Twice this semester I’ve heard the phrase, “that’s so gay.” I’ve made it clear I don’t like it and haven’t heard it since. At the big to-do on campus last friday I saw these posters, and they made me think.
At first blush they seemed cleverly ironic and effective. So I went looking for the images online and found them at the think before you speak campaign website.
The looking around and found an opinion that profiled the typical user of this phrase. Their idea was that people didn’t use the phrase by accident, but because they want to be mean. They criticized the campaign because it seemed to endorse snarky or demeaning behavior but found fault with specific words. Banning words, they argued, won’t work because people will find new words.
This made me think of what neuroscience has said about the brain development of the adolescent.
I’m pretty sure many people mature later than that, if at all. Is it words or behavior we should be addressing?
