The 4-minute post

[dotinthesky]

I'm unprepared for today's cold spell, my lips are chapped, and I'm wondering why perfectly intelligent breeders straight people insist on using the word gay in a derogatory form:

Did you see her outfit last night? She looked sooooo gay!

Oh my God! Backstreet Boys are soooo gay!

I was, like, on the phone to my friend Chad and he said the gayest thing!


We are not amused. By "we", I mean gay people who have grown up knowing that something was slightly different about them, who had effeminate voices (like myself) and had to put up with other kids calling them names. Why do you want to squash us like that? In any case, "gay" means happy - so why try to bastardize the word and make it negative?

Are you one of those people that reads Vice magazine because you are soooo cool, and you feel soooooo post-modern and above caring? The people who I've seen using the word "gay" in a pejorative form are people who have gay friends. Maybe everyone is so sophisticated and beyond caring. Maybe I'm guilty too because I've made mix tapes for my friends with Patti Smith's song "Rock and Roll Nigger".

Should you and I not care about words anymore?

Comments

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

When you call someone a bastard, do you mean they have done something that's particularly wicked or naughty, or are you criticising them for being born out of wedlock? Yet bastard was originally used for the latter purpose, but it's got distorted over the years.

Same with "gay". When I say a television show is "gay", I don't mean it's homosexual, or even that homosexuality is a bad thing. The usage of the term "gay" in that context may have originally have had homosexual connotations, but I sincerely doubt that most people using it now would even consider making the connection.

Lots of people around me have used the word "gay" to describe something that is crap; as a result, without thinking I'll pick up and use the terminology too. It may have offensive overtones if you interpret what is said to its literal meaning, but of course, 99.9% of the time, no offence is intended, or even considered. I appreciate you might find it annoying (in presumably much the same way I abhor the casual use of the c**t word) but I think for most people using it, it has long since lost any negative homosexual meaning which is why so many of your friends use it.

I'll try not to use it around you if it upsets you that much though; it's just something I very occasionally say at present - I'll probably pick up another word before too long to use instead.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

To be honest, it doesn't offend me that much. I was just curious because it's a very schizophrenic use of the word: applying it to both negative and positive things. I think you explained it well why people use it.

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

Yes - it is indeed odd how it can be used both positively and negatively. Kind of like describing a pile of shiny gadgets as both "that's some serious shit in that pile" and "that's a seriously shit pile". Odd!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

but fun?

:)

I'm in serious need of lightening up.

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

You need more gossip, I think!!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Yes! Where's the juicy gossip hiding these days?

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

Nobody has done anything scandalous or exciting for weeks. Haven't even had a livejournal deleation for some time! It must be the summer holidays; i.e. Not February.

Don't worry, the lull will pass, and we'll be back to the usual scandal and horror on a daily basis within a few months.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I hope so. Cybergoths are a lot more entertaining than Brazilian soaps.

:P

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

It could also be that the scandal has moved over to Big Brother. With all that's (apparently - I hate the thing!) happening over there, the scandal part of the brain is being fulfilled, so nobody sees fit to start anything, or investigate anything further. Tis a darned shame :-/

Roll on the end of Big Brother!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Then it must be my Summer goal to convert you to Big Brother!

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

I sincerely doubt you'll succeed. This is the fifth one, after all, and for most of those, most of my friends have been really into it. I've watched it, found it tedious and false and all-consuming, and decided there are better ways to spend my time, like sticking my fingers in a plug socket. Really! It is just not my "thing" at all. Even if the impossible happened and I did get addicted to it, I would not want to as I have lots of things I need to do and I can't really afford to spend time on a trashy TV programme ;-)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Hmm... you have a good point about this being the 5th one for you. This is only the 3rd one for me, so I'm not as jaded perhaps.

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

I did give it the time of day at first; in so much as I vaguely followed who was doing what, and would occasionally watch it at friend's houses. But as C4 seeked better ratings as the viewers switched off, it just became too contrived and too false. The idea has gone a little stale now, so they have to do increasingly unrealistic and wacky things in order to keep people's attention, which has ruined whatever reasons I might have had for watching it (i.e. how *normal* people react being locked up, not attention-seeking, acting drama queens) The celebrity/jungle thing is quite fun because it's an original variation, but I dare say that will go a bit shit very shortly too. New Stuff Needed!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It's the same problem with Wife Swap. Interesting idea at first but now it seems to attract only shouty couples.