What do you say to someone who keeps saying stuff like "That's so Gay"?- Page 2

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 5:59pm

thats so ghetto? what the hell is that supposed to mean? lol.
Updated On: 6/19/05 at 05:59 PM

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 6:13pm

"I'm always telling people off for doing that. Unfortunately, they still don't get it. Now they'll just say "that's so gay" then give me a look and go "no offence." Ugh. We have so many adjectives in this wonderful language of ours; you couldn't find ONE suitable word that isn't offensive?"

That happens to me!

[grizzabella]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 8:53pm

"That's so gay."

I suggest blank stare followed by "Your point is?"

You also suggested that the person in math class saying this didn't know the meaning of the phrase. If this is actually true, would enlightenment help? Done quietly and privately?

[Jimmyojimmy]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 8:59pm

TheaterDiva that is so funny.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 9:17pm

I've actually heard kids say it who are about 7/8 years old at the after school program I work for sometimes. I generally say to them "do you even know what that means?" and get a look followed by "no" and then I tell them not to say something if they don't even know what it means. If they do know what it means I say that they shouldn't say it because everytime they do they're offending someone even if its someone they aren't speaking to, if they overhear it, its still rude.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 10:05pm

At a first "offense", I'll politely ask that they don't say that because I find it rude or offensive. I'll ask or say "I really don't like when people do that, etc...". Same with the similar usage of "retarded." That one really gets me, also.

OR I'll make a passive agressive crack, like "yup THAT situation is definitely attracted to situations of the same gender. YUP."

Updated On: 6/19/05 at 10:05 PM

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 10:33pm

My Fair Lady: It's so annoying! They're consciously aware of what they're saying and that it's inappropriate, but they don't care. I can't believe people can have so little regard for other people.

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 6/19/05 at 11:48pm

I suppose I'm not that easily offended. I just don't relate to what pisses most of you people off. It's cool though.

[Marquise]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:36am

i don't say anything...

they get punched in the mouth. . .HARD

[paradox_error]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 4:55am

I'm with CM2.

It doesn't bother me...

[Justice]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 10:19am

Actually, the "That's so Ghetto" is used a lot at my job...mostly by black people who live in or have grown up in the projects. I have been told on many occasions that I am so "ghetto". (I have also lived in the projects) Of course, in the restaurant where I work, we do get the "ghetto" crowd at times. The thing is, that most people who use this term do not know where the word "ghetto" comes from, nor do they realise that "ghetto" was a term used in World War 2 for all the Jews who were forced to live poorly in one area.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 10:54am

I'm not terribly offended by it, but it still doesn't sit well with me. I usually end up making some funny but not funny crack to the person who said it to let them know it's inappropriate.

However, I do find the "retard" comments VERY offensive, and usually end up correcting whoever says it by saying that I have a couple of retarded relavites in my family, and the have never acted that foolish. (and it's not a lie)

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:02am

It's usually pretty obvious that it's meant derogatorily - and if that's not offensive to someone, then they have a much higher tolerance for rudeness than I do.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:08am

I find it humorous most of the time. However, I've never understood "ghetto" for the very reason that you describe, Justice.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:10am

I think, DG, that I mostly see that in younger folk who don't know better. When I say something, I usually get a pretty decent response. I guess part of it is when I worked at a day-center for gay youth at-risk , they used it A LOT, so I prolly became a touch disensitized to it.

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:15am

I'm much more offended by "retard" comments. In fact, I'm not offended by "gay" comments, at all. The only offence I take is when people make fun of or hurt people with disabilities; children or the elderly. That's my only cause in life; and the only thing that will get me to cause physical harm on someone.

[Justice]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:27am

I call people retarded. But isn't the word "retarded" unPC? Isn't it true that the word retarded has been replaced by Mentally Challenged? Which is why I don't see how it's offensive...because I don't consider mentally challenged people retarded. I consider my bosses at my job to be retarded.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:55am

If I hear, "That's so gay" from a friend, it doesn't bother me. Everyone knows I'm gay and I know what they mean. Usually, it's just an old habit from the days when the saying was actually quite popular. If I do hear it in a rather offensive manner, then I usually reply perkily, "Sounds perfect, then!" I don't hide my gayness in the least. If people don't hide being hetero, then why should I? If someone doesn't realize I'm gay, I just consider them to be rather unobservant or incredibly naive. 99% of the time, no one uses that phrase around me anyway.

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 11:58am

I find "retarded" extremely offensive too, and when people use it I just usually say "how does that relate to my cousin?" or something to that extent (I have a cousin with Down's Syndrome). They'll usually ask what I'm talking about, I'll tell them, and it'll shut them up. Again: this is only if I know the people I'm talking to. Otherwise, I'll just silently fume.

Mini rant: There's this kid in my homeroom who uses both "retarded" AND "gay" derogatively, and finds people with mental disabilities and homosexuals "weird." My homeroom teacher, a friend of mine, and I have tried to get a few more of his brain cells to start functioning, but to no avail. Half of my joy in school ending came from the fact that I won't have to deal with him again, until next year. He makes fun of those people so freely and finds absolutely nothing wrong with it. ARGH. I seriously want to beat him with my history textbook, sometimes.
End mini-rant.

[LucilleAndLeoFrank]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:07pm

A conversation I had recently:

Classmate-Jimmy, are you gay?
Me-Yeah. Why, are you interested?
Classmate-HELL NO!!!!!!! Why would you think I was a queer?
Me-Well, the only reason one guy would ask another guy if he were gay were if he were making a pass at him, right? I'm with someone right now, but I can fix you up with a friend if you want.

That pretty much shut him (and everybody else) up.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:15pm

Elizabeth_DeBris - Sounds like that guy needs some negative reinforcement therapy. Every time he says something like that, you or one of your friends needs to be nearby and kick him in the nuts. If he uses a term that is less offensive, then he may be rewarded with a Twizzler. After a couple of weeks, he will associate the derrogatory use of "gay" and "retard" with testicular pain and no longer use them. He may be sterile, but that is probably best. Not only for him, but for America.

Updated On: 6/20/05 at 12:15 PM

[Justice]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:27pm

By the way...the definition of retarded is not exclusive to "mental retardation". According to some of the definitions, they describe my bosses perfectly, so I can say that my bosses are retarded.

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:36pm

Mister Matt: I don't know... we tried a similar technique on my dog (minus the kicking), and it didn't really work so well. If it didn't work on Georgie, I don't really know how well it would work on Stephen. However, if he would wind up sterile either way, it's definetely worth a shot, and I'll look into this some more. Thank you!

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:42pm

And the definition of gay is not exclusive to homosexuals, thus the use of it to mean whacked. People can spin their use of words, anyway they like. Everybody needs to stop being so victimized by words. I mean, if you can't handle words, what the hell can you handle? It's a cold, cruel world out there. We don't live in the world you'd like it to live in. It's what it is. You make the most of things. Pick your battles. Everything can't be a battle. Well, it can, but you'll be a pretty miserable person for it. People can say gay, queer, faggot, retard, n*, limey, spic or whatever they like, to their hearts' content. I'm not out to make the world politically correct. In fact, I don't want it to be. But, you make a disparaging remark to a person with a disability around me, where you personally belittle that perosn, you'll live to regret it.

[Justice]

Posted: 6/20/05 at 12:57pm

If I were to say "This thread is retarded", how could that possibly be offensive? Like I said, I do not consider menatlly or physically disabled people "retarded" as that is not PC. (My bosses are not menatlly or physically challenged - they're just slow and stupid - which is one of the definitions of "retarded")
But, when referring to something being "Gay" as "Whack", that is not one of the definitions in any dictionary. Therefore, my point is valid, as opposed to those who actually say "That's so gay".