Words change - no big deal!

"Silly is first recorded in Old English, in the form sælig, with the senses 'fortuitous, happy or prosperous'.
The sense 'spiritually blessed' is also attested early, as is the sense 'pious, holy, and good'. In the early thirteenth century there are textual references to 'holy martyrdom' as seli martyrdom and a female saint is referred to as a seli meiden or 'blessed maiden'"

During the Middle English period, and especially from the late thirteenth century onwards, the meanings of the word silly become more diverse. At this time, the sense 'blessed or holy' develops into a new sense, 'innocent',"

I have sung a carol celebrating 'yon tender silly babe'

"Further developments take place in early modern English. In the sixteenth century, the senses 'deserving of pity' and 'helpless' give rise to new interpretations of silly as 'unlearned, unsophisticated, simple, rustic and ignorant', which leads to the use of the word to denote someone who is 'humble in rank' or 'lowly'

The modern sense 'lacking in judgement or common sense, foolish' also appears for the first time in the sixteenth century, and eventually becomes the dominant usage"
-(quotations from the fascinating AskOxford.com)


The term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; but had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637 according to the Online Etymology Dictionary".

In the 20th C, Gay became the preferred term to describe people attracted to members of the same sexsince other terms, such as "queer", were inevitably derogatory and "Homosexual" was perceived as excessively clinical, as the sexual orientation now commonly referred to as "homosexuality" was,, at that time a mental illness diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Interestingly, according to Wiki

"Bringing Up Baby (1938) was the first film to use the word gay in apparent reference to homosexuality. In a scene where Cary Grant's clothes have been sent to the cleaners, he must wear a lady's feathery robe. When another character inquires about his clothes, he responds "Because I just went gay...all of a sudden!"
However, since this was a mainstream film at a time when the use of the word to refer to homosexuality would still be unfamiliar to most film-goers, the line can also be interpreted to mean "I just decided to do something frivolous."
There is much debate about what Grant meant with the ad-lib (the line was not in the script).


So is a thread about the use of the word gay 'silly' or as mauvepink fears, yet another excuse for gay bashing and/or a puerile indulgence in other people's sexual acts?