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"Thinkb4youspeak" campaign released a new anti-gay slur counter for twitter

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Greggers, Dec 10, 2009.

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  1. Greggers

    Greggers
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    (The little counter is HTML and i cant post it here :frowning2: if you go to the websitem the counters are all on the left hand sidebar. Sorry.)

    www.thinkb4youspeak.com, an amazing campaign, has released this counter to track the number of times "so gay", "fag" and "dyke" have been used on twitter each day. The goal? To reach 0. Now that may not be an easy, or even practical, goal, but it is one i respect deeply.

    The site has done a few good PSA's with celebs in the past, and id like to think they have made some kind of difference. I dont know if this counter will, but to be honest it was MUCH lower than i thought it would be. 1030ish "So gays" in a day? For all of twitter? Id say that if twitter were around 5 years ago, it would have been MUCH more.
     
    #1 Greggers, Dec 10, 2009
  2. Pseudojim

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    well the word "dyke" isn't always used as a negative slur... the sydney gay and lesbian mardi gras has a "dykes on bikes" segment

    but that is an awesome campaign
     
    #2 Pseudojim, Dec 10, 2009
  3. Greggers

    Greggers
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    Yea, Dyke has been taken back in quite a few ways. Vancouver had a Dykes on Bikes float in the Pride Parade.

    Fag has been taken back in a few ways too; even common phrases such as "fag hag".

    "So Gay" always bugged me the most. I cant see that ever being "positive". I refer to myself as "gay". If your saying "that <object> is so gay" and you mean it in a negative way, it will always reflect on me as being "bad" because i am gay, EVEN if the person did not mean it in that way.
     
    #3 Greggers, Dec 10, 2009
  4. RaeofLite

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    Awesome. :slight_smile: Thanks Greggors. I'm going to post some of these posters around my campus and facebook page now. :grin:
     
    #4 RaeofLite, Dec 10, 2009
  5. Just Adam

    Just Adam
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    whereas i can never see a good side of fag lol.

    same im not sure on dyke i know it offends alot of women...

    i think 0 is a great goal :slight_smile:
     
    #5 Just Adam, Dec 11, 2009
  6. Emberstone

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    the negativity comes from context of usage, not that it is being used.
     
    #6 Emberstone, Dec 11, 2009
  7. CrystalCat

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    agreed
     
    #7 CrystalCat, Dec 12, 2009
  8. mmilam75

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    See, I disagree. I think there are some words that, because of how they have traditionally been used, they have no redeeming social value. Fag is, it seems to me, one of those words. Rather than trying to desensitize the insults others have had for us, it seems to me we should be spending our time referring to ourselves in a more positive light...I understand the idea behind taking back the words, I just think it ends up being a very not productive use of both time and energy.
     
    #8 mmilam75, Dec 12, 2009
  9. Jiggles

    Jiggles Guest

    The word Fag here in the UK is the slang for a cigarette and that's what people is it as an insult to. Fag End: the end of a cigarette that no one wants.
     
    #9 Jiggles, Dec 12, 2009
  10. Pseudojim

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    case in point: useage of word, not inherent value of word.
     
    #10 Pseudojim, Dec 12, 2009
  11. Emberstone

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    south park did a whole episode on the term faggot this last season. It worked through some of the etemology of the word, with the traditional southpark smarmy humor and social commentary.
     
    #11 Emberstone, Dec 12, 2009
  12. jazzyspazzy

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    i get really really really annoyed when people say that something is 'gay' in a negative way. i tell my friends not to say it in front of me, but when people i don't know/like say it i find it difficult to not say anything, but i manage somehow. what's even worse, is that 'the poof' in my year says it himself!!

    i'm so glad that thinkb4youspeak is doin something about this.
     
    #12 jazzyspazzy, Dec 20, 2009
  13. flymetothemoon

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    I really like the idea of this campaign, and the way that the video ads for it are set up too. It seems like probably the most effective way to present the information focusing on one thing people say to get them thinking about it...even if a goal of 0 times being used doesn't seem reasonable, seeing how much it is used is eye opening...
     
    #13 flymetothemoon, Dec 20, 2009
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