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

[Sebenko]

Yeah.

Me and my (gay) friends use it all the time.

Hell, probably more than the straight people we know.

 

[Miffmoff]

I very rarely ,stars aligned and a blue moon is showing, use it like that. Even when I do its with my friends and insults don't really count with friends.

 

[kouriichi]

I rarely use the word, and when i do, its never to describe something in a bad way.

To me, the word "gay" means: a homosexual in generic aspect.

Thus, if i say, "That shirt is gay." I dont mean it in an insulting way. I mean it in more of a "Thats something a homosexual person would wear."

This topic is gay. ((its something a homosexual person would ask about. Not that OP is homosexual, though its A-OK if he or she is.))

 

[4484448444844484]

Gay is commonly used as an insult (not by me) for the same reasons that words like stupid, idiot, and cretin are used as insults. All of those words originally had completely non-derogatory meanings, but because of the negative connotations that were eventually added to them, they began to be used as insults, and the insulting meanings stuck. The use of a word as an insult is just evidence of the negative connotations that have been associated with it. A simple example is "dumb". This originally meant mute, but because being mute has been perceived as "bad," the word dumb has progressed into being an insult. Even the word gay did not originally describe homosexuals; to quote TVTropes:

Gay originally meant something closer to carefree, with undertones of being unrestricted by social conventions. That last bit made it mean something along the lines of 'bohemian' in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, in which it was used to refer to loose women and homosexuals. Noel Coward was using it as a double entendre for homosexual by the 1920s, and it was understood.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouKeepUsingThatWord

 

[happyfiend]

This is pretty much my response to anybody who thinks it's an appropriate insult.


Being a only very very slightly bi-leaning-mostly-gay-woman, I don't see why I'd use it as an insult.

i was gonna post this xD glad u could find it.
i dont specifically agree with homosexuality, in all honesty, but i'm not a ****, so i only yell it when i feel cheated by my games.

 

[blxtnsq]

Of course, but not if the people I'm with could take it to offense. But even my gay friends use it as an insult which really confuses me :S

 

[Astoria]

The way I see it gay has three meanings these days.

1) happy
2)homosexual
3) lame,stupid ect

Most people when using gay as an insult are saying it with the 3rd meaning in mind. It slightly annoys me that people get all defensive about using the word gay.

 

[chainer1216]

i call something gay when i dislike that something and am not feeling too verbose. i've been doing so since i was a wee lad and all us little kids were calling each other gay not even knowing what it was supposed to mean. when i call something gay i don't mean it as "you person/object are lesser than you're peers for engaging in homosexuality!" that would be retarded, no when i call something gay, I'm really just slinging an almost meaningless word, with a negative connotation at it, its like calling someone a *****, or a bastard, when you say those things, are you really thinking of them as a pregnant dog, or a son without a father? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say "no" on that.

all languages are always changing and evolving with time, and some words take on new meanings from one generation to the next. hell, ****** is just the spanish word for "black" thats been horribly/lazily pronounced.

 

[OniaPL]

In Finland "Gay" isnt much of a insult anymore. It's mostly used when someone:
1. Has good luck
2. Brags about something
3. Does well in something.
Among ages 13-26 the word "Gay" has pretty much become a basic part of vocabulary, and it's not really offensive unless you say it to someone outside 13-26 or to someone you don't know.

Edit: Forgot to mention, this is true only with males though.

 

[klakkat]

Yes, but only on people I am fairly certain are straight. It just doesn't have any teeth when saying it to a gay person. Likewise, other sorts of gay jokes are only entertaining when said about a straight person (though this can depend on how comfortable a particular gay person and those around them are with jokes). Same policy for usage of "Fag," though in part because it is hateful against a gay person. It does still retain all the comedy value against a straight person though.

Of course, 'gay' is also useful to describe/insult particular situations even when not describing people or sexuality; it's quicker than saying a situation is 'unpleasant' or a variety of other synonyms.

 

[Bigsmith]

I only use it on my friends that I no are gay, it's more friendly banter rather then using it as an insult.

 

[instantbenz]

No. I'm not inbred.

I fail to see the correlation, good sir.

Then you're the only one.

No, This_ends_now is not the only one who would care to read your explanation why the use of a word to describe something being used by an individual reproduced by two genetically related parents makes any difference.

 

[dark-amon]

It's funny how many say it's unintelectual to use gay as an insult, when homosexual people joke around with it as an insult all the time.
If you mean as an serious insult, then no. Mainly because Gay dosen't work as an serious insult.

 

[Lance Arrow]

More often than I'd like, but it doesn't mean I hate gay people. It's just a bad habit.

 

[John the Gamer]

I tend to use it on things or situations. not on people though. I even have (some) gay friends.

 

[Brightzide]

Only on occassion, and I often apologise for such an uttering. Its a stupid habit from my youth that i'm yet to fully tame.

 

[Edorf]

I only use it along with my sarcastic macho voice.

 

[Wutaiflea]

I don't understand people who use it as a random insult for things that are shit. I'm not even sure quite how that connection was made.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't wield "gay" as an insult though. I usually use it as part of "overtly gay" or "gay for the sake of gay". This is because I particularly don't like people in the media who seem to have no talent and no personality aside from being gay. Being gay is your sexuality- it's not a substitute for being witty and entertaining.

 

[stiborge]

Rarely, but only because it slips out. The problem with using it so much when I was a stupid kid is that the habit lingers.

Pretty much this. I don't think i've ever said anyone was gay or called anyone a fag in a serious insulting manner though, it's generally just me and my friends fucking around. That doesn't necessarily make it a whole lot better but still...