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> One is a recently-manufactured "outrage" that only the terminally-gullible actually find offensive (i.e. folks best described by exactly that adjective).

I can't even tell if you're referring to "retarded" or "gay" here.

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I think "gay" is offensive only because it refers to a widely recognized social reality that is still being fought out, the reality that gay people are socially inferior, and that gay bashing is a social art for men.

Take away that reality and "that's gay" becomes an idiom lost in time.

"Gay" as a general synonym for "undesirable" is obviously offensive to gays.

Would you consider someone calling you stupid offensive?

I think "retarded" is what is being referred to. It doesn't make any sense to call the terminally-gullible "gay".

Yeah, but the backlash against using "retarded" as a slur is barely noticed as an issue, which makes it sound like he's referring to "gay".

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