Calling out people who use "gay" as a pejorative term on Xbox Live

[Tech Team FTW!]

Again, you're not noticing the huge difference. It's sounds like they were actually being prejudiced and insulting Jewish people (there's the intent part, it sets out to offend a specific group of people). Describing something as gay meaning lame is not the same because it is not an attack on the gay community. If I was to describe something as homosexual in a derogatory manner then that would be offensive, because much like "Jew" it has one distinct meaning associated with it so there's no ambiquity with what I'm getting at. However gay is a slang term and slang is usually the quickest part of language to evolve into new meanings.

Again intended meaning and context matters. It's only hate speech if there's actually hate there.

Read my previous posts on this thread. most of the people I know are homophobes and do hate the gay community. How is calling another player in a game gay not hate speech?

Before you ask, I do not live in a backwards town the wrong side of nowhere. I live in Canberra, the capitol of Australia.

 

[Tech Team FTW!]

It's not hate speech if it's not used to mean homosexual. It has other meanings.

This isn't a discussion of rampant homophobia, ok you know a lot of homophobes, that sucks and I hate people like that. But this is not homophobic. If you call a person gay because they're gay and you're a homophobe that's hate speech but that's unlikely because ****** or queer would probably be used as they're considered more vulgar and are hatewords. Gay is rarely if ever used as hate speech because it's up there with homosexual in terms of tame words to call homosexuals. So if someone uses gay in a derogatory manner chances are they mean lame, especially if it's to describe something inanimate. It's not hate speech if it's not an insult for being gay.

It is a derogatory term that compares a subject of strong dislike to the gay community.
I prefer not to play games of chance with my identity and the way others percieve me.

*sigh* Perhaps I am just bitter from years of being forced to maintain an elaborate deception... I even had a girlfriend once, just to try to fit in.

 

[keptsimple]

I don't agree with any of you who said that "gay," "fag," etc., are meaningless insults. While it may be true that these words have now been adopted as general insults, this has only occurred because being gay is perceived as a bad thing. I suppose that some people who use the term as an insult may simply be mimicking others without thinking, but even these people need to be reminded that there are better word choices.

I also wanted to clarify that when I have been calling people out, I have not been lecturing them. I usually say something like, "Dude, calling someone a 'fag' is not cool." Most of the time, they don't use the word again. A lot of you who responded to my post said that calling people out on Live wouldn't stop them from acting like idiots. As I stated in my original post, I was quite surprised to find that it usually DOES stop them from acting like idiots.

 

[CRAVE CASE 55]

I don't think people when they say it mean it the way they do as offence to Homosexual people.

 

[keptsimple]

Stops them 'acting like idiots' for about five minutes perhaps, until you're no longer online and they can say whatever they want.

I'm not saying that I'm changing the world. But I do think that the reason that Live is filled with so many idiots is because that idiocy is tolerated.

 

[DoomSlayer34.5]

gay - ?adjective
1. having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.
2. bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.
3. given to or abounding in social or other pleasures: a gay social season.
4. licentious; dissipated; wanton: The baron is a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies.
5. homosexual.
6. of, indicating, or supporting homosexual interests or issues: a gay organization.
?noun
7. a homosexual person, esp. a male.
?adverb
8. in a gay manner.

I always ask them why the thing or person they call gay is happy and they shut up because they don't actually know the meaning of the word, and only recently did it become slang for someones homosexuality.

 

[Caliostro]

Most insults don't make sense... Ever used "****" as a derogatory term? I dunno about you but personally I love vaginas...


But really, look into any insult, they're stupid... 90% are meaningless... Just anger venting.

Now stop panic mongering, not every idiotic thing people do is malicious, there is such a thing as being legitimately stupid.

 

[shadowelancer]

I try to not use words like "Gay" or "Fag" or "****". I like to be creative with my insults, I like to use things like "Fuck-nugget".

 

[headshotcatcher]

I personally use it, a lot, not out of homophobia though. But I mean, if you call someone lame you can refer to him being paralyzed as well, so thats not politically correct either. If you think like that theres probably just a few insults that you could use..

 

[Hellgato]

This reminds me of my parents, when I was a teen being highly offended by me and friends using the term "suck". As in, you suck! We can all imagine where the term came from as an insult, but reality is, no one today uses it in that way. It has a new meaning. I use 'gay' all the time as an insult, and I'll continue.

 

[out0v0rder]

Why doesn't anyone ever REPORT these people? Are you afraid they might find you and beat you up? I hope people realize that there is a reporting feature.

Ignoring just doesn't work. At least the op is saying a little something about it. You should report them though.

 

[kawligia]

I have only this to say:

Tolerance is a two way street. If you expect people to be tolerant of your views, you have to be tolerant of their views, even if their view is against tolerance.

Go ahead and try to promote your view. That's fine, but there's nothing I hate more than when people try to FORCE their views on everyone else. Tolerance is about being accepting of different viewpoints, not trying to conquer them all so that your view is the only one left. That's the opposite of tolerance and its the exact same thing you are fighting against, except coming from the opposite end of the field.

 

[Skruff]

Why doesn't anyone ever REPORT these people? Are you afraid they might find you and beat you up? I hope people realize that there is a reporting feature.

Ignoring just doesn't work. At least the op is saying a little something about it. You should report them though.

I report people regularly who use derogatory terms on XBL, regardless if it's directed at me or not. Nothing may ever come of it, as I don't expect Microsoft to police ALL the village idiots who like to spout off nonsense, but it still helps in some small part.

I was playing a ranked match of Uno, of all things, the other night, and there was this guy on there constantlly calling me a "******" whenever I'd win a hand or play a bad card against him. He was just incessant.

When I won the game, I wish I'd had my headphones on so I could have told him "Yes, yes I am, and now you just got beaten by one".

Since I couldn't do that, I just reported him instead!

 

[Tech Team FTW!]

We are not made to fly either, yet we do. Humanity is completely 'not natural': half our food is made from chemicals and we cure diseases that weren't 'naturally' curable. 'Normal' and 'natural' does not exist. Define a normal, natural human being and it comes nothing close to what anyone in our society is. If you've ever been in a car, you're as unnatural as a homosexual (it's not natural for humans to travel over 80 kms/h).

Honestly, why is it your issue what some other person has sex with? It's their own business, you have no right to tell them what's right and what's wrong. Have you even met a real gay person? You probably should, homophobia is hardly an enduring quality.

All our food is made of chemicals... Everything is made of chemicals.
I object to people having sex with animals*, and I object to people calling me a "n00b donkey rapist". I have met a gay person... known him my whole life... (waits for reader to think about that...)

What is kms/h? do you mean km/h?

I know plenty of enduring homophobes. read the rest of my posts on this thread.

*because I believe animals have rights. Well only one right: the right to end up on my plate without a human fornicating over it.

 

[DrX_1030]

You guys are all GAY!!!
Its just kids using the word gay, as an insult, really its about as bad as saying ******, kike, egg plant, whitey, spic, *****, cracker or calling sum 1 a fat ass.
They are words, and thankfully we have freedom of speech.
So those "dumbasses and homophobes" have the right to say w.e. the fuck they want.
And people who disagree have the right to say w.e they want right back at them. ie. insulting their intelligence so forth.
And to any and all homophobes.
gay people will probably wipe themselves out of the gene pool.. think about it if u like to have bum sex with other dudes ur not gona reporduce that much and thusly u wont pass on ur genes that make u wanna have bum sex.
Its science there is no denying it

 

[Tech Team FTW!]

You guys are all GAY!!!
Its just kids using the word gay, as an insult, really its about as bad as saying ******, kike, egg plant, whitey, spic, *****, cracker or calling sum 1 a fat ass.
They are words, and thankfully we have freedom of speech.
So those "dumbasses and homophobes" have the right to say w.e. the fuck they want.
And people who disagree have the right to say w.e they want right back at them. ie. insulting their intelligence so forth.
And to any and all homophobes.
gay people will probably wipe themselves out of the gene pool.. think about it if u like to have bum sex with other dudes ur not gona reporduce that much and thusly u wont pass on ur genes that make u wanna have bum sex.
Its science there is no denying it

Homosexuality has nothing to do with genetics. Gay people can adopt. Saying ****** in the wrong context could get you killed.