Poll: Do You Use the Word "Gay" as an Insult?

[Fumbleumble]

Absolutely I do... but I do it out of my own form of protest.

The word 'Gay' used to be quite a nice word.. happy, jolly, bright... that's what it used to mean, then it was bastardised in to the perversion it is now.. so screw it. If one-sex sexers want to use the word for something else, then so shall I.

It doesn't matter what homo's call themselves anyway.... if they were to suddenly start calling themselves cuddly, fluffy bunnies then that term would become an insult for the general populus too.

It doesn't matter what they call themselves in the end, whatever it is their particular brand of perversion will always be used to insult.

Anyway... what does it matter if we do or don't.... if homo's feel that they have a right to be however they wish.. and to shout about it, then I have an equal right to shout that I think they are perversions.... anything else is just hypocracy.. one rule for them and another for us, and I DO NOT subscribe to that kind of discrimination....

You want an truly equal world?.. THEN LUMP IT!!

 

[Korten12]

I use the word gay for things i think are bad. "thats gay" "you're gay" "how gay is that?!"

Thats how I use it.

 

[BytByte]

I used to, but now I see it as juvenile to insult anyone with name-calling. And Fumbleumble, Metonymy is not a good habit to start.

 

[A Curious Fellow]

Yeah, but at this point it's lost the original meaning, you know what I mean? I'll say something's gay, and it's generally understood that I just grunted out a single syllable that means pretentious, silly, demeaning, stupid, contrived, effeminate, and beyond my ability to take seriously, without me having to say all that. Is it politically incorrect? Yes. But do I think people should have thicker skin and deal with it? Much more yes.

Especially since any word can become a heinous insult if given the proper emphasis and reacted to with enough energy.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Here's a quick test: If a flamboyantly homosexual man comes up to you and says "That's SO gay.", is he insulting you or not?

If you can't tell, how would you react if you weren't sure of his sexuality?

If the two reactions are different based on what you perceive, you're the one making the subjective judgement, not him.

If the same guy said "That's fucking gay", then you could be quite sure that it's an insult - equally if he said "That's fucking good, isn't it?". It's the context rather than the actual word.

 

[Johnny Reb]

i fucking hate it when people think that their better then me just because they don't use certain words and think that because they think its wrong, i should also conform to their PC attitude towards the way everyone should speak. I have the freedom of speech and i plan to use it however i like.

 

[SpAc3man]

My friends and I use it in a ironic cliché sort of way. More of a piss take of the people who try to use it as an actual insult.

"Hurrrrr! Dont be gay *insert name here*! Its gay!"

 

[Zechnophobe]

But the real issue is people using it in the pejorative. That is, as a catch all negative phrase. That isn't just describe a Market by its Color. It isn't simply using a word that happens to mean something else. It is explicitly attributing negative connotations to a phrase or word, that otherwise would have none.

Which is different to it's original meaning, which meant a catch-all word for happy/light.

"We. Are. Here. to make you feel gay, so give us a cheer with a hey-hey-hey" - It Ain't 'Alf Hot Mum.
"We'll have a gay old time" - Last line of the Flintstones.

Equally, wicked meaning a catch all term for good - reversing it's original expression.

or cool - originally meaning not warm - now means excellent.

***** - female dog - now means the feminine equivalent of a Bastard - which is now a male of dubious morals, rather than an unmarried couples child.

The problem about giving these words the ability to hurt people is that it gives them power. I doubt that Grammar Nazis want to kill Jewish Punctuation, do you?
Or that when you're acting mad, that you're suffering from crippling mental delusions?
or that your conservative estimates, going into labour or making a liberal decision details your political leanings.

Words mean what they say, not what others think they say.

I think you are exactly wrong. A word is only as valuable as the concept it conveys. Masturbatory lallygagging of sounds without intent of communication is not really worth discussing. Therefore words are a vehicle for communication, as opposed to mere sounds, and therefore the message transmitted is the one that matters.

Besides, your points are all not really relevant. There are no groups of Female dogs to be insulted when you say '*****'. The Wicked Witches aren't a real group to become worried when their honorific is being used to insinuate good. Gay people exist. Jewish People exist. By drawing a clear line between 'bad' and 'gay' in one context, you end up doing the same in other contexts. Or do you really think people don't twitch a bit whenever you properly refer to a female dog as a *****? That moments hesitation when you do so, that is the same manufactured doubt that is created when you use Fag, or Homo or Jewish in the pejorative.

 

[Tiger Sora]

I've cut back on the word alot since I left high school. And to think I was one of the mature people there.

 

[Verp]

Here's a quick test: If a flamboyantly homosexual man comes up to you and says "That's SO gay.", is he insulting you or not?

If you can't tell, how would you react if you weren't sure of his sexuality?

If the two reactions are different based on what you perceive, you're the one making the subjective judgement, not him.

If the same guy said "That's fucking gay", then you could be quite sure that it's an insult - equally if he said "That's fucking good, isn't it?". It's the context rather than the actual word.

Considering that sexual orientation isn't about how one behaves, I'm not sure what it even is to be "flamboyantly homosexual". Can one also be "flamboyantly heterosexual"?

Anyway, "gay" doesn't fit my mouth very well and I just don't have any use for that word. I don't use it.

 

[k-ossuburb]

Yeah, words have many meanings.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I use it rarely and usually in an ironic fashion. "This sandwich tastes gay" or "Why did they put those boxes there?" "Probably because they're a bunch of gaylords." I try to find the most ridiculous application of just about any word or phrase because I'm constantly vying for attention and I don't have many friends. I don't use "gay" that way mainly because I also use it to describe actual homosexual activities and events. "I think that actor is gay" or "*insert popular show here* is gay" and then go into a lengthy discussion on why it's an allegory for man/man lovemaking.

It doesn't really annoy me when other people use it either. It just shows a certain lack of imagination or creativity when saying it. "Gay" doesn't only mean homosexual males. It also describes a carefree joyful frollicking attitude. One that could interpreted as corny or lame. Or "gay."

 

[OrokuSaki]

At this point, they might as well just give gay a 3rd meaning, while I don't say it to people in a derogatory way, I as well do it when i get blindsided in a fighting game and suffer a 50-hit combo when I was CLEARLY in the middle of my own attack. (See DB:Raging Blast and ginormous characters like Broly who will cut you off mid-combo just to rape your face with a pick axe.)

 

[Cogwheel]

Good grief, no. Why would I do that?

On the other hand, I never insult people anyway (and I'm typically very careful to avoid doing so accidentally), so I suppose that might help.

 

[Zechnophobe]

Here's a quick test: If a flamboyantly homosexual man comes up to you and says "That's SO gay.", is he insulting you or not?

If you can't tell, how would you react if you weren't sure of his sexuality?

If the two reactions are different based on what you perceive, you're the one making the subjective judgement, not him.

If the same guy said "That's fucking gay", then you could be quite sure that it's an insult - equally if he said "That's fucking good, isn't it?". It's the context rather than the actual word.

Considering that sexual orientation isn't about how one behaves, I'm not sure what it even is to be "flamboyantly homosexual". Can one also be "flamboyantly heterosexual"?

Yes, absolutely. Actually, and this may seem a bit weird as a source, but there are two characters in One Piece: Sanji (Kickboxing chef) and... uh Mr 2 (homosexual shapeshifter). And the first is clearly flamboyantly heterosexual, and the latter flamboyantly homosexual. And yes, they fight at one point.

 

[bassdrum]

The only person I'll ever refer to as gay is one of my best friends... because she's gay.

Calling someone gay as an insult is derogatory and senseless, and the only people I've EVER seen use the term derogatively were asshats on XBL, middle schoolers, and brain-damaged hockey players. If you want to be compared to a screaming retarded twelve year old, feel free, but I'll stick with more cultured insults (like the aforementioned asshat).

 

[latenightapplepie]

No. And I judge you if you do.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I say it occasionally, but never with homophobic intent, or to peoples faces.

 

[moose_man]

Yes, but I never say gay to describe those with homosexual tendencies. I tend to not reference sexual orientation much anyway.