Still not sure when it’s ok to say “gay”? Let this flowchart be your guide.
Originally published at itspronouncedmetrosexual.com with special thanks to Bob Black by Sam Killermann.
Editor’s additions:
If it’s to describe anything or anyone in a negative way? Still a no.
There are people who prefer other terms besides gay. When in doubt, a polite ask goes a long way.
There are still people who use it in its traditional meaning of happy and carefree. Not often, though.
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We’ll be better off when grown men refuse to consult a cutesy flowchart to determine what they’re allowed to say. Speak your mind. Or don’t. But don’t let somebody else determine for you what’s allowable.
JB
* unless you want to be a functioning member of society.
Works better than you think. You’re overestimating the dysfunction that results from honestly speaking your mind … and underestimating how completely dysfunctional a word-policed exchange can be. I’ve seen online forums so paralyzed by ‘trigger-warnings’ and arbitrary language-rules that nobody can say anything without accidentally violating some law they didn’t even know existed. For every cutesy flowchart you’ve seen and memorized … there’s two dozen you didn’t even know existed.. There aren’t nearly as many rules as some would have you believe. We’re all adults here. Just say what you’re going to say, and trust that grown people can handle… Read more »
The flowchart may be cutesy, but are you really arguing that you shouldn’t consider how your words affect others at all?
Sure, if you’ve got something meaningful to say, don’t be afraid of offending people by saying it. But there’s no need to be needlessly offensive. Because using “gay” as an insult is needlessly offensive in pretty much any context you might use it.
Bit of a logical issue with the flowchart . The bottom right section allows calling something gay as long as the flowchart user is sure that the item is or is not associated with gay culture. This effectively allows any “thing” -concept, group, object to be called gay. Perhaps adjust the chart so that answering “No” to “Does it have anything to do with gay culture?” leads to your gray cloud result.
But I just want to be happy and carefree but it seems to have been left out of the chart.
The writer in me couldn’t resist 🙂
Acknowledged and noted. 🙂 ~Editor