Thats gay
By Kevin L. Nadal, PhD(Associate Professor of Psychology, John Jay
College of Criminal Justice – City University of New York)
When I was a little kid, I used to hear my brothers, cousins, and friends say things like “That’s so gay!” on a pretty regular basis. I would usually laugh along, hoping with all my might that they didn’t know my secret. My parents and other adults in my life would tell me things favor “Boys don’t cry” or “Be a man!” which essentially was their way of telling me that being emotional was forbidden or a sign of weakness.
When I was a teenager, there were a few boys at my high school who ridiculed me, almost everyday. When I walked by them in the halls, they called me a “faggot” or screamed my call in a flamboyant tone. I learned to saunter by without showing any reaction; I could not let them know that it bothered me, or else I would be proving to them that I was indeed gay. I didn’t tell anyone about the bullying (not my parents, teachers, or anyone) because admitting that I was being teased for being gay would mean that I was admitting to being gay. I had never felt so alone in my life.
In college, it got a little better. While I was no lon
That's gay [synonym]
... finding alternatives for 'that's gay' could be useful in diminishing the phrase's prevalence...
Campy is not precise enough... by definition: "providing sophisticated fun by virtue of having artificially (and vulgarly) mannered or banal or feeling qualities." Using the expression 'that is gay' in my context denotes something that isn't amusing or laughable, but strange in an uncomfortable way, and perhaps slightly prosaic.
ewie said:
How about whack? (Just a wild guess.)
By the way, are you looking for a synonyms that would be comprehensible to all English speakers, just Americans, just Californians ... ?Click to expand...
'Whack' is definitely suitable in the 'that sucks' context (eg. a ally tells you about their misfortune, and you react with 'that's gay').
As far as comprehension, I was initially thinking more along the lines of how an academic writer would convey the same definition (using lexicon with higher dignity), but I speculate any conventional synonyms are welcome.
COMMENTARY: Why “That’s So Gay” Is Okay…Or Not
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Language is powerful. There are a lot of factors as to what gives it power (love, lust, ire, hate), and we all interpret what we overhear differently based on our own experiences, our possess prejudices, or whatever mood we happen to be in at the hour. In this day and age, or at least in my own minute social atmosphere, people feel to be more sensitive to language than they’ve ever been.
Words, phrases, and expressions that have historically been PC are no longer acceptable, depending on whom you’re speaking to. Some people think we’re in a language revolution, aggressively ridding the planet of hurtful words and phrases for the betterment of mankind. Others reflect people are hypersensitive, creating a tense environment by making others hesitant to speak their minds even if what they hold to say is harmless.
Some words and phrases are definitely not okay to say, agreed upon by the general public living in modern society (e.g. several different ways to describe black people It doesn’t matter if it is a first grader who might not know what the pos “gay” means, a sixth grader trying to sound cool or a tenth grader “teasing” a confidant. All of these scenarios have the potential of creating an unsafe classroom or school environment and must be addressed. So, what can caring adults do? Keep it simple with swift responses: . What Do You Declare to ‘That’s So Gay’ & Other Anti-LGBTQ+ Comments?
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