You're WRONG! (And it pee's me off)

Pessi · Thu 22/01/2004 11:02:34

Quote from: DGMacphee on Wed 21/01/2004 23:44:46
There's this movie reviewer in Brisbane called Des Partridge.

I like his reviews, but he gets his facts wrong every now and then.

Man, that's an admirable attitude, DG!

DGMacphee · Thu 22/01/2004 11:11:33

QuoteI remember (back in the old days) being in school, and hearing someone spend basically an entire hour proclaiming that Visual Dbase was "Mega gay!" and "So fucking GAY!" and "Such a gay boy!"

Mind you, I guess VDb IS something of a sexual predator.

I've heard fanatical religious groups say they don't hate Visual Dbasers; they just hate VDb.

Pessi: I figure if he's the only person I've got to complain about being wrong, I'm doing well.

Ali · Thu 22/01/2004 16:04:39

They recently carried out a survey among british school kids. A significant number placed 'gay' as a synonym for 'broken', as in: "My computer is being gay".

The adults of the future are going to have an interesting take on sexual politics - and electrical repair.

DGMacphee · Thu 22/01/2004 16:17:21

Not that there's anything wrong with computers interfacing with same-sex computers.

In fact, how does one distinguish genders in computers?

Do they have transgendered computers too?

SSH · Thu 22/01/2004 16:18:04

That's just silly: if computers could be gay then nerds and geeks would have much better dress sense...

Boot
Award BIOS check
Memory check complete
NVIDIA GeForce 2MX 400 32MB
Webcam installed
Oh my god! What are you wearing? White socks!
I'm not going to start up until you've got yourself some Armani...

DGMacphee · Thu 22/01/2004 16:25:30

LOL, SSH.

Queer B-Eye-OS For the Straight Guy.

Andail · Thu 22/01/2004 16:45:14

Well, since the meaning of gay initally was just "happy", I guess it was an ever greater controversy when it became synonymous with homosexual.
Language changes all the time, so I don't think it's anything to get upset about when a word slowly transforms into something new.

DGMacphee · Thu 22/01/2004 16:58:51

You're full of lies, Andail!!

Next you'll be telling us some other bullshit story about how the word 'faggot' used to mean something wacked out, like a bundle of sticks or something!!

As if we're stupid enough to believe that!!

Captain Mostly · Thu 22/01/2004 17:01:14

I've no problem with words starting to mean new things. But this just isn't one of those occasions. The people who say "my computer's being gay" when they mean they've broken are just making flippant homophobic comments simply because it's the current trend. We're not witnessing language develop here (indeed, people regularly interchange "gay" with "queer" "fag" and "bum boy" when talking about stuff that's broken, so let's not pretend it's about one work taking on a new meaning) it's just perfectly fine for people to say "people like that are GAY!" because no one ever tell's them to fuck off and die.

You wouldn't get away with it if you said "people like that are such blackies!" or "my computer's being such a nigger."

Would you just chalk that up to "a word slowly transforming into something new" - thus nothing to get upset about? Because I know a LOT of people who wouldn't! Even though "black" was a word for a colour before it was a word for a subset of society.

DGMacphee · Thu 22/01/2004 17:06:41

http://www.bash.org/?167435

SSH · Thu 22/01/2004 17:31:27

but Captain, meaning "bad" is one step on the way to meaning "good"... look at words like "bad", "wicked", etc. and just listen to some gangsta rap and you'll find plenty of other derogatory words used in a non-derogatory way.

See also:
http://oblivio.com/mejeffdorchen/moments/moment_sogay.html

So when I say cool, I mean it's red-hot!

Andail · Thu 22/01/2004 18:03:50

Oh captain my captain

Yeah I get your point. I didn't realise you had the discriminating factor as an argument, I thought you were basically upset about children using words in the wrong way.

Although I must say that I don't find it a very big problem; homophobia has lost pretty much ground nowadays (things like Queer make-over and pride parade or whatnot shows a change in the trend), and gay people seem to be pretty indulgent themselves toward invectives based on their sexual orientation. (If you've hung out with gays, you know what I mean; they pretty much ask you to make discriminating and conservative remarks, just for the fun of it)
IMO, there are so many social groups treated far worse and more discriminating that the whole controversy gets a bit jaded.

But yeah, your "black" example still stands.

PS: Heck, you should be grateful that I even bother to pick up your purely anglo-american issues! :p

shbaz · Thu 22/01/2004 18:05:54

I always thought it'd be hilarious to make a male-male or female-female socket and plug, and call it a gay or homo cord.

But then, I'm an electrical engineer. I find all kinds of dorky shit like that funny.

bspeers1000 · Thu 22/01/2004 21:47:36

Quote from: DGMacphee on Thu 22/01/2004 16:58:51
You're full of lies, Andail!!

Next you'll be telling us some other bullshit story about how the word 'faggot' used to mean something wacked out, like a bundle of sticks or something!!

As if we're stupid enough to believe that!!

My understanding is that "faggot" never meant "a bundle of sticks" but in fact meant "a bundle of firewood." The connection comes from the early inquisition, where gay men would be burned alive as "firewood" for witches. This is why the Nazis repopularized the term when they sent gays and lesbians into the concentration camps.

This is in part why I find "so gay" so offensive. Why not just say "oh, that is so jew" instead, while we're picking on victims of the holocaust.

TheYak · Thu 22/01/2004 21:48:11

Quote from: Andail on Thu 22/01/2004 18:03:50
Although I must say that I don't find it a very big problem; homophobia has lost pretty much ground nowadays PS: Heck, you should be grateful that I even bother to pick up your purely anglo-american issues! :p

Somewhat. I have to agree that society as a generality is a bit more tolerant than it was, say, 10 years ago. The adult members of society are much more tolerant than they used to be but there's a disturbing trend apparent. As one of the facets of rebellion against their parents, most 10-18 year-olds in my area seem to be either greatly homophobic or vociferously anti-homosexual in general. Of course, you could assume that it's primarily limited to my locale within the US. I've got a 34 mile drive to San Francisco and my general area is widely considered to be one of the most liberal in the US. As some minor semi-evidence that I know of what I speak, I have discussed the matter with my former step-kids (aged 15-9) and their friends. I also live within a hundred meters of an elementary school and hear what the students say while they walk past my house. I also live next to a house that's used as a daycare facility during the day and it would appear that even 5-6 year olds are being taught by their child role-models that 'boys & boys' or 'girls & girls' is something sick, unnatural, twisted, etc.

Despite anybody here's view (whether you believe it to be genetic, environmental, a sin or not), I would hope that none of us advocate any doctrine of hate.

This message isn't a rebuff of Andail's post, rather an On-Topic clarification of one of my current irritations. It seems like most of another generation is being raised (as I was) in a non-accepting fashion. Hooray. $:-\$

MrColossal · Thu 22/01/2004 21:49:40

Quote from: bspeers1000 on Thu 22/01/2004 21:47:36
This is in part why I find "so gay" so offensive. Why not just say "oh, that is so jew" instead, while we're picking on victims of the holocaust.

Eric knows someone who's never played an online multiplayer game before...

shbaz · Thu 22/01/2004 22:12:42

Eric, what?

Do people actually say that outside of the Arabian states?

Trapezoid · Thu 22/01/2004 22:29:58

I think gay is a perfectly cromulent term to describe someone or someone that's flamboyant, maybe, even though that doesn't pertain to all gays, but it's less of a stretch then gay's last change of meaning. (happy)
As a synonym for anything bad, dumb, or broken, though, it's pretty moronic. But there's no point in scolding people for using it like that. It's only a SYMPTOM of bigotry, if anything. Like, what's the point of scolding Hitler for saying "Jews suck"?

And I think Eric's referring to the word "j00" as in "I H4X0R J00"

Ben · Thu 22/01/2004 22:41:00

Quote from: bspeers1000 on Thu 22/01/2004 21:47:36Why not just say "oh, that is so jew" instead, while we're picking on victims of the holocaust.

Actually, I remember a lot of kids using the word jew in a derogatory way when I was in eighth grade or so.. "OMG taht computer is bein liek sooo JEWISH LOLOL!!!11". Slurs are becoming part of everyday speech, and I don't think it's going to change any time soon.

Trap makes a good point too. Why make a fuss about the use of a word when the misunderstanding and hostility is much deeper? Teach compassion first, and a more careful use of language will come naturally..

shbaz · Thu 22/01/2004 23:27:26

Ah. I don't play online multiplayer games, so that explains it.

I think I use racial slurs way too much too, because I grew accustomed to doing it a lot with my roomate. First it was "cripple" and "gimpy" when he had a torn ligament in his leg, and then when he came into good repair since he's of irish decent and has the sterotypical red hair/blue eyes I call him tater. Fortunately I made up the term as a racial slur so far as I know and nobody really understands what I'm talking about. Yufster, SSH, sorry.

I gave him a hard time about the crutches because he once broke my rib. I remember when we first moved into my dorm I forcefully demanded, "Move faster cripple!" and my RA looked at me in shock and remarked, "As he's affectionately known.." I don't think he knew that we were familiar with each other. Made it all the more funny at the time.