Actually, I can think of another word - a series of words - that this has happened to, and it is quite a comparison. Stupid people always were called stupid, with a mixture of pity and disdain, by everyone else. But as medicine and science progressed, they came up with "imbecile" and "moron" as non-insulting terms for degrees of mental impairment. They became slur words. Then "retarded" was introduced, as slow to learn. It became a slur word. Then "special" - which has become pretty damn special in turn. Sad, but same pattern. Stupid is laughable and bad. Gay, Fag, gross but bad, probably... sigh. Maybe we should go with "not in the Vagina Business?" LOL I think it is a hopeful sign that those younger than me are strong enough not to be bothered. Of course, I'm a graybeard, so it just flabbergasts me. My guess is that at some point in the future, as times change, we might someday aggressively embrace "fag" the way blacks have with "nigga" ? But really compared to any other minority... isn't this kind of the biggie? And "nigra" (a white alteration of the originally positive "negro") was a slur word in the South... just a few thoughts. I'm no expert. This did trouble me.
I'm abosultely amazed at those of you who cannot see the implications of this. The word HAS NOT changed, they only use it now as a descriptive for anything CRAP. This means that being gay is such shit that it's the worst thing people can think, so use it to describe other shit things.
So being a shitty homo is now the same as....stepping in dog shit....getting busted....or anything else that is foul or crap. If the word has shifted, unlike other words that become inclusive, it has become even more negative. And like some of those other words....nigger or fag, that were taken back by their respective communities....
GAY has been subsumed by the heterosexuals to not only describe us as less than worthwhile, but to attatch it to anything that is bad. Like those other words, there is nothing redeemable about the use of the word, wuite to the contrary.
As Shadow mentioned, there are thousands of young people who have yet the courage to come out and now not only do they have to hear that being gay is crap, they have to be reminded how crap their sexuality IS a thousand times a day by every stupid little bad thing that happens to people.
This is a phenomenon that I have never seen.....instead of a word becomming less agressive as it becomes more mainstream, GAY has become more agressive.
Try inserting your name instead of gay. "Dude, you totaly stepped in a pile of hellocake! That's so serfdom man".
This kind of shift has huge social conotations....and sadly for us, to the negative. Words have huge ammounts of power to harm. By far most bullies taunt and tease than actually use violence. Hearing the word faggot still today whips me back to my school days and sends an unwanted chill up my spine.
GAY is still GAY. Using to call everything else crap doesn't change that. It just states how SHIT we really are in they eyes of most people. If they use it without thought, that's even worse.
It's just a word. It's true that to some extent it does indicate some level of intolerance but I think the key is to work on the intolerance and prejudices themselves... not to taboo the word.
princealbertofb Wrote:Mum just found me an article in her local rag telling about homophobia on campus (not the place you would expect to find it most, but still it exists) They had a campaign recently and one of the posters said:
"Je suis un garçon qui aime les garçons mais je n'aime pas les garçons qui n'aiment pas les garçons qui aiment les garçons...."
What does your Google translator think of that?
"Je suis un garçon qui aime les garçons mais je n'aime pas les garçons qui n'aiment pas les garçons qui aiment les garçons...."
Means" I am a boy who loves boys but I don't like the boys who like boys"
Sounds like a guy who likes straight guys I think.
princealbertofb Wrote:OK, ok, I'll take pity on you
Here's a rough translation: I'm a boy who loves boys, but I don't like boys who don't like boys who love boys.
makes for a complicated message but basically it means I don't like homophobes or homophobia.... they scare me.
No wrong answer.I translated it already but nice try.I am French so I have the advantage.
No problem though as you probably speak another language also.
I can't control how people think about gay guys. It's my belief that people are taught hatred against gays. So whenever I read it, hear it, etc. I just tend to ignore it lol.
use of the word gay
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