Thursday, August 10, 2006

Nome said...
What's up with using gay as a synonym for lame? That's too sad for words.
2:04 AM

Nome said...
Am I the only one who notices these 'gay' references with substantial distress?
2:06 AM

Binsk said...
Whatever...I like to say gay and it has nothing to do with a hatred towards homosexuals so chill out. Actually it has nothing to do with homosexuals at all. I suppose I can't use the word queer anymore either?
10:37 AM

Binsk said...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay
11:00 AM

Binsk said...
I'm taking it back Nome.
11:00 AM

Binsk said...
Check out the part on COMMONLY ACCEPTED usage towards the bottom of the Wikipedia page.

64 comments:

kalipornia said...

Gay can be used as a nonspecific derogatory comment towards a person or object. As a term of abuse it may be widely used by adolescents.

bwahahahahahahaha

tara said...

i'm all for taking GAY back. also queer, and fruit. those are all great words that allow for more nuance when insulting others. and i'm all about insulting others.

Outburst said...

My wife's brother is gay.
We were in the car the other day and he was talking about paying $300 to see a Kelly Clarkson concert.
My response was, "That's go gay."
And I meant it both literally and as an insult but did not insinuate that both go hand-in-hand.
Not all gays are lame enough to like Kelly Clarkson.

The Lily said...

Christssake!

I get where Nome is coming from, but aren't there bigger battles to fight other than the syntax and etmology of a word?

Just spell it "ghey."

Sassy said...

LOL
Take it back Binsk..take it back.

Nome said...

As much as I like Wikipedia, I mourn the fact that it's information is used in ways it clearly wasn't intended. Just because they point out a phenomenon, like kids using the word 'gay' as a synonym for 'stupid,' 'lame,' or 'uncool,' does not mean that said phenomenon is therefore OKAY for everyone to pick up on and run with.

I mean, would we take the info in this article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia]
and apply it to our lives just because it refers to a phenomenon that exists and which people continue to perpetuate? Just because it's THERE doesn't mean it's morally right or socially acceptable to continue it.

I just think it's a real luxury to be able to use words like that and claim that they don't hurt people. It's really luxurious to get to say that you're an equal opportunity offender, or that "PC is for pussies." It's not about PC, it's about people who'd really like to feel accepted in a society which continues to say it's okay to use words that demean them.

Words like 'nigger,' 'negro,' and 'coloured,' are mere semantics as well, but surely the Civil Rights movement taught us that it's not really okay to use them anymore. We are fighting bigger battles, and all battles for equality begin with the way we refer to and treat people who are different than us.

Robin Alexa said...

Nome I think you need to have a kit kat.

The word gay did not originally mean homosexual. The word gay meant happy and silly. How can you say that the term gay (the way I use it and will continue to use it) is not a derivative of the original word?

A lot of words have two meanings:

Awesome

The strict definition of this adjective is "fearsome, mighty"; but the now generally accepted slang usage roughly equates to "enjoyable, fun".

Bad

American urban slang, chiefly in the 1970s and 1980s, reassigned bad to mean "good".

Sick

Used with a standard definition, this word can mean "disgusted; revolted," but used colloquially, it can mean "very pleasent; agreeable".

Reservation

as a concrete noun, this can be "a confirmation" of availability; as an abstract noun, it is "a fear or uncertainty".


Uh oh I said reservation, now I'm in trouble.

Raymi Lauren said...

dear nome - shut the fuck up and go mourn in silence. gay was my first word.

Anonymous said...

Binsk - Because when someone uses the phrase, "That's gay" or "That's so gay" I doubt the intent is to say that the person the comment is directed at is happy.

It's usually used to imply something negative or that because a certain person likes something that it is bad to do so because it indicates the person is homosexual.

If the word gay is being used simply to mean happy in our modern era, how come nearly every US state has banned that particular 3-letter combination from use on vehicle license plates?

If you truly believe that people are using the word gay as you state, why not get your local government to issue you a license plate that has that 3-letter combination for you to put on your personal vehicle, assuming you have one? I'm sure it would only tell other people you're a happy person.

Robin Alexa said...

The US does a lot of stupid things, but let's not get into that here.

I think I would rather get a personal licence plate that says "Mope" in honour of you CQ.

Rik said...

Language is a living organism. It grow and changes. And, Nome, you can't tell people they can't use words that are "accepted" by the general population in the context that they are used. If you're offended because you think the term is derogatory toward gay people, that's you're problem. You may not be the "only one who notices these 'gay' references with substantial distress..." but ou're in the minority. And in a democracy, you may be protected, but you don't get your way. My suggestion to you is to click the little X in the top corner and refrain from returning. Or move to Berkely where people appreciate your bitching. Hell, they'll even make signs for you.
Binsk, maybe you can appease Nome, and use "fagtastic" instead.

kalipornia said...

yay! i love this gay blog!

Anonymous said...

I'm always amazed at the tenacity of the citizenry of a nation that can't possibly defend its own national capital when they say things like, "The US does a lot of stupid things, but let's not get into that here."

Yes, the US does a lot of stupid things... so does Canada.

Anonymous said...

I think Nome's point is that you can't just walk around on the street and say something like, "You're such a nigger" without expecting someone to beat the crap out of you.

Gay is the new black.

Anonymous said...

I've just started using Wikipedia. What do I know? I love the gays! they make great friends!

Raymi Lauren said...

i think you americans think too much about stupid shit and complainging about gay and saying nigger is pretty much saying WOW I WISH I HAD A GAY FRIEND OR A BLACK FRIEND. and to involove government policies and license plates? seriously fuck off.

Rik said...

CQ, i doubt if i walk around saying Gay this Gay that, that some poof is going to beat the crap out of me. I can see it now, "I'm tho gonna kick your ath."

tdawg said...

I find one particular comment of Nome's to be quite amusing: "Just because it's THERE doesn't mean it's morally right or socially acceptable to continue it." She is referring to the way in which people use words, but ironically, it very much describes the rampant trend towards people choosing homosexuality as a lifestyle choice. Long before anyone had these issues about words, it was understood that homosexuality was morally wrong. I'm sure someone will comment that this is a narrow-minded, antiquated view, but the basis of morals really haven't changed that much over time, just the degree to which people are willing to live by them. It sure seems like a high degree of people who come out of the closet are doing it cause its trendy, cause "it's THERE".

Robin M said...

you know what else we need to take back, binsk? the rainbow.

Kathleen said...

I'm about as un-PC as it gets in a lot of ways, but I would like to clarify that there's a difference between being un-PC and being ignorant in the name of democracy or Wikipedia or whatever. Harsh maybe, but a lot of the comments on here come across that way.

It's quite a slippery slope argument to say that something is okay because it's "accepted by the general population". Also, the fact that language is a "living organism" just backs up the fact that a word like gay that used to mean "happy" can now connote other things.

It's impossible to defend that "gay" in "that's so gay" doesn't stem from being derogatory to homosexual people. It has kind of lost any real meaning (like "dumb", and "idiot", which don't really only mean what we use them for today) and I'm sure that most people who say it have no ill feelings towards gay people. It is important to realize that some words DO offend certain people and groups, then I suppose it is up to all of us individually to decide if we care or not. Apparently some of us do, and others don't.

I'm sure I'll get flamed here...but I can take on any of your gay arguments.

Binsk - I'm Paul's (a day in the life) sister. I've kind of lurked around here for a while. I like your blog, and I couldn't stay out of this discussion.

Kathleen said...

No. That's not what I said.

It DERIVED from there, in meaning, over time. I explained it in my post. You probably fit into the group that I mention shortly after who probably mean no specific harm by it...

Anonymous said...

i don't think it's acceptable, wiki be damned, it is deragatory because it (the definition) didn't go from happy to lame, it went from happy to homosexual to lame

possible exception: if binsk is a homosexual man trapped in a woman's body.

Sassy said...

Jeepers...some ppl need to take the pickle outta their ass...lighten up...don't be so gay about things...or is gay going to be one of those words that's only okay for gay ppl to fling around..like the word nigger??

Anonymous said...

and since you also use the word pussy in a deragatory way it almost makes it fair.

The Lily said...

Nome, The world isn't fair. It is never going to BE fair. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. We are what we are.

You want to make a difference? Words are just words, actions count. Quit stomping about in the small pond preaching to people who don't care.

You are pompous and self-righteous, smug and hypocritically judgemental --despite your cute little manifesto-- while wasting your crusade-fighting energy on something that is TRIVIAL.

And if I had my say, I'd say that you are wasting your time here because you are too scared to fight something bigger. You aren't yet comfortable with who you are and nit-pick because of it.

Put up or shut up. Seriously.

Robin Alexa said...

I think everybody in the world should get together in a big room and write down all of the things that offend them, and then we can all just mime things to eachother from that point on, because nobody will be allowed to speak.

If I hear one more person say that my people are drunks I am going to have another 6 drinks.

And my skin is really white but it seems to be okay to make fun of me and call me Casper.

Fuck you guys...that hurts me...deep down in my drunken albino heart.

Paul said...

I think "fagtastic" is the greatest word ever.

Or, sorry, "phagtastic" we don't want to offend the queers.

I guess we can't call people shit heads either for fear of offending people who may have shit for heads.

I personally blame the American media, because I'm sure that's from where I adopted my offensive usage of 'gay'. I think I saw it on Friends once.

Anonymous said...

How very fucking sickening this whole blog has become.

Anonymous said...

Because of the politically correct wife I have I was forced into reflecting on my usage of the term gay in the pejorativenon-sexualized way and have come up with an alternative phrase that I think may actually do a better job of describing the fellings I wish to express. You can all use it if you like.

That was(is) so Richard Simmons!

Anonymous said...

that was me, something went wonky on me.

Anonymous said...

Yes, gay means happy but it also means homosexual. And when you use the line "That's so gay" you're not using to say "That's so happy." It is being used to describe something as undesirable, which is why it is offensive.

I'd love to see some lisping queen get out there and beat the crap out of somebody for using that phrase. I'd have to bring my popcorn because that would be one heck of a show.

What was with Raymi Lauren telling me to fuck off? I found it incredibly odd that I should be written off simply because I'm an American, as if every other nation in the world is better or something. I try to view the world as we are all human beings and not think about the nationality any more than the place where somone lives.

Robin Alexa said...

You are never going to convince me that the way I use the term gay is wrong. I have been saying it for 20 years and I am not going to stop now. Actually I might on my blog because I don't think I can stomach another sucky pants argument like this again. Grow up, stop being offended by everything and get a sense of humour.

Jerk Of All Trades 2.0 said...

This post was gay, as in lame, not queer.
Although it could be queer, as in bizarre, not queer as in gay, as in homosexual.

Raymi Lauren said...

tesco i didnt mean all americans but see swear words hurt more than gay does anywaywhy don't you leave it up to the gays to debate this and not some douchey 22 year old on the west coast with no friends bye.

Anonymous said...

You know what words really offend me? I mean down to the depths of my soul? "Two drink minimum!" And then there's the jar on the bar that says "Tipping is not a city in China." I mean why you gotta pick on the Chinese? I get my best fireworks from there, you know the fireworks we Louisiana rednecks shoot off while we're watching the NASCAR race and feeding our alligators. OH THE HUMANITY! I have to go. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is on and I hear they are gonna be talking about accessorizing and comfortable shoes. Have a good weekend Binsker!
TG

Anonymous said...

You know what words really offend me? I mean down to the depths of my soul? "Two drink minimum!" And then there's the jar on the bar that says "Tipping is not a city in China." I mean why you gotta pick on the Chinese? I get my best fireworks from there, you know the fireworks we Louisiana rednecks shoot off while we're watching the NASCAR race and feeding our alligators. OH THE HUMANITY! I have to go. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is on and I hear they are gonna be talking about accessorizing and comfortable shoes. Have a good weekend Binsker!
TG

tdawg said...

Pardon me while I rant. What troubles me is that being gay has become so acceptable that we need to have arguments like this about protecting something unnatural. 50 years ago, homosexuality would have been commonly understood as being a sexual perversion, on par with child molestation. Now of course, you're saying that those people were bigots, etc. However, what happens when 50 years from now, some middle aged man wants to have sex with your 8 year old, and by not allowing him, you are labelled a bigot and intolerant. I'm sure you are telling yourself this will never happen, but that is exactly, exactly what they said about homosexuality. Suddenly you will be in the position of wanting to protect your children, but nobody will listen, because you just aren't "enlightened" enough, and now labelling this middle aged guy a pervert, pedophile, or a molester is no longer PC, he is now simply a "child-lover". This argument seems absurd now, but like I said, they said the same thing about homosexuality. As far as I'm concerned, being gay is a choice, just like choosing to love a paricular woman, or to love children, etc. On a moral basis, marriage and sex with a woman has the most standing, but even if you want to throw morals out the window, sociological and physical issues are just as evident. Let's be serious, a square peg fits in a round whole, I don't think that needs any further explanation. Beyond that, it's been scientifically verified that if even 50% of the world were gay, our gene pool would be vastly diminished, and we would soon be facing a very, very high degree of diseases and abnormalities, not to mention the fact that our ability to procreate would be lessened. Enough ranting, my disclaimer is that I do NOT hate gay people, and I'm not a homophobe. They are equally valuably people with just as much to offer, I simply feel it is a poor lifestyle choice, and acceptable simply because our society has become desensitized and unable to speak out against something that has grown so popular. I anticipate getting ripped apart, so let the fun begin!

jay-cawk said...

(i think)this 'gay' comment war was sent to me because i am a fag and i can say that gay is not offensive to me and most of my fag friends agree and you are all fucking gay to be arguing about this. to cq, the US has "stupid shit" pegged alot better then canada, get over it.
lets talk about jews since that is so popular these days. jesus...

jay-cawk said...

and just a post-side though... you know what is more offensive... is non-gay people saying that gay is offensive. seriously!@

Raymi Lauren said...

t-dawg i dont even know what yer point is suppose to be. yay jaycawk.

Krista said...

I invented homotastic.

I'm sure there's lots of names for straight people, blahaaahaaa. Oh binsk, you never bore me. :)

"The room is spinning… from all the… gayness.”

kalipornia said...

pitt it was actually einstein who said:
"words themselves are innocuous... it's the consensus that gives them meaning."

Anonymous said...

I think Canada needs a good smack down to get rid of its smug attitude. Does the citizenry up there walk around enjoying the smell of their own farts or something?

T-dawg... you're not anti-gay then you compare gay people with child molestors. Gee, thanks. I always love how people say being gay is a choice. Yes.. I certainly chose homosexulaity because it is so much fun to listen to people constantly tell me I'm immoral, a child molestor, unnatural, a pervert, etc.

Did you choose to be straight or did that just come naturally to you? I certainly hope you end up with a gay son or daughter at some point.

Krista said...

We also walk around talking with our eyes closed. Cause no one else has seen that South Park episode.

me said...

porch monkey?

Candice said...

t-dawg.....what makes you think that 3 billion people isn't an adequate gene pool? maybe gayness is mother nature's way of saying "THERE ARE TOO FUCKING MANY OF YOU!"

also...people keep saying that gay can't possibly be derived from happy-gay because of it's current negative usage, which means that it can only be derived from homo-gay.
isn't that kind of offensive in itself? since it is negative, it necessarily came from homo-gay and not happy-gay.
who's to say the emo nihilists didn't coin the new usage, as a direct slap in the face to happiness.
was that even coherent?

Rik said...

Binsk, you've made this too intellectual. We're forced to think now. I used to come here to see provocative, and slightly tasteful pictures of young desirable body parts in the shower. *sniffle* Now it's all gone. Oh the humanity.

Your blog is gay.

Anonymous said...

Raymi, where do you get off with the childish insults? "..who has no friends".. lol how fucking lame...maybe its because you're a talentless hack who has to insult people and insists how "awesome" she is you're threatened by someone with obvious talent and is very articulate for her young age, or is it just because you're ugly inside and out? i don't think nome expected this backlash, and imho binsk was using gay in a flippant way, fine its her blog she can be as insensitive as she wants, but back the fuck off everybody...no debate here is going to solve international relations or anything else, so why be a nasty axe wound, Raymi? ....

Anonymous said...

Way to go cyn!!.....no childish insults or jab comments from you...we are all so impressed!

Memphis said...

I just love it when people preach to me. Especially on my own blog. I just love when people who primarily identify themselves by their sexual habits or belief that there is no truth or right and wrong try to tell me that my own beliefs are wrong.

I wonder if this guy puts on a white shirt and tie and dress pants and goes door to door trying to preach to people and hand them copies of "The Advocate"?

Memphis said...

You know what? This whole conversation surrounding the word 'gay' is probably funnier than 99 percent of the blogs out there. This is like a coming-together of the world's greatest bloggers for one big, gay joke! Someone should be figuring out how to make some money off of this. Lord knows it won't be me though. I can't even sell a fucking T-shirt.

tdawg said...

CQ, I'm not trying to equate homosexuality with being a child molestor, because I do think the second is much worse. However, your comment just proves my point. Because homosexuality has become accepted, the distinction has become so much sharper between it and other moral issues, to the point that you can't even voice anything negative about it without being called intolerant. All I'm saying is that the same thing could happen to child molestation and things of that nature, and I'm sure you would be among those who say how wrong that is, and then you will be where I am, wondering how people are so concerned about being pc towards people who have chosen something that IS unnatural. By the way, I do know people, one guy in particular, who lived as a gay man for 27 years of his life, and has now chosen to leave that lifestyle for multiple reasons. He said that it was incredibly hard to leave his desire to be with men behind, but after about 5 years of dealing with it, he got married, and is proud to say that he is more attracted to his wife than he ever was to men. I absolutely feel that people are born more likely to become gay because of their personality or circumstances, but their is no proof whatsoever that someone can be born gay, or straight for that matter. Like basically any life choice, you have enough control to decide.

Erik said...

Too funny. I love it when people suddenly become gaytarded over such a simple issue. Raymi and Jay-cawk, hilarious, t-dawg, you're stupid and ignorant, shutup, and Binsk, don't worry about what other people think, you're more well-grounded than most people out there so they can just fuck off.

tdawg said...

Nice of you to comment, Orpheus, without really having an opinion. It's easy to commentate on how people are when you don't have any reasons to back it up. I'm sure everyone would love to hear why this is such a "simple issue"

Robin Alexa said...

Oh I've got your swear words right here baby.

Erik said...

I gave my opinion by stating which comments I liked and which ones I didn't. I have plenty of reason to back up my opinions as well, I know and am friends with several gay and bi male and females.

The fact that being gay, by and large, isn't a choice was a completely ignorant statement, have you ever asked a gay person about it? So you knew one gay guy that has "chosen to leave that lifestyle" and now you think that every gay person is like that. Way to stereo-type.

Jay-cawk knows what he's talking about, he is gay, so it's hard to disagree with him unless you just don't like gay people. And Raymi was just funny. So there's my opinion stated once again since you were too oblivious to read between the lines.

tdawg said...

Okay, so because someone who is gay says it's not a choice automatically makes it official then? Yes, that's so much less ignorant, and because I don't agree with you, I'm ignorant. Hmm, yeah, that's way less of a stereo type. It's funny how over and over again, we see people in society who make choices, and state that they couldn't help themselves cause they were born that way. This is usually a cop-out, it's an easy excuse to justify one's behavior to yourself or others. If you live with a decision for long enough, it does soon feel like that is the way you came into the world.

Erik said...

Hey, you may be right, but when talking about gay people, I'll sooner believe someone that is gay than someone who isn't. Also, you're not ignorant for disagreeing with me, you're ignorant for staking your opinion on one situation out of millions.

Anonymous said...

I never even go to this site but this is too hilarious to stay out of. Yeah gay and retard etc. are un-PC and they might offend some people, so just be careful whose company you're in when you say them. This is a blog so you can say whatever the fuck you want and if people don't get that you're just saying it and don't really mean anything then they're big retards. And especially for those retards, get the stick out of your ass and grow down, Binsk and whoever else aren't trying to offend you, they're just writing like everybody talks. Maybe it would be different if Binsk were 40-something and a redneck, but as it is she is closer to those Wiki teenagers. Maybe it's a generation thing. In conclusion, if you don't like it, fuck off and stop reading this blog in protest, because 99% of the rest of us don't really care and aren't all gay about the issue. (Heh see that, it's called irony..! Incidentally, whoever doesn't get that that's what Raymi is all about needs to go back to school.)

Some Random Girl said...

PLEASE. Be an activist of something worthy. Instead of being so Mary Kay (instead of saying Gay I said Mary Kay Letourno....because I wanted to....in fact, I'm going to start my own word. and my 2 gay cousins dont' care that I use the word "Gay" as slang. They get it. You, obviously don't. Do us a favor and give it a rest. STep down off your soapbox and go join Greenpeace, Peta, ACLU, NAACP or PFLAG.

Anonymous said...

Actually, aside from being just a little overly sensitive, the biggest mistake Nome made was taking anything that dim-witted train wreck of a loser "Raymi" said seriously. Attaching any importance or creedence to the words of someone who is so dysfunctional that they only manage to crawl out of bed via a daily intake of pharmaceuticals and alcohol is ludicrous. Buck-up Nome, not all of us hetero-sexuals are crass and don't grasp your point.

Stolenswan said...

hahahahaha....

.....heteros

Memphis said...

Raymi was in a train wreck? When did this happen? Damn, Memphis is so far away from anything of interest. Shit, all we have all week is a big celebration of Elvis overdosing on some massive drugs. And then we wonder WHY Memphis is a big gay shithole.

Nome said...

1) The only choice I ever made regarding my sexual orientation was not to hide it.

2) I didn't get into personal insults, attacks, and swearing, and I don't know why everyone else feels it's fair game to attack me below the belt.

3) I don't believe Binsk is genuinely homophobic, but there is a LOT of genuine homophobia going on in these comments and I do sort of wonder why that is.

4) I appreciate anyone who offered even a sliver of support in here.

5) I didn't mean to start a flame war. Everyone has the right to express themselves however they see fit -- all I did was point out that language does have meaning and language can hurt people.

6) If you don't care about who you hurt with your words, then anything is fair game. We can call a cheap person a Jew, we can call a criminal a nigger, we can call an independent woman a whore, we can call a Native American a drunken Indian, and it just never stops. I want to break the cycle. And if I'm alone in that, then fine. But please don't villify me for it.