Making gay jokes sinful?

[Et_Cetera]

No, it is not okay to make fun of other people, no matter how you try to justify it to yourself.

 

[NovusAugustus]

There’s an interesting passage of The Screwtape Letters that discusses jokes and humor. Tread carefully with your jokes (and what you laugh at); They reveal more than you would think. While the devil despises true human joy, flippancy about sins and insults against a group of people delight him and all his servants. Each joke is different of course, but generally a joke directed at any group in a negative way is uncharitable and thus immoral.

A possible example of a “gay joke” which isn’t immoral would be one which merely uses the SSA of an individual as an accessory to the joke–clean humor could arise from a situation where such as person is approached in a romantic way but rejects the advances for reasons unknown to the other person (and only to the audience of the joke), for example. But I think it best to just avoid the topic altogether in a humorous context.

 

[robotsarecool]

Okay I understand what everyone is saying. I wouldn’t tell a joke in front of anyone that would be offensive…I’m asking more about when youre with a friend and you call him dubm or a loser or gay or whatever…now of course I don’t think teasing is wrong, Im talking more about the content of the joke itself, is somehow using specific content bad? It seems like teh consensus is yes.

The problem is you don’t know who may be gay, bisexual, questioning/unsure, ect. Calling a friend, “gay” as a term as a negative name, then, yes it is offensive to me. I am a chaste bisexual and I cannot stand when the term gay is used as an insult. I have struggled with same sex attraction for years, and I wish I could rid myself of it, but I can’t. I have had people make gay jokes, or call people gay as an alternative to calling them dumb or a loser (as if being gay is equivalent to being dumb or a loser) and that is why I doubt I will come out to anyone other than my husband.

 

[Newbie2]

I suppose it depends on the context and the nature of the joke. Recall “Blazing Saddles”, where there were a slew of “N-word” jokes, but the joke was making fun of making fun of the stereotype.

Best not to stereotype or make fun of stereotypes, methinks.

 

[PyroDrew]

From my experience, phrases like “that’s gay” come from people with a limited vocabulary, low-brow humor, uncreative humor and/or no tact.

Some people in highschool mature faster than others and others never mature beyond highschool mentality.

 

[Newbie2]

“That’s gay” usually means either “effeminate” or “That’s undesirable”.

 

[PyroDrew]

“That’s gay” usually means either “effeminate” or “That’s undesirable”.

Yes, “undesirable” when used as slang.

'That hat is not masculine enough."
vs.
“That hat is totally gay!”

 

[angelboy63]

Let me clarify what I mean:
I am not talking about making fun of gays to their faces or when they are around.
I am not talking about going up to a feminine guy and saying “youre such a (insert gay insult)”

So what happens when you tell your joke to someone who you had absolutely no clue happened to be gay, because you thought (and assumed) that person was a heterosexual. Suppose this person had left the gay lifestyle and was turning their life around, but still was sensitive to cruel jokes referring to that lifestyle. Maybe you’re in a crowd, and suppose you had no idea someone gay was within earshot, no clue…so hears the deal, it’s not “sinful”, but it is in bad taste, and could end up embarrassing you greatly at some point. Think before you open your mouth. That’s the best advice.

 

[angelboy63]

From my experience, phrases like “that’s gay” come from people with a limited vocabulary, low-brow humor, uncreative humor and/or no tact.

My experience is that it’s always come from people that are young and/or immature.

 

[robotsarecool]

So what happens when you tell your joke to someone who you had absolutely no clue happened to be gay, because you thought (and assumed) that person was a heterosexual. Suppose this person had left the gay lifestyle and was turning their life around, but still was sensitive to cruel jokes referring to that lifestyle. Maybe you’re in a crowd, and suppose you had no idea someone gay was within earshot, no clue…so hears the deal, it’s not “sinful”, but it is in bad taste, and could end up embarrassing you greatly at some point. Think before you open your mouth. That’s the best advice.

Yep. You can’t tell someone’s sexuality by just looking at them. Most people assume I am straight. Mostly because I am married to a man. The fact is I am a bisexual. I am a chaste one, but still it is offensive to hear people make fun of gay people or bisexual people or the orientations. I work really hard to remain chaste and it is something I have struggled controlling for the past 15 years (since I started puberty). It is a heavy cross and I find it offensive when people poke fun at it.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

Yes, “undesirable” when used as slang.

'That hat is not masculine enough."
vs.
“That hat is totally gay!”

Wouldn’t “that hat is totally girly” work? It says it isn’t masculine, but it doesn’t put anyone down.

 

[PyroDrew]

Wouldn’t “that hat is totally girly” work? It says it isn’t masculine, but it doesn’t put anyone down.

Yes, . The reason “girly” or “feminine” or “not masculine” work better is because it doesn’t imply the disparaging and offensive slang version of gay. Likewise, you would use “black” or “African American” and not “n*****”. Further, if a woman put on this same “girly” hat no one would say “that hat is totally gay.”