• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Don't say "That's So Gay": GAMER Edition

Status
Not open for further replies.
Firestorm said:
People know the word "nigger" is offensive". They know that "chink" is offensive. However the words "gay" and "retarded" are used offhand by a large number of people to describe negative events without really thinking about how they affect others.
Think of the retarded gay nigger chinks!
Not that there's anything wrong with that





...

I don't know, the campaign makes a point and stuff, but really, the target audience doesn't listen / care. It's freaking 13yo mouthbreathers on XBL, for christ's sake. You can't expect them to take this to heart. Although that would be preferable, yes.
 
I feel offended that this ad has a black young male on it. This ad is doing more harm than good in my honest opinion. I for one cannot take this ad seriously.


Suairyu said:
And if someone could explain what "smh" is I'd appreciate it. I've seen it a lot lately and can't find it's origin.

I believe it means "shaking my head"
 
Saint10118 said:
The phrase? No.

Calling someone in hate gay or faggot has most certainly the equivalent purpose as calling someone a nigger.
It's an interesting comparison, they're both words that can be the preferred term by many, however, highly offensive in other instances. I use the term black, because it seems to be the terms most my black friends use. But if they all used nigger, who knows, maybe I would too. This is one thing from the OT version of this thread, I've always used the term gay for homosexuals because again, it's what gay friends use, but in there people were saying they prefer queer, which in the UK has some negative connotations.
 
Masked Man said:
I never claimed the power to say what's correct or incorrect--but I think I'm adequately equipped with the ability to tell someone that what they say offends me personally.

Of course dissent occurs within a minority: though they may be linked by one trait, a myriad of differences can likewise exist among them. I find it rather presumptuous on your part to assume that I made the comment out of a desire to, as you put it, "further [my] personal agenda." As much as I enjoy GAF (for the most part), my telling someone that I find "that's so gay" to be personally offensive could not even remotely serve as a means to improve my social standing or further my career.

Quit acting so self-important and open your eyes to the fact that people taking umbrage with latent or implicit discrimination has nothing to do with gaining political clout or personal profit.

It's either a case of you misreading or me not properly writing, but I was talking not about you but about the minority members who are usually behind these campaigns.

Personally, I feel ironic that people that fight for the freedom to live the life the way they want to live it would work towards restraining freedoms from others.

And you should open your eyes to the reality before you, where's money there's leeches, no matter the excuse; be it sexual orientation, religion or race.
 
stuburns said:
This is one thing from the OT version of this thread, I've always used the term gay for homosexuals because again, it's what gay friends use, but in there people were saying they prefer queer, which in the UK has some negative connotations.
Gay means happy, queer means weird / twisted. I mean, WTF??
 
Bpatrol said:
I just find it amusing how your terrible grammar and spelling reflects your terrible opinions.

Dude this is a forum, who gives a shit about grammar and spelling. Forum is serious business for many folks on here.
 
Suairyu said:
My argument is that being gay isn't a lifestyle. It's a sexual orientation. 'Gay pride' is something that makes me feel uncomfortable because it's (passively) telling me that I should be acting a certain way just because I find my own gender sexually attractive. There is no difference between overt 'gay pride' and overt use of 'thats gay', they're both low-level passive examples of sexual orientation discrimanation. They're each others opposites on the spectrum - social annoyances I'd love to do away with but can't.

And if someone could explain what "smh" is I'd appreciate it. I've seen it a lot lately and can't find it's origin.

Again Pride isn't about lifestyle or an orientation (because nobody chooses to be gay) it's about celebrating being happy with who you are. Knowing that I don't understand how anyone could possibly see "no difference between gay pride and "that's so gay." One seeks to make people feel good about themselves the other to equate who you are with something less than.

Oh and smh.
 
Saint10118 said:
Again Pride isn't about lifestyle or an orientation (because nobody chooses to be gay) it's about celebrating being happy with who you are. Knowing that I don't understand how anyone could possibly see "no difference between gay pride and "that's so gay." One seeks to make people feel good about themselves the other to equate who you are with something less than.
Ideologically, I'm sure you're right. In practise, come pride-rally time everyone dresses up in fruity colours, does fruity dances and sings fruity songs. PRIDE, like the word 'gay', has mutated and formed a new meaning separate from its original intention. It perpetuates the myth that gay = camp and all its variants. It's the LGBT 'community's own form of self-discrimination. That's why in practise I find it no difference than using the phrase 'that's so gay' as a synonym for 'that's so stupid'.
 
stuburns said:
It's an interesting comparison, they're both words that can be the preferred term by many, however, highly offensive in other instances. I use the term black, because it seems to be the terms most my black friends use. But if they all used nigger, who knows, maybe I would too. This is one thing from the OT version of this thread, I've always used the term gay for homosexuals because again, it's what gay friends use, but in there people were saying they prefer queer, which in the UK has some negative connotations.

This is why I specified "in hate." I'd prefer my friends call me by my name than calling me gay, but in the land of hypotheticals if your black friends want you to call them niggers... then by all means. I do think we both know that most certainly will never be the case.

Regarding gay versus queer in the UK, I'm pretty sure people wouldn't blink an eye being called a poof in the states or for that matter "puppies" as they do in Iraq.
 
Saint10118 said:
Again Pride isn't about lifestyle or an orientation (because nobody chooses to be gay) it's about celebrating being happy with who you are. Knowing that I don't understand how anyone could possibly see "no difference between gay pride and "that's so gay." One seeks to make people feel good about themselves the other to equate who you are with something less than.
It's the kind of insecure bullshit that comes from people just out of the closet who feel they aren't getting laid enough and blame the "flamers" for it.
 
Saint10118 said:
This is why I specified "in hate." I'd prefer my friends call me by my name than calling me gay, but in the land of hypotheticals if your black friends want you to call them niggers... then by all means. I do think we both know that most certainly will never be the case.

Regarding gay versus queer in the UK, I'm pretty sure people wouldn't blink an eye being called a poof in the states or for that matter "puppies" as they do in Iraq.

I didn't mean I say "hi black" to my black friends, or "hi gay" to gay friends, I meant when discussing those groups of people with those people.

And in the UK poof is bad, real bad, not aggressive, but never positive.. Poofter is a more common variant though.
 
Saint10118 said:
The phrase? No.

Calling someone in hate gay or faggot has most certainly the equivalent purpose as calling someone a nigger.
I 100% agree with your post, and the phrase "that's so gay" is completely different, even the bolded part.

Chaos Dragon said:
I feel offended that this ad has a black young male on it. This ad is doing more harm than good in my honest opinion. I for one cannot take this ad seriously.
I was wondering when someone would bring this up. They're sensitive about the phrase in the question, but not the kind of person they put in the ad. People assume blacks have the most issues with gays. Where's the sensitivity in that aspect? Why couldn't the subject be a white kid?
 
Suairyu said:
They try not to. They fail. Yes, that's a blanket statement given the amount of LGBT communities and organisations in existence, so bear in mind it applies to only my experience, but I constantly see them promoting the ideology of 'Gay Pride'. What the hell is there to be proud about?

It isn't about raising homosexuality above all other orientations and saying that "we're number one": it's about standing up and saying that we are proud of who we are and that we don't want to live a masquerade of heterosexuality to fit in with the majority. With the amount of discrimination toward homosexuals--both clear (bullying, gay slurs, hate crimes, etc.) and latent ("that's so gay," "quit being a faggot," etc.)--"gay pride" is a means by which we can assert our identities in the face of such hatred.

I'm sorry to see that your limited experience has created misconceptions, though.

Example: GayGamer's infamous Halo 3 video. He creates LIVE tag called "gaygamer". People then insult him stupid online. It is then used as the industry's prime example of homosexual discrimination. The truth of the matter: if your life is so completely without meaning that you have to use something as unimportant* as your sexual orientation to define how you present yourself to others, you shouldn't be socialising in the first place.

*Yeah, I know, it isn't unimportant right now. But it should be. Why do people always look shocked when they find out I really dig other dudes? Am I "not gay enough"? My sexual orientation is just a base fact of my existence, it doesn't change how I act around others in any concious way. For sexual orientation to broadly reach this golden target of 'unimportance', the gay community needs to by large stop acting like having a sexual orientation different from the norm is something to be proud of. My experience of LGBT organisations has been entirely counter productive to this aim.

The same logic applies to "gay pride" as it does to someone donning the epithet "gaygamer." While homosexuality need not define one's identity exclusively, it is nonetheless a component, and some people feel compelled to approach the issue proactively and be very public. If it makes that person more comfortable, then it likewise shouldn't matter to you or anyone else if he or she wants to make it important. It isn't that one's life is necessarily devoid of all meaning if he or she decides to make his or her sexuality a prominent part of his or her identity, and it's rather glib of you to make a judgment call as to who can and cannot socialize.

Furthermore, I can't discern whether you utilizing first-person pronouns hypothetically or if you are truly a member of the gay community. If it is the latter, then I suppose you're just different from myself and most other members of the community that I have encountered; if it is the former, however, then it sounds to me as though you aren't yet comfortable with your sexuality and are a little touchy about one's sexual orientation being publicly known, intentionally or otherwise.

That's probably why the change started, yes, I agree. But that doesn't change its current widespread meaning. People will grow up just accepting 'gay' can mean both 'homosexual' and 'rubbish/stupid/dumb' in different, unrelated contexts. They missed the changeover and thus missed the malicious intent. A lot of the words we use today are misused if we look back at their historical origin, that doesn't make trying to change their usage back into the 'correct' form any less of a folly.

edit - to be clear, I am not saying "accept discrimination". I am saying an LGBT organisation's role should be kept strictly to the legal. Once the law is changed to be orientation neutral, discrimination should be dealt with case-by-case only. Making blanket discouragements only leads to worse problems. Poster campaigns like this only highlight that being homosexual is 'not normal', or 'other'. Statistically it is, sure, but we shouldn't act like that.

I find it hard to imagine, though, that no one would make the connection between the two usages, however, regardless of whether or not they lived to see the misappropriation occur. Moreover, the aforementioned "malicious intent" is a key difference between the misappropriation of "gay" and the alteration or adoption of meanings in the case of other words.

And your proposal is rather disingenuous. While it would be nice if legal equality inherently begat social equality, such is simply not the case. Attaining equality on a social level is a much more grueling task, and thus requires all the more effort. I think it's also fair to say that even legal equality will be difficult to achieve if people remain unaware of the kind of discrimination that homosexuals face in society--or unaware of implicit homophobia, as it were.
 
FoneBone said:
It's the kind of insecure bullshit that comes from people just out of the closet who feel they aren't getting laid enough and blame the "flamers" for it.
I was never in the closet, the moment I was certain I let my friends know and that was that. And I get quite enough cock, thank you very much.
 
I think it is easy to relate when it is just, "Hey, this person is attracted to one sex and not attracted to another, and always has been, just like me". However, sometimes you encounter people who say they are "experimenting" or don't know what they are or at least not yet. I also know women who have had sex with men and later those men came out and said they were gay, and we have seen married men with children who later come out as gay.

I presume most straight men are like me, and most gay men also, in that they could not "do it" with the gender they are repulsed by, because as men, we are required to be genuinely aroused to do the deed and can't just play along or fake it like a woman could. Yet, by some people's own word, it appears to happen with them, and that gives the appearance of swapping teams mid game and therefore not being born that way.

I'm not saying it is a choice. I'm just trying to communicate politely a legitimate reason why I think it is hard for some to understand and relate fully to "born that way", in hopes that a patient person could shed some light on the subject and promote understanding between us all.
 
What? I don't get it. Saying that's so gay is equivalent to saying "that's so nerdy," not "that's so nerdy and anyone you does it is a total loser and sucks at everything." It's situational.

Hey man, stop making weird eyes at that guy, "that's so gay."

Hey man, stop playing WoW, "that's so nerdy."

Hey man, stop being so cheap with the tip, "that's so jewish."

It's stereotypical and disgusting, but I'm getting a different message from these ads.
Am I missing something here?
 
Suairyu said:
I was never in the closet, the moment I was certain I let my friends know and that was that. And I get quite enough cock, thank you very much.
At a bare minimum, your extreme ignorance of and resentment towards other gays suggest that you have a lot to work out regarding your sexuality.
 
Bitmap Frogs said:
It's either a case of you misreading or me not properly writing, but I was talking not about you but about the minority members who are usually behind these campaigns.

Personally, I feel ironic that people that fight for the freedom to live the life the way they want to live it would work towards restraining freedoms from others.

And you should open your eyes to the reality before you, where's money there's leeches, no matter the excuse; be it sexual orientation, religion or race.

I think it's more so that you were (and still are) addressing a tangential topic--and, since you quoted my post, it seemed clear that you were (for whatever reason) directing your comments at me.
 
I have more games then friends and im not offended if someone called me that, its true. I know many ppl, but friends that i can really call true friends i can count them with the fingers of just one hand.
 
Plus there's a lot of discrimination inside the gay community....and sub-groups and labels..
You're too gay..or too straight..if you're in the middle, then why you aren't more gay..or more straight.
If you go to Pride, why do you go to what its a disgrace to the gay community?
If you don't? Why? Don't you feel proud of who you are?
Bears, cubs, tops, bottoms, twinks, studs, gay for pay, jocks...

I may sound weird right now, but all I'm saying is that the "13-years-old-Halo-3-gay-screamer-player" is not the only one that needs to be educated.

Then I'll either be ignored or quoted with rants and curses and stuff..so .. :D
 
Suairyu said:
Ideologically, I'm sure you're right. In practise, come pride-rally time everyone dresses up in fruity colours, does fruity dances and sings fruity songs. PRIDE, like the word 'gay', has mutated and formed a new meaning separate from its original intention. It perpetuates the myth that gay = camp and all its variants. It's the LGBT 'community's own form of self-discrimination. That's why in practise I find it no difference than using the phrase 'that's so gay' as a synonym for 'that's so stupid'.

Pride isn't all about camp and making a scene, however that is 100% of what is depicted in the media. I would also point out that during my time in Tulsa pride parades had to walk past picketers with signs saying "Got AIDS?" Sometimes you have to be loud and have a sense of humor to offset some of the truly hateful shit that's out there.

Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin',
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in the big leagues,
Gettin' our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it's you and me baby,
There ain't nothin wrong with that. :D
 
Masked Man said:
I'm sorry to see that your limited experience has created misconceptions, though.
It really could be the case, I admit. My experience the local LGBT student body promptly ended the moment I found bi-sexuals weren't 'truly one of us'. Also, the vocal organisations performing very cringe-worthy public acts, like this poster campaign. I do understand their intentions - good intentions, really - I just think they're going about it the wrong way and I'm a little tired of seeing everyone going about it this way.

And your proposal is rather disingenuous. While it would be nice if legal equality inherently begat social equality, such is simply not the case.
I know, I do. My argument is that social equality is a much more organic process aided in part by legal equality and occurs over time. In my mind, poster campaigns such as this one inhibit this organic process. Also, trying to discourage word use is a bit silly. If it really is an issue, every comedian who makes the fact they are gay part of their comedy routine needs a stern talking to first.
 
fernoca said:
Plus there's a lot of discrimination inside the gay community....and sub-groups and labels..
You're too gay..or too straight..if you're in the middle, then why you aren't more gay..or more straight.
If you go to Pride, why do you go to what its a disgrace to the gay community?
If you don't? Why? Don't you feel proud of who you are?
Bears, cubs, tops, bottoms, twinks, studs, gay for pay, jocks...

I may sound weird right now, but all I'm saying is that the "13-years-old-Halo-3-gay-screamer-player" is not the only one that needs to be educated.

Then I'll either be ignored or quoted with rants and curses and stuff..so .. :D


It's the same with every group. I know people that are a lighter shade of brown that hate on people who are darker than them. I know white people who don't like their own kind because they act too "white".
 
FoneBone said:
At a bare minimum, your extreme ignorance of and resentment towards other gays suggest that you have a lot to work out regarding your sexuality.
If I resented other homosexuals it'd make sex pretty difficult.

And I should also perhaps clarify - I don't resent camp or flamboyance. If that genuinely how someone is as a person, great. To discriminate against camp would be ridiculous. My objections come from the perception I have (and I admit it is entirely subjective, coming from my own experience) of what appears to be a certain way many homosexuals feel they need to act to be properly gay. It isn't helped by gay artists/comedians milking the gay stereotype for laughs, such as Matt Lucas' "only gay in the village".

I don't see other homosexuals as a 'gay'. I let their personality speak for itself. If they're camp, sporty, funny etc. then that's cool. I don't see what there is to be ignorant about here.
 
Suairyu said:
They try not to. They fail. Yes, that's a blanket statement given the amount of LGBT communities and organisations in existence, so bear in mind it applies to only my experience, but I constantly see them promoting the ideology of 'Gay Pride'. What the hell is there to be proud about?

Have you ever seen this one of those videos of small children being shown, say, a black man and a white man, and being asked, "Which one seems nicer?" or, "Which one looks like a teacher?" or, "Who is probably a criminal?" and seeing them identify the black man as the negative things - as being more likely to be mean, a criminal, angry, and so forth - while the white man is identified as the positive things?

That's what happens to kids today, when explicit displays of racism are socially taboo. Now imagine what kids that age have probably picked up about gay people - just based on what they associate "gay" with. Open bigotry towards gay people is much more acceptable, and casual association between "gay" and anything negative is not just accepted, but expected.

Perhaps you were lucky, and didn't absorb that stuff when you were a kid, or it simply didn't bother you. But for a lot of people, there's a built-up sense of shame, or at least discomfort, with their sexuality. Gay pride parades serve many purposes - they're a fun event to go to, they're one of the few expressions of community solidarity we do, they're a celebration of one of the historic events in our history - but one of the more important ones is the message that they should be sending about self-worth and inclusiveness.

Gay pride, essentially, serves no different purpose than black pride did (and probably still does) - it's about promoting group solidarity and fighting the sense of shame or discomfort with oneself that is often subconsciously picked up by people as children.
 
Though Pride varies from state to state, country to country..
In some Pride is just a (badly organized) parade with a bunch of muscled nearly naked men, drag queens, and alcohol....and sex in every corner.

So, maybe Suairyu's experience was kinda similar..
 
Suairyu said:
My experience the local LGBT student body promptly ended the moment I found bi-sexuals weren't 'truly one of us'.

Well, yes, bisexuals are not "one of us" insofar as they are not homosexuals, but they are just as much part of the "us" as you are in terms of an LGBT student body.

Also, trying to discourage word use is a bit silly. If it really is an issue, every comedian who makes the fact they are gay part of their comedy routine needs a stern talking to first.

Again, though, it seems as though your limited scope is preventing you from seeing the different facets of the situation. Openly gay comedians who utilize their homosexuality as fodder for their routine are both connecting with gay members of an audience by discussing shared experiences and reaching out to a non-homosexual audience by relating similar human situations. Moreover, I think that asserting one's homosexuality in comedy serves as a means to maintain the aforementioned pride in one's identity and to challenge negative societal perceptions of homosexuality.

Metal Gear?! said:
What the fuck happened here?

(neutral) Metal Gear?!
Member
(Today, 07:21 PM)
Reply | Quote
 
Aenima said:
I have more games then friends and im not offended if someone called me that, its true. I know many ppl, but friends that i can really call true friends i can count them with the fingers of just one hand.

Yeah but most people think they have lots of friends because they have a huge list on facebook.
 
Masked Man said:
Well, yes, bisexuals are not "one of us" insofar as they are not homosexuals, but they are just as much part of the "us" as you are in terms of an LGBT student body.
The L and the G part of the equation didn't agree. I left in disgust. I heard of similar things happening in other universities. It didn't set a good example in my mind. Again, that's just my limited experience, but it just taught me to adopt a "jerks exist in all forms, so ignore it if it's passive" attitude. I accept that might be as counter-productive to social equality as all the things I've been calling out as such, but it's the only way I've remained sane.

Moreover, I think that asserting one's homosexuality in comedy serves as a means to maintain the aforementioned pride in one's identity and to challenge negative societal perceptions of homosexuality.
This literally is just a difference in points of view here, to be honest. I perceive it to be very deconstructive to homosexual acceptance, but power to those who believe it has the opposite effect, and I hope they end up right, not me.

Zeliard said:
You're taking what I said out of context. I have explained myself more fully than that. The very vocal, historical gay pride movements were of extreme importance of beginning social change and raising awareness. I've given my reasons why I believe gay pride in its modern form is less important. If you don't agree, cool, say why, but don't try to make me out to be entirely ignorant to the importance civil rights movements and the evil of prejudice and discrimination.
 
Suairyu said:
The L and the G part of the equation didn't agree. I left in disgust. I heard of similar things happening in other universities. It didn't set a good example in my mind. Again, that's just my limited experience, but it just taught me to adopt a "jerks exist in all forms, so ignore it if it's passive" attitude. I accept that might be as counter-productive to social equality as all the things I've been calling out as such, but it's the only way I've remained sane.
I think you just had a bad experience. I'm on the board of my school's GSA, and we have plenty of members who identify as Bi. Overall, we get a lot done.
 
Suairyu said:
This literally is just a difference in points of view here, to be honest. I perceive it to be very deconstructive to homosexual acceptance, but power to those who believe it has the opposite effect, and I hope they end up right, not me.

It helps if the comedian is actually funny. ;)
 
Somebody mentioned the other ads from the campaign, but I don't think they were posted:

dxzpxz.jpg
ogjbjm.jpg


b46cnb.jpg
260ssjl.jpg
2lmlxc6.jpg
 
I actually really approve of those text-heavy ones. They get their message across without being silly. Good show.

Bad show on failing to mention faggots are a delicious type of meat dish! (No! Not like that!)
 
Thanks for posting these Killthee

Killthee said:
Somebody mentioned the other ads from the campaign, but I don't think they were posted:

ogjbjm.jpg
Reminds me of a certain Mr. Phoenix....

@ Suairyu while it sucks that you've had a negative experience I would hope that you would give the group in the OT a shot as many there can be absolute scholars and gentlemen.
 
They're just stupid, when I hear the word faggot I do think of balls of meat in gravy, and when I hear dyke I think James Dyke, a lad I went to school with. Fags are cigarettes and queer is odd. These ads seem to assume anyone who reads them is a homophobic fuckwit.
 
i hate when things like this use the words 'please'.

in my town, there's a sign that says 'please don't drink and drive'. it makes me laugh, in a bad way, every time i see it. that's not something you need to be polite about.
 
Wow, I didn't realize they actually point out how the meanings of words change, which the exact argument that can be made against this campaign. Very misguided. I agree that while the campaign's intentions are noble, it is a complete failure.
 
stuburns said:
They're just stupid, when I hear the word faggot I do think of balls of meat in gravy, and when I hear dyke I think James Dyke, a lad I went to school with. Fags are cigarettes and queer is odd. These ads seem to assume anyone who reads them is a homophobic fuckwit.
I could be wrong, but you said earlier you're from Europe..which is why you "may not get it"..since the ads are targeted more to people in the US, since (for example) cigarettes are not fags... heck, I remember a TV program in the US on which one of the jokes in that episode was about an english man visiting the US and getting all kind of "lols" and "wtfs"..when he said "Care to share a fag?"..
 
stuburns said:
They're just stupid, when I hear the word faggot I do think of balls of meat in gravy, and when I hear dyke I think James Dyke, a lad I went to school with. Fags are cigarettes and queer is odd. These ads seem to assume anyone who reads them is a homophobic fuckwit.
I'm assuming from your previous posts that you're from the UK and if that's the case your immediate association with words is differs greatly from the states. Saying something like "that's so poof" would undoubtedly be offensive to many.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom