Don't Say "Gay!"

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It is Ok to call an American an American but calling a Canadian an American is offensive.

How about a North American?

Last edited by NineTailedFox on 04 Dec 2011, 12:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

Nothing wrong with calling gay people gay. It's what they are. It's just like calling someone a Jew isn't offensive. Saying that is only offensive if you say something like "Jew politics", "Jew ethics", etc.

What I do hate is 'gay' used as a slang word for something you don't like or consider uncool or stupid. It's not 2001 anymore guys.

I was wondering why you were on about with the word "mexican" as well. But its not an epithet to Mexicans nor Mexican Americans.

you're talking about ethnic hatred between subgroupings of large groups like Euriopeans and hispanics.
Nieghborng tribes generally do hate each other. And they often resent being mistaken for their hated neighbors by obtuse third parties.

I work with a Cuban American college guy who hates being called "puerto rican".

The Kingdom of Sweden oppressed Norway for centuries so its not surprising that there would be some resentment among norwejians towards Swedes.

The worst thing you can call a Greek is a "Turk", and vice versa.

I understand that Arabs tend to regard Muslims from Western Asia as untrustworthy, gaudy, and amoral. This includes Iran, by the way, which I think it's funny that Americans believe is a fundamentalist "terrorist" state.

There are some gay guys who try to talk smack about those who are transgender, but they are ridiculous. Serious working-class "bear" types may express some wry amusement over drag queens, but I think most of the anti-trans sentiment is among people who tend to be stupid donkeys anyway.

Last edited by WilliamWDelaney on 04 Dec 2011, 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

if a lot of the people here are not being sarcastic then i am inclined to facepalm. joking about calling queers names isnt funny. doing the same for ethnic people is not funny.
fnord: people have a "collective fear of words" because they have been used to vilify minority groups and those who are pc are showing sensitivity towards this fact. id like for my work mates not to be called poofters, people from my community not to be called fags, i didnt want to be called a dyke when i was in highschool and id like to have my first learning that gay people existed not being through the thats so gay insult on the playground when i was 10.
also when refering to someone who is gay as gay its ok to do so only if its not in a my best friend is gay, this is john- hes gay kinda way. a person is not solely defined by their sexuality. just noting that incase it was missed.

Oh, that's why I told AngelRho he should have ripped that guy a new one. I don't care if you aren't personally offended by it: it's a revolting way for a person to behave. To be clear, "breeder" might be pitiful as far as insults go, but there are some gay guys out there who actually do have this annoyingly elitist mindset. A heterosexual guy isn't an uncouth idiot just because he's a straight guy, not even if he IS a jock. The most sensitive and literate guys I know are cute emo guys who are, by the way, STRAIGHT GUYS, a la Dan Radcliffe.

It's one thing to call your gay friend names if you know it's going to be water off a duck's back anyway and you're not serious. That's how it is with me. Telling me, "hey, don't be such a fag around my buddies, you're embarrassing me," wouldn't be necessarily the worst thing you could do. Let me be clear, this is because you know me, and you know I'll cuss you right back.

What I think is wrong is when people are carelessly derogatory toward a group, associating them with "indecent" or "awkward" or "ostentatious" or "weak." When I hear that kind of nonsense, I say quietly, on a rising note "excuse me?" Oh, it's not that I am offended or hurt personally, but I think that someone who speaks with all of the thoughtfulness and introspection of a charging bull ought to be made to feel awkward, not because that person has offended me but because I find that person offensive generally.

And someone who intentionally tries to make a sexually insecure teenager feel awful about his or her sexuality ought to be castrated. I'm an adult, and I'm an offensive bastard: save that crap for me. If you mess with a kid's psyche on that level at that tender age, though, you are a pervert. For god sake, keep that kind of CRAP away from kids. It's getting more clear every day that it messes up their heads.

Oh, that would be grounds for me to stop talking to a person. Not because I would be consciously mad at that person but because that person put me in an awkward position. I am a lot of things: I am a "loud-mouthed jerk," a "pompous and overeducated dick," an "elitist bastard," a "thing from Hell," and the list goes on. "Offensive fag" is there, but it's way down on a long list. And I'd rather be called that on first introductions than "gay." It says more about the kind of person I am. There is nothing wrong with being "gay," but the image people get in their heads from that particular word is way off from my WHOLE SELF.

No, I'm saying that he doesn't want a level playing field. It's a bit of a crap insult but it's an attempt at an insult all the same.

Good episode. I also liked the one with, "Mom! Tom Cruise won't come out of the closet!"

Last edited by WilliamWDelaney on 04 Dec 2011, 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's the same with many British people: Scottish people often don't like being called English and vice versa.

If you want to call something or someone, "gay," then I am not going to stand in your way. Use whatever language you like.

However!

I reserve the right to comment on your use of language, and if I take offence at what I perceive to be your intention, I will expect you to extend me the same courtesy that I have extended to you in exercising free comment.

When we curb our free expression in order to accommodate the sensibilities of our audience, we are doing something positive with the intention of creating a more peaceful, prosperous society. When we given free rein to our expression, with the express intention of offending our audience, we are doing something that contributes to greater conflict, and the drain on our prosperity that conflict represents.

How much time, effort and money do we expend trying to achieve what our parents all (should have) tried to teach us: be nice to other people?

+1

A lot of people who claim "freedom of speech" don't seem to realize that this also applies to people who disagree with them or consider their speech to be destructive or wrong.