modified

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 25 Apr 2006 12:13

What is wrong with you all that you can't find a way around using the word "gay" to describe things that you find distasteful, stupid, or otherwise unappealing.

Zeb Jackson · Post by **Zeb Jackson** » 25 Apr 2006 12:23

i think it started out as a trend just like "rad" and "groovy" started in the 60's and the 70's i think that sooner or later the times will change, and people will think that its un cool to say such things and they'll say others.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 25 Apr 2006 12:37

Ahhh, I was hoping this topic would come up. I don't understand why mods censor the word 'gay' and 'retarded', yet they don't censor 'shit' 'fuck' 'bitch' or any other derrogatory/offensive terms. I personally find the latter much more offensive, especially being that modified is an all-ages forum. Actually I don't know that it is an all-ages forum, I'm assuming so since we seem to have a lot of kids on here.

Guest_2 · Post by **Guest_2** » 25 Apr 2006 12:58

Because Chris, fuck is just a swear word

Gays are a group of people. It is dehumanizing to the group of people. Racial slurs allow discrimination and justification for racism.

Why was it ok for blacks to be slaves? Oh, because they were just niggers.

Why is it ok to beat the shit out of this kid? Oh, because he's just gay.

etc.

What's to stop it from being white people next?

Or the Jews?

Which is why I stand up for everyone

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 25 Apr 2006 13:07

I don't think I've ever edited out the word "gay" or "retarded." I recently edited out the word "fag," but that's different.

Yes, modified is all ages. I think I remember an 8 year old poster a while back. Using the term "gay" as an insult or put down in any way is just as harmful (if not more) to a young person as seeing the word "fuck."

shreddaily · Post by **shreddaily** » 25 Apr 2006 13:07

I personaly like taboo language and am always interested to see what slang people use. Its especialy interesting to compair native english speakers to non native speakers(european accents are hot)...

I think a better question would be what makes a word like "gay", when used negitavely, so offensive? Whom are we trieing to protect?

Don't get me wrong... I like mod edits... I like when mods ban people... I find it very interesting to see what things push the buttons of the few (very attractive) mods we have.
Language is a pretty interesting thing that I try not to take for granted anymore. It feels like I've been living my whole life only being open to half of the possibilities out their. I think I'm ready to come out of the lectoral closet and embrace all language.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 25 Apr 2006 13:20

I may sound SOOOOOO old fashioned here (God, I remember thinking people who said that were so old and lame), but I feel that as an adult in an all-ages forum, I should try and curb myself from using excessive 'R or X-rated' language and concepts. *Gets out knitting needles, and begins rocking back and forth*. I'm sure I've slipped up here and there out of the many total posts (which are higher than shreddaily's

), but I think it's appropriate to try and set a decent example. Again, I probably sound like some grandma from the 50's saying so. And maybe I'm naive to think that there's still some innocent kids who would be shocked or put off by some of the stuff that goes on here.

Bander87 · Post by **Bander87** » 25 Apr 2006 14:42

To intelligently answer the initial question, people use the term "gay" because it can be used to describe so many things (simular to the F word). The word "gay" when used as slang can be used to describe things that are weird, uncool, unpopular, bad, frustrating and so on. It's just easier to have a single word that describes something and have people still understand its meaning.

Words are funny. Words are symbols that can be written or spoken to mean something. Where do these meanings come from? They come from people and how they understand these symbols. I'm curious to know the percentage of homosexuals that get offended by the term "gay" and who do not. Just trying to be logical and play devils advocate.

Kyle Hewitt · Post by **Kyle Hewitt** » 25 Apr 2006 14:52

Still man people have no reason to say that word in that kind of way. I find it easyer to say "Wow, this sucks" then Wow, this is gay" and not only does it make your sentance shorter it doesn't make you sound like a ignorant moron.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 25 Apr 2006 15:45

Well........In all actuality GAY existed before it was used to describe homosexuality. It used to (and still does) mean happy. So am I allowed to use it that way? Footbag makes people gay! Hahahhaha oh man. I literally lolled at that one.

To hog the thread and further explain my previous point, someone brought up the fact that a lot of forums digress into meaningless bantering, and they appreciated that modified didn't fall into that catagory. That Modified is informative, and most of the people who post on there are cool and don't act like idiots.

I'm straying a bit, but what I mean to say is, I find it strange that people are unwilling to censor themselves knowing that hundreds of people are reading them make crude remarks. I usually only joke to that degree with friends, not over the internet in a public forum.

It's like a friend I used to have. He would talk really loudly all the time and cuss and talk about how he just had sex with some chick the night before, and its as if he thought no one could hear him, even though there were people and a lot of times children in close proximity. I find lack of refinement somewhat off-putting and repulsive I guess.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » 25 Apr 2006 15:52

I sometimes use the word 'gay' in conversation mainly out of habit but I wouldn't use it in written form cause I know it's politically incorrect.

When I use the word in this way (and i'm pretty sure this applies to most peoples use of it) the meaning does not have anything to do with being homosexual.

Why is it not possible to use the word with a meaning of say stupid without causing offense to homosexual's. I mean we can use many other slang words with double meanings such as sick and 'sick' without causing offense to the ill.

sampotter · Post by **sampotter** » 25 Apr 2006 16:20

I agree with Scott.

On the whole, I think people who take offense to language are really shallow-minded people. Often times people who throw around words like 'gay' (and, really, you NEED to consider this case by case -- there is a huge difference between the words nigger, chink, and gay and their MODERN usages) really don't mean anything by it. Sure, it sucks that it's stuck around in our language, but there's no need to nitpick and take endless offense where there is no offense intended to begin with. Direct your wasted energies where they're useful.

wolfpac444 · Post by **wolfpac444** » 25 Apr 2006 16:31

I don't think it's _ever_ been about "offense" or "offensive". It's about refusing to marginalize people that are continually marginalized in society.

slapdash21 · Post by **slapdash21** » 25 Apr 2006 18:29

finally i can get away with calling something gay. this is the gay thread.

Seath · Post by **Seath** » 25 Apr 2006 18:32

I think we're going to see a further splitting of the communities ideas on weather or not the negative connotation of the word "gay" should or should not be ceensored.

It comes down to the power holders of this message board, make the call and the community will live by it, there's no ultimately positive outcome from this conversation.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 25 Apr 2006 21:32

I wonder if anyone ever used the word gay to mean something negative before homosexuals started using it to describe themselves (ie. like when it was popular in the 80's to call something 'BAD' and that was a good thing) If that were the case, then people would be totally legit in using it that way, since that slang connotation would have been invented before the homosexual one.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 26 Apr 2006 00:44

The reason using the word "gay" is banned in a negative context on the forum is because some time ago I ran a survey asking all active members at the time to contribute with their opinions about how the forum was run and by far the most significant issue that came up was that people weren't happy with discriminitory langauge no the forum. Swear words are not discriminitory and nobody complained about swear words. Hence because it was clear that such a large portion of people on the forum at the time were opposed to the usage of discriminitory language - all such language was banned.

Also to be clear - using "gay" in a negative manner comes directly from the word "gay" relating to homosexuals and using it reiterates the stereotype that being homosexual is wrong/bad.

However I have to say that the banning of the word was based around an idea that we should follow what the forum wants rather than doing what the moderators want and I think moderating these days probably doesn't follow that philosophy anymore so probably these days most of the time when something gets "mod edited" - it's because that mod in question personally doesn't agree appropriatness of the wording used.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 26 Apr 2006 07:13

Jeremy wrote: Also to be clear - using "gay" in a negative manner comes directly from the word "gay" relating to homosexuals and using it reiterates the stereotype that being homosexual is wrong/bad.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Well, that is to say you do not know for sure that that's where the origin of that particular connoation comes from, and to state it matter-of-factly is wrong. It would be impossible for you to know who used it in that format first. It's okay to say 'I believe it came from' but to say 'Just to be clear, this is fact' is incorrect in this case.

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 26 Apr 2006 09:52

Guys, no need to argue this so much. There is simple a solution no one seems to be aware of.

If you put an asterisk next to gay, i.e. "that's gay*" any negative connotation to homosexuals, either explicit or implicit is negated.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gay*

Copy and paste the above link to view. BBC code doesn't like the * and won't include it in the link URL. You need to include the * on the end to see the definition.

So if you want to use the word "gay" to imply that something is bad but not be offensive, just put an asterisk at the end there and use "gay*". Verbal pronounciation can be either "gay-asterisk" or "gay-star".

Seath · Post by **Seath** » 26 Apr 2006 09:54

Originally using gay in a negative way had nothing to do with homosexuality, it was a term used in the 17th century to describe someone who wasnt constrained to sexual rules, specifically of the heterosexual kind, it was also used as a word meaning prostitution. it's not till the late 20th century the term began to be mainly used to represent homosexuality.

If you want to get technical...

I personally feel its more a case of lack of eloquence or lazy vernacular, but hey, if the majority of people here are offended by it then it should be cracked down on.