Offensive Words That's So Gay

The use of severely offensive phrases can be commonly witnessed in all areas of today’s society. Many people have often wondered how the use of phrases and slurs that involve the word ‘gay’ will be perceived by people of the homosexual community. This has proven to be a very controversial topic because people have many different opinions about sexuality. McCormack argues that the use of phrases such as the phrase “That’s so gay” has become socially acceptable for some groups of people. He feels this way because many people from recent generations use this phrase very casually. However, only some groups of people feel this way. He believes that people from older generations use such phrases to be offensive and hurtful. His overall belief

He asserts, “When it comes to understanding the meanings and effects of language context is all-important.” (152). The author’s argument that all potentially offensive phrases and slurs about homosexuality should be looked at in the context in which someone is speaking. While context can thoroughly effect the way a sentence is perceived, not everyone is able to hear every conversation involving slurs in full context. Language is commonly heard in passing or in bits and pieces. This being said, phrases that could be taken as hurtful should not be used where other people could hear it out of context. It is very unlikely that a person will hear and understand a full conversation in passing, especially when the conversation takes place in public. Once, while eating in my University’s dining hall, I heard a conversation take place at the table beside me between two college students that seemed to be a bit graphic. This conversation involved the usage of many offensive words and slurs. I was not sure why two girls would discuss such things over lunch, but I had no way of knowing the context of the conversation, so I was not able to discern what their conversation meant or its importance. This is an example of how people in passing cannot tell the context in which potentially offensive phrases are used; therefore, such phrases should be avoided. If a phrase or word could be taken as hurtful, there is no need to risk hurting the feelings of others who may potentially hear a word or phrase out of context. There is absolutely no need to risk hurting the feelings of others when it can be avoided. Phrases are deemed as slurs because they are negative, hurtful and perceived differently by many people, making the context of the conversation an afterthought for many, especially young people. The speaker of