Is it too much to ask people to stop using the phrase "that's so gay" as though it is synonymous with "that's so stupid?" You might see being gay as an insult or something bad, but it is no more an insult than someone being Catholic or Mormon; straight; black or Hispanic; or male or female. "That's so gay" is a ridiculous saying and is only demeaning to the person saying it because that person has fallen into falling in line with the popular people and prove that it is hard for him/her to think for himself/herself.
The phrase has become so commonplace that I can't go anywhere today without hearing people use "that's so gay." The other problem with it's frequent use is that people only feel like they need to apologize for its use when they know that the person they say it around is gay. I have been around co-workers and friends, even some family members, who say "that's so gay" and then quickly turn to me and apologize. To make it worse, however, I simply shrug it off and say, "That's okay. Don't worry about it." Simply shrugging it off takes away from the awful phrase and its unfortunate effect on the phrases continuing use. By shrugging it off, I am telling those co-workers and friends, "Go ahead and use it. Just don't use it around me."
"That's so gay" is not something that should be continued in everyday conversations, much like swearing. My mother, on swearing, has always said that people who swear can't think of better words to use and show their knowledge of appropriate dictionary words when they can't speak without swearing. This same idea can be applied to the use of "that's so gay" as a demeaning statement. Is it too much to ask for people to consider their words before they speak and allow their intelligence to show?
The phrase has become so commonplace that I can't go anywhere today without hearing people use "that's so gay." The other problem with it's frequent use is that people only feel like they need to apologize for its use when they know that the person they say it around is gay. I have been around co-workers and friends, even some family members, who say "that's so gay" and then quickly turn to me and apologize. To make it worse, however, I simply shrug it off and say, "That's okay. Don't worry about it." Simply shrugging it off takes away from the awful phrase and its unfortunate effect on the phrases continuing use. By shrugging it off, I am telling those co-workers and friends, "Go ahead and use it. Just don't use it around me."
"That's so gay" is not something that should be continued in everyday conversations, much like swearing. My mother, on swearing, has always said that people who swear can't think of better words to use and show their knowledge of appropriate dictionary words when they can't speak without swearing. This same idea can be applied to the use of "that's so gay" as a demeaning statement. Is it too much to ask for people to consider their words before they speak and allow their intelligence to show?
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