Euphemisms
Some words are used to classify people. Words used today weren't always considered derogatory or insulting in the past. People use everyday words and no one realizes what they say and what it really means, for all they know they can be offending themselves or even they're own culture. Some words do not even derive from the English language. Also, some words are modified to mean something a little less than what it was originally meant to mean. A lot of words that are used today offend people, which originally meant something else that was less offending.
One of the most offending words used today is gay; the word gay was adopted about four
decades ago(The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories p.189). The movie star Gene Autry, who was in the movie "The Gay Cowboy" and to the best of my knowledge a homosexual, brought to light a new definition of gay(Word Histories p.189).
English: Gene Autry starring in the movie "The Bla...
English: Public Statue of Gene Autry on N. Gene Au...
English: Poster for The Idiot CycleHowever, originally, gay was a word that meant happy or joyful, yet now it is used as a hate word, and sometimes used to mean that something or someone is "dumb" or "sucks." For example, if someone were to say, "Hey man, the professor gave a big lecture after the test we just took a mid-term." And his friend said "Man that's gay." That would be one way that the word gay is commonly used today.
The word idiot is another common word people use today; idiot can mean that someone on is "stupid" or "unintelligent,"; it's also a word I use from time to time. For instance, my boyfriend will say "I want to get a CRX when I buy a new car." I respond and say "your an idiot." I used the word idiot to mean that he is...