Use of the word straight. Just as offensive?

[MelziGurl]

All the gays I know don't find the term offensive. Why should they? They are indeed gay and proud to say it.

 

[TheTygerfire]

Gay IS the politically correct term, so to speak. Homosexual is the name for the brain coding that makes you gay.

Homo and Fag are the bad ones, and that's it.

And Gay as a negative isn't used as much today, same with Jew. I've barely ever heard either during my public school career.

 

[pigmonkey]

if somebody were to offer me a glass of water but I wasn't thirsty, I might say "nah, I'm straight, thanks."

...really?

anyway, since i don't see how saying something is gay is in anyway offenceive to anyone i'm going to go ahead and grant you permission to call anything you want to straight, though i think that your going to get a few blank stares if you do.

 

[theultimateend]

I wouldn't even say the word "gay" is offensive. It's a lifestyle choice with a title, get over it.

I'm more pissed that I can't say "I'm feeling gay today." without people giggling.

Christ people it's meant happy for WAY longer than having anything to do with homosexuality.

Which btw I have absolutely nothing against, personally I really really like loving and I really really like sex. I don't see how any reasonable means of acquiring those ends without harming someone else is a negative thing.

Seriously...

if somebody were to offer me a glass of water but I wasn't thirsty, I might say "nah, I'm straight, thanks."

...really?

anyway, since i don't see how saying something is gay is in anyway offenceive to anyone i'm going to go ahead and grant you permission to call anything you want to straight, though i think that your going to get a few blank stares if you do.

Well to clarify.

Gay is the current term to define someone who was previously called Queer. Queer is another way of saying awkward.

Straight is the (albeit minimally) used term to define someone who was previously not called anything since they were deemed the proper state of being. So when you say something is straight you are saying its in the proper state of being.

That being SAID I still think neither is really the proper use of the words but for the sake of everything sane on this planet that's the entire thing behind Vernacular. Creatively manipulating language.

 

[JokerGrin]

I just tend not to be around more sensitive people that might get offended because I used a particular word. It avoids any problems in that sense.

That said, I don't use the words "gay" or "straight" in the context you describe. Never occurred to me to use "straight" like that in all honesty. Sort of strange.

 

[Pimppeter2]

erased

 

[MarsProbe]

Careful, otherwise the PC Police will get you (they've successfully banned the phrase policeman, chairman, fireman and are trying to get rid of human too these days) - for once they deem "straigth" to be offensive, as it implies perfection (and the opposite being imperfection/wrog) then what shall we call a line that does not curve?

Draw a non-curving line...
Travel for 5 miles down the non-curving road...

'Tis a dangerous place to be.

No, in all seriousness, though I believe there is a need for some level of political correctness, here (in the UK) it's gone a bit crazy - even if most people ignore the crazy (and the craziest are usually in relation to the divide between men/women and job titles).

Have they really? I'd would like to see where it says that in writing. Or perhaps preferable meet these members of the PC Brigade that go around "banning" (as I don't believe you can actually stop people form using a word or phrase) perfectly acceptable phrases.

I remember the time I had to (metaphorically speaking of course) beat somebody at work down for saying they were going to be going into a "thoughtshower" session. When I informed them the correct term was actually brainstorm. Then they were all "oh, you can't say that, it's not politically correct"

/facepalm

Now, where would the best place be to put this blackboard...?

 

[Ace of Spades]

I find it annoying when people take offense from a simple word. One of my friends really hates it when the word gay is used as a derogatory term, so other people sometimes use it on purpose just to spite him. But if I were refusing a glass of water, I would say "No thanks, I'm good."

 

[Sprogus]

Who cares whether or not the homosexuals are offended. What about all the happy people out there that might be offended for you using gay as a reference for shitty.

 

[Boxpopper]

This is the kind of PC bullshit that will be punishable by death under my regime. Death by being immersed in low-quality phosphorous and thrown into a swimming pool.

Let me explain this. For all, gay refers to homosexual. Now, for many, male homosexuality would be a bad thing, in particular for straight men, as having another man's penis in one's anus is as unappealing as death by a particularly inaccurate firing squad. With nailguns.

Therefore, gay is bad. While a person's lifestyle choice is just that, a choice, the PC brigade is going to have to get over the fact that for most people, homosexuality is bad. Which it is- it is a fundamentally unnatural act, but we tolerate it because:

1. It would be expensive and pointless to stop it#
2. It's minor and harms no-one.
3. Freedom.
4. In the case of women, it's very often a beautiful thing.
5. In the case of men, it reduces the competition.


As Mr Terry Prattchet, one does not go about thinking "This is how people are, how do we change them?", but rather one must take the approach of "This is how people are, how do we deal with that?", a far more sensible suggestion. Persecuting individuals for such minor acts of bigotry- harmless bigotry, is as irrational as persecuting homosexuals for harmless, if unnatural sex.

And yes, I am bigoted, and yet I somehow manage to get along with homosexuals, even as friends. (Gasp!) Why?

Because it is, in fact, not bigotry. It's cultural, it's mental, it's simply a turn of phrase and a twist of the tongue, and it's as abjectly harmless as the nitrogen in the air. So....get the fuck over it.


Yours sincerely,

Lord Fondant.

All hail Lord Fondant.

 

[Mizaki]

The answer to this thread is this:

The problem is not the use of the word. No. It's the thought process behind it. The emotions that cause it. The meaning behind the words, and how it connects to its other usages.

I, myself have heard "nah, I'm straight" used. But.. I happen to have been around non-whites and heard them converse without blocking it out.

The whole "homosexual ACTS are a choice" argument is just as rude and unreasonable as the other argument. Try again.

So yes, it is offensive. It is not PC to think so. No. Its origins are discriminatory, and its usage is a whole lot of the time, so the people whining about PC need to remove their internet cap and put a real head on. This is not a case of oversensitivity, but rather one of ignorance. Someone who refers to inanimate objects with a word clearly used to describe a sexual orientation (one that is frowned upon in many cases) is definately, DEFINATELY drawing similarities. Just as to describe a positive state of being as 'straight' is also rude and yes it does happen.

Thread answered!

 

[Boxpopper]

Not really Mizaki...

In the english language, there are hundreds of words with multiple meanings. Just because a word means two things does not mean that when you apply it in one context it means them all.

"gay" means:

1. Happy
2. Homosexual
3. Bad

Just because can mean "Homosexual" and it can mean "Bad" does not mean that by using it to describe something bad is putting a negotive connotation to homosexuality.

And if someone is offended, they are being unreasonable.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

No gay people are offended by calling something gay. The ones that do get offended are attention whores. Actually come to think of it, it's very difficult to insult a gay person when it comes to their sexuality.

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

No........using straight is fun.......implies that your.......well straight......not...needing......anything?

Your just over thinking it. And if it is offensive to somebody, then I think its they who has the problem.

 

[Mizaki]

Not really Mizaki...

In the english language, there are hundreds of words with multiple meanings. Just because a word means two things does not mean that when you apply it in one context it means them all.

"gay" means:

1. Happy
2. Homosexual
3. Bad

Just because can mean "Homosexual" and it can mean "Bad" does not mean that by using it to describe something bad is putting a negotive connotation to homosexuality.

And if someone is offended, they are being unreasonable.

So, please, let me know sir... where did the third come from? What kind of attitude do most people who use it have? Of couse, I don't start screaming at people who say it automatically, but also.. I don't really condone or support it. Just because it has multiple meanings (Which is ridiculous to use as a defense because this thread wouldn't exist if it didn't) doesn't mean that one didn't stem from another. It's completely ridicoulous to claim otherwise, because why didn't they use a different word? Why did it have to be a potentially homophobic phrase? Why did it have to be that people call eachother gay and faggots? How come I see kids call their teachers dykes? There's no connection? I'm just imagining that? It doesn't consume me. It's just that I don't exactly love hearing it. It shows alot about the person whose saying it when they do say it. How come I see people complaining about "****** vs. nigga" but yet it's paranoia to get bothered by people using a phrase that sounds homophobic? There is no amount of "you look silly" arguments that can change that. It's sad that there's people-- intelligent people at that, who actually now accept it as a third meaning. Sure context makes the difference, but something so polarized, yet so related is not pleasant.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Not really Mizaki...

In the english language, there are hundreds of words with multiple meanings. Just because a word means two things does not mean that when you apply it in one context it means them all.

"gay" means:

1. Happy
2. Homosexual
3. Bad

Just because can mean "Homosexual" and it can mean "Bad" does not mean that by using it to describe something bad is putting a negotive connotation to homosexuality.

And if someone is offended, they are being unreasonable.

Well to be fair, the word gay is associated with something being... substandard shall we say due to the act it's used to describe err.. gay people. A while ago, I would've argued that this was unfair and a reason why people have such a negative view on homosexuals. But in the grand scheme of things, who really cares? It's a shit insult ayway.

 

[Juzari]

Well we all seem to be forgetting there are three uses of the word gay:

1) Happy.
2) Homosexual.
3) Awful in quality.

Demonstration:

"Dude, you just gave me like the best present ever, I'm so gay right now." Complimentary.
"Dude, you just stuck your dick in another guy, you're so gay!" Informative, offensive only if used to imply that its a bad thing.
"Dude, you just stuck your dick in my wife, you're so gay!" Condemnation with no homosexual overtures.

I just had a thought... aw...
well at what point in time and why did gay (a state of happiness) become a synonym for homosexuality?

 

[Boxpopper]

Not really Mizaki...

In the english language, there are hundreds of words with multiple meanings. Just because a word means two things does not mean that when you apply it in one context it means them all.

"gay" means:

1. Happy
2. Homosexual
3. Bad

Just because can mean "Homosexual" and it can mean "Bad" does not mean that by using it to describe something bad is putting a negotive connotation to homosexuality.

And if someone is offended, they are being unreasonable.

So, please, let me know sir... where did the third come from? What kind of attitude do most people who use it have? Of couse, I don't start screaming at people who say it automatically, but also.. I don't really condone or support it. Just because it has multiple meanings (Which is ridiculous to use as a defense because this thread wouldn't exist if it didn't) doesn't mean that one didn't stem from another. It's completely ridicoulous to claim otherwise, because why didn't they use a different word? Why did it have to be a potentially homophobic phrase? Why did it have to be that people call eachother gay and faggots? How come I see kids call their teachers dykes? There's no connection? I'm just imagining that? It doesn't consume me. It's just that I don't exactly love hearing it. It shows alot about the person whose saying it when they do say it. How come I see people complaining about "****** vs. nigga" but yet it's paranoia to get bothered by people using a phrase that sounds homophobic? There is no amount of "you look silly" arguments that can change that. It's sad that there's people-- intelligent people at that, who actually now accept it as a third meaning. Sure context makes the difference, but something so polarized, yet so related is not pleasant.

Well I personally am not homophobic at all, and I hate to hear someone say that because it seems to them that the reason that gay means bad is because its rooted in homophobia means that if I say gay to mean bad, I am a homophobe. Which isn't true.

I do notice that if a guy seems gay in his manner, he will be ridiculed by other guys. If a guy is open about it, no one seems to ridicule him. I think this weakens your link between suggested homophobia and true homophobia.

And as for "****** vs Nigga", I have never heard of such a thing.