I've been wondering about this for some time

[razzleccentric]

How 'gay' became children's insult of choice (the UK viewpoint).

If you play any kind of MMORPG, you've had to put up a million six adolescent nitwits calling all kinds of things and situations they don't like "gay" - using that word the way I'd call something bogus (yes, I'm that old), stupid, or crappy. In the last two years I don't think I've *ever* heard a random player online say "gay" with the meaning intended to be "homosexual".

Vive l'anthropologie linguistique!

Comments

[folkchick3.livejournal.com]

Interesting article (and responses) I will tell you that my children used the term "gay" in that sense only once, and never again (at least not in my hearing.) Not only were they reminded what it actually meant, but also reminded how many of our friends actually are gay or bisexual (most of them), what it feels like to be bullied and called names, and how they (the boys) were certainly not raised in my house to put people down or belittle them for ANY reason.
Sticks and stones aside, adults lie - words DO hurt.