[quote name='apophys' timestamp='1297109844' post='78588']
IMHO, "gay", "faggot", etc. are still used as insults by the general population simply because it has been done so in the past, and old habits die hard. Don't take it personally.
Since being gay is socially acceptable now due to society maturing (or due to desensitization), the "insult" no longer has any bite, and thus is no longer really associated with being gay.
I mean by this, you won't commonly see a comment like "Thats gaaaaay" on something that is actually associated with homosexuality. Any such comments would have the intention of trolling, not the intention of insulting.
I expect usage of "gay" as an insult to die out within a few generations, similarly as "the n word" has done.
Edit: My supposition is that being gay or straight is a difference in chemical balance, similar to the difference of being in love or not being in love, or being addicted or not addicted. Except that it's permanent and unchanging.
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im not so sure these words are as acceptable as you seem to think, its ALL about context, and in relation to MD it is quite easy to see if such words are said in jest, and if there is a misunderstanding.. i guess someone can ask not to be called something which angered them..
i guess my supposition is similar to yours in a way.. not really about chemical balances though but all about addiction in a way, its simple, people just do what makes them happy or feel good at the time
(whether its eating a huge cake when you menna be on a diet.. or putting double the amount on lottery tickets because you feel lucky.. the thing which makes you stop and think twice when walking past the kebab shop )
if it makes you feel good and its between two, or more lol, consensual adults then i dont see what the problem could be or why it actually needs to be "understood" as if its a condition!