Tarv wrote
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because Homophbia exsists and is very prelevant in todays communities people choose not to come 'Out of the closet' thus making it a choise to live as a homosexual. It might not be fair but it is real.
That's not accurate at all. They are not CHOOSING to live a homosexual life style, they didn't have a choice in that. They are CHOOSING to not admit openly that they are gay. Their choices are A) Openly admit they are gay and know that many people will not treat them fairly based on their lifestyle, Or B) Hide the fact that they are gay and not have to deal with the hatred from homophobes.
Also, hatred against Jewish people is also concidered racism among other things and that is based on a religion, not the way people look either. You can call that a lifestyle choice also.
I was a teen in school in the 80's and Gay as a term meaning lame didn't exist on Long Island NY. This is a more recent term. The fact that it is a commonly used term does not mean that it's right or acceptable.
Also Note, I never called anyone Racist or a Homophobe for using the term gay, I merely said it was rude wheather it was intended to be or not and didn't show proper concideration to people who were gay. I did however refer to Vaanan as rasist when he wrote...
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This post is now really so gay. Here Yanari is again beating the homosexualness into all of us heterosexuals. I know I am wrong, because I don't bow down to the gay rights movement. Gays have no rights, no more than I do as a hetero. I don't go around saying "I'm here, I'm straight, and I'm in your face!" But the gays just LOVE to thrust that crap in our faces. It's really just, to borrow a term, gay.
Which you might not see any longer based on filter setting which has now knocked it off my screen. His post was meant to be offensive and a slap in the face to a good portion of the posters in this thread as well as the gay community in general.
Many other people who use the term gay to mean lame obviously don't realize that it was used originally to put down gay people and while they may not mean to offend, don't realize the are offending all the same. As in my example, a lot like some people in the south who use the term "jewwed" to mean cheap or to cheapen not meaning to offend Jewish people, but it being offensive all the same. The fact that you didn't realize it was offensive or mean it to be offensive doesn't mean it should become a commonplace acceptable term.
The point in not using the term gay to mean lame is the same reason we don't used the term "colored" or "negro" to descibe a black person. While those terms were accepted and common, and I'm sure their are even people who still use the term today, it doesn't make it acceptable or right. Those terms are concidered at best inconciderate and at worst outright racist.
In the 1800's and early 1900's when people from Ireland were comming to America in droves, people hated them as bad and in a lot of cases worse that Black people because the Irish were coming to America as unskilled laborers doing things for very little money just to get by. If you were Irish, you were despised and hated. Personally, even though Irish people(such as myself) are generally all white, I still call that racist. Racism is a hatred of any group of people for just about any reason. Being Irish isn't a "race", it's a nationality, but the term still applies in my opinion.
I don't think it's a matter of people needing to lighten up, I think it's an issue of people needing to become more educated in treating people,
ALL PEOPLE, with respect and sensativity. Certain terms are disrespectful to people and people should be more aware of what those terms are and how they hurt some people. Not knowing the origin of how the word took the disrespectful meaning it has is not an excuse. As people grow up and/or become more educated they realize more and more how their words and actions effect other people.
These words and actions even come into place in online games like Everquest, ANYPLACE where people are dealing with other people. Even in simple actions such as "inspecting" people. ALL that is asked is a little concideration such as asking "May I inspect your gear?" It's such a little thing and takes almost no time and shows respect for the person you wish to interact with. All ANYONE wants is just a little show of respect, in both words and actions. Too many people SAY they are respectful to others, but then their actions don't back up their words.
Btw, I can't see what being a sailor has to do with the word Jack. I served in the United States Navy myself and don't recall any references myself unless they are new. I'll assume you are just using hypebole for the sake of the post. My middle name happens to be John, but I take no offense at a restroom being referred to as a "john" or a prostitute's client being referred to as a "john". Those terms aren't meant to belittle a people. The term gay to mean lame WAS! People who use the word today may not realize that and not mean it in the context to offend gay people, but the fact of the matter is that it was created with that use for the sake of offense. Not, as a parallel evolutionary meaning that happened to coincide with the word as people defend it to be.
Edited, Sun Mar 28 14:59:31 2004 by KerikDaven