That's Gay

[rcollinz13 428]

Well, it has been a long time since I have made a thread. I have been inactive on this website for a few months now because of school, work, and life in general. With all of that said and done I would like to talk about something that really grinds my gears.

 

That's gay. This a phrase that many a teenager has probably uttered at some point in their life and it really bothers me when they do. I'm  sure a lot of us can agree, whether you're gay or straight, that this phrase is used in a very malicious way when it comes to teenagers. It's a put down, an insult, or an overall degrader. It would seem to me that many teenage guys are very insecure in their masculinity since they are the worst offenders when it comes to using this phrase. I never understood why we guys are so obsessed with trying to be masculine. That's why I had no trouble embracing a colourful show about ponies. I don't think that most realise what they are saying and how hurtful it can be. Although, I'm sure a lot of people use it because they don't care about hurting gay people. 

 

What do you guys think about this phrase and how it is used. Do you think it is hurtful? Or do you think it is acceptable? Let me know your thoughts and opinions and as always keep it respectful. Cheers. 

[DITR 180]

To me the phrase has lost all meaning. I actually heard a kid say it at school a while ago and I asked him " When you say that, do you mean not pertaining to your interests?" He said yes. Looking back on it, the first time I heard it was in 3rd grade, and I'm pretty sure no one knew what it meant back then. Some kid probably heard it on T.V and thought it sounded cool so he started using it, and from then on it spread like wild fire

[~Squishy Skies~ 756]

I think it's just kids being ignorant fools. 

 

The bad thing is, I hear it so often, that I sometimes end up saying "that's gay" when I really mean "that's stupid". Then I feel awful, and want to slap myself with a flexible ruler.

[Betez 1,734]

I'm not a homophobe by any means, but I do say this a lot. I won't say it about people, I'll usually say it about something I don't like; and even then, I don't think that this said thing is homosexual. At least where I live, it's just become another way to say something's stupid (Not to say that being gay is stupid.)

 

Anyway, I believe that words are words. If someone calls you gay, don't take any offense to it. If you are gay, you shouldn't be ashamed of it.

 

Just my opinion.

[Nobody Special 210]

It doesn't really mean anything anymore. It use to have some use as a word now it has no meaning. It can not pertain to your interests or be a simple object, and still be considered "gay".

[Clockwork Chaos 219]

i do my best not to use that phrase, i never say 'thats gay' to mean something is bad...im not sure at what point in life i stopped, but, yeah, just did

 

some of my xbox friends and i do have a bit of homophobic humor though, (with that being said, i'm not at all homophobic) but you know how it is playing online games

*bang*

"Shit! guys, i've just been done in from behind!"

"yeah, and i bet you loved that didn't ya, you nob-jockey"

 

That sort of thing XD i'm sure we'd stop if there was an actual gay guy in our group though

Edited June 27, 2013 by Clockwork Chaos

[Durandal 623]

 

The term used to bug me, but like most slurs, I've just stopped caring. There's no point in fighting against it, because it has already become a part of our vernacular - the only thing you can hope at this point is that its meaning evolves over time. There's no point being insulted, either - you're bound to hear it from less politically correct individuals, so really it's like you're looking for an excuse to be insulted.

 

Actually, most uses of gay seem to be so far removed from its actual meaning that I consider it harmless. Not only this, but if it's actually directed at you, the great thing about gay slurs is that they have multiple meanings.

 

As for using the term, I've been exposed to it for so long that I tend to use it myself. In my defense, I am gay, so I know what I'm talking about.

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

It used to bug me, but where I live at least people don't seem to say it nearly as often as they used to.  I started to say it a little bit after everyone else had stopped, but not to be hurtful, just to make fun of how stupid a thing it was to say.

[PnutFuzzy 20]

I don't use the term to say "That's stupid" but rather to make fun of my guy friends and actually call them gay. We just sort of tease each other and call each other gay and start to pretend to be gay, using stereotypes like the slur and hip pop. But in no way do we hate gays. My mom is gay and I love her so much, no homo or incest but It is dumb that kids use it in the wrong way. I would wish that people could stop, heck I used to say gay like that too but I grew up.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

The ignorant kids are just trying to be "cool". But what they're really saying is UNcool. This is why I don't follow other people. I sometimes used to repeat a harmless expression like "yo!" And my mom thought it was disrespectful. In short beig cool is being yourself.

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

Well to tell you the truth I'm very gay.. all my friends are gay other then maybe 3-4 of them. Anyway we all kind of dislike how some many think its wrong to be gay, a lot of the time when I hear some pony using it to be mean I walk up to them and ask "So what's wrong with being gay?". It's not like we gay people are going around and calling each other strait to be mean. It's sad when other ponies thinks its a bad thing to just be your self but hey its just how it go's now days, but one thing I say to a lot of ponies that are try to make fun of me is this. "I'm a fuc$ing fag?! well sir I may not like what you say but I will fight to death for you're freedom and right to say it!" I takes the wind right out of them, 90% of the time they have noting to say after that....

Edited June 27, 2013 by xPrincess Lunax

[Dashabel 381]

Like many new words in the teenage society,I think it's just gained a new meaning. Like "sick" (I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE USE THIS WORD), I don't remember this being used a few years ago. It wasn't until secondary school that people used this term to describe something cool. I think it's rather disgusting.

As for the word "gay", it's really just become a new "noise" I suppose, to express ones frustration or unamusement to something. I don't think they'd say it to someone, else that'd be "you're gay", and that's homophobic. So, yeah, that's my theory.

WAAAYYY <- another "noise" used in today's schools -.-

[Eureka 1,119]

I think its horrible. Gay isn't an insult and I think people should learn that. Just because people are different than you doesnt mean they are horrible people. I mean we are all humans. I really think people should stop saying that. People are just trying to be cool by saying it.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Eureka

[SoarinBlue 202]

I use it all the time, usually ironically but sometimes out of habit. I call my friends fags when they won't go out drinking with me, and of course I use the words fag and faggot a lot on the internet because lol4chan. And at the same time, you probably will not find a more staunch advocate of gay rights than me (except for tumblr social justice, but fuck those guys, no one likes them). Words have whatever meaning you give them. I use the word "nigga" around my black friends and the word "faggot" around my gay friends because they all understand that i'm not a racist and i'm not homophobic, and most often i use them precisely to make fun of the people that use them seriously

[Aaramus 449]

It's a pretty harmless phrase and has lost all of it's meaning. I certainly don't use the phrase often and even when I do, it will exclusively with my friends if we're larking about on Skype playing video games. I don't think it has any real malice behind it unless the person saying it intends it to be harmful, in which you would be able to tell through their tone of voice. It only really gets used if I die for some silly reason in a game and I'll just go "Pffft that was gay", perhaps in place of "pffftt that was BS"

 

I don't think I'm the only one who tailors my use of language around different people, I don't swear often but I know that a few of my friends don't like hearing certain words so I leave them out of what I'm saying. The same goes with this phrase, I know that I can say it with my mates but I won't say it anywhere else because someone may deem it offensive and I don't really want to do that. I'm very much a person who adheres to the "sticks and stones" quote when it comes to using harmful language, but I can't disagree that someone may be hurt by it. Still I think it's quite harmless these days.

[Lume WMj 228]

This thread is gay. Well... It seems like the word "gay" has come to mean sort of an insult nowadays... Perhaps due to the prejudice against homosexuals? I dunno for sure. All I know is that people should stop getting upset when they're called gay. I mean, it's not an insult! Being gay is absolutely not something negative! Why bother when ignorant people try to use it against you, specially when you are not really gay?

 

Now, what's complicated is all of the different stuff described as "gay" by some... Which most of the times doesn't really make sense. It's fun to use the phrase ironically sometimes, though, just for fun... Not to really try to insult anything, 'cause that's just nonsense.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Lume~WMJ

[Scootalove 10,684]

It is just what teenagers say trying to act cool while they are saying it. They are just putting insults out to make someone feel bad, even though the person that is insulted is not gay. So, there is really no point in even saying it at all.

[Motion Spark 7,806]

it depends in the intention of the beholder. I've said the phrase before not because I want to make fun of gays, it's because it's so mainstream it feels vanilla, even gay people say it. It's like saying "you're so retarded" while this is a very offensive insult, it doesn't means that people say it to make fun of mentaly disabled people.

It doesn't bother me depending how it's used, I still haven't heard of a very offensive "that's gay" manner.

[TheBronyHeart 2,640]

And you know what really grinds MY gears? When people like you say "gay" in place of homosexual. O)_(O

 

It is a shame that in today's society, I can't say the word "gay" without someone assuming that I am talking about homosexuality.

[NocturnalRainbow 248]

Wow I used to say "That's gay" ALOT! God I hate my old self. I kinda of want to go back in time and slap him repeatedly. Well I gained some nice friends around two years ago and one of them was one of those people who never curses ever. I kind of learned a bit from him and stopped using gay as an insult. Now that I think about it I do find myself getting slightly annoyed at people who do use it. I only get slightly annoyed because, as other people have said, it has come to mean a different thing entirely. It's more like calling someone stupid, or at least that what's it's come to mean. But I still get annoyed because it's kind of like calling homosexuals stupid, or to me it seems that way. All in all I think this phrase can be quiet hurtful and shouldn't be used by anyone. No matter what way you take it it's still rude and inconsiderate.

[Thrashy 2,798]

But...but...we wouldn't have Riley Freeman without that phrase.

 

I'm not really sure why it's a major issue, to be honest. It's really nothing more than a matter of context and speaker intention. I grew up around kids who tossed the words "gay" and "fag" around left and right, and I was no exception. Hell, I'd been saying it for years before I'd even discovered what homosexuality even was. I think that right there kind of stands as proof that one can use the word without attaching any venom to it...hell, I call my friends "nigga" all the time, does that mean I want to whip the piss out of the next African American I see and force him to work on my nonexistent cotton plantation?

 

Words are only offensive because people get offended over them. No-brainer, right? If you stop letting these words bother you, they become meaningless, effectively taking all power away from those who do speak them with malice. But I have to say, it seems a little hypocritical to me to chastise people for using the word in that way, only to continue embracing it as an acceptable, politically correct term for homosexuals. If you don't feel guilty for calling yourselves "gay", then I shall feel no guilt for calling a stupid movie "gay".

 

I'm sorry if it offends you, but you have no right to tell me that I mean it in a malicious way. I know what I mean, and if you don't, well, that's your problem and yours alone.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Lowline

[Batbrony 15,994]

Unless someone's a real jerk, I really don't think there's any malicious intent behind its use, at least none explicitly directed towards LGBT people. People are people, and when they find some way that's quick and easy to describe something, they generally latch onto the phrase and stick with it without really thinking about its meaning.

[Sir.Flutter Hooves 2,953]

I don't understand the big deal. I'm currently in school and my friends say "That's gay" all the time just joking. I know it's not the best way of saying that's stupid, but guys always joke around saying this and that's gay. If you can't take a joke, stay out of the kitchen.

 

I don't have anything against the gay and lesbians by the way, I just don't like the big deal coming from two words "That's gay".

Edited June 27, 2013 by Sir.Flutter Hooves

[Morager 148]

to me its lost its meaning or insult factor, its been use way to much. but they way i look at it you cant really be mad about it. with how much its been used in a way to call stuff stupid, the definition of the word has change for me really. i mean ill still use the word gay to describe homosexuality as how i learned it. but even so words change over the years, they gain new meanings or they lose old ones its how the world and society works there is nothing we can do about it really. who knows brony might mean something else 10-20 years down the road.

[Tollhouse 79]

Well I know a lot of ponies who say "That's so gay" but don't mean to offend others who are gay.   I have a few gay friends who are against this saying and they feel really strong about it.  I do too.  Even if you don't mean being gay is the same thing as being stupid, you are still implying it when you make your statement.   Or at least that's how others can interpret it.  You need to think before you say something. 

 

This kind of goes with people who use the word retarded to describe something stupid too.  That's also really hurtful and needs to stop.