Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Improper Use of the Word Gay
10076952
COMS 369 L2
Fortunately for you all, you have never had to sit through a holiday supper in the presence of my family. While most would admit to the occasional disagreement between their parents or siblings at the table, my family manages to get into a full on debate that usually results in someone angrily storming away and a few doors being slammed. Despite this sounding horrible and slightly traumatic, we actually manage to discuss topics that are fairly important and relevant to the world around us and occasionally someone may end up with a new perspective on an issue they once felt so strongly about. This past Thanksgiving dinner, I had the privilege of accidently setting off a dispute about the improper use of the word Gay in a derogatory manner. At the time, I yelled at myself for causing such a large argument, but looking back I see how valuable it was for all of us to hear various opinions on such a controversial subject.
Before I moved to Calgary last year, I was a frequent user of the word Gay to describe something I was unfavorable towards. While I am not homophobic, nor do I discriminate against Gay people in any form, it had just become a part of my every day vocabulary because it was a component of everyone else’s. However after I changed cities, it wasn’t long before I noticed that not many people I hung around were using it. I realized that while the people I used to spend time with had no problem with using Gay in a negative manner, I had no idea how to know whether that was an acceptable word around these new individuals. It also dawned on me that I could be speaking to or be within ear-shot of someone who was either Gay themselves, or just simply took major offense to this type of expression. It was then that I knew I had to stop using it, and it wasn’t long before I was free from that bad habit. It was from all of this that I had developed a new view on this sensitive subject, one that matched that of my dad’s, but fell flat with my mom and older brother. Mid debate, I was shocked to see how passionate I had become about the improper use of such a small word that managed to obtain such a large amount of divisive attention in our world.
As most of you know, the word Gay was originally used to describe feelings of happiness back in the early nineteenth century. It was later on decided in the twentieth century that Gay could also be a term used to refer to a homosexual. Those who now tend to use Gay in slang form can use this previous change in definition to their advantage, claiming that if a word’s meaning can change once it surely can change again. The problem with this is that most of those who do use Gay as slang are using it either to describe something they dislike or to insult someone, regardless of their actual sexual preference. Gay is now one of “the most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the association of Teachers and Lecturers” (Denise Winterman). And while it may seem recent to most of us, the term gay was actually used as an insult and in slang form all the way back in the 1970’s (Winterman). However for some reason it only reached its peak in popularity during our generation’s use of it. Obviously the major trouble with the word Gay is that it has so many different meanings behind it now that you can’t truly tell when it’s being used in a negative or homophobic manner (Mr. Thorne). But these statistics are telling us that the majority of users, especially children, are using it in terms of an insult. I fear that this is something that simply isn’t being addressed enough.
The opposing argument at the dinner table that night was once again that the meaning behind the word had changed and it no longer necessarily referred to sexual orientation. While I must agree that connotation can evolve over time, I am also curious as to whose standards? The meaning of a word cannot be changed and simply accepted by all, especially when the original purpose of the word was created to describe a certain demographic. Gay is most certainly not the first controversial word used by the public. Similar to gay, the term retarded had a change in association when it began to be used as a form of describing something as dumb. But most of us can remember the Black Eyed Peas famous song, Let’s Get Retarded, which after a couple weeks of radio play it was changed to Let’s Get it Started, after realizing how offensive the original version was. This argument can also be made in addressing the use of the N word. Somehow people decided that since they weren’t using it in the same way that people had in the past, this made it acceptable to once more bring it back into our vocabulary. However controversy struck when actress Gwenyth Paltrow received major backlash after writing a tweet which incorporated a song title by Kanye West and Jay Z that just so happens to include the N word in it. Regardless of how much you claim to not be discriminating against mentally challenged people, and despite how much you claim not to be racist, and apart from how much you claim not to be homophobic, there will always be people who choose to use these terms in a negative approach, and it is because of that and out of respect for those who it offends that it simply isn’t right to use these words. To sum it up, your personal opinion and your personal use of the word does not matter in the slightest.
The most common ways people choose to defend themselves when using the word Gay as slang, is: “it’s just a word”, “meanings change”, and my personal favorite, “I’m not homophobic, so I can use it”. But, if it’s just a word then why can’t you just as easily pick another one? Meanings can change, but how do we know which meaning you are ascribing to it when you use it? And finally, the people that hear you say Gay, don’t actually know how you feel towards homosexuals. For all they know, you are a homophobe. So now I ask all of you, is it worth it to possibly insult someone who already feels insecure about who they are? Is it worth it to make someone feel like a word used to describe them is also suitably used to express something they are unfavorable towards? Is it worth it to make someone feel like there is something wrong with them? Ridding your vocabulary of a word that you so often use can seem intimidating especially when the majority of the time it is used unconsciously. But I now present you with the challenge of becoming more aware of the word choices you make. You’ll be amazed at how many times you may use this offensive language during the course of a day. Don’t be one of those people who support the improper use of the word gay. If I am making it sound simple, that’s because it is and if I can do it, so can you.
For More Information...
Winterman, Denise. "How 'gay' became children's insult of choice." BBC News. N.p., 18 Mar. 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2012..
COMS 369 L2
Fortunately for you all, you have never had to sit through a holiday supper in the presence of my family. While most would admit to the occasional disagreement between their parents or siblings at the table, my family manages to get into a full on debate that usually results in someone angrily storming away and a few doors being slammed. Despite this sounding horrible and slightly traumatic, we actually manage to discuss topics that are fairly important and relevant to the world around us and occasionally someone may end up with a new perspective on an issue they once felt so strongly about. This past Thanksgiving dinner, I had the privilege of accidently setting off a dispute about the improper use of the word Gay in a derogatory manner. At the time, I yelled at myself for causing such a large argument, but looking back I see how valuable it was for all of us to hear various opinions on such a controversial subject.
Before I moved to Calgary last year, I was a frequent user of the word Gay to describe something I was unfavorable towards. While I am not homophobic, nor do I discriminate against Gay people in any form, it had just become a part of my every day vocabulary because it was a component of everyone else’s. However after I changed cities, it wasn’t long before I noticed that not many people I hung around were using it. I realized that while the people I used to spend time with had no problem with using Gay in a negative manner, I had no idea how to know whether that was an acceptable word around these new individuals. It also dawned on me that I could be speaking to or be within ear-shot of someone who was either Gay themselves, or just simply took major offense to this type of expression. It was then that I knew I had to stop using it, and it wasn’t long before I was free from that bad habit. It was from all of this that I had developed a new view on this sensitive subject, one that matched that of my dad’s, but fell flat with my mom and older brother. Mid debate, I was shocked to see how passionate I had become about the improper use of such a small word that managed to obtain such a large amount of divisive attention in our world.
As most of you know, the word Gay was originally used to describe feelings of happiness back in the early nineteenth century. It was later on decided in the twentieth century that Gay could also be a term used to refer to a homosexual. Those who now tend to use Gay in slang form can use this previous change in definition to their advantage, claiming that if a word’s meaning can change once it surely can change again. The problem with this is that most of those who do use Gay as slang are using it either to describe something they dislike or to insult someone, regardless of their actual sexual preference. Gay is now one of “the most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the association of Teachers and Lecturers” (Denise Winterman). And while it may seem recent to most of us, the term gay was actually used as an insult and in slang form all the way back in the 1970’s (Winterman). However for some reason it only reached its peak in popularity during our generation’s use of it. Obviously the major trouble with the word Gay is that it has so many different meanings behind it now that you can’t truly tell when it’s being used in a negative or homophobic manner (Mr. Thorne). But these statistics are telling us that the majority of users, especially children, are using it in terms of an insult. I fear that this is something that simply isn’t being addressed enough.
The opposing argument at the dinner table that night was once again that the meaning behind the word had changed and it no longer necessarily referred to sexual orientation. While I must agree that connotation can evolve over time, I am also curious as to whose standards? The meaning of a word cannot be changed and simply accepted by all, especially when the original purpose of the word was created to describe a certain demographic. Gay is most certainly not the first controversial word used by the public. Similar to gay, the term retarded had a change in association when it began to be used as a form of describing something as dumb. But most of us can remember the Black Eyed Peas famous song, Let’s Get Retarded, which after a couple weeks of radio play it was changed to Let’s Get it Started, after realizing how offensive the original version was. This argument can also be made in addressing the use of the N word. Somehow people decided that since they weren’t using it in the same way that people had in the past, this made it acceptable to once more bring it back into our vocabulary. However controversy struck when actress Gwenyth Paltrow received major backlash after writing a tweet which incorporated a song title by Kanye West and Jay Z that just so happens to include the N word in it. Regardless of how much you claim to not be discriminating against mentally challenged people, and despite how much you claim not to be racist, and apart from how much you claim not to be homophobic, there will always be people who choose to use these terms in a negative approach, and it is because of that and out of respect for those who it offends that it simply isn’t right to use these words. To sum it up, your personal opinion and your personal use of the word does not matter in the slightest.
The most common ways people choose to defend themselves when using the word Gay as slang, is: “it’s just a word”, “meanings change”, and my personal favorite, “I’m not homophobic, so I can use it”. But, if it’s just a word then why can’t you just as easily pick another one? Meanings can change, but how do we know which meaning you are ascribing to it when you use it? And finally, the people that hear you say Gay, don’t actually know how you feel towards homosexuals. For all they know, you are a homophobe. So now I ask all of you, is it worth it to possibly insult someone who already feels insecure about who they are? Is it worth it to make someone feel like a word used to describe them is also suitably used to express something they are unfavorable towards? Is it worth it to make someone feel like there is something wrong with them? Ridding your vocabulary of a word that you so often use can seem intimidating especially when the majority of the time it is used unconsciously. But I now present you with the challenge of becoming more aware of the word choices you make. You’ll be amazed at how many times you may use this offensive language during the course of a day. Don’t be one of those people who support the improper use of the word gay. If I am making it sound simple, that’s because it is and if I can do it, so can you.
For More Information...
Winterman, Denise. "How 'gay' became children's insult of choice." BBC News. N.p., 18 Mar. 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
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