Aaron has two posts:
From Dictionary.com:
——————————————————————————————-
| gay | |
| adjective | |
| 1. | bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer; “a cheery hello”; “a gay sunny room”; “a sunny smile” |
| 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” |
| 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” |
| 5. | offering fun and gaiety; “a festive (or festal) occasion”; “gay and exciting night life”; “a merry evening” |
| 6. | homosexual or arousing homosexual desires |
——————————————————————————————–
I find it interesting that while now we mostly use the word gay to refer to homosexual males, the dictionary indicates that its other meanings (in this case 4 out of 6) can be used to convey happiness when describing a person or an event.
I’m not sure how the word gay became a euphemism for homosexuality. But I think it is really apt considering how I have read that people who came out of the closet seem to be happier and leading more fulfilled lives as opposed to conforming to societal pressures and at times trying to be heterosexual.
I was wondering if the euphemism of ‘heterosexual’ is ’sad’? Well, I think it would be if it is used to described heterosexuals who aren’t able to accept gays as people who deserve the same rights as all of us and ‘heterosexuals’ who are actually gays but due to societal pressures have to deny who they are.
Let people choose how they want to live their lives as long as it does not infringe on the (unalienable) rights of others. The question is not so much about why be gay or why not be gay. The question is why deny others the chance to be happy. And why get your knickers in such a tangle like WBG is doing when other people are advocating not to brand homosexuals as abnormal and to treat them equally. I mean, why make yourself so unhappy?
Life is short. Why Not Be Happy?
Aaron | 01-Mar-07 at 11:49 am | Permalink
Thanks for the concern, Ian. I appreciate it.
I’m not unhappy. In fact, I’m having lots of fun shredding WBG’s arguments because they are based on so incredibly fauly assumptions.
While it is true that I have better things to do than to get involved in a tanglefoot with that dude, I think that it’s dangerous to leave him alone without a counter-argument, especially counter-arguments from his own camp (the heterosexuals). He resembles, as I said on another blog, an extreme fundamentalist and I think rational moderates have a duty to stop this kind of nonsense.
Blogging entails some social responsibility too.
iantimothy | 01-Mar-07 at 11:57 am | Permalink
Hey Aaron, actually, I was pretty confident you and Kitana and others were holding your own. And I wasn’t for a minute thinking you were unhappy when you were shredding his arguments.
I think I didn’t phrase the question in the post properly. I meant why is WBG getting himself so unhappy (and I think he is) when other people have made a personal choice and are actually happy about it.
More so when no one is actually saying we should promote homosexuality. Like what others and you included have been saying, what we want is the acceptance of homosexuality. Two very different things which is actually lost on WBG.
Aaron | 01-Mar-07 at 11:49 pm | Permalink
I’m going to write some time later about what I think the lines should be with regards to “promotion” of homosexuality.
By the way, happy CNY! (it’s not too late yet)