Offensive use of words like gay

nicolo

Ok just noticed another post there about "gay work" and there seems to be a few people who posted sounding reasonably offended.
Now a mate of mine uses the word gay almost as punctuation, his best friend is gay and his brother is gay yet he still uses it constantly i also heard a different friends brother once refer to a cup of tea that was to cold as gay (so far he has the prize for most random yet inventive use) but I was wondering do people out there get offended by things like this? also do you think it justified?

kaimera

A cold cup of tea is gay?

Crap.

WhiteWashMan

nicolo wrote:

Ok just noticed another post there about "gay work" and there seems to be a few people who posted sounding reasonably offended.
Now a mate of mine uses the word gay almost as punctuation, his best friend is gay and his brother is gay yet he still uses it constantly i also heard a different friends brother once refer to a cup of tea that was to cold as gay (so far he has the prize for most random yet inventive use) but I was wondering do people out there get offended by things like this? also do you think it justified?

well, look at it this way, when someone says something is gay, do the mean its great, or its crap.

im thinking most people still use the term as meaning crap.

so basically you are comparing being gay, to being crap. which is offensive.
personally, i dont find it offensive, but then again im not gay.
and no, i dont think its justified.

i just think its immature. i dont know why people cant use the word crap, for something thats great.

it does annoy me that people dont seem to understand why someone else would be annoyed at it though. i mean, if your brother and friends use, then it must be ok, coz like, some of my best friends are fags.

Trinity

Not offensive just absolutely ridiculous and juvenile.

One person uses a word inthe wrong context and the world follows suit. Yawn.

If i was gay i might find it offensive though as i've only seen it used in a negative fashion i.e. its bad or crap.

Gay means happy, merry or homosexual full stop.

super_furry

I reckon it should be a bannable offence here.

Lafortezza

There's a difference between gay and ghey. You bunch of gheys.

Tar.Aldarion

Gay means happy, merry or homosexual full stop.

So a word is allowed to change meaning up to a point, then it has to stop?
Oh, I see, how foolish of me.

Boston

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

So a word is allowed to change meaning up to a point, then it has to stop?
Oh, I see, how foolish of me.

oh jesus here we go again. You've issues mate.

r3nu4l

lafortezza wrote:

There's a difference between gay and ghey. You bunch of gheys.

For those who don't know

I think the difference is completely facile anyway*. It's a very juvenile thing to say and when I see it on boards.ie I always tend to think that he poster is about 14 or so. Mrs. Doyle recently started a thread on this very subject where her little sister constantly refers to everything as 'gay/ghey'.



*I don't think most of the kids using the term realise that there is a difference in the spelling.

super_furry

How many people would be offended by the phrase 'that's so Irish'? Meaning something is totally stupid.

Tar.Aldarion

Boston wrote:

oh jesus here we go again. You've issues mate.

Yes, I do, me, yes.

Is suppose people still get offended when called sweetheart, since it originally meant a good whore?
Languages evolve, connotations slowly die, get over it.


I want to meet that friend pythia.

Trinity

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

So a word is allowed to change meaning up to a point, then it has to stop?
Oh, I see, how foolish of me.

We are talking about that particular word being turned into the opposite of its meaning and being used as something negative and nasty. What happened to good old fashioned bad language.

Listen maybe its just my age and i am normally all for slang but only kids use it - stupid gay work (sorry poster) means stupid happy or homosexual work? It doesnt make any sense?

And I mean what has gay got to do with cold fcuking tea??

Making up your own words FTW!!

Boston

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Yes, I do, me, yes.

Is suppose people still get offended when called sweetheart, since it originally meant a good whore?
Languages evolve, connotations slowly die, get over it.


I want to meet that friend pythia.

Things is there's two strong connotations, one hasn't replaced the other. Gay as in homosexual, and gay as in crap. They are intertwined, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise.

Tar.Aldarion

I know plenty of adults that use it Trinity1, mostly under 30.
Gay pretty much has the meaning of happy, homosexual or crap now.
People use it before they know what the other meanings even are.
If it is so ingrained in speech then it is not a reflection on teh persons intelligence. Gay was used as an insult towards homosexuals at first.
Words change. I don't particularily say it myself at all anymore, but I used gay before I had a notion of what a homosexual was.
People who can't speak are still called "dumb". Words just change.

Things is there's two strong connotations, one hasn't replaced the other. Gay as in homosexual, and gay as in crap. They are intertwined, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise.

There are two yes. As to whether they are intertwined, that depends on the person.
I believe it will eventually change completely with use, it hasn't yet, because a lot of people in the world believe being gay is something to be cured, a bad thing.
I'm sure 'dumb' had two intertwining connotations originally, along with a lot of other words.

el rabitos

its just a word people, dont be so gay

Trinity

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Yes, I do, me, yes.

Is suppose people still get offended when called sweetheart, since it originally meant a good whore?
Languages evolve, connotations slowly die, get over it.

Rather be called a good one than a bad one Slang evolves, people make up new words and find new meanings but that gay one is just silly imo.

Oh lighten up - this thread is soooooo Tar.Aldarion

Tar.Aldarion

Trinity1 wrote:

Rather be called a good one than a bad one Slang evolves, people make up new words and find new meanings but that gay one is just silly imo.

Oh lighten up - this thread is soooooo Tar.Aldarion

I liked when damien.m changed gay to my full real name, had a good laugh.
I would prefer if people didn't use gay for it either, I like longer words.
I just don't have a problem with people using it without being homophobic.

Karl Hungus

God, people getting upset at the use of the word gay are being such ****ing jews!

Pythia

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

I want to meet that friend pythia.

You already have. A few times!

Trinity

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

I liked when damien.m changed gay to my full real name, had a good laugh.
I would prefer if people didn't use gay for it either, I like longer words.
I just don't have a problem with people using it without being homophobic.

Um i just realised after posting i should have said i was making up a new word - Tar.Aldarion = serious eh not gay

See what happens when you mess with the language mmm? mmmm?

Boston

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

I know plenty of adults that use it Trinity1, mostly under 30.
Gay pretty much has the meaning of happy, homosexual or crap now.
People use it before they know what the other meanings even are.
If it is so ingrained in speech then it is not a reflection on teh persons intelligence. Gay was used as an insult towards homosexuals at first.
Words change. I don't particularily say it myself at all anymore, but I used gay before I had a notion of what a homosexual was.
People who can't speak are still called "dumb". Words just change.


There are two yes. As to whether they are intertwined, that depends on the person.
I believe it will eventually change completely with use, it hasn't yet, because a lot of people in the world believe being gay is something to be cured, a bad thing.
I'm sure 'dumb' had two intertwining connotations originally, along with a lot of other words.

I don't think your a homophobe, I think you feel you've alot to prove.

Vorsprung

Maybe he meant it in the sense "happy work"?

Nehpets

I agree with Tar.Aldarion. The rest of you are gay.

Dave!

"Political Correctness gone mad!"

WindSock

WhiteWashMan wrote:

well, look at it this way, when someone says something is gay, do the mean its great, or its crap.

im thinking most people still use the term as meaning crap.

so basically you are comparing being gay, to being crap. which is offensive.

Oooh, Thomas Crapper wouldnt be too happy about that. Lets just take out all words that may be deemed offensive from our colourful language, because it hurts peoples feelings and they're all acting like big girls.
Big gay girlie girls.

Boston

This thread has gone a bit Muslim for my liking.

Karl Hungus

Boston wrote:

This thread has gone a bit Muslim for my liking.

Nah, it's Jewish, if it were Muslim, people would be burning Irish flags, and attacking embassies. As it is, people are just whining like the ADL.

Yeah, I know, I'm an offensive ****.

Sofaspud

Karl Hungus wrote:

Nah, it's Jewish, if it were Muslim, people would be burning Irish flags, and attacking embassies. As it is, people are just whining like the ADL.

Yeah, I know, I'm an offensive ****.

You would say that, you damn Lithuanian!

Karl Hungus

Sofaspud wrote:

You would say that, you damn Lithuanian!

Oh yeah, you say that now, but when there's a Lithuanian behind you in the queue for the ATM, you're not such a big mouth then, are you?

stovelid

Outside of how I assume it offends gay people; it also shows a poverty of language and is just boring and juvenile.

Cunny-Funt

"Dis thread is teh gayness"

Nick_oliveri

I use it the whole time in the ghey context. Im also wearing a pink jumper!

nicolo

Karl Hungus wrote:

God, people getting upset at the use of the word gay are being such ****ing jews!

Hahahahahahaha.

while its clear that the word gay developed out of homophobia its also true that the word has lost that particular connotation over the years to the point of it being a homograph (no pun nintendoed;)
for instance the word Gay is not the proper word, its homosexual, so if you actually think bout it if people are getting upset about the misuse of a word then the roots should go back to the folk who started using the word gay to describe homosexuals in the first place. so everyone should really of been angry all this time anyways, its just you've become used to using a word that has evolved and incorporated itself into our modern lexicon.

WindSock

Well put Nicolo:D ya big gay

nicolo

Oh you *flicks wrist*

projectgtr

Karl Hungus wrote:

God, people getting upset at the use of the word gay are being such ****ing jews!

trinity1 wrote:

Slang evolves, people make up new words and find new meanings

Oh lighten up

you got to love it, or as language is evolving ya gotsta luv it

Come on guys its just a word as much as gay(happy) evolved, wasnt that just a slang word at the end of the day they are homosexual and i dont think any one is going to rob that word eh?

gay has lost its original meaning, get over it. people are becoming way too pc for my liking

spurious

You're not gay, are you?

projectgtr

me?

Boston

projectgtr wrote:

gay has lost its original meaning, get over it. people are becoming way too pc for my liking

Gay still means to be homosexual. ( I know it's not the original)

I can see where you guys are coming from. For instance, Jew is no longer a term exclusively attached to members of the Jewish faith, it can now used to describe any miserly tight fisted person with a dodgy nose.

btw the sarcasm in this post is about as subtle as a brick to the face.

projectgtr

spurious if it was directed at me, i am not, i have a few gay aquaintances most of which would share my humour on the subject. people need to be able to laugh at them selves isnt that the route of irish sarcastic humour in what other country could you call your friend a **** with a smile on your face and get a laugh from everyone, all knowing quite well im not calling him a vagina or putting vaginas down

i could be wrong but i think the reason it is so big in ireland is due to south park, which in my opinion is an amazing show with so many levels allthough im sure i will be flamed for saying this

mods ---->please remove any words deemed in-appropriate

Gayest. Thread. Evar.

Nehpets

You're all a bunch of foreign ass-sucking queers

connundrum

What is gay and what is ghey then?

Can we have a definitive list? Maybe the straights and gays could join together and form some sort of power sharing forum in which they could decide such things.

Futureman

super_furry wrote:

I reckon it should be a bannable offence here.

I reckon that the most stupid thing I've ever heard. Then in that case, just so there are no double standards, let's ban all offensive words, yeah? Let's ban the word "fat", so no overweight people are offended if it ever gets used - and what about banning the word "stupid", just so no people with low IQ's are offended, and also ban the word "nerd" so as not to offend Warcraft players or gamers, etc, etc, etc??

Where does it stop? It's either ALL okay, or NOTHING is - you can't draw a line where it suits YOU!

copacetic

This thread is gay. Of course by that I mean it is a happy place to be.

projectgtr

copacetic wrote:

This thread is gay. Of course by that I mean it is a happy place to be.

now we are getting somewhere

MODS lock this thread enough said

everybody is gay gay gay, gay gay gay, lets all be gay together and agin i mean gay as in happy or do i .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. yes, yes i do

Tar.Aldarion

Pythia wrote:

You already have. A few times!

Wha? Who's all this then?

Tar.Aldarion = serious

I don't think your a homophobe, I think you feel you've alot to prove.

Only to mother.
Tbh, I'm too arrogant to feel like that, but I was a bit like that when I was younger.

erinperin

Homophobia is gay

rannerap

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Maybe he meant it in the sense "happy work"?

im a girl!and second of all you don't know what context i was using it in,starting a whole new thread about the use of one word is a bit sad.ITS A WORD!many other people have said it but no one caused a fuss over that

Degsy

nicolo wrote:

most random

Can somebody please tell me WTF the word "random" is supposed to mean these days?

Top Web Results for "Random"

12 results for: Random

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View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source ran·dom /ˈrændəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation/FONT][B]ran[/B]-d[I]uh[/I][IMG]http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/luna/thinsp.png[/IMG]m[FONT=Arial Unicode MS Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective 1.proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern: the random selection of numbers. 2.Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen. 3.Building Trades. a.(of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions: random shingles. b.(of ashlar) laid without continuous courses. c.constructed or applied without regularity: random bond. –noun 4.Chiefly British. bank3 (def. 7b). –adverb 5.Building Trades. without uniformity: random-sized slates. —Idiom 6.at random, without definite aim, purpose, method, or adherence to a prior arrangement; in a haphazard way: Contestants were chosen at random from the studio audience.
[Origin: 1275–1325; ME raundon, random < OF randon, deriv. of randir to gallop < Gmc]

—Related forms ran·dom·ly, adverb
ran·dom·ness, noun

ixoy

I'm personally against it but not so much because it could be perceived as homophobic (doubt that's the intention), but because it's incredibly boring to have to read/hear over and over. Isn't there other words they can use that'd be more appropriate/descriptive?