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Post by Trublu on Jan 20, 2009 21:51:37 GMT -5
Obviously, this effects all GLBT, but since the word used is "gay", thought I'd post this here.
I have the hardest time, sometimes, convincing some people that when people use the phrase in this manner:
Person 1: "Ugh, this horrible thing happened to me." Person 2: "Ugh, that's so gay."
That it's a derogatory thing.
It's a huge problem in my community to; all the kids in high school seem to think it's okay to use it. Anyone else notice this problem, and how has anyone combated it?
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Terry
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Post by Terry on Jan 21, 2009 10:28:28 GMT -5
My teacher actually brought this up today in class, since we are in the middle of a huge project about language and how it develops. Two classmates of mine held their presentation about cursing, and afterwards my teacher talked to the whole class about this.
She addressed the fact that people often curse or express negative opinions by using words related to sexual orientation. A lot, well most, of the guys in my class often, by that I mean MANY times a day, use expression like "f***ing f*g" and the like, and she asked them if they ever thought about how it can hurt people around them.
One of the guys replied "But we don't say it to gay people."
She then asked him how he could know that, since throwing those phrases around effects, at least, this whole class and bystanders in the hall and so on.
"Yeah, but as I said, we don't say it to gay people," the same guy replied.
My teacher asked the same guy what he would do if his friend that sat next to him told him that he was gay. They still didn't get it, and so she told the whole class that on average, there are two gay/lesbian students in a class, regardless of where in the entire western world that class is located. So to claim that they didn't say it to gay people was an awfully wrong assessment, because it was almost certain that they had said something like that to a gay or lesbian person. And even if it's not said directly, it does relay a hateful message, that being gay is so awful that it's used as an insult.
Even though we thought we knew each other so well because we're in the same class, we don't know half of what we think we do. And I think she actually got her message through, and helped most people realize that it could affect people more than intended.
I thought that was a nice story to share, and that more students should be made aware of this. Because in many occurances, those who say these things do not mean to be homophobic, they have just gotten used to throw things like that for fun or at someone they are mad at, but fail to realize that for the boy or girl who actually IS gay and overhears this just by walking by, it's a big deal. It sends a message that his or her orientation is looked down upon and not accepted.
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theKyra ღ
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we're all doomed. Yup.
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Post by theKyra ღ on Jan 21, 2009 15:55:22 GMT -5
My brother isn't even in high school yet, and he already uses gay as an insult. And to be honest, it bothers me when people use gay in such a way. Last I checked, there are two definitions of gay, and neither of them fit the bill of an insult.
Jeez, I wish some people would really learn to think before they speak.
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Post by Trublu on Jan 21, 2009 16:52:27 GMT -5
That is a really great story Terry, and a great way to explain it.
One story that a friend of mine told me was that when he hears the phrase, for instance:
"That t-shirt is so gay."
He'll say something like:
"I didn't know that t-shirt had a sexual preference!"
Which usually gets a laugh, but also makes the person realize that they are talking about a person's sexual preference in a hateful way.
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Post by edwardjh on Jan 28, 2009 17:42:27 GMT -5
I don't know what I think when people say "that's so gay". It annoys me, but there are two possible reasons as to why that may be.
The first is the obvious: it is pretty homophobic. As much as they claim that they are "adding to the English language" (which I will address in a minute), it's still a pretty hurtful thing to say. As soon as discrimination is introduced into language, all other discrimination follows; this can apply to other things beyond "that's so gay". Having said that, I looked into the etymology of the word "gay" and found some interesting things. Before homosexual, it meant "happy", and I'm sure many people knew that. What some people don't know is that prior to that, it was a term for someone who "worked the streets". Perhaps gay is soon becoming a "catch all" word for something dislikeable.
If it isn't the discrimination aspect that annoys me (like I said, I can't seem to identify why it annoys me), then it's purely on the bases of language progression. The English language is a rich language, always expanding. If a "catch all" word is used, vocab. will decrease, and it'd be a shame to see so many words simply vanish. There are so many words to use in place of "gay" which can show a feeling of dislike to a wide range of degrees. For example, how many people nowadays would consider using the word "abhorrent"? Not many.
Either way, it is a sign of ignorance and/or apathy to social equality and should be discouraged.
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CyBot
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Post by CyBot on Apr 29, 2009 1:17:50 GMT -5
I'm actually ok with it. Most of the time they don't mean to harm you, so it's cool with me.
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Post by cutepeanut1991 on Apr 29, 2009 2:19:52 GMT -5
I dunt care if they meant to harm or not, it shouldnt be said, Honestly, whats said above "Thats so gay", They give no explanation to whats gay, they just say it, there are other words that can be said besides gay, honestly, they say it because they think its cool or something well it's not.
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Peter
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Post by Peter on May 3, 2009 21:04:44 GMT -5
I try not to let it bother me, it does urk me in that it's use to describe something be bad ergo being gay is bad. Usually I'd just roll my eyes, it'd bother me more if someone pushed it or started making homophobic comments to back up their reasoning.
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Post by Seirei on May 4, 2009 13:24:49 GMT -5
I dislike people using it in a negative way. And if they say it around me, I give them a pretty good chewing out.
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1278
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Post by 1278 on May 4, 2011 15:24:43 GMT -5
hello i am looking for a gay
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Post by princess on Jul 7, 2011 22:26:28 GMT -5
What do gay people do? They suck thingy&ass, which of course is f**ked up. The phrase "That's gay!" translated means "That sucks ass!". I understand that you can't help it, but this doesn't mean it's good, normal, ok.
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