Pop culture gives ‘gay’ bad connotations

Carl Hunter
Op/Ed Columnist

I think therefore I am. The famous five word translation of the philosopher Decartes that proves our own existence. These simple words laid massive groundwork as people began to view our mind as not just an analytical tool but as the lens in which we take in everything else. A lens we all possess, view each other through, yet reach different perceptions thus creating individuality.
Our famous lens is shaped by a variety of things: our distinct DNA makeup, upbringing, environment and experiences. So how we see the world, each other, is not a matter of optical vision but rather the shaping of our immaculate brain.
You’ve heard the expression, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit.” Well that makes sense, the more you do something and the longer you do it. The more natural it will become. Like riding a bike or typing. I doubt anyone thinks about the home keys anymore much less the individual pressing of any letter. The transposition of thought to digital expression has become just something we do but only after training, time, and repetition.
The same goes for our “Lens.” With enough repetition and time, we begin to make effortless connections. Plastic bottle with mashed up slightly acidic tomato taste to it becomes Ketchup. Something that doesn’t make sense is illogical or non-beneficial behavior becomes“stupid.”
The more often we tie these individual connections, the more ingrained the association becomes. Much like riding a bike in the grass, the more often you go from A to B, the smoother the path becomes.
Eventually it becomes a trench so that once your on the path, getting off of it is an incredibly difficult effort. I think we can all agree that learning to type on a differently mapped keyboard would be a bit difficult. The same goes for any association in the mind.
Two years ago, if you met me you would have found that I used the word gay often and wasn’t exactly using it for the ancient association of “happy.” I was using the modern association that came to be, which if you look at it, is often “stupid, feminine, unappealing, undesired, and silly.” This association was brought on by “pop culture” and I embraced it. I know it’s not PC to use the term but that wasn’t a good enough reason for me to change my habitual speech.
After a quick introspection, I realized I didn’t want to create a double association. Gay—homosexual, and gay—stupid.
With my new knowledge of brain and behavior I realized besides being offensive, it was a dangerous and hypocritical association to have. I never want to be in the position where I have to put effort into overriding my subconscious confusion between someone’s sexual preference and stupid, undesired.
Most people have racial bias or other biased word associations. You can take the IAT tests (Google it) to find you probably think black is bad and white is good. However, this isn’t exactly about race as black is also darkness, unknown and white is light and all other sorts. Gay, however is a specific association you can control.