Yonks ago, in the mists of time called the 'Roaring Twenties' (that's 1920's) Having a Gay time, meant to have a good time, a fun time.

Personally I've never heard Gay used in a bad way. Queer is often used detrimentally but not Gay.

Camy

My friends say that things are gay all the time... like... "Did you see that gay shot that number 25 made in last nights game." and yes i hate to admitt i use it to... but like you said it is like african/americans useing the "N" word... i personally have no problem with it... and i have not put it in my blog because i am afraid that it will hurt peoples feelings and they will get offended... but that just me... I think it is funny when i use the word gay... I use it all the time... like when i see something i dont like i will go "That's so day"

later ~ nick

You're right, reclaiming a word is one of the most powerful things a minority can do. When the people of a subgroup start using a formerly deragotory word amongst themselves it loses its offensive meaning and becomes impotent. When it's used by the widespread community then it by defintion is no longer offensive.

But words are words. It doesn't matter about the word, it's the tone and manner in which they're said. I can be called incredibly offensive things by my friends and respond in kind, but nobody cares since we're joking around. If however, someone I dislike says something like "You suck" you bet I'm going to be ticked.

So words dont' really mean anything, it's only the attitudes that accompany them. To change words we must first change attitudes. I think.

//shadows

I was poking around in a genealogical web site, and they were making a distinction between the Pennsyvania Dutch, the Gay Dutch, and the Plain Dutch.

The first confusion is that none of these were actually Dutch. They were Germans.

The Gay Dutch were the Lutherans and some of the Reformed, it said.

I assume they were called that in contrast to the Plain Dutch, like the Amish and the Mennonites.