The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: Commentary

Last week on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," President Barack Obama let it slip that he's a terrible bowler - so bad, in fact, that he said he felt he belongs in the Special Olympics. As the president, Obama should know that this was a pretty "retarded" statement to make. He must be a terrible person with no respect or self-control. No one else makes such thoughtless comments on a daily basis, right?

But it is obvious that we all let such comments slip several times a day, usually on purpose. The only time it even feels like a "slip" is when you say that exam you had last week was "so gay" right before you notice that your homosexual friend happened to be there to hear.

The problem stems from the fact that many people have such thoughts in their heads, sometimes in an offensive way. However, not all these people are automatically homophobes, and not all would pick the Special Olympics over "South Park" for some laughs. While "slips" are very insensitive to those offended by these words, most people do not use them with that specific definition in mind. For example, an exam obviously cannot be gay, but since people say "gay" all the time, it somehow fits. This is where the thought process ends and ignorance begins.

People offended by the word "gay" feel strongly about it because they use that word to describe and represent themselves sexually, and it is offensive to have that word used as a synonym of stupid, worthless and annoying.

In this case, Obama has gotten himself into a tough situation. As our president, his slip-ups reflect the entire nation. There is really no excuse for Obama's statement, because he should be better prepared to handle himself properly. However, there really is no need for the situation to be blown out of proportion. Of course, Obama haters will fully utilize all the opportunities for criticism they can get, but it will most likely fail to sway supporters. It was an honest mistake, at the least making Obama appear a little more like a normal person. It seems as though joking around with Jay Leno made him a bit too comfortable - similar to how we feel just hanging out with our friends.

This should be a wake-up call to those of us who do not make any effort to censor derogatory terms from our everyday conversation. Regardless of who you're with, it is important to begin making conscious decisions to remove such words from your everyday vocabulary. Then, with time, offensive terms will stop being used accidentally, saving everyone hurt feelings and embarrassment.

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