You said it better than I could have or tried to explain.

When you use gay to mean lame it's just plain rude and exposes your own bias.
It's like in the 50s when white people insulted other whites by calling them the n-word.
Or perhaps it's like if i started saying "That's so Charles" when I wanted to say "That is so much like what a redneck stupid jerk would do."
Using gay, as you us it, is unacceptable in polite, civilized discourse.

I'm aware of all that...but, are you then engaging in a "very calculated" attempt to "hijack" the meaning of the word yet again? And, if so, why?

Using the word "gay" as a synonym for "lame" reeks of homophobia...at least, it does out here on the Left Coast.

And, as far as I can tell, no dictionaries yet show "lame" as a definition for "gay".

Now this is where I can relate, I prefer as I think many people do to wear less loud colors but on the bike it seems you are invisible unless you wear orange, yellow, lime green, or God forbid, pink. I wear burnt orange colors normally because they look good with my skin tone but my riding T's are all loud and obnoxious colors. I'm a bit of a slob so dark or patterned colors help hide the food & coffee stains and dirt from work etc. I've often thought the orange and black wool plaid hunting shirts to kind of be a compromise. Not so bikey looking and they definitely fit in with my local community look of hunters, loggers and fishermen etc. I just purchased a black zip long sleeve T from Rivendell but its a tight fit and not at all flattering on a fat man trying to ride off the poundage for easier hill climbing. It was less of a challenge being comfortable and modestly stylish, 25 years ago, thats for sure.

Well, I suppose if someone referred to something as being hetro as opposed to metro or gay when describing something they thought was lame then maybe so but I'm not sensitive about being hetro. Maybe I'll start a new trend and start saying, "that spandex is so hetro!" ;) Perhaps I'm insulated out here in the woods and a little bit of a caveman when it comes to being verbally careful. I'm around alot of under twenty somethings however and thats how they refer to things sometimes so I never really think of the G word in the 1970's version of it. My mother still thinks of it in the 1940's version and of course the gay 90's (1890's) is what I formally think of when I thoughtfully use the word. The fact that many *****exual men clearly identify with the word and take it personal when it is used in any other way is a little sad but understandable. :o

My page:
http://www.myspace.com/eccentriccyclistcharlie

I suppose the young folks using it have hijacked it and in an attempt to identify with their vernacular I find myself echoing their phraseology at times. I don't actually use it that way all that often. While I am obviously not a supporter of the *****exual lifestyle I don't really have an axe to grind against it either. I've had the unfortunate experience to have lost several old classmates as a result of that lifestyle and don't consider it a "happy" thing at all. Homophobic......yes I am in one sense but not on a personal level with those I am/was friends with. :o
I'm a left coast dweller too!

I can't believe that people are gay/lame enough to be offended by what anybody has to say. The fact that people are ignorant enough to judge someone as a homophobe or biased person based on their lack of understanding that persons vernacular, without knowing anything about the person shows a lack of esteem and self control. Clearly just another case of somebody trying to claim victim because they threw themselves in front of a bus. If you can't convince yourself that you are above the "derogatory remarks" made at an object, then you are certainly not going to convince the person/people who made the remarks.
It is in everybody's best interest to stay off public anything, especially forums if they are easily offended.
On the original topic, there are plenty of brands that are basically unbranded. Places like 'Cabellas' make really good knockoff lycra/under armor products that are almost as good, half the price, and come as plain as you want. (I have quite a few of the Warm Weather Cabella stay dry tee shirts) They were less than 15 dollars a shirt.

We can only judge you by what you have written. For better or worse.

Personally, I don't know many people who use "gay" for anything other than to describe "lame".. even my lame friends. :D

B.S.
You suffer from lack of imagination or observation.
There are racial slurs that can cause a fight in seconds.
Try telling someone their mother is ugly.
Of course people can and do get annoyed and offended by what other people say.

Using "gay" as you insist on doing is an insult to gay people and offensive to those of us who live in the 21st century. It's like listening to people make racial slurs.
Grow up, stop calling names.

wow. you guys are a hoot. the op asks about clothes and we're off and running about the definition of gay. fwiw, i first heard my students say "gay" to mean lame and i had to ask them to define the meaning for me. words and their meanings change and evolve, we may not like it, we may be confused by it, but so be it. no one individually makes the rules, unless you're webster- and i do believe he's dead.

me, i wear cotton and wool. and filson work boots. to each his own, they're only clothes. :)

blame it on the lame vs. happy hippy
 

Its entertaining to say the least but its also good to hear from other points of view. I'm glad you mentioned your students as that is the age group I experienced the word being used in.

Back to.....spandex, Lycra, "tight stretchy pants for fun" or whatever. I'm glad some of you wear that stuff as it keeps a bunch of people employed but I'm sticking to wool, cotton and other hippy things of which I am happy since the alternative is naked riding. :eek:

Ha ha. Many people on the public streets thank you for sticking with those "hippie clothes" instead of the alternative you mentioned. He he. Though I can honestly say, some people are better looking naked and natural than in the spandex. But obviously that statement goes both ways.

I'm not really worried about what other people "expect" me to say or write. There really isn't enough time in life to worry about the unadaptable. You learn or re-learn something everyday. My lesson is, sensitive people will always cry. I hope their lesson was, not everybody cares about how sensitive they are.

Right on man and..........:beer:far out!