"That's gay!"

[prowler1971]

I was thinking about this last week. It's just a common phrase these days and people will defend themselves by saying things like, "I don't mean homosexual." Well, that's kind of the point. You don't mean it's homosexual but you're construing the word "gay" with something negative. Since the only meanings I'm aware of regarding the word "gay" are:

1 a : happily excited : merry
   b : keenly alive and exuberant : having or inducing high spirits
2 a : bright, lively
   b : brilliant in color
3 : given to social pleasures; also : licentious
4 a : homosexual
   b : of, relating to, or used by homosexuals

So when used in a negative context, how would one expect someone to not be offended if one were a homosexual and the same word used to describe you is used to describe something negative?

And then I got to thinking about it further. I was thinking of all successful clothing designers and interior decorators that are gay. And then I realized that if someone called my apartment gay, that might be a compliment. So maybe that's the key. When someone calls something gay, say "thanks" and that you didn't realize it was that trendy.

Comments

[sippy9cup.livejournal.com]

This is awesome. I can't wait to employ this idea in my daily life :)

[qwinkly.livejournal.com]

I hate when people use this term - period. It's a misuse of the term no matter what - just as you have pointed out. It's pejorative, and yes, they DO mean to refer to your 4th definition - the homosexuals. Bad enough, but to add to it, they don't even have the COURAGE to stand up to that. They are COWARDS, too. They try to back out of the CONSEQUENCES of that slur they just made, by their lame "Oh, I didn't mean homosexual." Uh....so you meant to infer somehow that definitions 1-3 could be BAD? Happy, excited, merry = BAD? Brightly colored? So we should all switch to morose gray? Come ON! Either Clean UP your mouth, or SHUT UP your mouth, or STAND UP for what you say with that mouth at least. (I vote for #1 or 2)