[GEN] Anti-Gay

easy tigers.

 

Could you elaborate? Because to me it looked like you were implying that I didn't "practice what I preach[ed]", which would damage my argument, and when I calmly pointed out that you apparently missed the intent you accuse me of being hostile in an attempt to make me look unreasonable and make yourself look like the cooler head.

Am I about right?

um, what?

 

Alright, let's keep it civil and on topic.

The point is respecting other people's rights and feelings.

Yes, common parlance has changed and always does change - I remember my dad being mad way back when I would say things like "this sucks" or "what a dork" - honestly.

But that's changing from a sexual reference into a non-sexual reference.

Using the word "gay" in a derogatory sense essentially denigrates the homosexual individual, because it sounds like the speaker thinks gay=stupid or lame.

Yes, you might say "that class is so gay" to your friend, and both of you know that you didn't mean any sort of insult towards homosexual individuals - but what if someone who was gay was walking by (or reading the thread)?

Ideally, we wouldn't have to use language to express how much we dislike something or someone at all.

 

I remember a discussion in the mod squad where it was decided that saying someone "raped your childhood" was okay, because the meaning of the word "raped" had changed in such a way that it no longer necessarily refered to a forcible sex act, but instead had turned into a general negative word.

So why is it that the meaning of the word 'raped' can be changed, but the meaning of the word 'gay' can't?

 

Well for starters, rape does not target a specific group of people. Saying "George Lucas raped my childhood" does not turn the word rape into something that it is not. It simply uses the verb in poor taste. Calling something gay turns the word that means homosexual into a word that means bad. It also targets a specific group of people.

That's my take on it anyway.

 

Just so, strilo.

 

Exactly. The verb "raped" has many meanings, the most common of which is used when referring to violent, non-consenting sex. However, it also means "Abusive or improper treatment; violation", both of which are perfectly valid in regards to "Lucas raped my childhood". Of course, you are right in thinking that no one picked "raped" simply because it was a synonym to "ruined".

Using "Gay" as a catch all negative, however, targets a group maliciously while having no legitimate claim to a definitive source using the word as a synonym for stupid or bad.

 

Using "Gay" as a catch all negative, however, targets a group maliciously while having no legitimate claim to a definitive source using the word as a synonym for stupid or bad.

that doesn't make a lot of sense. are people named 'Dick' being targeted maliciously when people use the word 'dick' in a different sense? as i said before, 'gay' has taken on other meanings in the last 15 years, and people often don't even think of the homosexual definition when they use the word 'gay' in the way you're upset about.

that is reality, regardless of what you or i may feel about the use of the word (and try to keep in mind that i really haven't taken a stance one way or the other).

 

people often don't even think of the homosexual definition when they use the word 'gay' in the way you're upset about.

True. That doesn't mean squat to a gay person who is offended by that, though, whether the person saying it intended it or not. It is unfortunately common practice, but that doesn't make it right.

 

In hopes of ending this whole discussion and let everyone know how gays probably feel when gay is used in a negative way.


"That's really Jewish."

"That's the Caucasianest thing I have ever heard."

"Dude, quit acting so Catholic."

 

"That's the Caucasianest thing I have ever heard."

Why thank you.

 

The point is that homosexuality was/is considered a sin and homosexuals had no rights up until quite recently.

This is NOT the same as saying "That's so Caucasian", because homosexuality was considered deviant and generally negative - therefore the term "gay" has negative connotations - meaning (now, in some cases) "lame" or "stupid".

It's the same thing as a racial slur.

 

This is NOT the same as saying "That's so Caucasian", because homosexuality was considered deviant and generally negative - therefore the term "gay" has negative connotations - meaning (now, in some cases) "lame" or "stupid".


It isn't, but my point was to allow other users to be put in a different role and hopefully understand what it felt like to have a part of themselves, whether it be their religion or ethnicity, used as an adjective for negativity, an insult, etc.

 

Just a small history lesson.

Gay as we all know meant happy until recently when a group of prominent homosexuals took the word to describe themselves in an effort to make homosexually appear more "family friendly" and acceptable.

So homosexuals who find it offensive are pretty contradictory, in my mind.

 

Is it ok for a gay person to call themselves a fag? Richard Hatch from Survivor is gay and he used to call himself a Fat Naked Fag on TV all the time.

One time I called myself "cracker" in a post and a mod edited it ....

 

Calling yourself by certain terms seems to be socially acceptable if they apply to you...e.g. gays calling themselves queer, African-Americans calling themselves the n word, etc. But socially acceptable words aren't necessarily acceptable here, which is probably why you were edited.

 

yes, my one and only user note is from when I got edited for calling myself a "hole in the behind"

 

What if a user posts the word 'gay' and nothing else? Should mods be presuming the intent? To me it's like people who see racism in SW. By seeing such negativity everywhere, they demonstrate their own bigotry.

 

If you're just posting the word "gay" we're going to assume that you mean it in the bad sense. In my opinion, it's just pervaricating to say otherwise.

 

Mods should not presume intent, because then things get very sticky.

As for rape...when people say "GL raped my childhood', I always take it to mean they feel violated, as in the sexual assualt. So it is highly distatsful and trivialises an extremely heinous act. So, while it may not target an actual group per se, it does belittle survivors of the act. So, can we get it banned, please?

 

As I said, prevaricating.

We?ll judge the meaning of the word gay based on context. The context in which the word gay is being used when a user posts the word 'gay' and nothing else is negative. That?s a clear use of gay as a synonym for bad, and I?ve never seen gay used in that context for anything else.

 

The context in which the word gay is being used when a user posts the word 'gay' and nothing else is negative

You can't say that.

For example, if I posted saying "Is Rosie O'Donnell straight or gay?", and Ignant posted "gay", he would only be answering my question.

Even if that isn't the case here, you can't make that presumption.

 

[sigh]

Yes, we promise to take context into account. But if someone posts a thread asking "What do you think of The New Kids on the Block" and someone posts "gay" as a response, we're going to take that to mean "bad" and consider it misuse of the word.

 

Malkie, ignant is trying to argue a previous ban of his.

 

This is becoming quickly pedantic.

I think the policy should be pretty straightforward at this point.