While it may seem counterintuitive, the 4chan meme of any post being gay helps. If everything is gay, there’s nothing wrong with gay at all. Besides, have you got any close friends under about 30? The entire usage of gay as an insult has essentially disappeared because it’s been reclaimed by young gay folks. They’ve successfully taken it and made it a positive thing.
Back maybe ten, fifteen years ago, what were then gay kids started using it in an ironic way. They’d be gaming or whatever, and someone would do something cool, and another would say, that’s great, but you’re totally gay. Back and forth like that.
Having grown up in an era where it was commonly an insult to be called gay, then seeing gay people gain access to their rights as fellow citizens, and then take old slurs and strip them of much or all of their power, it’s beautiful. There was a time I would have made the same assumption you did. I’d have jumped all over someone saying the same thing.
But now? It’s a celebration of gayness. It’s saying that everything is gay, and that’s fabulous as fuck. Gay isn’t just okay, it’s a thing we accept as commonplace.
When I use it in the context of greentext, it’s recognizing that the assholes of 4chan lost. They didn’t get to keep the word and use it as a bad thing. It got taken from the bigots after lifetimes of use as a word of oppression, and that’s such a victory that it deserves celebrating by using it in this way.
Seriously, if you get a chance to hang around some younger LGBTQ people, take it. They’re the generations raised where being “gay” isn’t some horrible secret, it isn’t a doom of shame that you have to hide at all times. You sit around, or go shooting with, or whatever, and these folks are just casual about it. Hell, I’ve run into groups that are using f×g the same way here and there. Not as common for sure, but it happens.
Obviously, if the context is such that it’s being used as a slur, or even just derogatorily, the person doing so is an asshole. But that’s the key, they aren’t the ones with the power over the word now! The assholes and bigots are the ones that are treated with contempt and derision when they use the word. It really is fucking glorious, beautiful to see.
Man, I used to bounce at a drag club. I had to literally fight to keep the patrons safe from direct physical attack. Seeing the word gay become a term of endearment? I can’t describe how happy that makes me. I hear my kid’s gay friends laughing and throwing it around at school, openly and nobody bats an eye because the power of it too be used as a weapon is finally gone. It fills me with joy to have lived long enough to see it happen. I’m typing this and crying thinking about it.
They’re gay, I’m gay, you’re gay, everyone is gay, and it’s fucking amazing :)
What why? And you have something against gay?
Its a green text, where everything is fake, as gay as can be, and we’re all fags
It would be very nice if we could not copy literal 4chan behavior here though, not even ironically.
It’s a fucking green text community, you know where the unsubscribe button is
Don’t participate in the community based around 4chan if you don’t want 4chan-like content
Yeah, you’re missing the meme of it all.
While it may seem counterintuitive, the 4chan meme of any post being gay helps. If everything is gay, there’s nothing wrong with gay at all. Besides, have you got any close friends under about 30? The entire usage of gay as an insult has essentially disappeared because it’s been reclaimed by young gay folks. They’ve successfully taken it and made it a positive thing.
Back maybe ten, fifteen years ago, what were then gay kids started using it in an ironic way. They’d be gaming or whatever, and someone would do something cool, and another would say, that’s great, but you’re totally gay. Back and forth like that.
Having grown up in an era where it was commonly an insult to be called gay, then seeing gay people gain access to their rights as fellow citizens, and then take old slurs and strip them of much or all of their power, it’s beautiful. There was a time I would have made the same assumption you did. I’d have jumped all over someone saying the same thing.
But now? It’s a celebration of gayness. It’s saying that everything is gay, and that’s fabulous as fuck. Gay isn’t just okay, it’s a thing we accept as commonplace.
When I use it in the context of greentext, it’s recognizing that the assholes of 4chan lost. They didn’t get to keep the word and use it as a bad thing. It got taken from the bigots after lifetimes of use as a word of oppression, and that’s such a victory that it deserves celebrating by using it in this way.
Seriously, if you get a chance to hang around some younger LGBTQ people, take it. They’re the generations raised where being “gay” isn’t some horrible secret, it isn’t a doom of shame that you have to hide at all times. You sit around, or go shooting with, or whatever, and these folks are just casual about it. Hell, I’ve run into groups that are using f×g the same way here and there. Not as common for sure, but it happens.
Obviously, if the context is such that it’s being used as a slur, or even just derogatorily, the person doing so is an asshole. But that’s the key, they aren’t the ones with the power over the word now! The assholes and bigots are the ones that are treated with contempt and derision when they use the word. It really is fucking glorious, beautiful to see.
Man, I used to bounce at a drag club. I had to literally fight to keep the patrons safe from direct physical attack. Seeing the word gay become a term of endearment? I can’t describe how happy that makes me. I hear my kid’s gay friends laughing and throwing it around at school, openly and nobody bats an eye because the power of it too be used as a weapon is finally gone. It fills me with joy to have lived long enough to see it happen. I’m typing this and crying thinking about it.
They’re gay, I’m gay, you’re gay, everyone is gay, and it’s fucking amazing :)