BBC says "gay" is OK!

[KrazyHorse]

You probably have about as much evidence to back up that assertion as you do to back up the theory that "gay" (as a synonym for "lame") derives from the use of "gay" (as a synonym for "homosexual") as an insult.

What a ***** argument. You and I both know where the origin lies.

[Drake Tungsten]

Actually, I don't know where the origin lies and neither do you. We can both speculate on what origin scenarios seem most likely, but we certainly don't know.

[Asher]

To have intellectual arrogance, one usually has to be intelligent.

I don't see how anyone could possibly reason that it came from anything else. I've seen several people try, but their arguments are of the same calibre of those that say Charles Manson was sane.

[Drake Tungsten]

To have intellectual arrogance, one usually has to be intelligent.

And be arrogant. Thanks for clearing that difficult derivation up for me, slick.

[Wittlich]

Well, like I said before: I am gay. I consider my life as being gay. If you want to call me gay - go for it. I totally accept it and find no fault with the word use.

Now, If people feel like they need to twist the word around and use it as an insult (eg, something that is substandard) - This is were it turns insulting. How dare non-homosexuals twist my own identity around to make it a word that basically means "less than standard"?!?

[Drake Tungsten]

I guess it's time to grab a place in line. The lame and the retarded are still waiting for society to give them their words back...

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher
To have intellectual arrogance, one usually has to be intelligent.

So what is your excuse?

[Asher]

Those words are often used descriptively.

When someone says something is retarded, they usually mean "stupid". People who suffer from mental retardation are, by definition, "stupid". It's insensitive, but it's not redefining the word.

Similarly, "lame" means crippled or weak. When it's used, the meaning is largely the same as well -- "this movie is lame". It's insensitive, but it's not redefining the word.

You've somewhat had this backfire on you, because in comparing "gay" to "lame" and "retarded" you are admitting that the words describe people society, as a whole, deem to be outcasts or less-than-standard, or even rubbish...

As "lame" and "retarded" describe people much of society looks down upon, so does "gay". All three words are used as insults in different ways: lame means weak, retarded means stupid, and gay means rubbish/bad...

If you look at the lame and retarded definitions, they are not very far removed from the original word. The same thing happened with "gay" -- to much of society, especially the morons who use the word as an insult, "gay" isn't far removed from "rubbish/bad"...

[Asher]

Originally posted by notyoueither
So what is your excuse?

LOL THAT IZ SO GAY LOL

eleelementary school LOL

[notyoueither]

Right. Intelligence is ruled out.

[Asher]

The shades make you look so cool with those rockin' quips.

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I guess it's time to grab a place in line. The lame and the retarded are still waiting for society to give them their words back...

So by your response Drake, are you insinuating that I am "lame and retarded" since I am gay? (This is a serious question by the way).

[Drake Tungsten]

If you look at the lame and retarded definitions, they are not very far removed from the original word. The same thing happened with "gay".

Not in your version of events. What's the definitional similarity between the homosexual "gay" and the "gay" used to describe an uncool ringtone?

The older version of "gay" (the one that describes outlandish or flamboyant things), on the other hand, seems to have much more in common with the lame ringtone "gay" than the homosexual "gay" does. Of course, you ignored that scenario once already in your insistence that the lame "gay" has to have come from the homosexual "gay", so I have little hope that you'll address it now.

And the current meaning of "lame" and the original meaning are pretty far removed indeed...

[Drake Tungsten]

So by your response Drake, are you insinuating that I am "lame and retarded" since I am gay?

No. How in the hell did you get that idea?

I thought it was pretty obviously a reference to the fact that the lame and the retarded had to deal with the fact that "their words" had gained new meanings long before gay people did.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Not in your version of events. What's the definitional similarity between the homosexual "gay" and the "gay" used to describe an uncool ringtone?

Are you kidding?

The people who started using "gay" as an insult, and the ones who predominately use it now, are people who think gay means "uncool". It means "bad". It means "rubbish".

To them, being gay is an insult. Thus, "gay" is an insult.

It's not a stretch at all. It's pretty obvious...

The older version of "gay" (the one that describes outlandish or flamboyant things), on the other hand, seems to have much more in common with the lame ringtone "gay" than the homosexual "gay" does.

The older version had to do with "happy" and "light-hearted", not outlandish of flamboyant. That comes with the stereotypical gay comment...

When people are saying that ringtone is "gay", 99% of the time they mean it sucks, not that it's light-hearted or cheerful or happy in feel...