behind which some really serious issues can be seen.

    Having said that, it is clearly a more serious issue in the US where there was a series of high-profile suicides this summer relating to homophobic bullying.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    piccolo wrote: »
    Sorry, was in a horrible mood

    No worries, it's an interesting debate to have.
    I don't think it's an unreasonable leap to say that by sanctioning homophobic attitudes society as a whole contributes to the problem.

    I don't think uttering 'that's gay' is always indicative of or sanctioning homophobic attitudes. Sometimes it's just vestigial language or non-thought. Or irony, even.
    It goes alongside the attitude that exists in the media that gay jokes are more acceptable than black jokes. I do think there's a cultural legitimacy given to a certain level of anti-gay attitudes behind which some really serious issues can be seen.

    I think the debate starts to dovetail out here as the issue of homophobic discrimination ceases to be the only thing in focus. What kind of anti-gay attitudes do you think are being given popular cultural legitimacy?
    Having said that, it is clearly a more serious issue in the US where there was a series of high-profile suicides this summer relating to homophobic bullying.

    I don't know whether it's more serious there than here - the media spotlight may just have rested on a case in the U.S. Regardless, it's still clearly a serious issue, as someone seeing suicide as preferential to maintaining the status quo of their life, is desperately sad.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't know whether it's more serious there than here - the media spotlight may just have rested on a case in the U.S. Regardless, it's still clearly a serious issue, as someone seeing suicide as preferential to maintaining the status quo of their life, is desperately sad.
    Several cases very close together, but you're right I don't have statistical evidence to back that up.

    I will respond to the rest of what you said but my brain isn't functioning too well right now!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What a helpful contribution. Did it ever occur to you that kids are being beaten up and committing suicide because of homophobic abuse and that going around calling things that are rubbish 'gay' is just buying into that culture?

    Sucks to be them then.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sucks to be them then.

    I see. Compassion isn't your strong point?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Trolling is.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I see. Compassion isn't your strong point?

    I don't have compassion for taking your own life. If I didn't have compassion at all though, I wouldn't have been the guy who whipped the bullies' asses in High School.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sucks to be them then.

    What an uncompassionate cunt you are

    Hopefully you'll fuck off again soon, probably get hit by a big truck or get involved with one of those mass shootings they have in America
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What an uncompassionate cunt you are

    Hopefully you'll fuck off again soon, probably get hit by a big truck or get involved with one of those mass shootings they have in America

    Such anger in your heart. It's okay. I still love you. <3
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    RubberSkin wrote: »
    get involved with one of those mass shootings they have in America

    Alternatively he could move to Cumbria, Dunblane or Hungerford

    Homophobia :mad:

    Xenophobia :yippe:
This discussion has been closed.