Mon ami, “gay” has many meanings in many languages (including the few that you don’t know), and when I went to “Paris Gai Village,” I did notice that it’s a happy place, but I’m pretty sure the gai/gay part in the name has more to do with the whole man-on-man thing… ;-)

PS: I am a smoker, and it’s “you’re,” not “your.” ;-)

I wasn’t the only one who read it that way, so it’s not a knee-jerk reaction & an inability to recognize humor. I’d wager most of your readership drew the same conclusion–and that’s an important point to consider.

Your gay friends got the joke because they know you, Matt. We don’t. Until now, we didn’t know “some of your best friends are gay.” You may know your audience, but your audience doesn’t always know you… That was a sad mistake on your part, unfortunately.

So yes, this was a misunderstanding: I mistook your humor for ignorance, and you mistook your audience for your friends. I’m glad I was wrong about you, and I hope you learned that, when writing for publication, you should use your words, and your humor, more judiciously.

Now, I followed the link you included. Are you sure they’re not ALL gay? Except for the cripple, of course, because we all know they choose to be asexual.

Thanks for the heads-up about your friendly fire, but next time, “fire in the hole” is most effective when yelled *before* lobbing the grenade, not after it explodes… ;-)

Anyway, I’ll be visiting family in Seattle all next week, so if you see me, come say “hi.” I’m easy to spot: I’ll be the guy with his lips wrapped around a stout black butte. Oh, and go see my brother’s band, Supernauty, at El Corazon, on 12/30!

Merrykwanzaadreidel, Matt.

To be honest, I don’t judge a person on their words but their actions… I am as open minded as they come and no matter orientation nor race… I want to help people achieve their goals in life.

Please ask any french guy what “gay” in french means… I know my languages ;-)

Jon
ps: prozac? why would I ever need prozac, I am just about the happiest guy you can ever meet… unless your a smoker hahahhaha

Yes, of course I realize that had he said “Jewish” it wouldn’t have conveyed the same message, but that’s the whole point, which was lost on you, apparently. IT’S NOT OK TO USE THE WORDS “GAY” AND “LAME” INTERCHANGEABLY, just as it’s not OK to use the words “Jewish” and “cheap” interchangeably. Where’s the confusion coming from?

“He wanted 10 dollars for it, but I Jewed him down to 5.”
>”Jewed” is a well-known expression used to convey one’s cheapness, in “the language of our shared culture,” to use your phrase. Are you comfortable using that expression? You’re not? The why are you comfortable using the word “gay” to mean “lame?” Don’t you see the hypocrisy?

Just like the word “gay,” “nigger” has multiple definitions, such as: “a victim of prejudice similar to that suffered by blacks; a person who is economically, politically, or socially disenfranchised.” Yet it’s not socially acceptable to call *anyone* a nigger, even though the word has a practical use. Would you use the word “nigger” to describe anyone? There are perfectly legitimate uses for this work, which are not offensive, but does that mean it’s OK to use it in a casual, off-hand way?

Your “…rightly or not…” comment suggests you think that popularity = propriety, and that, too, is part of the problem.

And unless you’re a septuagenarian, there’s no way you read the word “gay” and thought it meant “fun” or “joy,” as you suggest. In your first paragraph, you explain to me that Matt’s use of the phrase “not gay” was an innocent use of a modern expression meaning “isn’t totally lame,” but your second paragraph suggests you read the headline & thought it meant “not fun.” Well that’s a little confusing… Maybe it’s time you got a little less prozac in your life, and a little more clarity. ;-)

Man, I really do appreciate where you’re coming from, and would be on your side 100%, if, that is, you weren’t jumping to knee-jerk conclusions.

Plugging an iPod into an iPod would be much like gay sex. This device negates the act. Hence, “not gay”.

I do not in every day usage refer to things I dismiss or do not like as “gay”. I haven’t since I was about 13. Neither do I do it in print (including on the Web). When I refer to something as “gay”, I refer explicitly to homosexuality, a humorous notion if two iPods were to “get it on”. I also use it to refer to my many, many gay friends, some of which are also black, some are asian.

I support your calling out of bigotry where you see it, but in this case you’re, sadly, mistaken. I don’t want to use the hackneyed “some of my best friends are gay”, but it’s a happy fact. I was with two of my gay friends when they read this post, and they both got the gag and thought it was funny. I’m sorry you weren’t in on the joke. (Meet my gay friends, and my straight ones, an my asian, black, jewish, handicapped, and female ones here.)

That being said, don’t knock on the Seattle Slanteyes, they’re having a pretty good season this year.

See that? It was a joke. Happy Holidays, Scott. Keep fighting the good fight, but make sure to steer away from friendly fire.

I actually read it to mean “totally not fun” as “gay” loosely translates to “joy” in the French language. Maybe it’s time you convert to becoming a Frenchman to add a little more “joy” back into your life? ;-)

Jon

Jacki, I am sure Apple has a wifi enabled version of their ipod working right now, they have to… otherwise according to M$, they are doomed to loose market share – my guess is the RIAA wants some additional money to “offset” the losses it will encounter because people will have yet another reason not to buy CDs ;-) M$ isn’t giving a portion of every Zune it sells to Universal for nothing you know… wifi must have been the stickler.

Jon

Hey, I have an idea, rewrite your article, Matt, but this time, use the headline: “USB to USB: Totally Not Negro,” or “Totally Not Jewish.” Do you think that would be OK?

Michael Richards is now notorious for his explosive use of the word “nigger,” but had he screamed “he’s a faggot!” to a gay man, would there have been such an outcry? I seriously doubt it. Why? Because hypocrites like you, Matt, and everyone else didn’t cringe when reading your headline, think it’s OK to denigrate some minority groups, but not others. This is clearly evident when watching TV, for example; no one can casually say “nigger” or “kike,” but they can say “fag,” or “retard,” or even “Washington Redskins” (how quickly would the team names “New York Hooknoses,” or “Carolina Thick Lips,” or “Seattle Slanteyes” have been changed?)… I’m not an advocate for censorship–far from it, I’m advocating equity. No single minority group is any more deserving of respect & protection than another.

Matt, if you feel it’s OK to use the word “gay” to describe something you don’t like, then you don’t like “gay” people, and that makes you a homophobe, and a bigot.

Tech tutorials: http://www.hotcoding.com

NOT!

I wish that consumer electronic companies someday figure out how to make things easier. This is one step closer…

There are uses for the device, but none of them are practical to warrant me purchasing it just yet.