A couple of bloggers have commented on this topic recently: World Wide Punk has first hand experience and so this is gay compares to other minority group insults while uhm... tries to see the funny side. An article here suggest that parents need to do more - but at least we have Ashton Kutcher supporting us! God help us all.
We need to turn the use of the word gay around completely and use it as a compliment all of the time! For example:
To say nice things to a man on his appearance: "He dresses so gay"
To state that you approve of a joke: "Your humour is so gay"
To show favour for a guys football skills: "That pass was well gay"
To say that someone did a good job: "You're so gay for pay"
(maybe not the last one)
On a similar note, a recent episode of Family Guy received many complaints. I love Family Guy simply because it's funny and can certainly go waaaaay over the line. I saw the "gay episode" this week and although it was funny in places, it wasn't one of their best. The use of the gay stereotype as a running joke didn't work and they seemed to rely on gay guys acting like little girls because they had ran out of ideas. I'm not camp and don't mince around and I don't know many guy guys that act like that. However, the scene that received most coverage was an orgy and I couldn't see what there was to moan about as it wasn't very funny!
And finally... on this beautiful day in Hertfordshire, I have some important news to share with you: I have achieved a feedback score on eBay of 500!
oh Family Guy... i love that show. i don't think i'd get all up in arms about it since they pretty much go after anyone and everyone. i love their "You've Got AIDS" song. so wrong, yet so hilarious...
ReplyDeleteBesides, isn't Stewie gay? I love his fantasies of hanging out with his teddy bear, Rupert.
The use of gay as an insult frustrates me too. I always ask people what exactly is homosexual about xxxxx.
ReplyDeletehey, it's tdub all the way from TEXAS...!
ReplyDeletedude--great post on the use of "gay" and i'm thrilled you ran across my blog on the topic.
i originally posted it as a reply to a thread on queerty.com on the family guy episode. [the husband and our boys LOVE that show and i could see the boys looking out of the corner of their eyes at us while they were watching this particular episode. i think the show is crass and can't stand it...but i do get that it's brilliant. i just don't like it altho i know with episodes like that, i just need to learn to laugh at myself!]
anyway, my ex-wife and friend pointed out that "gay" (just like the n-word) has power if we let it. i like the ideas of reclaiming the hateful words and you know what--in some regards, it can and COULD be a compliment, say, when complimenting a typical dismally dressed straight who has suddenly gotten some fashion sense and ditched the flipflops, trimmed his nosehairs, and actually ironed the cabana shirt by saying "Dude! You look SO GAY!"
i like that. ;)
my response?
yeah, i'm GAY, so what. you're a cretin.
maybe that can be the new insult.
That's so cretin.
and dude-- your blog is SO gay! :)
look forward to reading thru your blog.
peace // tdub
Yep, the mis-use of the term gay as a pejorative is a by-product of the straght centric world we live in still and the folowing hang over as gay being something less, something lower.
ReplyDeleteWinning the word back won't be easy though.
Effing good post there sport.
ReplyDeleteI hate the way 'gay' is so often used to term something negative, bad, wrong, nonworking,
I also hate the lack of support from the media as a whole about the issue, for example the fact that the BBC gave their blessings to Chris Moyles after he repeatedly used the term on his radio one show.
Maybe he'd watch his mouth if he knew secrets about what he used to get up to in the sauna when he worked in Milton Keynes was out in the public domain.
But I love the anon comment -The use of gay as an insult frustrates me too. I always ask people what exactly is homosexual about xxxxx.
We run a gay travel company from Hitchin, which I guess is not a million miles away from where you live.
ReplyDeleteLast year we ran the 'so gay' campaign which was an attempt to reclaim this phrase as a positive one. The campaign was a small one which achieved global success, much to our surprise and all because the governor of South Carolina objected to it.
Check this out -
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=86436
It was all a bit surreal really.
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ReplyDelete