What Is It With Kids and This Word?

[scanne]

I was teaching Christmas songs today and we were singing "Deck the Halls." When the kids had to sing "Don we now our gay apparel" they all started laughing. Why does a word that means happy elicit such an immature reaction? And they all know it means happy - they just immediately associate it with homosexuality.

Just venting...

 

[stinkerbelle]

And they all know it means happy - they just immediately associate it with homosexuality.

because it's not commonly used to denote "happy" these days.

when you are happy about something do you clap your hands and say "oh I'm so gay!"

different time

 

[christinadei]

because it's not commonly used to denote "happy" these days.

when you are happy about something do you clap your hands and say "oh I'm so gay!"

different time

I agree, it's an old fashioned word.

 

[Tiggeroo]

because kids are silly and immature. They also laugh if you say poop, fart, butt, etc.

 

[cats7494]

I was teaching Christmas songs today and we were singing "Deck the Halls." When the kids had to sing "Don we now our gay apparel" they all started laughing. Why does a word that means happy elicit such an immature reaction? And they all know it means happy - they just immediately associate it with homosexuality.

Just venting...

Sorry - but this is not a new thing at all! Kids laughed at this word when I was a kid and I am 31 now. Never in my lifetime has the word "Gay" been used typically to describe "happy." It has always been used to desribe a person who is homosexual.

It is a immature childish response that I sincerely (and sadly) doubt will soon change!

 

[Castlebound]

When I was in Jr. High we had to read a story out loud in class about an English boy during one of the World Wars. Apparently over there they call rain boots rubbers. You should have heard all the laughing when someone read, "Thomas put on his rubbers before going to meet Mary."
Infact I guess I thought it was funny enough to still remember it years later!

 

[iwantahemi]

I'm 31 and the rage when I was in elementary school was when some said Ben-Gay (the muscle cream), the response was how long. I've never heard anyone say gay and mean happy.

 

[Briarmom]

When I was in Jr. High we had to read a story out loud in class about an English boy during one of the World Wars. Apparently over there they call rain boots rubbers. You should have heard all the laughing when someone read, "Thomas put on his rubbers before going to meet Mary."
Infact I guess I thought it was funny enough to still remember it years later!

That happened in grade school for me!! And it was in Religion class. The whole class (including the teacher) couldn't contain themselves. I still remember the poor boy who had to read it out loud.

 

[luvflorida]

There is an episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy says, "Let's all go in there and act gay." I don't know if that's the exact quote, but she is of course referring to acting happy. Well, everytime we watch that episode we start laughing when she says that.

It just sounds so out of place nowadays.

 

[Nagle]

Why does a word that means happy elicit such an immature reaction?

Cuz they're kids. Immaturity goes with the territory. No big deal in my view.

 

[simba928]

That's nothing. I am a sophomore in high school. My math class is made up of people from all grades, freshman to senior. We were talking about asymptotes (they have to do with graphing) one day. Well, the guys in my class thought "asymptotes" was the funniest word in the world. The laugh hysterically at it everytime my teacher says it.
BTW, it is not pronounced ay-symp-totes. It is probnounced as a$$-symptotes. And it figures that the freshman in out class wasn't laughing. It was the sophomore, junior, and senior guys, but mainly 2 sophomores. It figures.

 

[Deb in IA]

And how about the planet Uranus ("your anus")?

 

[Regina]

If you want to see people's reactions to the word gay, look where my kids went to elementary school.

 

[RachelEllen]

And how about the planet Uranus ("your anus")?

Oh gack...I still blush when I remembering asking loudly in science class (to my lab partner) 'How big did you say Uranus was?' You can imagine the reaction.

R

 

[Deb in IA]

Oh gack...I still blush when I remembering asking loudly in science class (to my lab partner) 'How big did you say Uranus was?' You can imagine the reaction.

R

Now that made me !!!

 

[DisneyArk]

If you want to see people's reactions to the word gay, look where my kids went to elementary school.

Oh gack...I still blush when I remembering asking loudly in science class (to my lab partner) 'How big did you say Uranus was?' You can imagine the reaction.

These are too funny!
My kids are asking why I'm laughing... I don't think I want to tell them.

 

[Regina]

Oh gack...I still blush when I remembering asking loudly in science class (to my lab partner) 'How big did you say Uranus was?' You can imagine the reaction.

R

And how many times did you hear about it after that?

 

[scanne]

Thanks for all the laughs in refernce to my vent!

I guess after teaching the song 12 times in one week, the laughing at the "word" gets old - but I do realize it's an old fashioned word and I am dealing with 7 - 13 year olds. He he he!

 

[laurie31]

Yeah, I can see how kids would find it funny - especially coupled with the term "apparel" which is not really a kiddie word either. "Gay apparel" would rank pretty high on the giggle meter at out house

Speaking of which, DD1's class has been studying the solar system and they were each assigned a planet to do a report on a make a model of. Guess which one she got? Yep...and DH and I should be ashamed of ourselves for how much fun we had getting her to do her homework.

"Honey, did you paint Uranus yet?"

"No TV until you've finished putting rings around Uranus."

We said it to her in a normal "do you homework" voice, then went off in a room by ourselves to die laughing. She had no clue about the double meaning. Yes, she's a naive child

Laurie

 

[DisneyDotty]

Oooh, you said Uranus. Heh heh heh.
Oh yea? Well, European. Tee hee hee.