I Think Therefore IB

On the annual “Day of Silence” (of the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network), NYT columnist Judith Warner provides an article, Dude, You’ve Got Problems, on bullying and name-calling involving words such as “gay”, “fag” or “queer”. It’s an interesting read, as is the profusion of comments that follow – Warner clearly touched on a contentious issue here.
One central point of discussion among the readers is the columnist’s contention that “Being called a ‘fag,’ you see, actually has almost nothing to do with being gay,” – also an interesting issue for us as it invokes questions of language: Can we remove the etymology and/or the connotations of a word from its current usage? To what extent is Warner’s statement arguable, and to what, is it incorrect? How does the fact that words like “fag” and “gay” are employed as insults reflect particular cultural beliefs (specifically regarding femininity, masculinity and homosexuality)? Do you agree with her, or with those who challenge that particular assertion?
Some more personal questions: Is such name-calling (involving these particular words, or their Spanish equivalents) used in your school community? Have you ever questioned this kind of language choice or do you consider it generally harmless and a normal part of the adolescent experience? How is it seen in your group of friends (or class generation) to be called “gay”? How is it seen to be gay?
Another noteworthy issue debated (both by Warner and the commentators): Has the “definition of acceptable girlhood” expanded, while the “bounds of boyhood have remained [...] tightly constrained”? In other words, has the feminist movement and push for equality provided women with more freedom (allowing both feminine and masculine identity elements), whereas men’s realm for identity is – more or less – still the same as 30, 40, 50 years ago? Or is this a distorted perspective as the “sexualisation of women” is as prevalent as ever, and, arguably, commences at younger and younger ages?