Kelsea Shanley

Redefined

Gay – (adj) having or showing a merry, lively mood
Nowadays, most people do not use the word gay to describe a lively, happy mood. It is mostly used to describe homosexual men, or as a slang term meaning “lame” or something that someone doesn’t like. For example, if a paper is due sooner than the syllabus says, a student could say “that’s so gay”. It is so sad how this word has changed into the meaning it is now. It describes homosexuals and something unpleasant at the same time, which is wrong.

Love – (noun) a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person
The meaning of love has taken on many more meanings than this particular meaning. The word “love” is so versatile in today’s society, and a lot of the time it does not mean “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for someone”. The phrase, “love you” can either be a very special thing to hear, or it can be thrown around between two friends or a couple that has just started going out. It’s not that the feeling isn’t there, it’s that it has a wider meaning than it used to.

War – (noun) a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.
The meaning of this word hasn’t changed in present times, but the interpretation of it by different generations has. Today, when someone says “war”, my generation thinks of the war we are in now, the Iraq War. However, if you were to say “war” to the generation before us, they might think of the Cold War. As you keep on going back, people will start thinking of Vietnam, Korea, and even World War II when they hear the word “war”.

High – (noun) having a great or considerable extent or reach upward or vertically; lofty; tall
The word “high” still means a tall height, but now it can also mean someone who is under the influence of drugs. In present day culture, if someone says “I was soooo high last night”, it doesn’t mean that they were up in an airplane, they were doing drugs.

Retarded – (adj) to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede
In today’s culture, retarded is used to describe a stupid person, or a stupid action. It is now politically incorrect to call mentally challenged people retarded, but it still happens. Retarded is a very derogatory term and the fact that it is used to describe someone or something as stupid and worthless if very unfortunate.

-Kelsea Shanley