Monday, February 19, 2007

Show 292 Monday 19 February


Watch today's show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.
This week I’m going to introduce more videos that I recommend to study – for one reason or another.

There’s a guy called Culexor on YouTube and he has a lot of ranting videos.
To rant is to speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way.

I quite like his rants. I like his tone and I think he chooses interesting topics – things like same-sex marriage and whether violent video games cause actual violence.

So I recommend watching his videos if you’re interested in studying English that is spoken fast and passionately - I think it’s really good listening practice.
His videos are also good to study if you want to study how people swear in English - because he swears a lot.

And of course if you find swearing offensive then you shouldn’t watch his videos.

The other day I spent ages watching his rants – and I chose one to study.
I chose it because it has a language theme – it’s about the use of the word gay.

The word gay used to mean happy or brightly coloured - it’s also a woman’s name too.
And now, these days, it means homosexual. And it also means stupid or not cool.

For this last meaning, the example culexor gives is:
What did you think of that movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme in it?
Man that movie’s gay as hell.


Which means I really didn’t like that movie or I thought that movie sucked.

Some people think using gay in this way is unacceptable because it’s insulting to gay people.
But Culexor doesn’t think so. And I think I agree.

Language changes and evolves all the time and I think that – in New Zealand anyway – the use of the word gay as an insult now doesn’t have any connection with homophobia.

I heard a good discussion about this on National Radio a couple of months ago - National Radio’s a New Zealand radio station - and the people discussing it came to this conclusion as well.
One woman gave an example that her daughter said “Homophobia? That’s so gay!”

Having said that, it does sounds like some people think that it’s offensive – so if you are a language student maybe you should avoid it – just in case.
Or if you’re interested in the issue – you could bring it up as a discussion or conversation topic – you could try asking somebody “do you think it is OK to use the word gay as an insult?”



STICK NEWS

Kia ora, in Stick News today, American singer Britney Spears has shaved her head.

Britney Spears was born in Mississippi. As a child she studied gymnastics and performing arts.
For two years she performed on a children’s variety show called The New Mickey Mouse Club.
In 1996 she was in a group with 5 other girls, called Innosense.
A year later, she decided to go solo.
At the end of 1998 her debut single was released. Her debut album was released in 1999.
Since then she has released 5 more albums, 4 books, 7 DVDs, a doll, a video game, and 4 perfumes.
In 2004 Britney got married for 55 hours. Then she changed her mind and had the marriage annulled.
Later that year she married a dancer Kevin Federline. Britney and Kevin had two children together. Then in November 2006, Britney decided she wanted to get divorced.
According to TIME magazine Spears has sold over seventy-six million records worldwide.
Because she is so famous paparazzi often follow her and photos.
Some magazines also write stories about her clothes and hairstyle.
Big news in November was that Britney went out with no underwear on. And the latest Britney news is that she shaved her head and got two tattoos.


And that was Stick News for Monday the 19th of February.
Kia Ora.



conversations with sarah
#177 Do you listen to the radio much?

Step 1: Repeat Mike’s lines.
Step 2: Read Mike’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Mike Do you listen to the radio much?

Sarah No, not on the radio. But I listen to it over the internet.

Mike What stations do you listen to?

Sarah Usually National Radio. But I haven’t listened to it much recently.

Mike What kind of station is that?

Sarah It’s a public station.

Mike So it’s owned by the government?

Sarah Yeah. The programs that I listen to are mainly interviews.




Transcript for this video:

Hey there folks this is Culexor. How’s it going?
I’ve been sitting around and just chilling and I happened to bump into somebody recently. I’m just, I’m not really talking to everyone, I’m just sitting around hanging out. And ... some dudes in public like were around me and I overheard a conversation and this guy had a cell phone he didn’t like and he was like dude, man this cell phone is gay. And another guys like all offended, gets like, takes it all offensive, going, dude I can’t ... why do you always use the word gay oh my god I’m so offended. Na na na.
Now, today’s topic is about the word gay. That’s right, the word gay.
Why is it that every person... especially a straight person gets all offended if you call an inanimate object or movie gay or something. What is so fucking, like, what is the big deal about it? Seriously, I just want to know.
Because it’s kind of pointless, to get all mad at someone just because they refer to an inanimate object as gay.
That’s slang. People use that word as slang.
Example:
Hey John what did you think of that movie with John Claude Van Dam in it.
Man that movie’s gay as hell.
Oh my god. Oh my god.
You’re not going to see some gay guy pop his head out of a rock and go, oh my god I’m like so offended.
I am so sick and tired of people getting offended over stupid things.
Why are people so fucking dull when it comes to this shit. I mean, I don’t give a crap what logic you guys throw at me about this.
It’s just plain ridiculous.
Now people are going to try to say: oh my god it’s sexual harassment.
Morons. Only morons think like that OK.
Just because some guy, like has an opinion and wants to express it in a way he feels that is his way of expressing.
That doesn’t give us the right to sit up there and try to judge them on that shit.
Translation to all you guys out there – just because a guy decides.. or just because a guy thinks that the newest Nike shoes are fucking gay as hell. That doesn’t mean that is attacking homosexuals, OK? Think about it! That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. To have someone get offended just because someone thinks that the latest shoe or the latest video game is gay as hell.
Look, aye, that’s the way I talk too, I’m slang about it.
For example: I hate that Play station, I think it’s gay as hell. That’s why I always refer it to the gaystation.
Oooh, I don’t say any raging angry homosexual coming after me with an axe.
Oh my god, the word gay, I’m going to use it in a sentence.
Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay. Wooohooo.
I fucking used the word gay in my sentence. Fucking sue me.
Man, why, why does everyone have to be a moron. Why does everyone act like a moron when it comes to this word.
I mean, damn. It’s understandable if you use the n word. That’s understandable. OK.
It’s like me walking up and it’s like oh man, this movie is so n-word. Understandable, very understandable.
And for the straight people out there if you’re not homosexual and a guy refers to an object as gay.
Stop bitching about it.
I mean seriously you guys act like it’s attacking you guys.
And especially you guys that are gay. Just because a guy uses the word gay in a sentence. That’s not referring to anybody.
That is not attacking anyone, that’s not targeted to anybody.
That doesn’t give you the right to get all pissy and wine at the guy and get all disgruntled at him.
Geez. What is wrong with society today? We’re taking everything too seriously.
This country is literal minded now. This country is full of literal minded people, I swear to god.
Like, like, I could use, like, a figure of speech now. It’s like, dude, if I don’t paycheck I will totally kill myself if I did’t get a holiday bonus.
And then like a person right behind me hears it and all of a sudden I’m in fucking counselling.
It’s like:
Billy why did you try to kill yourself.
I wasn’t planning to kill myself, it’s a figure of speech.
But, the point is: people stop taking every fucking thing, so goddamn personal and so goddamn serious, if it doesn’t refer to you.
If somebody is referring to a goddamn object, stop taking it personal, because it’s not a personal attack to you.
God, just get your head out of your ass, and just don’t be serious all the time.
Because this whole seriousness is kind of killing vibes around here now.
And it’s making us look bad. I mean not us, I’m talking about everyone as an American citizen.
Well, I just had to get that off my chest. I’m sorry if this rant didn’t have that much oomph in it.
I’m just pretty much just waking up from a nap, because I got to go to work.
So, this is Culexor signing out. Peace.
Oh, and fuck the PS3.