Words have meanings, within context. Ultimately, isn't it the responsibility of the speaker or writer to qualify their audience before making their statement?
In individual conversation, vocabularies can expand and definitions agreed upon. The larger the audience, the smaller the available vocabulary. Assume that the current slang or local colloquial usage will be applied to your message.
If a 90 years old woman uses "that's gay" to describe the present you brought her, she probably likes it and approves. If a middle school teacher said that about a gift from her students, she's likely to get her tires slashed.
---------- Post added at 11:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 AM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by squeeeb
so...what if i started using the word "Tall" in an intensely negative way? i hated that movie, it was so tall. that food sucked, it was tall. dude, quit being so tall about it. those pants look totally tall on you, i wouldn't wear them.
would suddenly the tall people get offended? and if they did get offended, would anyone care, or would most people say "oh cmon, it has nothing to do with your height"?
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Say it loud! "I'm Tall and proud!"