the blog series Generation: Why? on My Fox Illinois , stated. “People often use the word ‘gay’ in the same context as ‘retarded’. The severity of its use can change depending on who is using it and its context, but in our culture, it boils down to calling something defective.
“To me, using the term just doesn’t make sense. It would be like calling an unpleasant circumstance or item something that you do not agree with or dislike. For example: a Christian gets the wrong item at a fast-food restaurant and says, ‘well, this is atheist,’” Salcido concluded.
Therein lies the problem: using the term does not seem to be appropriate, and yet American youths use it constantly, even in the reality of homosexuality becoming more and more accepted in the general population. The other problem, as previously stated by me and becoming more concrete with many of the responses, is that the meaning of the word ‘gay’ has changed dramatically over the past decade. A word that used to mean, in the most general sense, “happy” has now become a word to either describe someone of a homosexual background, to label something immaturely as being unmentionably feminine or flamboyant (although this may actually be the only context in which the word is used that is still somewhat related to the original meaning), or to describe something as being distasteful – either way, the word has taken on a negative context in American society. This is a problem because, like so many other words which have taken on negative connotations, this word has the prerequisites and may already be considered a form of hate speech.
“I don’t really think it’s offensive, and I don’t think it made me look ignorant because it’s used as a slang term in today’s society. If a homosexual were to tell me that it offended them, I wouldn’t use it around them anymore,” Ashley Sanders of Lincoln Land Community College said. “People that don’t use correct grammar look ignorant to me. Should I be offended by that?”
In my personal opinion, ignorance does not automatically merit offense. No, I don’t think that using incorrect grammar is offensive, but it is ignorant. However, it is not the same argument. Using grammar has nothing to do with civil rights, using the word gay in negative connotations does. At the heart of using the word in such a way, it begins resting in the realm of, as I already mentioned before, hate speech. That may sound extreme, but the statement has merit. Hate speech is essentially used to vilify a person or a group of people on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, age, et cetera. It is used to degrade and, at times, intimidate or lead to acts of violence. The use of the word gay in negative ways may not seem like it is such a big deal now, but what happens when the use of this supposed “slang term” (which, by the way, doesn’t hold up the argument very well because of the fact that other slang terms in today’s society are racially offensive and also constitute hate speech) becomes so casual that those negative connotations become reality to others, turning the clock back on the progress which the entire gay rights movement (which could end up meaning “stupid rights movement” if continued to be used in such a way) has made over the past few decades. I’m sorry, but that just does not sit well with me.
Nancy Paladino, student of the University of Connecticut, replied, “The term ‘gay’ to express disdain is offensive. Although it occasionally comes out of my mouth, it is something that I actively try to avoid. Imagine if people used your name as an expression of disdain, it’s a painful reminder to homosexuals that their lifestyle is somehow wrong or bad in the eyes of society. I understand it will still be used, and even gay people say ‘that’s so gay’, but before saying it maybe people should think about what it actually means.”
“When you call someone gay to make fun of them, whether joking or serious, or call a situation gay you are making it out that being gay is a bad thing,” Dylan Schnake of Illinois stated.
“I think it isn’t a big deal,” Sanders continued. “If someone says it in a joking manner, and you get offended by it because you are a homosexual then fine. It’s nothing to get worked up about though. There really isn’t anything you can do about it, people are still going to use that word in that way. Get over it.”
Theoretically, and, personally, it is a monumental deal. I have two (technically three because one of them is married) gay uncles and it really, quite frankly, makes my blood boil when people use the word in such a fashion. To me, homosexuality is something which is inherited, not a chosen lifestyle aside from the homosexual choosing to live his or her life according to the way which they truly feel: an unshakable and undeniable attraction to the opposite sex. To say otherwise would essentially mean that we are all bisexual. I would love to hear the response all of those who oppose homosexuality on this theoretical reality. After all,
english Language & Grammar
american youths, correct grammar, homosexuality, lincoln land community college
