Mara Said:

^^Oh geez... what does the one thing have to do with the other?? Get married all you want!

estelle, I was also obsessed with rainbow brite in the 80's and early 90's and went crazy over anything that had to do with rainbows but didn't know about the gay association until high school and don't mind it cause I'm bi anyways
[Edited 11/28/08 4:54am]

alphastreet said:

Rainbow Brite

estelle81 said:

I still have some of them on tape, the ones I didn't wear out and break!!!

Annika said:

Yes i know what the word means. and you obviously cannot accept that i don't believe what you do, or i don't agree with you. Which is why YOU display bigotry.

I do NOT have to explain anything to you. I know that I would not use that word in a derogatory way.

Seriously, its not that serious. Im pretty sure you call women the B*** and use other things (profanities). and I pretty much think there are more serious things than using the word "gay" as uncool.

Annika said:

Yes i know what the word means. and you obviously cannot accept that i don't believe what you do, or i don't agree with you. Which is why YOU display bigotry.

I do NOT have to explain anything to you. I know that I would not use that word in a derogatory way.

Seriously, its not that serious. Im pretty sure you call women the B*** and use other things (profanities). and I pretty much think there are more serious things than using the word "gay" as uncool.

alphastreet said:

I need to go on Amazon.com and buy some videos. I used to have all the toys. Aww, memories.

alphastreet said:

DO ANY OF YOU REALIZE THE WORD GAY MEANS CHEERFUL, MERRY, HAPPY???

gay does NOT necessarily mean homosexual. People just used the word gay as homosexual. but it really is NOT the ORIGINAL literally meaning. Dictionaries just started noting the word gay as homosexual.

So i will continue using what i want.

The N-word is completely in its own league so don't even go there.
[Edited 11/27/08 10:17am]

I am sorry to interupt, but I need to ask a question because I often get words confuse.

Now, Totalalisa says she used "gay" to mean "nerdy," and nerdy meaning... what does it mean? Does "nerdy" mean "happy,"? I never thought "nerdy" or "geeky" meant "happy"? I thought nerdy or geeky meant somebody who is a "schoolboy" or "schoolgirl," you know not very in with the popular crowd, often being a goody-goody.. or into their studies?

So..if "gay" literally means "happy," I do not understand the comparison. To me, if somebody is using "gay" to mean "nerdy" or "geeky," then it implies "gay" is sort of "on the fringe" and not in the mainstream, right?

If this is true, when somebody says "that is so gay," then this is expression is more derogatory the empowering then, right?

I do not use this expression "that is so gay" because I do not like the way it comes across. I do not think is very nice expression, but maybe people using it do not intend to hurt "gays" but more they do not understand the implication, right?

Anyway, I did not watch Rosie's special but I read it was not very good.

TotalAlisa said:

But sweetie, that is not what bigotry means.

Tell you what, why don't you go read a dictionary and come back when you actually understand what you are talking about?

TotalAlisa said:

I am sorry to interupt, but I need to ask a question because I often get words confuse.

Now, Totalalisa says she used "gay" to mean "nerdy," and nerdy meaning... what does it mean? Does "nerdy" mean "happy,"? I never thought "nerdy" or "geeky" meant "happy"? I thought nerdy or geeky meant somebody who is a "schoolboy" or "schoolgirl," you know not very in with the popular crowd, often being a goody-goody.. or into their studies?

So..if "gay" literally means "happy," I do not understand the comparison. To me, if somebody is using "gay" to mean "nerdy" or "geeky," then it implies "gay" is sort of "on the fringe" and not in the mainstream, right?

If this is true, when somebody says "that is so gay," then this is expression is more derogatory the empowering then, right?

I do not use this expression "that is so gay" because I do not like the way it comes across. I do not think is very nice expression, but maybe people using it do not intend to hurt "gays" but more they do not understand the implication, right?

Anyway, I did not watch Rosie's special but I read it was not very good.

lascantas said:

thank you for saying that. Because NOT everyone is using that word gay to "hurt gays"

I don't even think about homosexual or that when i use the expression that is so gay. I just think people want to nit pick. and its annoying. NOW if someone said "thats queer" I could understand them getting upset

but the word gay has TWO meanings and really the ORIGINAL meaning of gay was to mean cheerful. and so if that word has two meanings why do people assume its the homosexual meaning. Or assume that someone is using it to be mean.

Life is more serious than me or another person using the word "gay" as slang for something being uncool.

People,

If some people find the term 'so gay' offensive, its not too much to ask you to stop using it.

Its just bad manners and non-senseical to say 'the n word is in another league-so dont go there'. Just because its in another league to YOU it doesnt mean you have the right to use terms that other people find offensive whillst, at the same time just *demanding* that people not use a term that offends you. Just plain silly.

The arguement that 'it used to mean happy' doesnt work because many offensive terms like 'Paki' once had a different meaning. So what? If such terms are found offensive by some people-dont use them. Simple.

I would not use the N word, or call someone a Paki or say something is 'so gay'. Its just good manners. I think I'm just a nicer person then those who insist on using such terms.

x

thank you for saying that. Because NOT everyone is using that word gay to "hurt gays"
I don't even think about homosexual or that when i use the expression that is so gay.

NOW if someone said "thats queer" I could understand them getting upset but the word gay has TWO meanings and really the ORIGINAL meaning of gay was to mean cheerful. and so if that word has two meanings why do people assume its the homosexual meaning. Or assume that someone is using it to be mean.

i can't believe this thread is still alive

lascantas said:

That's exactly it.

Expressions like "that's so gay" are meant in the derogatory sense, exactly because of the negative connotations most people do still have regarding homosexuality. Saying something like "that's so gay" is negative and hurtful to a lot of people, gay and non-gay.

What I can't fathom is the mindset of someone who has been told repeatedly that that phrase is hurtful to others, and asked not to use it, and continues to do so, claiming it's not a big deal or "not that serious".

meow85 said:

I personally can't help saying it sometimes. It's a word that was used by everyone all throughout my teens. It's like when a swear word pops out of someones mouth without thinking. Thats sometimes the word that pops out when I see something lame, I'll say somehting like 'ohhh gay'. I understand both sides but I agree with totalalisa. It has no connection to gay people whatsoever. Just like the word plane/plain has several completely unrelated meanings. That's how I view the word gay. Gay to me could mean happy/homosexual/lame, it depends on the context I use it in. Now I can't speak for others or whoever even started using the word for that purpose. But for me and I know for most teens, the word has absolutely no connection to homosexual people. I'm bisexual myself, theres no self hate, no thinking gay people are bad. It's purely a different take on the word. I think it depends what generation you come from. Most young (teenage) people view it the same way.

TotalAlisa said:

You can back track and spin it as much as you want, it's still a derogatory word.

So you're saying if you use the word gay in the "cheerful" sense but to actually mean "geeky" or "uncool"...people are somehow supposed to know that you don't mean it in an insulting way...even though "geeky" and "uncool" are used to insult...and by you changing a word that used to have a positive connotation into a negative connotation...that justifies you using it?

And if "life is more serious" than you using the word, why did you bother telling us all that you use the word in a derogatory way? If you don't want us to pick you up on your prejudices, keep 'em hidden!

Arnotts said:

EXACTLY.... im NOT a mean or cruel intention person. If i say "thats gay" its NOT because im thinking OH let me hurt a homosexual person. THAT IS STUPID.

Its just slang term that i picked up from highschool. I think people are making this a big deal and i find it funny.

TotalAlisa said:

When I was in high school, the popular expression was, "That's soo retarded". While I never remember the expression ever being used as a means of offending people with mental disabilities, individuals, who were extremely politically correct, crucified those who used the expression; and often rudely insisted that people not say it ever. After a while, I kinda interpreted this as them trying to take away people's right to freedom of speech, but they didn't see it that way for some strange reason. If someone is offended by it and they respectfully tell me that it hurts their feelings, than, out of respect, I won't use the term/expression around them because they asked nicely, but some people like to be jerks and demand that the phrase not be used and those people can kiss ass. No one has the right to tell anyone what they can and can't say; especially if they wanna be demanding and rude about it. I had a British guy walk up to me once and ask me for a fag and all I could do was look at him like all while thinking to myself, "Did he just call me a fag?". He had to explain to me that in the UK a 'fag' is a term for a cigarette. Words are just words until someone gets offended, but some people get offended by everything so

my whole point was that NOT all people use the phrase "thats gay" to be derogatory.

I COULD SAY YOU HAVE PREJUDICES, but i really could care less. Now just because i don't agree or support everything that goes along in this world does NOT mean that is a prejudice. I think people like to throw out words like prejudice, or bigot when another person does not agree with them and that is NOT the case.

if anything if i were NOT who i am, than you guys coming at me would really make a person dislike homosexuals. You aren't helping at all. Seriously NOT everyone is going to agree, why does EVERYONE have to except what you believe??? When you are doing what is right it doesn't matter what others think. OTHERWISE when people try to get everyone to agree and if they don't you turn on them, i have to question that.

like i said before, i find using profanity or curse words towards people VERY disrespectful, So when you all stop using them than i will stop using that gay.

TotalAlisa said:

Actually, all those things are what took me so long to come out of the closet to myself. From the way I heard people talk about gay people all my life, I thought they were all limp wristed, classical music listening, nerds and dorks. Another term used a lot is "sweet" and "sugar in the tank". All of which I considered weak (and so did they) and wanted no part of.

It wasn't until a straight friend girl took me to a black gay club a few times that I saw that a lot of gay people were the furthest thing from these stereotypes. The gay people were throwing down hard to some fast house music while straight folks at the time which were listening to shit hop which was, and still is, as slow and dull as classical music (which they tried to accuse all gay people of being into). I also saw gay people being much more permiscuous than most straight people I knew. As permiscuous as some of us have been in our lifetime, straight people (mainly men) wish they could be that permiscuous but most women aren't going to go for that unless they are sluts. In my world, a lot of us admire the word "slut", "whore", "hooker", etc. and see them as role models. All these things are far from nerdy and geeky and when I saw this, I had no problem at all coming out of the closet and admitting to myself what I am. And as for the words "sweet" and "sugar in the tank", I would rather be called the most hateful words out there such as faggot and queer before I'm called "sweet" because I see "sweet" as gullible and weak, which many straight people think we are. When someone calls me sweet, I want to show them just how sweet I can be. Hell, I'm more like rattlesnake venon. The reality is, when you piss off a gay person, a lot of them will scheme like soap opera bitches to get even with you if it's the last thing they do. Those are just the positive things about being gay. Don't be fooled though, there are negative gay people are weak, classical music listening, monagomous dorks. Just letting you know that there are a whole spectrum of us. But yes, those goody two shoe words like nerdy, sweet, and dorks can be very offensive to a mean bitch like me. Hell, I ain't Shitney Houston.
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[Edited 12/1/08 8:55am]