Why do we call things "gay" that we think are stupid?

Question

You know when someone does something crazy and another person says, "that's so gay." Why do we tolerate this language?

Answer 1

Homosexuals are the only group of minority were its permitted to laugh at and mock. It's an interesting and yet sad state of affairs.

Answer 2

Let it alone. The gay community took the word for themselves away back when it was an acronym for Good As You. Prior to that it exclusively meant happy. That the language should now have altered (and yes, purely to denigrate homosexuals, so what - are you so weak and feeble?) for it to mean stupid, what the heck? That's what English does.

I'm not gay, I'm bi, although being bisexual means that the (UK) Tabloid Press will always go on about Gay sex shocker- even though their victim admits their bisexuality. Why can't it just be a sex shocker?

Personally, I think we should go back to using the words that "hurt us" most, not because we're masochists but to take the stigma out of them so that the homo- and biphobics of this world will have to think of something else to use. Not being African-American I daren't use the N word...

Answer 3

I don't know why, but it has never really bothered me. Most people don't say it around me since I came out to them, but I doubt that they just stopped saying it. I'd rather have people be truly tolerant and slip in their language a little than be pc on the outside and actually feel very prejudicial.

Answer 4

Well dude everything is gay, cause gay means happy, it's just a funny way of saying something stupid, cause honestly I wouldn't lik to be considered gay in the homosexual way. Cause that would be gay.

Answer 5

I take offense at such expressions. Some of my friends don't. I'll be very quick to point out "What exactly are you trying to say? _____ is homosexual? It likes other ______s of the same sex? Or is it stupid? In that case, you might want to try another word that expresses what you really mean." I take offense with being equated with "stupid", etc.

But our society likes to do things like this. There's a reason we equate a lot of bad things with femininity. It's called patriarchy. Anything that challenges its status quo is deemed bad and adjectives associated with it are then used in derrogatory ways. Interesting phenomenon, really. Investigate it, you'll be surprised.

Answer 6

I don't.
That is ignorant.
People who say that wouldn't like it if somebody used something about them as a euphemism like that. Like, one time a girl in my class was like 'I have to move to the front row, that's so gay.' How the hell can a ROW be gay? That is so dumb. I'm usually not very pc though. Certain things just bug me.

Answer 7

I don't. And if I am around anyone who is derogatory about gays, they get cold ****** right then and there. If a verbal assault doesn't shut them up, then getting phyical is not out of the question. Don't assume that because someone is gay, they cannot take your butt apart! They can, and do often.

Answer 8

We used to call stupid things retarded, but that's no longer politically correct. Apparently, it fine to to say gay=stupid.

Answer 9

I dont know, but thats a gay question, I mean stupid!

Answer 10

I'm gay and I say it all the time. I don't see the problem with it -stop being so sensitive.

Answer 11

I think it's because we don't want to be the"fun slayer", y'know, that person who gives you a hard time about stuff. I think, though, with close friends, you should tell them not to talk that way, and with people you've just met it depends on how brave you are.