"That's so gay" - enough to get twelve-year-olds suspended

[Drake Tungsten]

Would it be okay for a kid to use Jew as a synonym for stingy or a cheat in school? Should it be tolerated?

If a new meaning of "jewish" arose and was accepted by society, then it should be tolerated. It would be no different than "chicanery" or "gypped"...

[Drake Tungsten]

How was I to know that you meant it as a synonym for "square"...

That's what the new use of "gay" means! You don't have the first clue how modern youth use the term, yet you are perfectly content to call them bigots for using that "slur"! This is exactly the type of arrogance Agathon was railing against, namely you and others trying to dictate word meanings to youth society...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
If a new meaning of "jewish" arose and was accepted by society, then it should be tolerated. It would be no different than "chicanery" or "gypped"...

So it's okay to continue making new slurs which take shots at minorities because it was done hundreds of years ago?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
That's what the new use of "gay" means! You don't have the first clue how modern youth use the term, yet you are perfectly content to call them bigots for using that "slur"! This is exactly the type of arrogance Agathon was railing against, namely you and others trying to dictate word meanings to youth society...

People use gay as a generic insult. It means bad, stupid, and I suppose it could also mean square too.

It also can mean weak and ineffective.

"ie, that speech was so gay..."

But please, tell me in your infinite wisdom exactly what all youth mean when they use "gay" as an insult.

You know, the real definition of "gay" as an insult is "something I don't like". That's all youth use it as.

And for dramatic effect :

That's what the new use of "gay" means!

This is exactly the type of arrogance Agathon was railing against, namely you and others trying to dictate word meanings to youth society...

Ohh, that's rich.

[Drake Tungsten]

So it's okay to continue making new slurs which take shots at minorities because it was done hundreds of years ago?

The point is that a word isn't necessarily a slur just because it is a homonym with an ethnic/relgious/sexual title. "Nigga" isn't a slur. "White" isn't a slur. "Gay" isn't a slur. If you two could comprehend that simple fact, this thread would've been about 20 pages shorter...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
The point is that a word isn't necessarily a slur just blahblahblah

When you take a group's name, attach a derogatory meaning to it, and use it as an insult -- it becomes a slur.

[Drake Tungsten]

You know, the real definition of "gay" as an insult is "something I don't like". That's all youth use it as.

Exactly. That meaning is a hell of a lot closer to the 50's slang meaning than the 14th century one...

[Drake Tungsten]

When you take a minority group's name, attach a derogatory meaning to it, and use it as an insult -- it becomes a slur.

We have nothing more to talk about. You obviously aren't serious about this discussion...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Exactly. That meaning is a hell of a lot closer to the 50's slang meaning than the 14th century one...

It's both, though.

So the point still is, I defined "lame" specifically as I was talking about it, and you did not. Then you railed at me for talking about a different definition of "lame" well after the fact as it became convenient to you.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
We have nothing more to talk about. You obviously aren't serious about this discussion...

We've had nothing to talk about for the past 400 posts, all you've been doing is BAMing and generally being stupid...

[cinch]

"Nigga" isn't a slur. "White" isn't a slur.

How on earth is "nigga" on the same level as "white"?

Certainly, "white" is not a slur. Neither is "black".

But I would say "nigga" is a slur, and so is "cracker/honky/gringo". Just because they've been accepted into society as of late (a la "gay") does not mean people shouldn't be offended by them, in a very real, straightforward, and non-'niggardly'-esque way.

If homosexuals want to call themselves gay, then that's fine. If black people want to call themselves niggas, that's fine. But it doesn't automatically make it all right for people without that group to use that term in a negative context.

[Shi Huangdi]

It's a mistake to think that using the word "gay" as an insult is completely divorce from homophobia.

While doing a research project on school safety in a sociology class, i came about this website:

http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/stories-read.html

They speak for themselves as to how horrible the conditions in schools for homosexuals can be. You can find pretty much anything you want there, broken bones, gang rapes, bullying-induced suicide. Schools need to send a loud and clear message that homophobia is not acceptable in order to counter this, and that should mean stopping kids from using gay as an insult.

[Drake Tungsten]

Certainly, "white" is not a slur.

Lots of people use "white" in a fashion similar to "gay", as an adjective that describes something uncool or lame. I don't have a problem with it and use it myself, but it's a slur under Asher's definition. God knows it is impossible for a group title to take on a new meaning...

edit: Sorry for the attitude. I saw the maple leaf and thought you were Asher...

[Drake Tungsten]

It's a mistake to think that using the word "gay" as an insult is completely divorce from homophobia.

It's not completely divorced, but I think it is for the most part. Homophobes are going to use it as an insult, but many people (myself included) who are not homophobes use the term and attach no ill meaning to it. It's just a part of contemporary slang...

[Asher]