That's Gay.

[spartan231490]

Typing the last letter of a text, phone battery runs out.

Go look for keys to shed in house for half an hour, in pocket the whole time.

Buy something from vending machine, it doesn't come out.


When stuff like this happens, I (and many others) are only too quick to use the slang "that's gay". I don't like it. I wish that I didn't.

Nobody means gay 'gay', we mean irritating 'gay' - but it still gets to me that I should use this expression on instinct.

So, escapist, what sort of substitutes do you have, and more importantly, how would you go about integrating them into your reflex vocabulary?

I hate that people rag on this. when you curse, it never means the meaning of the word. We don't actually think that people we call "bitches" are female dogs, we don't care if people we call "bastards" were born out of wedlock, we very rarely yell "fuck you" with any intent or desire to actually engage in intercourse with said person. A curse is a curse. All it means is that you are angry.
You could yell "turkish brick" with the same anger and venom and even meaning that you yell "fucking *****." The words are irrelevant, it's only their meaning that has any significance. If you get angry and say "that's gay" because you believe that being a homosexual is bad, then you should probably stop otherwise, it really doesn't matter what you say, it has no real meaning other than "I'm angry" or "you're irritating" or maybe "you're bad".

 

[sora91111]

I really don't use "gay" in that form, a subtitute for those who do are these. I usually go with these depending on severity

Annoyed: "What the crap"

Angry: "What the hell"

Raging: "What the fuck"

all work.

 

[Torrasque]

Yeah, I use gay all the time, when I have no problem with homosexual guys or what they do.
Hell, my friends and I even call each other gay as an insult, but we still don't mean it as an insult to call a homosexual person, gay.
Its just one of those odd words in my vocabulary. I wish it wasn't so lame, but it is as it is, and it requires too much effort to change.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I just curse my tits off, like Man City winning a trophy.

edit - Who cares really? Caring's gay, son...turbo gay.

 

[Cry Wolf]

I usually say "bloody hell", "fuck's sake" or "that's shit".

 

[The Random One]

Yeah, it's sad that 'gay' as an insult is so ingrained in our language. It's at that sad little point of linguistics where it's divorced enough from its original meaning that people can argue it's not homophobic but not divorced enough that that claim is actually true.

Also I don't know why I just said 'our' language. My first language is Portuguese, deal with your stupid language. XP

Personally, I don't say it, not only because I make an effort to be hateful towards a group I legitimately respect, but because when things go belly up it's much easier to just shout some expletive that to ponder on the situation's sexuality. I can shout 'shit' five times in the time it takes one to say 'oh, that's gay', and each shit will have much more intensity. In scientific terms, 'shit' has a much higher cursing intensity than 'gay' (roughly 5.7 picocarlins).

 

[[.redacted]]

*snip*

All obviously true, and I had hoped I'd pointed out in the OP, evidently I failed =(

I merely state that not everyone sees the logic, and that as such it may be worth changing.

[sub]Also, I will have to read this thread tomorrow, it kind of exploded while I was doing other things =S[/sub]

 

[katsumoto03]

The word I currently use in those situations is, "FUCKSHITASSBALLS". It's really useful.

In my opinion, if you use the word "gay" to mean anything that isn't "homosexual", you're being a massive tool.

 

[Seieko Pherdo]

I have never used the word gay to describe anything. Most of the time my response is a sarcastic "awesome"

 

[Dexiro]

English is not my native language so I've never had this problem. On the other hand, since I'm gay myself it would be kinda cool to see people's reactions if I would use it as a curse word...

You mean you haven't tried it yet? The first thing I did when I came out was call everyone a ******.

 

[theultimateend]

I say "That's Retarded."

Why? Mostly because to me retarded is a design flaw that could have been avoided if the designer wasn't a total jackass.

I do not think anyone with a handicap, mental or physical, is retarded. Because of this I don't feel the word belongs to them or should be seen as derogatory towards them.

Calling something gay or calling someone a ****** are two things I'll never be able to accept. The first because homosexuals are too easily targeted by the weak minded, the second because it trivializes the act of lighting people on fire because they are different.

Words are weird.

Edit: However once start countries stop trying to pass laws to mandate the execution or life imprisonment of homosexuals, and once homosexuality is looked at in no more wonder than heterosexuality, I could see myself not batting an eye to someone saying "That's Gay."

Paradigm shift. Gay used to mean happy, and fags used to be cigarettes. Suppose it would be a sign of culture change, but I'm keen to vote it a sign of people's increasing lack of creativity. As for changing it, just have to sort of pound it into your head. Stopping a habit takes a lot of mental work, just ask a smoker

Fag landed on homosexuals because they'd be rounded up and used as kindling. It's a little more than a paradigm shift.

 

[Riddle78]

"Well,balls." or "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!" or "Fuck the what?"

 

[Vonnis]

I never say "that's so [X]". I just let out a stream of cursewords, stringing as many together as I deem necessary. I'd give you an example but it'd be in dutch so it'd be kind of useless.

 

[elvor0]

I've never used gay like that, it's always made me cringe whenever anyone's said it, just because it's such a shit expression, and it's y'know saying an entire sexuality can be used as a negative term for something bad, just ugh... 12 year old kids who don't know any better say "that's so gay", and even then it's cringe worthy. Actually to be fair anyone that uses that's so gay to describe something bad, is a good indicator that I won't get along with that person, as they have always been massive douche, a rule that has served me well.

On my terms, I usually just say bollocks.

I think I'll keep using it, thank you very much.

P.C. bullshit is the reason the word "******" has mutated from just a common word to refer to a black person into a hateful slur against an oppressed minority, which has now made it impossibly derogatory if spoken by anyone but a black person.

This bullshit of allowing words to only be spoken by their minority groups isn't going to be taken up by me. I don't relish the thought that twenty years from now people will be obligated to say "homosexual" over "gay" because their group called it derogatory.

That would be extremely gay.

As much as I hate PC, Imma have to disagree with you here, in todays world ****** is a derogatory word, it's not PC, the only reason you would use it is as a racial slur, it has no other meaning. I know sticks and stones and all that, but it's not one of those words where the PC board go "oh someone might get offended" like coloured or black person back when there was an uproar about that, it's only use is to insult black people.

In regards to PC race remarks, the one that always seemed odd to me was Packi, as it really just is a shortened version of Pakistani, sure there are people that say it in a hateful fashion, but it's no different than saying "that fucking black!", yet black isn't considered a racial slur. There was a massive outroar when Prince (Harry I think, one of them) said "my Packi friend", but he was just using it to describe the guy he'd met, he didn't mean it as racism, and the guy he was referring to didn't care either. Bah, people.

 

[Mercsenary]

Well its not exactly good but it is better than using gay as a swear.

For me it's the different degrees of 7 words you cant say on TV.

Its not the best but it is better... subjectively.

 

[ccggenius12]

I personally find it hilarious when people take the time to use it as an insult in a game wherein one needs to communicate through typing, ex SCII or LoL. That means there's clear intent to use it as an insult instead of reflexively. I generally respond by saying "why do people tend to assume people will take that as an insult..." I mean, statistically, stereotypically, gays are more physically fit, much better off financially, and none of them score lower than a 7 on the 10 point hottie scale, not to mention they can order mixed drinks when not on vacation and not feel worse for it. That is to say, if the individual were straight, women would be lining up around the block to jump his bones.

TLDR: if someone calls you gay as an insult, point out that it's really a compliment.

 

[Panda Mania]

Hmm, I find myself saying "that's so retarded!" in response to something being stupid and/or annoying, but on second thought, that may be seen as offensive to the mentally handicapped, so... :\

 

[Dalek Caan]

When irritating things happen to me I say "Oh Bollocks" as per English protocol. It helps.

 

[Chelsizzle]

I used to say it, not anymore. I don't necessarily find it offensive, but then again I'm not gay and probably wouldn't take it the same way.

I usually just say 'titties'.

 

[magnuslion]

Words don't matter, meaning and context do.
If you're not a homophobe then you're not a homophobe, so it doesn't matter.

That. ^10. My friends call me "Jew" all the time, in the same way guys call each other d-bags, etc. It does not offend me. I am Jewish, and I know they are not racist.