A question for you all...

[talimenios]

Words are always being twisted and used other than the way we would probably like them to be used.

'retarted' has long since been used to mean things that are stupid or wrong. and even more recently has used in terms of getting high or drunk.

(the Black Eyed Pea's original version of "Let's get it started" was "Let's get retarted)

and the used of the word 'gay' to mean anything other than happy or homosexual isn't a new thing. it's been around a long time and I believe it has more to do with the person using it as to whether or not it has a negative connotation toward homosexuals.

 

[lipsofanangel]

Words are always being twisted and used other than the way we would probably like them to be used.

'retarted' has long since been used to mean things that are stupid or wrong. and even more recently has used in terms of getting high or drunk.

(the Black Eyed Pea's original version of "Let's get it started" was "Let's get retarted)

and the used of the word 'gay' to mean anything other than happy or homosexual isn't a new thing. it's been around a long time and I believe it has more to do with the person using it as to whether or not it has a negative connotation toward homosexuals.

I'm with you on this 100%. But I'm sure that isn't a surprise.

 

[playwithlezli]

Yes, it is derogatory and homophobic. It's been used for years and years in the US, and it's tossed around by kids who don't even know what they're saying (see my wife's comments below). Tymeless is right, "gay" did originally mean "happy" before it had anything to do with sexuality. Therefore, the use of "gay" in a negative sense can only be tied to the use of it in relation to sexual orientation.

My wife says they were using it at her school when she was a kid, and she knew it meant "lame" but didn't actually know the other meaning. She says when it's used that way, it's being used in a derogatory sense against homosexuals. However, when she was in elementary school, she didn't know what a homosexual was, so as people get older they may not realize they're still using it in a derogatory way. (She's 38, btw - I copied this down while she was talking, so it's her thoughts.)

"Ghey" is actually a backformed word. It's only been used in the past few years, and primarily on the Internet. It originates from people trying to educate others about the fact that "gay" is used in a derogatory way, so therefore if you mean it in a bad way, you should spell it differently, so people can tell the difference. The two words are spoken exactly the same, though.

I agree that it is ultimately derogatory, even if some people using that term aren't intending it to. It keeps us "in our place" albeit subtley, by reminding us that we are lame or second class or whatever. When young users learn that gay can also mean homosexual, then their continued use of it, subtley reinforces that negative imaging in our collective sub-concious. Just like terms such as "nigger-work" or 'nigger-rigging", you can argue that it just means heavy physical labour or patching something up, but in your mind's eye, what do you see? I bet its not a white person doing really basic work or less than a stellar job at something is it?

On the other hand, you could argue that if you use a term long enough it loses it's true meaning completely. After all, how many people know that "rule of thumb" originally refered to the change in common law in England that forbade beating your wife with anything larger than a stick as thick as your thumb?

And before you ask, no, I don't use that term either.

 

[playwithlezli]

Words are always being twisted and used other than the way we would probably like them to be used.

'retarted' has long since been used to mean things that are stupid or wrong. and even more recently has used in terms of getting high or drunk.

(the Black Eyed Pea's original version of "Let's get it started" was "Let's get retarted)

and the used of the word 'gay' to mean anything other than happy or homosexual isn't a new thing. it's been around a long time and I believe it has more to do with the person using it as to whether or not it has a negative connotation toward homosexuals.

retarded-from the French-tarde-late or slow