Don't be 'gay' about thought control

[sbp]

A story about a kid who got suspended for using the word gay.

Article is kind of long so here's part of it.

The article also talks about another boy who got suspended for sexual harassment cause he stuck his tongue out at a girl who didn't want to be his girlfriend.

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/opinion_columnists/article/0,1713,BDC_2490_1882423,00.html

The meaning of the word "gay," like many words, has changed over time. Fifty years ago, "gay" meant "lighthearted" and "happy." Remember the theme song from "The Flintstones," which went "we'll have a gay old time"? Fred Flintstone didn't wear any pink oxfords. Of course, no one was ever too sure about Barney Rubble.

In any event, a lot of old-timers lament the passing of this beautiful word, which to today's generation is only allowed to mean "homosexual."

To the next generation, it seems it will again mean something different.

Twelve-year-old Ben Madison was playing foursquare at West Middle School in Grand Junction. Foursquare is where you bounce a ball from one square to another. Another 12-year-old kid was acting as the referee. As ref, he called one of Ben's bounces out of bounds. Ben didn't agree with the call.

While tennis great and super-brat John McEnroe would have yelled, "you cannot be serious!" Ben protested by saying, "your call was gay." When this was reported to a teacher, it was immediately interpreted to be sexual harassment, so of course Ben was suspended.

Sexual harassment? Ben didn't say, "Have sex with me or you'll lose your job." Ben didn't say, "You are a homosexual, I hate homosexuals, and therefore your call is invalid." He said the call was gay.

Can a 12-year-old boy really sexually harass another boy? Maybe, but it would be hard. At 12, most kids understand the birds and the bees, but do most really understand homosexuality?

According to Ben's mom, Ben didn't even know "gay" meant "homosexual." To him and many kids his age, "gay" means "stupid or dumb." So even if Ben did understand homosexuality, maybe it was the teachers who didn't understand the new term "gay."

---------------
How gay. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[vampireuk]

Ahh the great old world that we live in. I hate political correctness:mad: I mean for christ sake its a word, some people should really lighten up. Excuse me while i go shoot someone, uh oh I'm a terrorist:eek:

[silence]

bah......u can always offend ppl if u want,you don't need special words to do it......


this is plain and simple dumb......kids should be left out of this.....

[digitalwanderer]

I've been seeing it around and I now use it meself a lot. "Gay" is a descriptive word for homosexual, "ghey" is the word that is used in place of "gay" if you ain't homo bashing but are trying to get the poofy thought across.

It's like a politically correct way of saying "gay" without meaning to dis anyone's sexual orientation. (Which is there business/choice and I don't care to comment about to 'em. :) )

I like the term "ghey", just thought this was an appropriate spot to mention. :)

[Kruno]

I say get Eminem to piss them off more. :lol:
Offending people is his game.

[1stFlight]

Again some people take a good idea too far. The chasm between an insult and a valid description is immense. Some of these PC people make me ill.

[False Christian]

Ich habin Frau unt mein lederhausen, ya!:afro:

[digitalwanderer]

Originally posted by 1stFlight
Again some people take a good idea too far. The chasm between an insult and a valid description is immense. Some of these PC people make me ill.

You think? I sort of like the distinction. That way I can still use the word in it's descriptive sense without it being an insult. :)

[DaveW]

Using the word "gay" in this context still describes a homosexual, but it is also used to describe persons, things or events that are offensive, disagreeable, or otherwise bad. Through association the meaning of the word and the situations in which it is used, it is a form of bashing homosexuals.

[Kruno]

Originally posted by DaveW
Using the word "gay" in this context still describes a homosexual, but it is also used to describe persons, things or events that are offensive, disagreeable, or otherwise bad. Through association the meaning of the word and the situations in which it is used, it is a form of bashing homosexuals.

By saying that you are bashing a homosexual. That would be me. I am a male. So unless you are a bisexual I suggest you take that back because you would also be a homosexual. :lol:

Get it?

I am talking about being only 1 sex. :)

I think the word 'homosexual' is too vague to describe a "homosexual". Why can't they say male to male or female to female?

Instead of asking a person if they are a homosexual (which could mean: are you of only 1 sex), they should ask:

Are you a male-to-male/female-to-female?

:lol:

[netviper13]

Originally posted by DaveW
Using the word "gay" in this context still describes a homosexual, but it is also used to describe persons, things or events that are offensive, disagreeable, or otherwise bad. Through association the meaning of the word and the situations in which it is used, it is a form of bashing homosexuals.

You are absolutely correct.

Some forms of political correctness can be taken too far, but at the point where it's obvious in what context the word "gay" is used anymore, the word becomes no different than the "n" word. Both can have different contexts, but both are considered very offensive to certain groups when used as an insult.

Basically what it comes down to is the laziness of the world. Instead of coming up with a valid argument such as "that call can't be right, the ball never crossed the line," today's generation simply uses a generic word which often hails from a racial, sexual, or social insult. Perhaps if we stopped allowing people to be so damn lazy and generic with their speech, the political correctness tyrants would have a little less ammunition to use.

[DaveW]

Originally posted by netviper13
You are absolutely correct.
Basically what it comes down to is the laziness of the world. Instead of coming up with a valid argument such as "that call can't be right, the ball never crossed the line," today's generation simply uses a generic word which often hails from a racial, sexual, or social insult. Perhaps if we stopped allowing people to be so damn lazy and generic with their speech, the political correctness tyrants would have a little less ammunition to use.

"Yeah, like, I like, totally like, agree with you, like, insulting people is so like, lame, i'm like, whatever yknow"

- A typical American teenager.

[Red Dog]

Ive known that Im a Lesbian ever since I was a young man back in high school.

Something just feels right about being a Lesbian.

Even in school when someone would call me a pussy, I would just say, "you are what you eat! No shame in my game!"

The worst thing is dealing with the hairs that get stuck in your throat, I usually do a shot of Neet every morning as an ounce of prevention.

That is at least untill I found Coochy Shave, http://shop.store.yahoo.com/buyinprivate/coocshavexge.html

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. :D

[UDawg]

I hate it when kids us that word during games or in the Game Spy lobby (which I try to spend as little time as possible in) That is the number one insult on the net. It just pisses me off. It is such a supid word yet it is used every other second to flame someone in a game. I hate playing with 14 year old who TK and then call you gay. Come to a LAN party and say that you little ****aroach. :mad:

[LiquidX]

Who here is gay....stop pointing fingers.:bleh:

But seriously over the years gay has come to mean or stand for 3 types of gayness,

1-Homosexual
2-Describing someone or something that has offended you
3-Happy, Happy Joy, Joy (which will most likely never be used again in the English language)

I cant lie, I have used the word but the thing is I never used it to say your gay as in you like men or women........er sounds strange but when I use to use it I was leaning towards number 2.

And UDawg I would have to agree about those GameSpy lobbies they are just gay (sorry couldn't resist). Try the all seeing eye, 10x better.

[PsychoSy]

Originally posted by False Christian
Ich habin Frau unt mein lederhausen, ya!:afro:

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Sie trug es nicht sehr lang, wie? ;)

Sie sprangen ihre Knochen, nicht ya?!? :D :angel:

[LiquidX]

Ich fas' es nicht........:rolleyes:

[Kruno]

ick folnaz ichyness. :lol:

Sorry, couldn't control myself. :D

[PsychoSy]

Man, I'm rusty with my German and downright crude with Dutch. :(

I'm gonna stop now to avoid further self-embarrassment! :angel:

[Son Goku]

PC can go quite far. I remember when some wimen became offended by the term mail because it sounds too much like male. So they tried to get people to call mail correspondence.

WTF? Really though, I could care less then to obsess over the English language. There are a lot more important things to me then "what is the correct word to describe this today"...tomarrow we must call it something else.

I could care no more to do that, then I could to look through every fashion magazine in the world...and re-define my identity everytime some phoney decides "everyone put on a new false image to impress the world with...oh I know lets go on a crash diet tomarrow, weigh 95 lbs at 5'11", and then wonder why we're in the hospital being fed introveniously"... Life's just too short to be worried about and obsess over such things all the time...

[AshG]

I teach middle school level children. I have called parent conferences, had children reprimanded, and handed out consequences for using the word "gay". Althought I don't teach a core curriculum subject, I do try to reinforce the things that my fellow teachers work on.

Whenever one of my students calls an action, a situation, an object, or even another person "gay", I pull them aside and have a talk about the use of the word. When I ask students why they use it, I almost always get blank stares and worthless, wandering answers. Simply put, I have yet to hear any excuse with more fortitude or intelligence than "because he is!" or "I dunno." Students simply don't understand what they are saying.

I know some students at my school that are already in tune with their sexuality. To them, the use of the word "gay" is a harmful epithet, an insult whether it is meant to be or not. When they see and hear students calling other students and even faculty and staff "gay", then they wonder why their lifestyle has to be used as a put down or insult.

To condone the use of this word and still despise the use of others is hypocrisy. I assure you that if I were to call someone on here (the N word), then I would be banned in a heatbeat and deservedly so. If I used that word at school, I would be fired immediately; it would mean either a long sentence to in-school suspension or even an out-of-school suspension. Even combinations of words such as N-rigged and N-fied would cause swift and merciless reprisal. I am lucky. I teach at a culturally diverse school where students know they will be dealt with quickly and painfully by other members of the student body if they use a racially related slur or epithet. But to defend the use of "gay?" Get real.

I end with this. Children model their speech and behavioural patterns after the most influencial or consistently present adult influences in their lives. Look at yourselves. Look at the nearly completely unmonitired access these children have to television,movies, games, and other influencial media. What are the children seeing and hearing? That is what they will become.

[omghi2u]

Maybe the principle was a closeted homo and took offense to it.

[Kruno]

Ash, that is scary but true.

I have been looking at pornography since I was 12-13 years old. People wonder why I can't shut up about sex or sexually orientated subjects. :lol:

I am being serious as well. Of course I am no rapist/pedofile/etc..., strange thing is that I am not homosexual either like some people think. According to science your sexual preference is in your genes.

I grew up behind a PC since I was 9 years old. I grew up on the internet since I was 10. Mainly I spent the majority of my life on these forums. :lol:

Probably the majority of my habbits come from you guys. ;)

[LORD-eX-Bu]

so... if I start wearing womens clothing you will too?:D

[Kruno]

Originally posted by [eNv]-LORD-eX-Bu
so... if I start wearing womens clothing you will too?:D

Wanna see? ;) :lol: