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[JoshuaFH]

Josh?! Creating an actual discussion topic?! It can't be...

I was recently made aware of a certain ad campaign by the guys at PennyArcarde. It's called "Think Before You Speak" and it's apparently aimed at discouraging people from using words like "gay" in a derogatory sense.

This is the website:

http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/TheCampaign/

and I'm not entirely sure what to think. I can understand the intention, but the people that thought of this are detached from reality in the sense that they don't realize that they're combatting alienating people by alienating other people.

Also, Gabe, in the news section of the website:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/8/17/

Made it abundantly clear that the main offenders are people who aren't particularly predisposed to being agreeable or negotiable.

What do you guys think?

[Broose]

I don't really care for anyone who is offended that easily by misuse of a word.

[Vester]

It's just that calling someone a dyke or a fag or a homo isn't really very creative. I believe that the campaign is encouraging the Internet to use more well-thought out insults.

... or not.

Just for the record, being called a 'fag' and accused of 'man-loving' gets ironic when they do it to me. "Yeah I'm into men. What are you gonna do about it?"

[Enzo]

(long sigh, due to never being able to resist the potentially controversial topics. How long before the wall-of-text arguments begin on this one?)

While I'm all for the sentiment of the campaign, do they think this will actually make a meaningful impact? "Hey, I bet kids will stop doing this if we tell them it's irresponsible! Everybody knows that works!"  And where is the money for this is coming from? Is this really the best way to spend it?

Admittedly, I don't come from an area with a lot of outright homophobia, but it seems a little silly to run an entire ad campaign about not calling things gay. I've caught my gay friends using it as a synonym for stupid (much to my amusement). It's just sort of in the lexicon now, like it or not.

Am I still allowed to call things retarded? :3

EDIT : Also, epic fail on shortening "B4" but not "You". If you're going to use crap like that, at least be consistent.

[Neonivek]

I have little-no respect for Penny Arcade as it is and this campaign is rather horrible as it is anyhow.

My prediction?: Infighting YAY!

I don't like gay jokes (Ohh my goodness Yu-Gi-Oh abridged just STOP!!!), I don't like people using the word gay to mean just about anything (I like picking on people who do so in real life, "So lets get this straight, this chair is homosexual?"), however I no faith in this sort of compaign that will at best turn "gay" into a trap word.

Anyhow that out of the way Id actually would be surprised if I was an Etymologist at how the term "gay" evolved. I mean it originally meant happy, then it became a word to refer to homosexuals, and now it also is a nonsense word that means something is "bad/poor/stupid", and now there is a campaign to stop people from using the word to mean one of its new meanings.

Where is the campain for make people stop using the word "Good" to mean "Well" or "Decent Quality"?

Word wise it is all very confusing... This is all without even touching words that refer to people with mental handicaps.

I have more to say, such as how successful campaigns of this type work (which isn't like this), but I really don't want to be too ranty.

[Vester]

(long sigh, due to never being able to resist the potentially controversial topics. How long before the wall-of-text arguments begin on this one?)

While I'm all for the sentiment of the campaign, do they think this will actually make a meaningful impact? "Hey, I bet kids will stop doing this if we tell them it's irresponsible! Everybody knows that works!"  And where is the money for this is coming from? Is this really the best way to spend it?

Admittedly, I don't come from an area with a lot of outright homophobia, but it seems a little silly to run an entire ad campaign about not calling things gay. I've caught my gay friends using it as a synonym for stupid (much to my amusement). It's just sort of in the lexicon now, like it or not.

Am I still allowed to call things retarded? :3

EDIT : Also, epic fail on shortening "B4" but not "You". If you're going to use crap like that, at least be consistent.

Take Bob the Angry Flower's advice and call it "Advanced".

I have a couple of gay friends who in conversation don't address each other by name. When they want to call the other one's attention it's usually "Hoy, bakla!", which is close to "Hey, faggot!" It's actually pretty funny.

[Jualin]

Spoiler: Wall of text delivery. Sign here _______. (click to show/hide)

I'd swear we are more prone to this kind of behavior at this time, but I'm not at all certain why. Perhaps the internet is playing out Lord of the Flies with each new generation from here on out. Children, none even close to 20, away from parental supervision on the internet. Forming colonies, cultures, even the occasional language. When two cultures meet like this in the same person, this may lead to the dual meaning of words as both acceptable and grotesque. Then people feel a need to apologize when all harm done is only due to the victim's definition of harm, rather than the intent. But I digress.

Idle speculation can prove nor disprove anything. If it could, I would argue that I have more money in the pockets of any pants I care to wear than all the banks in the world will ever see. Speaking of which: foiled again! Curse you logic!

Just for the record, being called a 'fag' and accused of 'man-loving' gets ironic when they do it to me. "Yeah I'm into men. What are you gonna do about it?"

I get the same response whenever I respond to an insult with the statement "Only for you", or other such statements of affection. Regardless of gender, it's hilarious to watch any subsequent facial expressions.

Spoiler: A thought for the future (click to show/hide)

Whenever I see a program aimed at promoting equality, I am reminded that when true and full equality is acknowledged by all, it will be those same programs and TV shows and advertisements which will be the last bastion of discrimination between any groups. When their business is done, we will either learn to ignore their statements as a curio of the past or we will risk racism in the opposite direction.

[Zironic]

I don't care what people think. I'm an active believer in freedom of speech. If I say gay, faggot, homo or anything such then, take it in context. I have no hard feelings against people who find the same sex, both sexes attractive. I think everyone has right to feel how they want. But, when you actively tell me to stop talking how I want, I think you need to look at your ideals.

[Kagus]

Whenever someone calls me gay, I just respond with "you wish", unless there's some other more appropriate response available.

I really don't give a damn *what* words people use when talking to each other, I'd rather try and get rid of the reason for using derogatory terms than removing the term itself.  Or removing a derogatory meaning from a word.  Or whatever the hell this is.

[ChairmanPoo]

that it is a STUPID campaign.

Pretty much like the r-word campaign.

EDIT
Actually, let me rephrase it:

The faggotry of this campaign is appaling. It reminds me of that retarded initiative at www.r-word.org.

[Zironic]

Words are words. As long as people don't take to the streets breaking glass and causing issues, most of the time the things people say casually are oh God!, C A S U A L.

[ChairmanPoo]

these kind of campaigns are very much about wanting to look as if they are doing something without actually changing anything or having a real cause.

[ChairmanPoo]

Words are words. As long as people don't take to the streets breaking glass and causing issues, most of the time the things people say casually are oh God!, C A S U A L.

and yeah, I agree.

[Neonivek]

these kind of campaigns are very much about wanting to look as if they are doing something without actually changing anything or having a real cause.

Well this is Penny Arcade, so it shouldn't really be too surprising. (Are there T-Shirts related to this?)

Technically we are doing exactly what they want by referencing them. (I wish I could get a cut of their T-Shirt sales)

[Zironic]

Penny Arcade is making fun of them. It's a real cause, there are kids out there who struggle to be LGBT in an environment where people don't say nice things.. Oh wait, hello all of elementary, middle and high school for everyone.