That's So (not) Gay!

[BaileyisDarcy]

This mostly applies to my school, but I have been hearing quite often people around me calling others gay, or calling a situation gay, in a derogative way.

I don't understand why people do this. Gay was never defined as an insult until people began using it as one. It's original meaning is happy. It's new meaning is 'homosexual male'. Please don't tell me it's going to gain another meaning equivalent to 'stupid' or 'idiot'.

I understand that calling things 'gay' is a new and exciting fad. But shut the fuck up. Unlike 'rad', 'rag', or 'shit stain', this one is offensive to more people than just the person it's aimed at.

'That's so gay' yeah well that's so fucking hetero.

You know what? Maybe that's what we should be doing. Combatting all the gay comments with hetero comments. But then, that wouldn't be fair to the decent people who aren't being dicks about it would it?

No.

That's not gay. It's stupid. It's a stupid idea.

Why do you think it's so acceptable to use gay as a synonym for stupid? Why do you think that's acceptable? I could start going around using black and white as synonyms for stupid.

Hah! You failed your test, your'e so fucking white. Hah! You lost that race, you're so fucking black!

But no, I'm not going to because I can see clearly how offensive that would be. So why the fuck can't you see how offensive it is that you're using a persons sexual orientation as an insult? Especially when it has nothing to do with the persons orientation.

If a person is not happy, or attracted to the same gender, then they aren't fucking gay. If a person is stupid but not attracted to the same gender or happy, then they aren't gay. They're stupid.

So shut the fuck up before I do it for you.

Thankyou for reading my rant, and have a gay day.

Continued on: That's So (not) Gay! 2

[Anonymous]

I'm still going to use gay in a derogatory way so suck my nuts and keep it moving :)

[ThisDudeHere]

This is so gay.
www.brandwatch.com/.../troll.jpg

[NatashaJ]

LMAOAOAOAOAOOA

[BaileyisDarcy]

Trololololololololol XD

[Anonymous]

That's so frivolous -> Direct descendant of Shakespeare, sips his tea with his little finger sticking out and speaks in a posh British accent
That's so ludicrous -> College professor in a debate, also better without the "so"
That's so naive -> Not quite the same mean but yeah ok.
That's so irrational -> Yeah, can be said, if said thing is irrational. Could just be gay though.
That's so interesting -> Um no. Kind of opposite ends of the meaning spectrum.
That's so curious -> weeeeell that's so weird.
That's so eccentric -> yeah again a very specific and limited usage spectrum
That's so weak -> Now I can work with that
That's so bogus -> Only if it's bogus.
That's so foolish -> Why does it remind me of Gandalf. Also better without "so"
That's so goofy -> Yeah if it's goofy. Kind of like seeing something purple and saying that's so purple to me.
That's so insipid -> Do you even know what that means?
That's so absurd -> Mmmmyeeeah can be worked
That's so ridiculous -> Yeah, can be used.
That's so annoying -> Ok why not
That's so asinine -> Sure
That's so pathetic -> That sounds so gay haha
That's so yesterday -> Please shoot yourself
That's so surreal -> Pass the weed?
That's so whack -> Please shoot yourself
That's so whacky -> If it's crazy sure

Overall though, I still prefer "That's so gay". And it's actually got nothing to do with homosexuality when I say it. I don't see homosexuals as bad or think of homosexuals when I say "that's so gay", it just means what I say. Just watch the south park episode about it haha you'll understand.

Most gay people say stuff like that anyways, I mean if someone gets offended by it and you know, then the polite thing to do is to stop saying it in their vicinity. No need to needlessly piss people off, but I'm not preemptively censoring myself to cater to every single group of people I could possibly offend by saying something the wrong way.
They're adults, if they don't like it, they can raise the issue you with me. I'm not an antisocial dickhead, I'm perfectly fine adjusting my vocabulary or even what I talk about if I'm bothering someone around me...

[Folklore]

I get it... I do... but there's more pressing issues in the world than to be concerned with what we should or shouldn't call things. I used to be like that, but honestly, the PC Police lost what very little credibility they had in my eyes when they started attacking words that had 'man' in them to make these words more gender neutral. Because somehow, the word penmanship is offensive to women. Ever since that argument, I just decided fuck it, whatever. All over the world there are homosexuals being tortured to death, and persecuted for their sexual orientation, and you get all these fucking cry babies that care more about offending gay people than they do saving them. "Sorry I'm not over seas saving your life, but just know, I'm adamantly working day and night to get people to stop saying things are gay." So heres's what I think of this useless MyTake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaG5SAw1n0c

[BeeNee]

You clearly don't "get it." I'm looking at the age of the mytake writer, 17, and clearly still a high school student. This person is concerned about an issue that is very relevant to the world she lives in and the capabilities she has in this age range. Your sort comment like this and completely dismiss the actual issue at hand, and then confound it with talk of other issues and everyone else's problem, so that the original issue will just get skirted to the side. No matter what issue someone brings up, there is ALWAYS some bigger and badder issue out there, so your choice is to do what, nothing about anything unless its in headline news? Every human being cannot solve all the worlds problems. The take writer is working on one, one that she can take on at this time period and bring it to light. Instead of bashing her, if you did "get it," you'd say bravo for at least trying where others like yourself don't feel they should.

[BeeNee]

This may be the catalyst for her someday taking on people murdering or harming gay people, but it starts with one step at a time. It's a shame really that you have people that bash people for actually trying to give a crap about their fellow human beings. You have no idea who's live she may be saving by stopping the bullying and the hate at her school just by stopping "a few useless words" from being thrown around.

[BaileyisDarcy]

@BeeNee Thankyou. You put it in better words than I ever could.

[BeeNee]

@BaileyisDarcy you are welcome. I wish there were more people like yourself who chose to take a stand and stand up for what they believed in. Don't let others discourage you because you have no idea how what you are doing may be helping someone who really needs a voice right now.

[Folklore]

@BeeNee @BaileyisDarcy
ok so... let's begin.

1) It is fine to feel passionate about subjects. Everyone is passionate about at least one thing. Some people are passionate about many things, while very few people have trouble finding passion in anything. I read your take again, as well as all opinions and comments on opinions so that I could really think about why only me and one other person's comments brought so much backlash and negative emotion.

2) First off, I haven't been sleeping well lately due to personal issues, and with lack of sleep, comes inappropriateness that is kind of out of my character. So I would like to apologize for saying your take is useless. It isn't useless. And like @BeeNee said, the world definitely needs more people in it with passion.

3) As for calling things gay, I personally don't, and I don't personally know anyone who does, and in my humble opinion, PC issues are always making headlines... At least that's how it seems.

there's more coming...

[Folklore]

3 continued) seems headlines are always trying to convince us all that were a bunch of racist bigots, which I simply don't see. I see prejudices in the world that are truly heartbreaking. And I often hear of atrocities that are racially and religiously driven. But i still don't see the hatred that the media claims we all have.

4) Everything can be considered offensive in some way, shape, or form. I used to be easily offended by things. After my brother was diagnosed with autism, hearing people casually saying something was retarded infuriated me. So trust me, when I say I get it, I do. Maybe not in the same exact context as you, but I do know where you're coming from.

5) There will always be derogatory words that people use. Spic, spook, n**, guinny, wetback, retard, redneck, gay, faggot, bum and thousands of others I can think of or haven't even heard of at this point in time. They're just words, and

dammit, ran out of room again. more coming still

[Folklore]

5 continued) while they are so far beyond offensive in every sense of the meaning, I think it says so much more about a persons character when they choose to rise above the adversity that faces them. It says more (in my opinion) when a black man is called a n** to his face, when he brushes it off. There's more wisdom in brushing it off with love. I could be wrong, but I do feel strongly that fighting ignorance with ignorance only breeds more ignorance.

To wrap things up because this is really long at this point, there's a few closing points to make.

Words and actions can be offensive, and it is okay to be offended by them. To me personally though, I feel it is more commendable to rise above the offense. Instead of adding fuel to the fire, just ignore it. Kill it with kindness. Instead of attacking the ignorant, focus all that energy into helping the hurt. Lead by example and show people that ignorance holds no water.

Okay, I'm done now lol. Sorry about the length.

[BeeNee]

@Folklore speaking for myself here, thank you for responding and for apologizing about the useless bit and for going into detail with your explanation. As someone who is part of a minority group I am well aware you cannot fight every single battle with every single person. That is a waste of ones time and energy, but this whole idea of rising above does not mean for the rest of your life you ignore every single person every single time because part of the struggle of being someone who is at the brunt of comments like this is standing up for yourself and educating the ignorant which is partially what the take is about. It's not because you think you'll change every person and everyone will stop doing it, but because someone will read or hear this and think twice or stop what they are doing because they realize the error of their ways and they might take that message forward. It astounds me when people say to me well I don't say those words or I haven't heard people using those words...

[BeeNee]

The author here is saying to you, she hears it a lot and she's addressing it. I hear a lot of derogatory language, so because you don't hear it... therefore, no one does. I'm just saying, does that make sense especially if the words aren't meant to hurt you? There is a whole lot of good that would have never been done if people had just turned the other cheek and walked away all the time. You have to find that balance between the good fight and knowing when to walk away, but continuously doing nothing helps no one which is why we need people like the mytake writer to say this is wrong and here's why. I get that the world is a tragic place with more tragic things happening, but if you can only do this one thing to make it less tragic, then why not try and make the effort rather than just saying oh well. This is not a case of 'oh everything can be offensive.' This IS offensive. Gay people are saying this is offensive, so rather then dismiss, and say what some say which is...

[BeeNee]

it's not offensive to me therefore nothing should be done, and let's do something about it to the best of our abilities if we can, which in this case is easy, don't say it. There is a reason you used to be hurt by the retarded comments. You know how that feels, so you should then be able to empathize with those who are hurt by this in kind. Again, we know you can't stop the whole world from being mean or racist, its not about that, but if we can get to a few people, then to me, that is making the world a better place in this case for gays.

[Folklore]

@BeeNee

You kind of took what I said the wrong way. Which is fine, I still understand what you're saying.

I am not naive, obviously I know that because neither myself, or people I personally know don't really put anything down with offensive words, doesn't mean that there aren't people who do use those offensive words. Just like how simply because myself and everyone I know aren't murderers, doesn't mean murderers don't exist.

I honestly think the whole faggot and gay thing is mostly a kid thing. Kids are brutal, and let's be honest, a lot of them are little shits lol. But once I was out of high school, and even college, and into the adult world, I didn't really hear it thrown around as much. Sure some people still use it, but after the age of 20, it really does just make them look like an idiot when people talk like that.

[Folklore]

I'm not saying keel over and take abuse. I'm simply saying that as an adult, one should be able to rise above it. And we should all definitely pick our battles more careful, if one goes looking for trouble, they will EASILY find it. I know this from personal experience. I used to be a fighter, and it's really not that hard to go out and start shit. What is difficult, is finding the path to peace, more importantly, if you go looking for peace, its even easier to find. So if I can give @BaileyisDarcy some advice, here it is:

Be the change you want to see in the world. You see or hear someone offending you with use of words or actions, let them know, but let them know with grace. If you throw around a bunch of swear words angrily like you did in your rant, then no one will take you seriously. Grace would be to neutralize the situation, and if they're simply still too childish to understand, then they really aren't worth it.

[BaileyisDarcy]

Ah but for another three days I am not an adult. So your point is moot until then.

I know throwing around silly insults like gay tends to slow as you get older. Heck I was surprised to start hearing it again. I thought it stopped in primary school. Apparently not. But I know, adult or not I'm not the only one to get riled about this. I've seen mum get upset about it when my dad called something gay. She used it herself once, not in a derogatory way, but asked worriedly if the gay couple she was talking would have taken it the wrong way.
My Dad uses gay as an insult about as readily as he does calling someone a bogon or an abo. (Aboriginal). Which is pretty often. Yes the insult may be childish and yes people need to let some things go, but sometimes you can't let go what hurts.
I can't just cut off my finger because I scratched it. I get a bandaid and let it heal. I do something about it. I'm not going to let these people keep hurting myself and others with their words.

[BeeNee]

@Folklore actually your newest comments are more aligned with my view on this topic, and I definitely agree that cursing and yelling and stomping your feet at the idiots of the world only makes you look the same way. Diplomacy is definitely key. My only previous disagreement with you is that you made it seem in your comments that rising above and walking away was the only way one should handle these things when I'm sure for you as well, you have probably diplomatically handled some situations in your lifetime. There is nothing wrong with trying to educated someone who needs to be educated. It's not like I'm eating dinner at a restaurant and someone across the room says something and I march on over there and give them a peace of my mind, but if someone is talking to me, at me, about me, about friends of mine, family of mine, we are in actual contact, I may choose to try and rectify a situation like this. But again, the take writer is in high school and these are part of her high school

[BaileyisDarcy]

Making them stop is sort of like my bandaid. Because otherwise that wound is just going to reopen. Again. And again.

I know you're not telling me to let people walk all over me. I've been doing that my whole life so I know it's not affective in anything. But it still sounds a little like that when you say that it shouldn't be this big a deal (not in so many words).

I have let a lot of things go in my life. And it's done nothing to help me. And it never will. I'm not letting this go. Simply because I know I'm not the only one affected. And if I can help somebody else by standing up, maybe one day I might be standing up purely for myself.

[BeeNee]

issues, so talking to her peers may be the way she handles things now, and the way later may change to another form. We all need to learn our own lessons. Anyway, seriously GaG needs to increase the word count b/c having to type 3 boxes worth of stuff is getting annoying. Thanks for having an adult conversation and not being a total troll like sooooo many others. It gives me hope that Gag still has actual people on it with actual thoughts in their head.

[BaileyisDarcy]

Also I was ever so slightly pissed off when I wrote this, which explains the swear words and grammar fails. I am really trying not to look at that mess. It's painful to look at especially with the knowledge it came from me.

[sketchy]

You could say the same about a lot of words. You seem happy enough to describe something as "stupid", but that could be offensive to those with learning difficulties.
Crazy could be offensive to those with a mental illness.
Lame could be offensive to those with a physical disability.

Contrary to what it says in your second image, it is absolutely the intent to cause offense that people should be worried about (regardless of what the law says). If no offense was intended, there is no reason to take offense. Why would you?

Incidentally, "gay" is not used as a synonym for "stupid" - it's something more along the lines of weak / unmanly / lame - there actually is no exact synonym (certainly none of the words from your first image have the same meaning), which is why people use the word "gay".

[Northeast106]

It's not a new fad, it's been around since I can remember. People have always said that, even this gay dude at work would call people he didn't like fags. It all depends on the context, it doesn't make it right, but that's how it is. Or if someone says or does something gay, someone shouts "GAAAY!". Especially back in high school or elementary school. As you get older, you don't hear it as much, people mellow out a bit as they age. Anyway it made me think of this lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NKfCnEOX74

[heavensgift2girls]

Words have different meanings to each person, and with how they are used. Gay can mean homosexual, happy, or even that entire list of words that you left. Typically when someone says "That's so gay" it has nothing to do with homosexuality. This is a really minor issue of you not liking how the English language has evolved.

Even if it started as a slur, it normally isn't being used that way today. I really don't care if someone is overly sensitive about it. I am constantly tired of people whining such as women complaining about "throws like a girl" or men complaining about "grow some balls" as if the very core of their masculinity was just destroyed by that comment. People need to grow some thicker skin and stop thinking they have a right not to be offended.

[JustinTheGreat]

I'm gay and I've never really been that offended by it to be honest. Because the phrase really shouldn't be taken seriously. I mean I even use the word "Faggot" like all the time.
It's weird that straight (assuming you're straight) people get more offended by these kind of things than actual gay people..

[BaileyisDarcy]

I'm not straight. But I'm not gay at the same time. I'm just a labeless person who happens to be attracted to either gender. (I know what bi is. I don't consider myself to be as such)

I remember watching Remember the Titans (pretty sure that was it) and the couch said to the black players that calling themselves niggas was enabling white people to call them that. I believe it is the same with the word gay or faggot.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaG5SAw1n0c

but it's just a word. no need to get butthurt over it. and i have gay friends that say shit like, "that's so gay" and are fine with it so i don't think it's a big deal unless you go out of your way to make it 1.

[Noxifer626]

"Holocaust" is just a word then.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

@Noxifer626 how is gay and holocaust synonymous? besides the obvious flaw in your "argument", the word holocaust is a noun (event) and gay is an adjective or noun (a person).

[Noxifer626]

They are not synonyms. That's not what I meant. What I meant is that words have power, words aren't "just words". They can save lives, and destroy lives.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

@Noxifer626 i had this long ass argument how you were wrong, but i don't feel like arguing with you since you aren't gonna convince me and i'm not gonna convince you so i'll just agree to disagree if that's fine with you.

[Cookies_AndMilk]

@Noxifer626 HA! GAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!

[Dipsy]

Oh my god.. Who the hell cares?

You honestly seem like a person who could make a problem out of every little thing. Get a bit loose and you'll worry less about these small things

[BaileyisDarcy]

Actually I've been letting this go for two years now. I've become sick to death of it. I don't make a big deal of things. If I did you would have many takes from me about abusive step parents. You would have so many takes about what my stepfather did to me which I won't get into. You would be hearing about the dicks at my school, about my anxieties. The only reason I'm bringing it up now is to show that yes I make a deal of some things, but I don't make a deal of everything.

I'm not a complainer, im a bottle it up until I explode kind of person. This take is like a smoking volcano. Just wait until I erupt, then see what you think.

[Dipsy]

Well sorry about what happened with your step parents and at school and anxieties. But you know, making mytakes of this small thing dont really matter? You dont have to take this so literally. When somebody says: "thats so gay", they actually mean "thats so weird/feminine/unmanly" but 'gay' sounds better to use. They dont mean that gay persons are feminine or anything, its just a symbolic meaning if you understand what im trying to say.

You know, i can do the same back to you:
Quote from you in your comment: "... about the dicks at my school..."
*Me puts on glasses and uses a nerdy voice*: I find it highly unrespectful that those people, which you likely mean bullies with, are called dicks. They can be a girl too, and girls dont have a dick at all!! I find it very disturbing that people are being referred to as a sexual organ. They have the rights to be called whatever they want to be called!! If they bully you, just call them bullies instead of dicks! *walks off crying*

[Dipsy]

You see? This behaviour is really damn annoying

[front2back]

Back when I grew up as a kid, "gay" meant stupid and such while "homosexual" was actually meant to refer to homosexuals. The same was with "f4ggot" it meant stupid or idiot.

So now I live in a world of confusion because I'm not supposed to say that anymore because the meaning changed. I don't know what to believe.

[Anonymous]

Calling things gay is hardly new. It's funny because it's sort of ironically being used. I romanticize gays and have gay friends, I don't have a problem with them. But I still think it's funny to call things gay. Stupid is stupid, but the right kinds of stupid are ripe for a well timed comedic "gay."

The mistake you make is to take any of it seriously.

[ObscuredBeyond]

Gay is never okay. Even Michael Glatze came to admit that. It is a thing to be saved from, if at all possible.

Pride not only comes before a fall, it necessitates the fall. Especially when one's pride is in one's shame.

All that being said, misuse of words bothers me all the same. "That's so goat-hump" instead of saying "that's so lame" is an equivalent. It's unnecessary to equate everything you don't like with perversion.

[ladsin]

Me and my boyfriend differ on this. I still say things like "that's so gay," or some that are worse (including fag or queer) but my boyfriend doesn't. I think he takes them as somewhat offensive, and I don't I just think they're fun words to say and I think being offended by a word is pretty dumb. Although I can get where you're coming from because I also know that words like that can be used to discriminate or help discriminate against others so I don't know how I really feel.

[Anonymous]

...
https://i.qkme.me/3t5xm3.jpg

https://youtu.be/KVM2wtL_CdQ

...

[Darkbrunette96]

Who gives a rats effing ass, screw them. If you are gay then be proud of who you are as a person. I think it is very derogatory and really has a negative connotation to the saying you are gay whatever. I hope this help if not I can give you any advice for something else? :)

[OrdinaryGentleman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgGlNN6YnIw

The PC BS is strong here.

[Anonymous]

The problem is kind of like when Lief Erickson decided to name the new land he discovered 'Greenland' even though it was mostly ice. All that happened is Greenland became known as a word for a place that was very cold, inhospitable and mostly ice.

You can't change the reality of something by giving it a nicer name. People will just use the new word to express what they feel about it. You have to change the underlying attitude.

[Drednaught]

Why focus on this rather than the the root of the problem? (people treating others the way they don't want to be treated.) It's such a colossal waste of time when you could instead just go the most efficient route. It bothers me when people focus on fixing the result of the problem but never the actual problem itself.

[DarkHumorRUs]

"Gay was never defined as an insult until people began using it as one."

Well, yeah, that's kind of how every word gets a different meaning... so...

[Drednaught]

Kind of reminds me how people want to preserve the word 'they' to refer to a group of people and never a single person. It's like, yeah that's what it meant, but words will continue to change with or without you whether you like it or not.

[DarkHumorRUs]

@Drednaught I've been using "they" to refer to girls when talking to my parents about someone at school for as long as I can remember.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

Food for Thought: The word "Gay" originally meant to describe happiness or cheerfulness.

It's used out of context in the first place. It never meant homosexual anyway.

[TadCurious]

Well Katy Perry sings it best:

search.yahoo.com/.../search