The Impact of American Society on Modern Language: Conotation Blog

When you hear the word “gay”, what do you really hear? Originally the word gay was a word to describe one’s feelings. For example, someone in earlier generations, might have said something like: “I’m gay because it has been such a wonderful day”. As you can see this word was a word of positive connotation; a word defining someone who was giddy, or happy. But it seems that through the generations, society has morphed the word gay from a word describing excitement and happiness, to a word that often makes many feel uncomfortable, or insulted.
Modern language is degrading. In our society we take a word, such as gay, and change it to something completely different from its original meaning. In modern times today the word gay seems to consist of two meanings.
The first way gay is commonly used today, and one of the correct ways, is to describe someone who is a homosexual. The use of the word gay to describe a person of homosexual origin is politically correct, however this connotation of the word has grown to be an uncomfortable connotation for many. This word is the correct way to describe someone who is a homosexual, but our society has degraded the word; giving it an insulting feel. Most people don’t prefer to call someone “gay” if they are a homosexual. This is because the word has been used in such a negative way so frequently that people now feel that its as if they are insulting someone who is, indeed, gay.
The second way the word gay is used, the way it is used most often, is to insult one’s intelligence. Now a days in American culture, this word is used all the time. You may hear someone say “That’s so gay.” or “You are hella gay.”, this clearly is an offensive way to use the word. For many, the use of the word gay is just a mere bad habit; a word culture has excepted to define someone who is behaving idiotically. But it doesn’t change the fact that this use of the word is incorrect and offensive, not only to homosexuals but to all Americans who respect their language! So what does this tell us about society? That society thinks gays are stupid? How could society degrade a whole community by giving the word such an offensive definition?
Society, as a whole, is a vicious and starving monster. When the monster encounters something different from itself, it eats it up. After it chews it spits it back up; regurgitates whatever perception it may have. Once the monster of society gags up its perception, it pries open the door to language with its sharp, yellow claws. And wallah! A new, offensive and incorrect word has branched of an original meaning; providing society only with yet another shameful impact on its language. The word gay is only one example of this madness. Society has done this with a countless number of words, and our language is no longer the same as it was before. It has been degraded dramatically by American society, and sadly, I don’t for see language being restored back to the way it was ment to be.