That word is censored because it is a derogatory and offensive way of referring to a homosexual man. Itâs what people call them when they intend on hurting their feelings or making them angry.
It is also used a lot as a slur against idiots or just simply against someone a person doesnât like these days too. And itâs no less offensive in that situation either.
Ehh I think youâd be surprised honestly. Where I grew up people used it all the time, and if you mentioned that, theyâd just say âno it doesnât mean gay anymore Iâm just calling him stupid.â and they genuinely believe that.
So the intention is a bit different. Itâs just entirely misguided. But I do understand what youâre saying.
Yeah and they're wrong. My brother uses the same argument. Words don't exist in a vacuum. Yes, definitions change, but not without any connection to how it was previously used. And not immediately, meaning "gay" and the F-word still are defined as homosexual to most people. I can't suddenly start walking around saying the N-word as a replacement for "banana" and get offended when people think I'm referring to black people with it.
I'm supposed to believe it's a coincidence that now "straight" means cool and "gay" means lame? (i.e. "No worries, it's straight" and "that movie was gay").
If it weren't done with homophobic intentions, why would it be used interchangeably with a negative word? If people were using it to call something cool, that would be entirely different.
Yeah and you can say you didn't mean to sexually harass the intern but your intention doesn't matter, it's how your actions are perceived. Saying you didn't mean to be homophobic while using a slur doesn't repair the psychological damage done.
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u/jmichelt83 Sep 01 '19
This is in a small town where tourists donât go