New Zealand Prime Minister John Key came under fire for his colloquial use of the word “gay” when he co-hosted New Zealand radio program The Farming Show last week, and then explained that in the context of the conversation he had used the term “gay” to mean “weird”.
Er… Face palm.
To put it in the aforementioned “context”, Key had joined the program’s regular host Jamie Mackay for an hour of banter, followed by an afternoon of golf, and made the “gay” gaffe while giving Mackay some fashion-related ribbing about their pending golf game. He said, “You’re never going to make it. You’ve got that gay red top on.”
Yesterday Mr Key responded to questions about whether his comments were homophobic, saying he had no intention of offending anyone and that, “I’m voting for gay marriage, I’m hardly homophobic – I led the charge on it.” He then went on to say that “Young people use it all the time, I don’t think too many people would be offended. If someone is, I apologise for it.”
We can’t be sure exactly the kind of young people Mr Key is referring to but, when it comes down to it, the Prime Minister of anywhere probably should not be taking linguistic cues from the youth. And not just because old people trying to do youth-speak sound like complete douchelords.
When political correctness and linguistics collide, the intention behind the use of the word is, in theory, what can change a word from being an epithet or an insult and shift it into a linguistic grey area. It’s possible to draw a distinction between what a given expression means, and what its use means or conveys in a particular context.
Comedian Louis CK does a famous bit (that is highly NSFW language-wise PS) about the words “cunt”, “faggot” and “nigger” in which he pontificates on a speaker’s intended meaning versus the common understanding of particular words. He asks (and I’m paraphrasing here): What is wrong with using words that are considered pejorative when they are used without disparaging, belittling or derogatory intentions?
Mr Key might have been using the word “gay” in the way Louis CK was talking about, but until the term undergoes real semantic change and its usage evolves to have a less pejorative meaning in the greater public understanding (like the change “gay” has already undergone from its original meaning in the 13th century), it’s probably best to avoid using it publicly as slang for “weird” – especially if you are the Prime Minister.
What do you think about Mr Key’s use of the word “gay”? Hit the comment section and share your thoughts.
Via NZ Herald
