And it is not the same as chutzpah
[sub](doesn’t anyone remember Paranoia?)/sub]
Hello all you new teens. I saw a “welcome” thread of sorts and could not stay away. For you newbies who do not know, I was the SDMB’s self-appointed welcomer for two threads but have since retired from that racket as I am really not the warm fuzzy welcoming type.
However, Jester has opened a very nice OP here and I just wanted to expand on a few of his thoughts.
Fuckin’ A, Jester, you little fucknugget pus-sucking dickweasel, you. (And I mean that in the best possible way, really.)
Insults often abound in the Pit, kiddies, but there is still the rule of not being a jerk. Do not gratuitously insult someone at the drop of a hat. You’ll need a thick skin here sometimes, so be prepared for people to vehemently not agree with what you say.
**
Which is why I stay out of Great Debates.
I’d also like to add that I know the term “gay” is being used commonly to describe something as being lame, weak, stupid, etc. We do not like this term. Using “gay” in that sense, whether you realize it or not, is homophobic and it implies homosexuality is wrong or stupid. Try not to spread slurs across the boards and refrain from using “gay” in that manner.
So is this for newly teenaged dopers or new dopers who happen to be teenagers? Hehe. Good thread, Jester.
Anyway, I’m really mature for my age. Not as though any of this applies to Zoggie. I’ll just be dusting my Powerpuff Girl collection and making sure I know where all my stuffed animals are. What? Don’t give me that look!!
Nice, Crunchy- so does this mean if I act all mature, you might virtually propose to me? 
Unsupported assertions do not belong in GD.
Making unsupported assertions and then running away when asked for cites just confirms you are an idiot weasel.
Not even coming back to the thread to count how many people want a cite for your uninformed opinion is not good form.
I assure you nobody is impressed.
I’ll virtually propose as soon as you turn legal, Zoggie. When will that be anyway?
Here’s another tip for teenage Dopers (having been one until a month and six days ago): If you want to participate in Great Debates, try to avoid suffering from the delusion that your spoutings encompass the end-all, be-all word on the subject… especially if you’re just cutting and pasting from your favorite pseudo-political “Dude, I’m into ISSUES an’ stuff” website.
Additionally, if someone refers you to past threads on the subject, it’s a good idea to actually look into it. You’re not going to have much credibility if you keep rehashing arguments that have been debunked more times than Madonna’s been laid.
Which reminds me to point all the newbies in the direction of the “search” icon in the top right corner. By utilizing that feature (but try not to go nutw with it, as it is taxing on the server) can answer all your questions, such as the three words that end in -gry, what “All your base are belong to us” is all about, and what the best way to perform anal sex is.
Before searching the message boards, however, you may want to do a search of Cecil’s columns, which may have already answered the question you want to ask.
Taking SPOOFE’s thought one step further - if you are disagreed with in Great Debates (perish the thought), stick to debating the issue, not the person who disagrees with you. Dissenting opinions are what make debates enjoyable; if you can’t stand to have yours dissented with, don’t put them out there for the world to see.
Homework for today; look into “your” and “you’re”, “to”, “two”, and “too”, “its” and “it’s”, and “there”, “their”, and “they’re” and figure out the different usages for each by tomorrow morning. (You’ll thank me for it when you start writing essays again in the fall.)
A few more tips:
First, if you have always wanted to be treated as a adult, here’s your chance. However, you are quickly going to discover that that means we won’t be pulling our punches when you make an arguement. It is no longer enough to be smart “for your age”, mature “for your age”, wise “for your age.” You have to be as smart, as mature, as wise as any adult, and you don’t get extra credit for being young anymore. This is a good thing, because it means when you have earned respect, you’ve earned it without any qualifiers.
Nothing will earn you respect as quickly as admiting that you are wrong when you are wrong, and apologizing when you were out of line. We only have a few dopers who can stand to do this, and they are universally respected as having the most dignity and the biggest cajones here.
Another fast road to respect is research. The more you post links to evidence (and explain why they are relevant–very important) the more we will think you are a frood who knows where your towel is.
Lastly, we all have alot to learn. This includes you. Come to the boards as a learner and a teacher and all will go well.
And please keep in mind that those who yell at you are very frequently the other teenaged dopers.
[Slight hijack]
Jester,
I’ve been looking for a new sig that would be appropriate for an author-in-training, and I think you opening comment might be perfect. May I take it out for a test-drive?
See below for my proposed new sig.
Sincerely,
Pesch
I’ve seen this on the boards a bit recently and I do think it is a little bit too PC.
Words do change their meaning. Or have different meanings in different contexts. Gay, of course, used to primarily mean happy. Now it primarily means homosexual. In the future (now?) it might mean dumb.
If I said something was done with “gay abandon” would you think it meant “homosexual recklessness”? No. Context is important.
And saying “Using “gay” in that sense, whether you realize it or not, is homophobic”, strikes me as false. If you do not mean it to be related to the homosexual sense of the word, then how can it be homophobic?. It is entirely unrelated to sexual preference.
Where I live, “gay”, in the sense of dumb, is said primarily by gay people, and nobody is really offended. It is more of a gentle dig.
It seems a bit like “niggardly” to me. It sounds the same, but that does not make it the same.
BTW, I’m not directing this specifically at you Crunchy Frog. Your post just happened to be the one I read when I had time to respond.
Geez. I come in here and post my usual lame-assed wisecrack and then you guys go and get all helpful and stuff.
:kicks dirt:
Okay, here’s another hint. A lot of times you will post what you think is a particularly cogent comment or witty remark and not get any apparent response. Don’t get your feelings hurt. It happens to everybody. (Well, almost everybody.) It’s just the nature of the beast. Believe me, your posts are being read and thought about by a lot more people than you realize.
[aside] Great OP Jester. [/aside]
Mr Why
You might want to do some research into the derivation of the word ‘nigger’ and the word ‘niggardly’. Have you noticed they are spelt differently? ‘Nigger’ comes from the Spanish word for black, negro. ‘Niggardly’ comes from the Scandinavian, or from the Swedish word ‘nygg’.
So in short they have fuck all to do with each other which is why niggardly is a perfectly useful word with no racist overtones.
Do I need to explain just why ‘gay’ used in a derogatory sense is not all right? Or can you figure it out for yourself from the previous clues?
pesch, I would be honored to have that used as a sig. Please, feel free.
And Bumbazine, thank you. I wasn’t getting enough compliments, and my feelings were starting to get hurt. 
But to continue a slight hijack, I have some issues with what you posted, MrWhy. I’ll address them here, but please don’t feel that I’m “kicking you in the teeth.” After all, there’s been a good deal of debating advice floating around in this thread, and I’d hate to break any of it. t’would set a bad example, dontcha know.
My biggest issue with you logic is that “gay” still carries the conotation of homosexuality when used as an insult. It is easier to distinguish between “happy” gay and “homosexual” gay in normal speak since they have to almost completely opposite conotations. However, the line gets a bit shadier when you’re distinguishing between “homosexual” gay and “stupid” gay. Both meanings have been and still are used as derogatory insults, so it’s almost impossible to tell whether someone who says “You’re so gay” is taking a cut at homosexuals in general, or at your intelligence. And the evolution of the “stupid” meaning seems to have been pulled pretty directly from its homosexual connotations. I’m not sure whether I’m expressing myself well enough, but I thought I’d give it a shot.
Also, the reason that “gay” is not like “niggardly” is that “niggardly” and “n**ger” are two seperate words, with two seperate meanings. It’s harder to distinguish between “gay” and “gay,” though, especially in writing.
Tell me if I need to clear anything up, because I don’t know whether I was thorough enough. But hey, this is probably a matter for a different thread, anyway.
[/hijack]
-Walt
Which is why I said “a bit like” when comparing the two scenarios. The “bit” I meant was that people seem to be offended when no offence is meant in the sense it is taken.
Perhaps I did not explain myself well enough. I did not mean to say that it was OK to use homophobic remarks as insults. I was trying to point out that we may be overreacting to what was not meant as a homophobic insult.
Agian, where I live, it simply isn’t a homophobic remark. It may be different where you live.
But isn’t it derived from homophobic sentiments?
Anyway, that’s mighty white of you to clarify. And I don’t mean that in a racist way or anything, regardless of the roots of the saying.
Okay, everybody, rather than completely hijack this thread, which I think is pretty helpful to newbies, I gave the “gay” argument its own warm, fuzzy home in GD. We may now continue with the advice-dispensing.
Jester, I think we actually have quite a bit of common ground in our positions. I have no problem with the fact that sometimes, indeed probably most of the time, calling someone gay is meant as a slight on homosexuality.
I would just like to allow for the fact that it is not always the case. Sometimes it can be a friendly insult. We have to be careful not to let knee jerk, PC reactions get in the way of understanding what people are really trying to say.
I’ll try to give an example to illustrate what I mean: It used to be the case that calling someone a “bastard” was a reasonably decent insult. Now, I can happily call my friend, who has just beat me in chess or whatever “complete bastard”, and no real offence is meant or taken. It is an insult, but very mild. In fact I could call him, a “cocksucker”, and no offence would be taken. “Cocksucker” is a pretty insulting term in some circumstances (because of its gay connotations, so it may be a better example for the present discussion). But context is everything.
I believe that “gay” is in the early stages of the same type of transition, from “harsh” insult to “friendly” insult. And we should not always assume the worst.
As I said earlier, this may genuinely be different elsewhere. I do live in what some would call a “gay ghetto”. 
Transferred that last one over to GD, MrWhy. I’ll respond to it there.