Why do Americans call everything they don't like 'gay' or 'retarded'?

Question

For instance if you look at a video on Youtube you'll probably see about 50 comments from American teenagers saying 'gay' or 'retarded'.

Usually they throw in a 'dude' too. For instance "Dude that's so gay".

Answer 1

Can you imagine how lame and stupid the average U.S. teenage male must feel with growing up knowing only the abomination of the Bush/Cheney administration as representative of "leadership", with an educational system that got sold out to religious fanatics by Conservatives for votes and got so dumb-downed that U.S. kids today rank with third world nations in math and science score, who are having serious trouble weaning off mommy and daddy and who lack the work skills (video game mastership doesn't seem to matter much in the new global job market for some reason) to hold down a job that pays well enough to afford them any independent self-sufficiency, although signing up and going over to Iraq and "kicking some as*" is always an option that most lack the maturity to conceive of as anything more than a video game on the TV news . . .until they get there, of course. Their bigotry and confusion and ignorance isn't universal, though. There are an awful lot of wise, decent kids here who work hard at getting educations, at contributing to the good of all, to living peacefully and finding rational solutions. The lowest common denominators of ALL age groups are just thumping their tiny chests right now because they smell blood and suffering. That usually brings out the worst, if you know what I mean.

Answer 2

Gay is beginning to mean something that is weak, rather than an insult to homosexuals.
As for 'retarded', it's either an extreme insult, or American kids just don't know what it means.
My bug-bear with them is when they use the word 'awesome' to describe anything.
There was a film in the early eighties called Bill And Ted's Adventure, and it used 'awesome man', or 'cool, dude', as it's 'catchphrases'.
It was the pre-cursor to mindless TV and so-called 'yoof' films, which has ended up with the likes of Jackass being box-office success.
I can only speculate that they have never been near a dictionary or Thesaurus, perhaps even a library, in their fetid, little lives.

Oh, It's so awesome, and cool, and you are so gay for asking that. You should have known already, retard!

Answer 3

It's ironic that 'gay' is still defined as being an adjective describing something MERRY, BRIGHT or LIVELY in Merriam Webster's dictionary? Homosexual is the 4th definition.

It's true that the spoken language steers what the written one becomes with widespread usage. We must presume that widespread ignorance fuels widespread usage, so how come 'retarded' has only one definition, which is an adjective and is still "slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress" by the same source?

Answer 4

Its not just American kids. Here in Britain the most common insult amongst the 8-14 age groups is to call something or someone gay. Most of the time it's not meant in its true context as referring to a homosexual person or act, but it has to that age group become part of their lingo for meaning something bad, and it's a slang phrase that gets passed on from year to year

Answer 5

A persons inferiority complex is often expressed by statements of superiority or attempts at demeaning specific groups of people. The insecurity of that individual is clear to see for those who know what to look for;) And lots of folks don't make it all that difficult to spot.

The current trend you've identified is merely a passing phase, yet remains indicative of so much self-doubt by so many.

This isn't just American in occurence - but a symptom of ever-increasingly unrealistic expectations of achievement, success and power found in numerous nation-states where children are constantly hounded to do well.

We're poisoning ourselves and our children with a toxic psyche. And we're taught to expect that that is OK.

That's why.

Answer 6

I am assuming you are European. I saw a Brit that was describing our humor as "pants". That is the word he used, P-A-N-T-S. That may make sense to you but it was just silly to us. There are different vernaculars used in different places at different times. I'm sure you already know this. Over in Europe its called a lorry, over here it is a truck. In Europe its called a ***, over here it is a cigarette. In Europe its called the loo, over here it is the bathroom, the can, the crapper, the John, etc.

The young now use the term "gay" and the term "retarded" to mean lame. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.

Answer 7

I personally don't call things gay or retarded, but I do say dude. I think it's just force of habit.

Answer 8

Don't worry, us Brits say stuff we don't like is gay, too, but unfortunately nowadays it isn't politically correct to use the word "gay" in a derogatory manner. However, the fact that it is politically incorrect makes it even cooler.

I often comment that slow or hesitant drivers are "gay" or they "drive like a gay".

Also, it is medically proven that fags "queer you up" and therefore it is true that smoking is gay. It also "takes one to smoke one", so read into that what you will.

Answer 9

at the same time as those who've little preparation and/or low IQ, they lack any style of severe questioning or analytic means, so that they waiting to trust the Media hoax.:"...really the Media & Gov are so vast and so superb...they could no longer be incorrect or deceitful.." it extremely is the final line of taking into consideration the generic public, and matter on the political vogue of the community, the dumb public may swallow entire those stupid propaganda. If the Political vogue of the community is "Cannibalism is moral", then each and each and every of the fools will prosecute the non cannibalists . so as the present hoax of the so-called "epidermic" of all adult males as pedo and all women human beings are Godess who love toddlers.

Answer 10

I think they use the words gay and retarded because they see these words as meaning someone or something that is different. If something is gay or retarded, it's not right (or lame) in their eyes because they don't understand it.