Re: CHAT: Profile of a Conlanger

On Fri, 14 May 1999, dunn patrick w wrote:

> On Fri, 14 May 1999, Padraic Brown wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 14 May 1999, dunn patrick w wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > I've never been called gay for conlanging.  Why ever would someone come to
> > > that conclusion?  *looks puzzled*
> > >
> > > Of course, I *am* gay, but I should think going out with men would make
> > > that more obvious than inventing a language for fictional trolls.
> > >
> >
> > Sorry for the confusion: "gay" here doesn't mean homosexual, but stupid.
> > It completely left my mind that many follk use "gay" for "homosexual".  It
> > was a common expression in my youth, which was applied to nearly any
> > person or situation we thought of as stupid.  ("Look at that old man
> > driving that beat up green car -- that's so gay!") I have had not a little
> > contact with younger kids around here, and this usage has continued.
> >
> > Padraic.
> >
>
> Oh.  Stupid.  Hrmm.  That's vaguely insulting, doncha think?  Ah, well, as
> they say in Troll: kehehuxe pekamatma qrtr.  qr quqa podu sokemOx grm
> meCo.  In other words, "Only fools believe that shit tastes like deer."
> (i.e. c'est la vie.)
>
Well, I suppose that depends on how you take the word "gay".  If you use
it as a personal identifier, the way another may use Catholic or
Azerbaijani, it takes on a very different meaning. In this usage, it's
only a very vague term of abuse: a flower arrangement can be gay, the look
of one's house can be gay, a grade given on a test can be gay.  Just chalk
it up to different usages of the same word.  In my experience, it is not
particularly insulting.

Padraic.