Preface: I support same-sex marriage, and generally think that people who disapprove of homosexuality are ignorant and self-defeating. But seriously, let’s stop throwing around words like “homophobia.” It’s almost like you’re trying to make it into something comparable to “racism,” and we all know how serious and well-founded accusations of that are now-a-days. When people flippantly use words like “faggot” or “gay” when they mean “stupid” or some other pejorative, they don’t consciously seek to insult homosexuals. The great philosopher of language Wittgenstein famously said — and I believe correctly — that Meaning is Use. I don’t think there’s much argument about what people mean today when they utter some off the cuff remark, pronouncing this or that to be “gay.” While juvenile and unquestionably low-brow, it is not referring to the subject as being homosexual. Indeed most of the things described in this manner are either abstract notions or inanimate objects wholly incapable of possessing any sexual orientation whatsoever. And while these words are still used to often refer to homosexuals in a prejudiced and derogatory manner, the trend is and has been shifting away from this usage. But the point is that a word can mean different things depending on its usage. We may not approve of the use of that language for its otherwise offensive connotations. But at least have the integrity to admit the difference between an immature and slightly learning-impaired yokel and someone who is genuinely “homophobic.”