That's So Gay

[sparky]

I'm on the fence with this one. On one hand, I am extremely down on the whole politically correct bs. I am so politically incorrect that I offend people all the time. On the other hand, I know for a fact that there is an undercurrent to using that phrase for some people. For adolescent males, it's a way to distinguish themselves from a subject that makes them uncomfortable for countless reasons. It's a not so subtle putdown of homos and some but not all people who use the phrase are saying that there is something really wrong and bad about homos. And that can reinforce an environmental belief that can encourage more extreme expressions of that sentiment. When an entire group uses that as a catchall phrase...its hard to escape that the subtext is someone's identity or sexual orientation is equated with something wrong, not okay, or screwed up, its not a far stretch to feel its okay to lash out at those people. Not always. But it can be. Get a pack of 16 year old football players all wound up and the wrong thing gets said - pretty soon some nerdy, nelly gay boy's brains are on the cement. I'm saying this knowing how defenseless some scared gay adolescents can be.

There is a total double standard employed like other people have mentioned. People would be having a damned cow if there was catch phrase like "That's so nig" or "That's so kike". Can you imagine the uproar?

I see both sides of it. Language is not by definition violent and damaging, but it sure can express hostility well. Its all in the delivery and intent. And homo teenagers and younger kids are sometimes more vulnerable than others, even if they don't show it.

I'm not sure about banning speech. It seems extreme to me. Nonetheless, everyday some poor queer teenager is getting his or her head bashed in somewhere in the world. And frequently the schools don't give a damn about protecting them. So I don't know what the solution is. They use of such phrases doesn't always make those bad things happen, but I think the belief that they are always harmless can help foster an environment where such violence is probably more likely to take place.