The too-well-used words

[sixfiftyeight]

It really irks me when people use the word "gay" as an insult. One of my good gay friends has taken to saying "Oh man, that is so STRAIGHT" wink

There are so many more creative insults you can use on people. I have a whole mini-calendar full of Shakespearian insults that I like to break out when I'm feeling extra arrogant twisted  

[The Man who was Thursday]

sixfiftyeight

It really irks me when people use the word "gay" as an insult. One of my good gay friends has taken to saying "Oh man, that is so STRAIGHT" wink

There are so many more creative insults you can use on people. I have a whole mini-calendar full of Shakespearian insults that I like to break out when I'm feeling extra arrogant twisted

Regrettably, you can only use such insults on people who probably wouldn't use insults like "gay" anyways, lest you be met with "what? lol you are so gay"  

[Xillania]

Ezra Pound

Regrettably, you can only use such insults on people who probably wouldn't use insults like "gay" anyways, lest you be met with "what? lol you are so gay"

Sadly, yes. I don't ever call things straight (or call people "breeders") in the pejorative sense, but I do it as a form of joking retaliation against people who use "gay" in a similar way. It often gets people to stop and think. Either that, or I comment on the sheer happiness of whatever they called gay.

And then, if anyone ever calls me gay or dyke or anything of the sort, I look at them honestly and acknowledge it.  

[mr1989foster]

Messenger_Of_The_Moon

It really shouldn't be used as an insult. I think it just shows ignorance.

Someone has gotten to the heart of the matter. It is ignorance. Like people using the work 'sucks' in Britain. Here they use it just to say that something is just bad ("That sucks..."). I am informed (however) that it a word of only certain situations... I don't know the absolute mechanics of the word but this is an adequate example.

Another example is people who wear the make 'HoiPoloi'. The actual word in Greek means commoner, but most people don't realise that they are being made fools of by wearing the brand!  

[Dhreame]

I agree with a lot of what's already been said, how "gay" shouldn't be used as an insult. Besides gay, I've also heard people use the word "retarded" a lot. "That's so retarded!" "You're so retarded!" "She's so retarded!" xp There are special education students at our school, and calling people retarded like that isn't very nice.

I remember reading an article somewhere about how Lindsay Lohan often used retarded as an insult, and some sort of association for special education kids contacted Lindsay and asked her not to use "retarded" in a negative way. neutral  

[d-a-r-k-s-h-y]

Time are changing all we can do is sit back and nod our head in shame at our teenage counterparts.  

[Culumacilinte]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word gay has numerous meanings, including:

1. a. Of persons, their attributes and actions: Full of or disposed to joy and mirth; manifesting or characterized by joyous mirth; light-hearted, exuberantly cheerful, sportive, merry.
b. Of a horse: Lively, prancing. [So in Fr.] rare1.
c. With implied sense of depreciation: Airy, off-hand.
d. the gay science: a rendering of gai saber, the Provençal name for the art of poetry.
e. Forward, impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; usu. in phr. to get gay. U.S. slang.
f. Of a dog's tail: carried high or erect.


2. a. Addicted to social pleasures and dissipations. Often euphemistically: Of loose or immoral life. Esp. in gay dog, a man given to revelling or self-indulgence
b. Hence, in slang use, of a woman: Leading an immoral life, living by prostitution.
c. Of a person: homosexual. Of a place: frequented by homosexuals. slang.

3. Bright or lively-looking, esp. in colour; brilliant, showy.


4. Finely or showily dressed. Now rare.


5. In immaterial sense: Brilliant, attractive, charming. Formerly also of reasonings, etc.: Specious, plausible.

6. a. Brilliantly good; excellent, fine. Obs.
b. ironically. Obs.
c. to have a gay mind: ‘to have a good mind’, to be very much inclined.

7. Of quantity or amount. Pretty good, ‘tolerable’, ‘middling’. Sc. and north. Also GEY.

8. dial. In good health; well, convalescent.

9. slang (chiefly U.S.). Foolish, stupid, socially inappropriate or disapproved of; ‘lame’.


So you see that its use as meaning "daft" or "lame" is now a dictionary definition. I still disagree with the usage of it, but it is technically proper. However, just because it is, I still feel that it is highly demeaning to use it as such. Though I am bisexual, not gay, I personally am highly affronted when I see the word used with such negative connotations, as the use (whether consciously or no) does lend some of that negativity to the definition of "homosexual"  

[Teffy]

In response to Rose:

"Retarded", while showing disrespect to those with special needs, has become a slang term, just like "gay" has. There's nothing that can be done about it besides wait for it to be replaced with another term. Personally, I'm rooting for "N***er" to become the new "gay". Keep the upward spike of offensiveness going, kids!

Which brings up another point:
Words that are okay for one type of person to say, but not another. Cases in point: "f**" - acceptable for homosexuals to say, not for you breeders!
"N***er" - acceptable for African Americans, not for white guys.
"b***h" - Okay for females (usually of the undereducated variety, but still) but not for males.

And on a closing note:
I shall never forget the day the special needs student at my school looked at something (I can't remember what) and said, "That's so retarded."  

[ljosberinn]

Yami no Hitokiri

If you call something you don't like "stupid", you're insulting the mentally impaired. If you call it "lame", you're insulting the physically impaired. If you call anything you don't like anything, you're insulting someone. There's no way to win in this PC, overly sensitive world.

I agree completely. You can hardly open your mouth nowadays without accidentally offending someone. People take themselves and the minority group they belong too (because most people belong to some minority group) way too seriously.

Teffy

"Retarded", while showing disrespect to those with special needs, has become a slang term, just like "gay" has. There's nothing that can be done about it besides wait for it to be replaced with another term. Personally, I'm rooting for "N***er" to become the new "gay". Keep the upward spike of offensiveness going, kids!

Haha. I can only imagine the flame wars when people start using the word ****** in the way they use gay.

Teffy

Which brings up another point:
Words that are okay for one type of person to say, but not another. Cases in point: "f**" - acceptable for homosexuals to say, not for you breeders!
"N***er" - acceptable for African Americans, not for white guys.
"b***h" - Okay for females (usually of the undereducated variety, but still) but not for males.

Even here you don't write the full word.
I've never gotten the "N-word" phobia, maybe because I was raised in a non-English speaking, protected environment? All the same, we have an Icelandic version of ******, maybe we're just not as paranoid about using it neutral
I've just never gotten the "No, you can't use that word cause you're not part of this minority group" thing. Why not? It's a word. Sure, sometimes words can be hurtful (most of the time, only because you let them hurt you). But if you're talking about black people, and note that using the term black people is also frowned upon, what term should you use? African-American? What if they're not African-American? African-American descendant? African-French? African-Icelandic?
Sorry if I'm way off topic but this paranoia in today's society really bugs me stare

Teffy

And on a closing note:
I shall never forget the day the special needs student at my school looked at something (I can't remember what) and said, "That's so retarded."

Haha, quality lol
That's what more people should be like. If you can't make fun of yourself you can't make fun of anything :]