A Lesson in Cursing

Becky was having a conversation with Luke after school recently about a word he heard at school.

Luke asked what the word "gay" meant. Now, the word wasn't used in the context of sexual relationships, but was used in the denigrating way, like: "That toy is gay!"

Becky diligently explained that the word has several meanings. One meaning is the homosexual lifestyle. One meaning is happy. And there's the meaning above, where it's used to insult or belittle something. She summarized that "gay" is one of those "Careful Words." If you use it improperly, you could get in trouble with your teachers or other adults.

A light went off in his head as realization dawned on him.

He replied, "Oh! You mean like BITCH!"

"Yes, Luke, like bitch." This kid is much smarter than we give him credit for.

It reminds me of our friend's son Eoin, who once remarked proudly, "I have an extensive vocabulary of curse words. I'm just not allowed to use them!"