Many people argue that our generation of college students is a demographic known for outrageous fashion choices, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and an unwavering habit of watching lots of television and playing lots of videogames. It seems to me that too much attention is being paid to what we wear and do and not nearly enough on what comes out of our mouths on a daily basis.

It will not take long in an average student’s day here at UW to hear someone refer to something — whether an outfit, a bad grade on a test or their disdain — as “gay.” Every time I hear someone say “gay” in this context, I cringe. We attend one of the best public universities in the country. Why, then, are we lowering ourselves with such ignorant, uneducated habits?

Other slang words that our generation has become accustomed to using are nowhere near as offensive and inappropriate as the use of the word “gay.” It is just as inappropriate as calling someone “retarded,” a middle school fad that seems, fortunately, to have faded out of our daily rhetoric. As for using “gay” as just another adjective, there are two main arguments to consider.

First, if you were, in fact, homosexual, would you want everything negative to be labeled as “gay?” As elementary as this may seem, do unto others as you wish done unto you. You don’t see students running around campus calling the bad party or bad weather “straight.”

Second, if you try to justify the use of the word “gay” in examples such as, “Oh, that test was so gay,” I am sure you will run into difficulty. Does your test have a sexual preference? I think not. Why not just take the extra minute to explain, intelligently for that matter, why you are so angry about the test? Was it hard? Was it unfair? Possibly. Nevertheless, it certainly was not gay.

Back in middle school, I remember that the boys in my class would constantly refer to the grade outcasts as “fags.” Anything they did was automatically “gay.” Over the years, it became a hard habit to kick. I challenge you to consider this: you have just graduated from UW and you have spent part of your savings on a brand new suit to wear to a job interview for your dream job. Upon sitting down you realize how nervous you are and how your palms are dripping with sweat. The employer asks you to explain your one poor grade on your transcript, and you reply, “Oh that class was gay.” From that point on, it really doesn’t matter what comes out of your mouth. Any right-minded employer would immediately excuse you from his or her office and wonder how on earth you managed to graduate from such a highly regarded institution with absolutely no idea how to speak appropriately and sensitively.

Okay, so many of you who use “gay” in your daily vocabulary would know better than to say it during an job interview. If this is the case, then why not stop saying it altogether? It brings absolutely nothing to a conversation. In fact, whenever I hear someone use the word “gay” in a context that makes no sense, I stop, tune out the conversation and honestly wonder why I am bothering with this human being who clearly is so out of touch with the real world.

I am okay with our parents and our teachers passing judgments on what we wear and how we spend our free time. I’m even okay with admitting we all probably do dress strangely on occasion,and we probably all do drink a little bit too much. I am not okay, though, with being labeled as out of touch, ignorant and insensitive. Next time you are about to say that something is “gay,” please stop and think: is it straight, too?

Emily Friedman ([email protected]) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.