People are offended at everything?

[altus]

There is no need for Harvey19 to clear anything up and any attempts are wasted on the likes of you and the other amateur analysts looking for fault, in what he has posted.

Everybody creates an impression of themselves by what they write on here. If harvey19 thinks that the impression people have of them is wrong they can correct it (if they are sufficiently bothered) or ignore it.

[Diezel]

And I pointed out to you that the rates of suicide and depression are much higher in young gay people than the rest of the population despite all this support and help you keep referring to, which you seem to be ignoring.

 

Has all this extra support caused the suicide and depression rates in young gay people to fall?

 

What exactly is ambiguous about using the term gay to mean lame and undesirable?! Replace the word gay with the word black or disabled. Are Hammond's comments offensive then? If you feel they are, why is OK to say those things about gay people and not black or disabled people (for example).

 

Saying looking for the negatives of living as a young gay person is like looking for a needle in a haystack when the leading cause of death among young gay people in suicide, they suffer higher rates of depression, and are much more likely to be bullied at school, is pretty shocking. Saying there is 'support' is a positive is looking about this entirely the wrong way. It is obviously great that support exists, but it really shouldn't be needed. The very fact that it is just proves that living as a young gay person is oftentimes very difficult, and comments like Hammond's do not help. Why can't you just accept that.

 

Hammond didn't use gay to mean lame. He meant it in the homosexual sense. He said there's nothing wrong with being gay but eating ice cream is gay (he said he doesn't because he is straight). I was puzzled by this I must admit. It's not a stereotype I've encountered before. I think the audience were laughing at the stupidity of the comment and Clarkson's reaction as well. Not at the hilarity of saying eating ice cream is gay.

 

As for people being offended by use of the word gay to mean lame; well, they should Jew off and stop being so black about it (as Simon Amstell once said....)

[Mister M]

With respect, I have already pointed out to you, that young gay people in our country have never lived in a better era for support and help, but you don't seem interested in positivity, just negative issues for young gay people, which you are looking for, like a needle in a haystack.

 

The use of language has always been ambiguous and it is not helped in these modern times, by arrogant people over anylising its use. In the real World, there is no magic potion you can give to people, which makes them always communicate in a ' walking on eggshells manner', so they never offend anyone or attract the attention of people, who believe they might have offended people.

 

I am happy you agree that Richard Hammond, is not responsible for any young gay people self harming.

 

You don't need to look for, like a needle in a haystack, the negative issues for young gay people. Look at the research on the rate of issues such as mental health problems in young gay people to testify to that. Unless you are saying that gay people are driven to mental illness because they are overwhelmed by the 'positivity' they are experiencing in life?

 

As others have pointed out on this thread, language reflects people's value judgements, and when a young gay person hears the word gay used as a synonym for something that is inferior or stupid, it is natural the connection will be made in the person's mind, between their sexuality and the fact that other people consider it / them inferior. In that context it's easy to see why support agencies for gay people exist.

 

No I don't 'own the intellectual rights on when the word can be used'. Never said I did. As a gay man I have a stake in how the word is used, and I can comment on its modern usage, and make links between this, and the low self esteem of young gay people.

[Diezel]

You don't need to look for, like a needle in a haystack, the negative issues for young gay people. Look at the research on the rate of issues such as mental health problems in young gay people to testify to that. Unless you are saying that gay people are driven to mental illness because they are overwhelmed by the 'positivity' they are experiencing in life?

 

As others have pointed out on this thread, language reflects people's value judgements, and when a young gay person hears the word gay used as a synonym for something that is inferior or stupid, it is natural the connection will be made in the person's mind, between their sexuality and the fact that other people consider it / them inferior. In that context it's easy to see why support agencies for gay people exist.

 

No I don't 'own the intellectual rights on when the word can be used'. Never said I did. As a gay man I have a stake in how the word is used, and I can comment on its modern usage, and make links between this, and the low self esteem of young gay people.

 

Did you actually see the episode?

 

Clarkson said Volvo cars have the best interiors of any new cars. He then showed a picture of one with a lovely cream interior. But he said he couldn't eat a Magnum in one (chocolate stains I presume). Hammond said that's not a problem because he himself is straight. Clarkson asked if he was therefore suggesting all children are homosexual. Hammond replied saying no and there is nothing wrong with being gay but eating ice cream is gay. Made no sense to me. He was certainly not using gay to mean lame. Had Clarkson said he couldn't drink a Bacardi and Coke in a Volvo and Hammond replied in the same way it would have at least matched a stereotype (which Matt Lucas as the only gay in the village utilised often.)

[Robin-H]

Did you actually see the episode?

 

Clarkson said Volvo cars have the best interiors of any new cars. He then showed a picture of one with a lovely cream interior. But he said he couldn't eat a Magnum in one (chocolate stains I presume). Hammond said that's not a problem because he himself is straight. Clarkson asked if he was therefore suggesting all children are homosexual. Hammond replied saying no and there is nothing wrong with being gay but eating ice cream is gay. Made no sense to me. He was certainly not using gay to mean lame. Had Clarkson said he couldn't drink a Bacardi and Coke in a Volvo and Hammond replied in the same way it would have at least matched a stereotype (which Matt Lucas as the only gay in the village utilised often.)

 

But the very fact that Hammond says that he does not want to eat ice cream because he thinks it would make him look gay gives the impression, whether he meant to or not, that looking gay is bad.

[Diezel]

But the very fact that Hammond says that he does not want to eat ice cream because he thinks it would make him look gay gives the impression, whether he meant to or not, that looking gay is bad.

 

If that's how you interpret it. I interpreted it as him saying he doesn't enjoy eating ice cream because he isn't gay not that he's worried about looking gay.

 

As I say, it makes no sense.

[Cyclone]

There are many ways the word 'gay' can be used and you don't own the intellectual rights on when the word can be used.

 

I see no link whatsoever with self harming as a consequence of Richard Hammond's comments.

 

You don't get to tell people they aren't offended though, and since so many people are offended by the comments, it's unlikely that they were all "looking" for offence, and more likely that the comments were just offensive.

 

---------- Post added 29-12-2016 at 16:13 ----------

 

My final post on this topic.

 

I have not judged anyone or their lifestyle

 

I think a distinction needs to be identified between an homosexual person who integrates into society and an homosexual person who acts in a camp way drawing attention to their sexuality.

If someone uses this guise to gain attention they should not be put in the same category.

 

This is apparently you "not judging".

 

---------- Post added 29-12-2016 at 16:17 ----------

 

Did you actually see the episode?

 

Clarkson said Volvo cars have the best interiors of any new cars. He then showed a picture of one with a lovely cream interior. But he said he couldn't eat a Magnum in one (chocolate stains I presume). Hammond said that's not a problem because he himself is straight. Clarkson asked if he was therefore suggesting all children are homosexual. Hammond replied saying no and there is nothing wrong with being gay but eating ice cream is gay. Made no sense to me. He was certainly not using gay to mean lame. Had Clarkson said he couldn't drink a Bacardi and Coke in a Volvo and Hammond replied in the same way it would have at least matched a stereotype (which Matt Lucas as the only gay in the village utilised often.)

 

And the implication being that he Hammond wouldn't do something that is perceived as gay (which eating ice cream as not) because why? Is he worried that he'd suddenly be propositioned by gay men? Or that he'd damage his aura of masculinity (if being short, middle aged, trending towards the slight paunch and lacking any apparent physical ability is an air of masculinity in the first place)?

 

---------- Post added 29-12-2016 at 16:18 ----------

 

If that's how you interpret it. I interpreted it as him saying he doesn't enjoy eating ice cream because he isn't gay not that he's worried about looking gay.

 

As I say, it makes no sense.

 

It certainly makes no sense the way you've interpreted it.

 

It makes some limited sense if you accept that the implication was that looking gay was bad, even though we all know that eating ice cream is not related to our sexual orientation. It was a cheap shot at a minority group of people intended to be funny, but actually just being a bit rude about them.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Cyclone

[AmberLeaf]

Did you actually see the episode?

 

Clarkson said Volvo cars have the best interiors of any new cars. He then showed a picture of one with a lovely cream interior. But he said he couldn't eat a Magnum in one (chocolate stains I presume). Hammond said that's not a problem because he himself is straight. Clarkson asked if he was therefore suggesting all children are homosexual. Hammond replied saying no and there is nothing wrong with being gay but eating ice cream is gay. Made no sense to me. He was certainly not using gay to mean lame. Had Clarkson said he couldn't drink a Bacardi and Coke in a Volvo and Hammond replied in the same way it would have at least matched a stereotype (which Matt Lucas as the only gay in the village utilised often.)

 

Clarkson only appeals to males who need the whole world to know they arn'rn't a woman. The kind like Trump, and who go to Spearmint Rhinos and watch bloke stuff.

[Diezel]

Clarkson only appeals to males who need the whole world to know they arn'rn't a woman. The kind like Trump, and who go to Spearmint Rhinos and watch bloke stuff.

 

It amused me that Clarkson used to tease May about being gay, one assumes because he wasn't married. That's Clarkson, the man with the fascination bordering on obsession with heroic military men...

[AmberLeaf]

It amused me that Clarkson used to tease May about being gay, one assumes because he wasn't married. That's Clarkson, the man with the fascination bordering on obsession with heroic military men...

 

I'm sure most people would just like to go out with nice, kind people. Who know how to dress.