Homophobia verses alleged racist remarks

[Shaggy]

A gay person at work was telling me a story. He said he'd taken up a new hobby. The exact words he said to me were, "I know this sounds really GAY but I have taken up this new kind of yoga and it's really tough..."

Even a gay person was using the word "Gay" in a different context. The word does have other meanings I would say, both official and non official ones.

Similar reclamation going on as with the whole 'n**ger' thing. Doesn't make it right for others to go round using it as an insult or disparaging term.

A gay mate of mine uses it a fair bit..."I know this is uber gay" etc.

Gay has two meanings - happy, and homosexual. That's it.

[Angryred]

Similar reclamation going on as with the whole 'n**ger' thing. Doesn't make it right for others to go round using it as an insult or disparaging term.

A gay mate of mine uses it a fair bit..."I know this is uber gay" etc.

Gay has two meanings - happy, and homosexual. That's it.

Aye, whereas ****** has black & thick going by the TV terms!

[little dave hedgehog]

gay is descriptive. sometimes when you dance, it's actually gay. insulting a guy on the internet isn't gay unless there's a dick in your mouth or something. if a guy isn't doing anything that's legitimately gay, then you wind up insulting all gay people, because you're just mindlessly insulting the guy. if he's just sitting there and you call him gay, then you're saying there's something wrong with you because you're gay. ergo you are saying being gay is wrong.

[saj]

Similar reclamation going on as with the whole 'n**ger' thing. Doesn't make it right for others to go round using it as an insult or disparaging term.

A gay mate of mine uses it a fair bit..."I know this is uber gay" etc.

Gay has two meanings - happy, and homosexual. That's it.

I think you'll find it has many more meanings than that. Although I doubt this is in the Oxford Dictionary, but Google's definition of Gay came up with this:


Dictionary
Search Results

gay

adjective /gā/ 
gayer, comparative; gayest, superlative

1. (of a person, esp. a man) Homosexual
- that friend of yours, is he gay?

2. Relating to or used by homosexuals
- feminist, black, and gay perspectives

3. Lighthearted and carefree
- Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face

4. Characterized by cheerfulness or pleasure
- we had a gay old time

5. Brightly colored; showy; brilliant
- a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas

6. Foolish; stupid
- making students wait for the light is kind of a gay rule

noun /gā/ 
gays, plural
A homosexual, esp. a man

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define%3A+gay&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=liy&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&q=gay&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=xnZXT5zgDseX 8QPRs4DzDg&ved=0CC0QkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf .,cf.osb&fp=e325bd1c2d99c923&biw=1024&bih=585

Pay special attention to number 6.

[little dave hedgehog]

the fact that it's in a dictionary doesn't make it any more palatable. i'm sure the n word is in there too.

[Shaggy]

The **** kind of dictionary is that?

Anyway "n**ger" is in the dictionary too.

The Oxford Dictionary, which I have on my lap, says this:

1. (of a person, especially a man) homosexual:
that friend of yours, is he gay?
relating to or used by homosexuals:
feminist, black, and gay perspectives

2. lighthearted and carefree:
Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face
brightly colored; showy; brilliant:
a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas


Any further additions will be slang/informal - which is the point we're arguing. Yes it's used - doesn't make it right.

[dom9]

Similar reclamation going on as with the whole 'n**ger' thing. Doesn't make it right for others to go round using it as an insult or disparaging term.

A gay mate of mine uses it a fair bit..."I know this is uber gay" etc.

Gay has two meanings - happy, and homosexual. That's it.

Uber happy.

[saj]

The **** kind of dictionary is that?

Anyway "n**ger" is in the dictionary too.

The Oxford Dictionary, which I have on my lap, says this:

1. (of a person, especially a man) homosexual:
that friend of yours, is he gay?
relating to or used by homosexuals:
feminist, black, and gay perspectives

2. lighthearted and carefree:
Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face
brightly colored; showy; brilliant:
a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas


Any further additions will be slang/informal - which is the point we're arguing. Yes it's used - doesn't make it right.

I'm not saying it's wrong or right. I'm just saying it has other meanings. I'm not arguing with you or disagreeing with you, but how old is the dictionary you have? They are updated regularly and previously used words/meanings that were slang have entered the dictionary as official meanings. The online Oxford Dictionary has interesting definitions of the word gay too:

gay

Pronunciation: /geɪ/
adjective (gayer, gayest)

1(of a person, especially a man) homosexual.
relating to or used by homosexuals: a gay bar

2 dated light-hearted and carefree: Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face

3 dated brightly coloured; showy: a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas

4 informal not impressive, stylish, or attractive: he thinks the obsession with celebrity is totally gay

[dom9]

It's ****ing disgraceful and I try not to think about it too much.

Regarding racism first, hopefully I'm not opening a can of worms here. In terms of racism by football clubs as employers, football seems to be being run with equal opportunities. All players have the chance to reach the pinnacle of their game regardless of their background, rightfully. Earnings and stature are unhindered by race and fans across all races are idolised equally. Which is how it should be. There is very little sign of discrimination which is a great thing, and racism is stamped on immediately and not tolerated. The English leagues are a shining example of this, right through to grass roots. I'm not talking about the FA, I'm talking about 'the game'.

Do you think aspiring back football managers are given the chance to reach the pinnacles of the game regardless of their background?

I remember John Barnes once saying that he had aplied for about 50 managerial jobs over the years and not got one interview. You could argue that he is a **** manager. You could arge the same about Phil Brown, Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, and loads of the other usual suspects over the years.

[little dave hedgehog]

to be fair, an obsession with a celebrity is a little bit gay.