ZAP! ep.4 "That's so Gay"

[aixelsydyslexia]

So instead of getting on people's asses about 'that's so gay' why not show why gay is great. Highlight why gay is a compliment and good thing, aside from meaning happy, by celebrating gay people, relationships, and so forth, and not just in the month of June. It's good to explain why 'that's so gay' should be better understood so ppl think about the effects of their words, but cohesively telling ppl who meant nothing by it to "knock it off!" won't do much to evoke genuine efforts to reform

[aixelsydyslexia]

To clarify, many people say it without having any homphobic context. I'm not against bringing an awareness that this normalized term which has taken on its own new meaning is potentially hurtful, but know that what leads to bullying and violence and so forth has little to nothing to do with how this term is used now and tbqh, it's quite aggravating for exposure be on this and not on the homophobia in families, among friends, and I mean pompous in how unmerited it is to pity someone over this.

[aixelsydyslexia]

Pity for people who say 'that's so gay'? That sounds a tad pompous.

Granted, I'm gay, and time to time I will slip and say something is 'gay' But I do it my way..."That's so ghey and I don't mean that in the good ways" or "That was pretty ghey and I don't mean that as a compliment, either."

For better or for worse, gay has different meanings...happy...homosexual.­..and 'ghey.'

The fact that it really does offend some is enough, though, to change, but there's a lot more to homophobia than this

[RandomMajin]

Wow, exactly how much ass can you kiss? Seriously.

[Claronium780]

I think most people are just ignorant but some asshole (the ones that are really anti-gay) mean both stupid+literally gay when they say it...stupid assholes !

[ericpeterson1000]

if u think people shouldnt say gay well that sux for u becuz this is America and there is this little thing called the first amendment

[princessprojector]

pity = anger. see: passive-aggressive

[mijorey567]

you look like a really sexy version of seth rogen

[LesMasque]

I would love for people to stop using the word "Witch" when describing a mean person most often a woman. I find it offensive as a Pagan and Witch.

[mijorey567]

i never use that word, i think witches are awesome, i use bitch

[elreyyyo]

I'm gay... it doesnt bother me to hear "that's so gay". As a matter of fact, on rare occasions, I can identify with its use. (i.e., if a certain situation "sucks", one might say "that's so gay!" Sometimes being gay "sucks", get it? When I hear the term used to "make fun" of someone, I'll join in and say, "yeah, dude, take it from me, that was pretty gay".

I'm not easily offended, and I've heard a lot worse. "You take from who it comes."

Oh yeah, good point in video re Free Speech.

[mijorey567]

i feel like laughing at oneself is pretty funny and healthy, but i dont think being gay sucks, i think it is great...i usually use that's so gay, or that's so straight in a satiric manner, because one of the signs of acceptance in society is to talk freely about the problem, and maybe, as cruel as it sounds, laugh about it....in african american culture, chris rock is a good, still exagerated example....i mean even oprah makes fun of herself as a black woman.

[Introscape]

NIGGER

FAGGOT

Oh my.

[elreyyyo]

you're silly.

[Introscape]

NO YOU ARE!!!!111

[elreyyyo]

Introscape, with all due respect, there appears to be a communication deficit... as I cannot make sense of your comments, and I believe it is because they do not make sense!

[steepaaan]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[hollowDeathly]

i respect you

[superthundereagle]

The term gay (ɡeɪ) was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree," "happy," or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637

[OGROKTEHUBER]

i feel pity for you, living in your weak, pale, emaciated, upper-middle class american body, thinking that your opinion matters. censorship is for pussies. btw this video is soooo gay

[JuuliannoMan]

and i assume that you are strong, tanned, muscley, rich, and not american?

of corse, you may very well be, but aparently you have no respect for anyone other than yourself.

i think people like you should be hanged.

thats my opinion, what are you going to do?

egocentrico culo.

[OGROKTEHUBER]

shut up faggot

[JuuliannoMan]

that's quite funny; I'm not gay... ;)

[OGROKTEHUBER]

open wide faggot here comes my dick

[JuuliannoMan]

that makes sense.

[ohnoyoudidntx]

It's hateful to say "that's so gay"

Because homophobic societies have been targeting, discriminating , killing gays for awhile now. It has been a trend for everyone to make fun of gay people, and spread hate. so this is serious!

One way is this phrase "that's so gay". By using gay to mean NEGATIVE STUFF, such as stupid, dumb, etc

By doing that, it associates GAY PEOPLE with NEGATIVITY in everyone's minds

gay = negative

gay people = negative

Youre just a sheep following the homophobic agenda!

[Caqui]

Why are we assuming "that's so gay" refers specifically to the "gay" community? Just hear me out, first. The word "gay" has always had pejorative connotations, long before being adopted by homosexuals in the 1970s. Although it originally meant "cheerful", it also meant "uninhibited"; a gay man would refer to a womanizer, a gay woman, a prostitute, and a whole array of other negative meanings. Its almost hypocritical to point fingers at teens for using it, when it's meaning was always negative.

[kluesy2]

god made us to like the other sex if your gay than you are sining!

[Kumtekmeon]

Your opinion is so redundant. Then who made gays, satan?

[crankthetoto]

HAHA asHAHH THIS VIDEO IS GAY HAHAH

[icyhearted01]

I assume that youngsters who use gay incorrectly have been failed by the educational system. I don't care about the opinions of others. It won't change who I identigfy with. Heterosexism in all it's silly assumptions can get pretty annoying, but beyond that I am who I am and I happy the way I am.

[Juntar77]

mind over matter, i could care less.

my bf says it when str8 people r dumb

[sleepingin2]

you're really coool

[gyqz]

anyway people......I really don't know what you are being worked up about, because I'm gay and I don't get offenden by the frase...'that's so gay' whatever...if you want to choose to be offenden by everything...go ahead...

[backflipboy27]

lucky you, but it does offend a lot of other gays

[BenedictWolfe]

I'm bi, and I don't mind using homophobic phrases in an insulting fashion. It probably offends a lot of people, but I come from the egotistical school of thinking, so they can labour under all the butthurt they want. Doesn't phase me.

[ibreaksticks]

I come from a school like that too and I am bi. But the difference is with me, it does hurt me. There are some gays that can handle it and some that can't. If its going to offend at least one person (which it does) why say it? It's not a big deal, just don't say it.

[BenedictWolfe]

Why say it? Didn't you read me message? I don't care. That's why. I don't care what they feel and I seriously am not planning on restraining myself for some stranger's benefit. Live as a slave to others if you want, but I will not.

[gyqz]

wow...i feel a new rush coming on......why don't we all call all stupid things from now on...: WoW  that's soooooo straight" like being straight is soooooooo boring, 'cause everyone is straight.......

[ohnoyoudidntx]

One way society continues to spread homophobia is by associating the word GAY with everything NEGATIVE there is. So you may think by say "that's so gay" means nothing, but infact, you are helping to spread the message of hate against gay people.

So that when people encounter other people who happens to be gay, their brains automatically thinks GAY = BAD then GAY PEOPLE = BAD... to justify the hate crimes and discrimination.

[0Clairvoyant0]

I love your zap's. PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER ZAP! ...please :,(... or at least a concluding zap.

[Cman8pie]

you stopped making videos :(

[ohnoyoudidntx]

u STOPPED POSTING!?

[YoungNastyMan15]

Thats so gay..

[payette]

can I be a panelist on your next episode?

[nenatraviesa813]

Wow, I'm impressed. I've watched a couple of your videos and I have to tell you that, I'm impressed with both the quality of the messages and the videos you are posting. :)

[shamraig]

You're so handsome. X

[dkatzism]

Ahh, missed this video because I was out of town and away from reliable internet.

"That's so gay" is something that is sadly becoming so acceptable to the point that it actually doesn't have any sexual weight to it... like when my brother said, "Wow, homophobia is SO gay."

I see the same in Spanish. The kind we grew up speaking, Chilean, uses the word "maricón" (lit. "faggot") to mean something/someone that is stubborn, stupid, etc. It's only clear from context if the meaning is sexual.

[demonickalfun]

Good grief, could Viewfromthepeak be ANY cuter?

If we give a word a negative or powerful meaning than it's going to continue to mean that for everyone. Don't give a word power.

[greatwhiteguppie56]

I am a fan of your zaps and thought the use of other panelist was a betterment to them, but I felt that you may have been a bit dismissive of the other panelist.

[machelli]

how was I dismissive?

[ekap328]

I'm going to have to agree with greatwhite on this one. The way that you interspersed your comments into theirs as well as the way in which you didn't really address their ideas, but rather just zipped right into the machelli portion of the show made me feel like their answer was disconnected from the actual post. Having said that, I am a big fan of the zaps. If i work up the courage to start posting vids on youtube, I would love to be a panelist.

[thamewt]

I didn't want to comment on their points of view, because who am I to make a judgement call about someone else's opinion?

[prallott]

I do think it's a pity that there are taboo words in language, and as much as I do not particularly have an issue with it these days, I remember how much it affected me as a young kid, when the only time the word I identified myself with was consistently used in a negative context. I imagine it's the same as 'bitch' - some girls find this offensive and misogynistic, and some don't.

[mzcgor90]

cool.

[patton54]

nice job, matthew.

hope the ZAPS continue in the new year.

great to hear "half assed waltz" in a ZAP.

[cassiebunny]

I try to teach my students (7th graders) not to say "That's so gay" or call each other gay. It's difficult because they don't really realize what they're doing, but after we discuss it sometimes they get it.

[boportsmouth]

just as an aside does your school have a zero tolerance policy on hate speach? and if it does; does it include the phrase "thats so gay" under that article?

[cassiebunny]

No. We're zero tolerance on physical violence, but not on hate speech. That's kind of sad, considering words often hurt as much as (or more than) fists.

[tokosteef]

Keep this up, you are so wonderfully creative!

[dawittyone]

Well done, buddy. Thanks. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

[GeniusRickyD]

Matt: I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for you doing these videos. You are an inspiration.

Well done, as usual.

[bloodshotcow1]

Merry Christmas Matthew!

I'd wish you my own holiday cheer... but Hanukkah as gone by.

[whitemagick4]

hehe nice editing Matt! It is somewhat offending to me but I blame it on ignorance. I will have to agree with Wes. It will eventually grow out of fashion!

[payette]

I love the idea of having panelists! that's really cool to hear different opinions on the subject.

[Prideboi26]

First off love the vids!!

and I hear that all the time.. It's not something that makes me mad, but makes me feel sorry for those who use it.. I can't say I'm prefect, cause when it does start to get on my nerves I say "That's so str8" lol The one's that I have used "that's so str8" with have stopped using "That's so gay"

Happy Holidays to you all

Good work Matt!!

[5cheherazade]

It's all about context and you can generally tell if it's being said in a vilifying or in an off-handed way. I either just think "what a moron" or if I'm feeling particularly mischievous, I'll make a similar snide remark about 'breeders'.

[machelli]

I'm not sure making a "breeder" comment is the best way to fix this.

[5cheherazade]

This is a technique synonymous with Socratic irony. By pretending to be just as ignorant as the other person, I am thereby exposing the folly of their ways.

[boportsmouth]

or maybe it just drops you down to their level...... call it what you want but making the act of conception a pejorative just seems rather silly. we all came from breeders didnt we?

[5cheherazade]

So is the phrase "that's so gay" offensive? Of course it is. The same way that calling heterosexuals "breeders" is offensive. That's the whole point. And in my opinion, any gay person who is not offended by the phrase, "that's so gay" has serious self-acceptance issues.

[machelli]

I think the point is that you're not going to gain acceptance by insulting someone.

[machelli]

to clarify: a gay person - upon hearing "that's so gay" (insulting to the gay person) - is not going to advance his or her cause by saying "that's so straight" (aka. insulting a straight person), because all that one has accomplished is the ticking off of both parties. People are like reflecting pools; they don't work well when agitated.

[5cheherazade]

Call me back when you are a little bit older and wiser. The fact is that straights hate gays. You might learn this in your 30s.

[kobald62]

Thats a pretty jaded thing to say =/. I know that there are lots of straight people hate gay people but it isn't fair to say that all straight people hate all gay people.

[thamewt]

if I'm guaranteed to learn this "fact" after ten more years of living, then Lord, take me now. I'd rather die an optimist than live a pessimist. How do you hope to get any support from a largely straight constituency if you accuse them of hating you?

[biako06]

This is 2007, not 1987, 5cheherazade...

You're living in the past. What makes you think the level of homophobia in 2017 will be the same as it is in 2007... let alone 1997 or earlier.

So many jaded people, it's really pitiful.

[boportsmouth]

I dont mean to be argumenative but are you serious? its not about accpetance or tolerance. Its about maturity. in this nation (mine, U.S.A.) we have free speach. people can and should say what they believe and feel. The mature person deal with opinoins that conflict with their own. I'm gay, perfectly self assured and I dont mind people using either phrase at all. I dont but I dont challenge it either.

[5cheherazade]

Have you ever marched in a Pride parade? This is wot narks me about young gays. They haven't cared for an AIDS sufferer, they haven't marched but they think they know everything.

[kobald62]

AIDS confined to gay people...not so much. Perhaps look in the news or take a trip to Africa :D

[5cheherazade]

You idiot. AIDS is not confined to gay people. But we were the first ones. If you don't think so, ask my partner's dead boyfriend.

[biako06]

Who cares about caring for an AIDS sufferer. That's a personal experience... *not* every young gay guy should have to take care of someone with AIDS... it's not a right of passage.

I'm a 'young gay' and I've never known one person with HIV or AIDS in my life, nor do I look forward to it. Don't wish misfortune on other people.

[mikeyd1975]

He wasn't wishing mis fortune. At least that's not the way I took it. There are still plenty of people in the gay community suffering with AIDS. A responsible gay person has an OBLIGATION to serve the larger gay community. Simply looking out for oneself and ones own friends is borderline tratorious to a community that is so underseige in this country. Find an AIDS outreach charity, don't simply wait for misfortune to drop on your doorstep before you dare to care.

[cagnazzo82]

I disagree Mikey. I see no 'obligation' to serve the larger gay community. Sexuality is only a piece of what makes you, you. It shouldn't define your entire persona.

[mikeyd1975]

then stay off the gay strip and go back to hiding. A lot of people sacrificed to make a world where we can be out and proud and if your going to take advantage of their sacrifices you have to try to make this world a better place for future generations whatever the cause. Its traitorous to the human race not to give back. A person who doesn't give back doesn't deserve to live at all.

[PrincessSushii]

Where I'm from, the expression "that's so gay" doesn't exist... so when I moved here to Australia, it was kind of shocking ^^;;

[scottklaw]

Wrong. (Its that's so Cool.)or Awesome.Mega Awesome. Mega Awesome Cool.

[boportsmouth]

awsome job matt & panelists.

[lili4trees]

cool video.

[Keilinger]

Cool new icon.

[raconter1]

Nice start! Yeah, a seemingly meaningless word can evoke arguments from both sides. Recent case locally..woman was arrested for swearing at a police officer..hmmmmm what constitues swearing?? Do initials count?? LOL

[billi0n]

Fresh...i say it a lot but i know a lot of gay people...a few of which say it as well lol. ill try to watch my words tho