Here is a New York Times editorial response by gay ex-NBA player John Amaechi to Kobe’s use of an anti-gay slur. Please read it. It is an eloquent explanation of why what Kobe said is unacceptable.
This link is an article about the PSA shot by GLSEN, the Ad Council and the NBA with current NBA players Grant Hill and Jared Dudley directed at young people with the message that using anti-gay slurs is “not cool.”
The PSA was filmed coincidentally on the same day Kobe dropped his double F-bomb. What a different message to young people Grant and Jared are sending. This PSA will be part of the Think B4 You Speak series which has so successfully called attention to the negative effects of the ubiquitous school put down, “That’s so gay.” The NBA shoot is part of GLSEN’s efforts to focus on K-12 school sports and physical education through their new project, Changing the Game (which, in the interests of full disclosure, I am directing).
“That’s so gay.”
ReplyDeleteWebster Dictionary: gay
(1.)joyous and lively; merry (2.) bright; brilliant (gay colors) (3.)[Slang] homosexual
Taken from the second college edition,paperback version, of Webster's New World Dictionary, copyright year, unknown.
Why can't we return to the original meaning of the word gay? First, slang has never been considered proper language. Second, there's an American historical era (now lost to most) known as the Gay '90s (1890s), which has little or no historical association with homosexuals. Third, it's a great word for expressing happiness. Fourth, kind of personal, but I find it nearly impossible to use gay today in its original, well-defined context, without running the risk of being misunderstood.
This word has been hijacked and abused over time. Why not rehabilitate it to its original use and meaning? GIVE BACK THAT WORD!
I don't know that I'd call "gay" a slang word. It may have started as such, but it's become an accepted descriptive: Gay Studies, Gay Rights etc.
ReplyDeletePlenty of words have double meanings. Just because you're uncomfortable using them doesn't mean you shouldn't. :-)
Thank you, Helen. Your correctness is duly noted. My comments were intended as humor. A sad lament on how the English language changes over time.
ReplyDeleteMy original reply to you was dumped into a Google Black Hole, so suffice it to say, the world gets too serious at times. A bit of levity makes the world more civil.
Thanks for putting a smile on my face, Helen. I look forward to reading more of your comments in the future.
Even though that they have different sexual preference. I think that Kobe should respect him.
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Thanks for your article, quite useful piece of writing.
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