I need some mature opinions on this subject matter...?

Question

What do you think about kids these days (mostly people under the age of 25) using the words "gay" and "retarded" as synonyms for "bad", "horrible", "incompetent", "insufficient", etc.?

Gay is supposed to be a neutral term used to refer to the homosexual community. Retarded is supposed to be a scientific term to describe a person whose physical and/or mental development is delayed.

When people use these words just to describe something they don't like, how do you feel?

I am writing an essay on this, and I would like to gather some opinions. Once again, I would like some MATURE opinions and contributions on this subject matter. If you post anything questionable, I will report you

Something I should have added...

If these terms don't offend you, or you don't think anything of it, think of this:

How would you feel if a racial term that applied to you evolved the same way? i.e., if you're Hispanic, and people started using "Hispanic" as a synonym for "bad". Or Asian, White, Black, anything. Put yourself in that position. What would you think if you heard someone say "Man, I'm stuck in traffic, this is so Hispanic." or "Man that test was so Black"

Answer 1

I really, really hate this. My friend and I started saying "that's so straight" around people who use "gay" a lot just to make a point to them, but I guess that makes us just as bad...

I'm sorry but "Man, I'm stuck in traffic, this is so Hispanic." or "Man that test was so Black" made me laugh really hard, even though the real subject matter of this question isn't funny.

I don't like when people use "gay" or "retarded" to mean bad. It's not right and it's not fair. I often tell people to please not say those things around me, because it makes me really uncomfortable.

Answer 2

My dear young man, when I was still in High School, 30 years ago, people were still using the word "retarded" or "retard" but I can't ever remember them using the word "gay". In fact, I can't really place hearing the word being spoken around me even now and I do work with the under 25 crowd at the public library.
I do judge people by what they say and how they say it. I'm more concerned that the kids here don't use the f-word as verb, adverb, adjective and predicate. As for Gay? The Gay kids seem to have no problem making themselves heard when they want to be.
Retard, that's another problem. We have more than a few handicapped children and I come down hard on the kids who tease them (I have a mentally handicapped brother. He's permanently four) Retard as a word towards a thing or as an insult is not allowed.
Children, even older more quasi-adult children (teens) don't often realize how their words affect others and they really should be taught this. Parents used to, once upon a time.

Answer 3

I find it utterly offensive that people use words like that with negative connotations, especially because they are not intended to be. The word gay actually means "happy", and has since been used as a word in the homosexual community.

There have been times when I have been in conversation with someone and they have referred to something as being "gay" and I look at them and say "It's gay is it?" and the person said "Oh...I didn't mean it that way." I asked them how they meant it, and they got all flustered.

My 15 year old brother refers to everything as "gay" and everyone as "f*gs" and I get to angry with him. My mother told me that I can't get angry with him because he just doesn't know any better, and the best we can do is educate him. I told him once that he wouldn't use the N-word because it's offensive to people, and he shouldn't say "f*g" or use gay in a negative connotation because it's offensive as well.

I feel that is the same way for using the word retarded. However, with all the political correctness, I feel that retarded is offensive even as it's definition. Mentally or physically disabled appears to be the chosen term currently. If a kid got frustrated with something, instead of saying "This is so retarded" would they say "This is so mentally disabled!" No, they wouldn't. I may only be 22 years old, but I'm disappointed with the way people talk these days.

Answer 4

It bugs me a lot, the fact that it is so acceptable to use 'gay' in such a way just shows how prevalant homophobia is in our society where anything of a racial context would never be used so popularly because no-one would accept or allow it. The fact that it is such a common use of language just shows a general acceptance of homophobic slander.

I am guilty of using the word retarted, I do however feel it is somewhat justified if you think of what retarted actually means however I am also aware that it could be very offensive to some people and have tried to stop using it because it is a bit hypocrytical of me to be so upset of the use of 'gay' but to freely use the word 'retarded'

Also your additional note about if it was a racial identifyer that applied to you, someone recently presented what I feel is a really good example to use to try and show the kind of effect it could have and that is using a name.
Imagine if your name was "Tom" and every time something sucked people would say "that's so Tom" "It's so Tom my parents wouldn't let me out last night"
I mean really, wouldn't that just piss you off?

Answer 5

Using the term "gay" to mean "stupid" (or any number of other words you used above) used to bother my ex quite a lot to the point where he would say something to the offender.

Me? It kind of bothers me but I also consider the source. Today's youth are not exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer and I chalk it up to social inexperience, ego-centrism and just plain ignorance of the English language. I think it's a temporary blip in the grander scheme of etymology.

I'm sure that when the word 'cool' became vogue, parents of the kids using it were probably thinking "what on EARTH are they talking about?!?"

Squirrel: I agree with you but when have you EVER heard a young person formulate such a well-composed and crafted sentence "...I retarded the timing"? I'm not saying it DOESN'T happen but I think you're giving them a LITTLE too much credit. (I'm probably going to get a lot of 'thumbs down' for saying that...)

Query back: what about using "gay" as meaning "stupid" within a COMPLETELY gay social setting? Does that lessen it's impact any? Are we as gays entitled to use it as we see fit but deny other non-gays its usage? Is it like blacks calling each other the 'N' word as a 'term of endearment'?

Answer 6

I'm a classroom teacher in a high school. When my students use these or any other words in the wrong way, i explain the actual meaning of the word...retard actually is a verb meaning "to slow down"...and then ask why they use it to mean stupid. Words like the six-lettered "F-word" that kids like to call each other and other people who don't fit their norm is a hate word and I treat it as such. No difference from the racially derogatory words some really dense people like to use.

Answer 7

i circulate to make this short an excellent thank you to start i'm purely going to assert that i think of intolerance is exceptionally shameful as is making exciting of mentally challenged human beings. in my opinion i understand somewhat some human beings obtainable probable use those words intentionally with the given damaging context, yet I additionally think of somewhat some human beings use those words in a manner the place they have lost their unique meaning and have grew to become into some thing greater coloquial. case in point, the term "O.ok." or "ok" got here from the slogan "previous Kinderhook" observed by way of Martin Van Buren in a Presidential Election of 1840. Now human beings purely use it as a ability of asserting ok or positive. Shaking hands was once a manner of checking to work out if the different guy had a weapon; now this is a formality in etiquette. Even the information "****a" has grew to become from some thing horrendous into some thing casual. The observe "gay" used to reference some thing chuffed, confident? It did no longer initiate off meaning gay. What i'm asserting is that issues over the years can lose their unique meaning, sometimes in rather imprecise techniques. i'm unlikely to speak truthfully or negatively approximately utilizing those words yet i think of it is an thrilling way of watching the undertaking.

Answer 8

This is something that doesn't really bother me anymore. You have to look at the evolution of language. They really HAVE become actual synonyms; there's no getting them out of today's teenagers mouths. I mean... "gay" used to refer strictly to happiness and had nothing to do with the homosexual community. I do, however, dislike when frat boys refer to each other as "*******." That's another step entirely.

Answer 9

I think they're both horrible. They turn the terms into insults, which they aren't to begin with. Particularly if someone uses "gay" the wrong way (but really with either) I immediately assume that they're either ignorant or judgmental, or both. My reaction is usually to explain to them in an obnoxious lecture why they shouldn't use those terms. It works 'cause they stop just to get me to shut up :)

Answer 10

Well i am 32 and a manager of a news store, i have ten paperboys and when they use the word "gay" in a derogatory manner i make them stand in the corner and think about their words! I cannot stand the way its used personally, and i tell them the meaning of the word. Oh and i have sacked a boy for using the "fa**ott word!