Heard that at work today. It irritates me that there is still so much hatred towards gays, and that it's still socially 'acceptable' to call things/people gay, fag, whatever. We live in a rather 'politically correct' world nowadays. Most people will at least look at you weird, if not say something, if you were to go around calling black people niggers, or asain people gooks, or assuming all middle eastern people are terrorists, or any of the other 'once acceptable' terms for people other than white. Shit, I'm surprised that they are still allowed to sell a chewing tobacco called Red Man, with a generic Native American chief as the logo.
I'm getting so tired of hearing people say all that. I can tolerate it when it's some random person, but when it's people that I know, people that I care about, it really tears me up. I'm glad no one in my family does it. My younger cousins do, but I'm trying to fix that. It's hard though when everyone they hang out with does it too. I did try to explain to them that there could be people around them that they care about, that are gay and no one knows, and that saying that really hurts them. They hadn't thought about it that way, so maybe there's hope.
I don't know. I like to think that it'll change, but I really don't know anymore. I wonder sometimes what the people around me would do if I came out. Most, I like to think, wouldn't care. But the ones that say all that shit all the time, I wonder if they'd stop, keep doing it, or just abandon me altogether.
The other day, I was hanging out with Anthony after work. He occasionally uses gay as a derogatory word, even though he doesn't have a problem with homosexuality, and has a lot of gay friends. He asked if it tore me up inside every time he said it around me. And so I told him, yes. But it wasn't as bad with him, since I knew his feelings towards gays. But I was glad that he acknowledged the fact that he said that around gay people, and that there might be repercussions.
I don't know. I need sleep. I'll fill you guys in on what's been happening soon. Going to the 'Great Minnesota Get Together' (state fair) tomorrow, so I should get some sleep.
Hope you guys are well.
143
_Kevin
Came across this video and thought it was cool. Vulgar, but cool.
This song was written about racism, but I think it holds true for sexuality too. One more reason to love Rancid!
Geometric Wallpaper Design Patterns
4 years ago
Have fun at the fair!
ReplyDeleteYou won't have seen the BBC series "Outnumbered" (or maybe you have, i don't know) but the new episode last night had one of the younger characters, Ben, say "That's so gay" only for his mum and dad to both tell him off.
ReplyDeleteThe episode was about a funeral and the guy who died was gay and it was just hilarious how they handled the perceived awkwardness, while still shedding a positive light on the subject.
If the BBC (on of the UK's biggest institutions)can handle it so well then you would hope it will have a positive effect on their viewers!
Rowan <3
Sometimes words evolve, Gay didn't always mean homosexual. It has simply evolved into another word for dull, lame, boring etc.
ReplyDeleteI for one am happy to let it go. If there is no malice behind it, why bother getting upset about it.
Well, MOM, it's ignorant, that why folks should be upset by it.
ReplyDeleteRo, that's such a cool thing to be said about the BBC...
You Brits are SOOO much more advanced than us Neanderthal-minded Americans...at least you gay Brit boyz...lol!
Love,
-Andy
But as I said, the word has evolved, for the most part it is no longer a term used to describe gay men and is simply a new word for uncool.
ReplyDeleteWe can find ways to be offended in everything if we look hard enough.
But it's still condescending of gays as the connotations are still there. It implies that gay = bad.
ReplyDeleteMany people who use it to describe things may just say it out of habit and not realise the effect it has on some gay people, but it does still have a negative meaning behind it regardless of how it has evolved.
Mind Of Mine - At least in my part of the world, gay is still widely used to describe homosexual males, and females. So to hear people all over saying it like it's a bad thing, hurts. It wears down your resolve after awhile, and it messes with your head. I agree that you can be offended by almost anything if you look hard enough, but to me, gay is still being used as a derogatory word, and I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I like to consider myself a punk. So when I hear people describe someone as a punk (meaning bad, low-life, thief, whatever), there's a part of me deep down that gets offended, because that has nothing to do with what real punk is. Punk became a word to describe 'less-than-favorable' people. But I know that most people aren't even aware of what real punk is, and that they don't mean anything by it, so I let it go. It's not the same way with gay. At least not yet. If some gay people aren't offended by it, then more power to them.
143
_Kevin
Hey Kevo...
ReplyDelete(May I call you Kevo??? Too late...lol!)
"Punk became a word to describe 'less-than-favorable' people. But I know that most people aren't even aware of what real punk is..."
Are you refering to the punk music genre, which has its genesis in the US and UK in the early 70s?
If so, the pejorative meaning of the word "punk" has been around MUCH longer than the Ramones.
Just sayin'.
:-)
-Andy