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LoneWolf
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We live in a troubled, confused land, and it will only get worse.
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MrFun
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of Iowa
Nov 2000
time: 23:27
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quote:
Originally posted by korn469
Boris and Asher
I lived a lie for over a year, and it really caused me to have some warped views on the people who i knew loved me, when it finally caught up with me, i thought for sure my mom was going to kill me, or hate me over it...so here's a question, was coming out to your parents (i'm assuming you have) one of the hardest things about being gay? |
I would like to answer your question, too.
I have been raised in a Catholic family, with three older sisters, and one older brother. I came out to my family and friends two days after I came out to myself.
The day that I came out to myself however, was traumatic for me. I seriously contemplated suicide, so I found my older brother's gun case -- it was empty. I don't know if anything would have happened, though.
Two days later, I came out to family and friends. I just wanted to get this difficult part over with -- and it was difficult, believe me, considering my Catholic background.
This is where I consider myself more fortunate than many other homosexuals raised in a religious family, regardless of denomination. My father had been dead for over a year when I came out -- my mother, and my older siblings have all made an effort (some more than others) to accept me for who I am. And my true friends stayed with me after I came out to them.
I did all this while still living in a rural pre-dominantly Catholic town of 300 people in eastern Iowa. Needless to say, I moved a year afterwards, and have been much happier in a much larger town in eastern Iowa.
None of my immediate family has ever disowned me, even though we might still have one or two issues to work out.
And Agathon can babble on however long he wants -- he can never change how I feel about such slurs, no matter how he intellectualizes it. If you can call his babbling intellectualizing.
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:27
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EDIT: Point was made, so unnecessary.
Last edited by Boris Godunov on 05-04-2003 at 11:04
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:27
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The definition of "lame" was never specific to the physically disabled.
Rather, the word was applied to describe physically disabled people later.
quote:
lame
adj 1: pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness; "a feeble excuse"; "a lame argument" [syn: feeble] 2: (of horses) disabled in the feet or legs [syn: spavined] 3: disabled in the feet or legs [syn: crippled, halt, halting] n : a fabric interwoven with threads of metal; "she wore a gold lame dress" v : deprive of the use of a limb, esp. a leg; "The accident has crippled her for life" [syn: cripple] |
quote:
gay
adj 1: bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer; "a cheery hello"; "a gay sunny room"; "a sunny smile" [syn: cheery, sunny] 2: full of or showing high-spirited merriment; "when hearts were young and gay"; "a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"- Wordsworth; "the jolly crowd at the reunion"; "jolly old Saint Nick"; "a jovial old gentleman"; "have a merry Christmas"; "peals of merry laughter"; "a mirthful laugh" [syn: jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful] 3: given to social pleasures often including dissipation; "led a gay Bohemian life"; "a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies" 4: brightly colored and showy; "girls decked out in brave new dresses"; "brave banners flying"; "`braw' is a Scottish word"; "a dress a bit too gay for her years"; "birds with gay plumage" [syn: brave, braw] 5: offering fun and gaiety; "a gala ball after the inauguration"; "a festive (or festal) occasion"; "gay and exciting night life"; "a merry evening" [syn: gala(a), festal, festive, merry] 6: homosexual or arousing homosexual desires [syn: queer, homophile(a)] n : someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex [syn: homosexual, homo] |
Take a gander...
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:27
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Actually, the original use of "lame" was as a verb, which was to make something lame--in other words, to intentionally hobble it. "Lambaste" has a common root, as it is also a form of attacking something, albeit verbally rather than physically.
At any rate, it's origin was not the noun meaning the disabled. It is still not comparable, since disabled people don't identify themselves as "lame," and the use of it in the other sense is FAR more ubiquitous and common. The opposite is true for "gay," has the gay=homosexual is still by far the most common usage of the word.
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
My "case" was that lame was originally a word to describe the physically disabled. I think my case was made rather clearly... |
If this is true, I would disapprove of how the word originated.
Alas, I wasn't around in the 14th century.
Today, physically disabled people do not refer to themselves as "lame", while gay people certainly do refer to themselves as "gay".
Therefore, today, it is not offensive to use the term lame to mean weak, or ineffective. It's been an official definition of the word for over 700 years.
It is still offensive to use the word gay to mean bad or stupid, because gay people refer to themselves as gay and have for over 60 years, and it's quite clear that the most likely origin of the insult "gay" derives from the sexuality.
PS: I like how you avoided my post about your "lame" counterexample proving our point about the origins of "gay" as an insult...
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001
time: 00:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
quote:
Actually, the original use of "lame" was as a verb, which was to make something lame--in other words, to intentionally hobble it. |
No it wasn't. The verb form came about in the 14th century, according to my dictionary. |
It was derived from the old Norse "lemja," which = "to beat"
Well this has been a fascinating etymological discussion, but nevertheless the point stands that the "lame" comparison doesn't work.
Now, the "jew" comparison DOES work, and now that you and Agathon have danced around that one for 25 pages, perhaps you'd finally like to answer:
Would it be okay for a kid to use Jew as a synonym for stingy or a cheat in school? Should it be tolerated?
Would make any sense to say, if non-Jews up and decided to make "Jew" into a new word that meant "cheat," claimed it had no relation to the old meaning of "Jew," and having a different intent, and then went around saying it everywhere, that Jews are somehow wrong to be offended by that?
Once again, how are you defining "logic," since your side would inevitably lead to the conclusion that Jews should just roll over and accept their group moniker being transformed into a word meaning something terrible?
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05-04-2003 10:38
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