I think it's funny when old people say offensive things without even realizing it.  They use terms like "gays" and "blacks", which everyone knows are offensive terms (for some reason).  If you said, "Those two gays moved in next door", that would be considered offensive.  But if you said "Two gay people moved in next door", it doesn't sound quite as bad. 

This brings up an interesting point:  Why are people offended by anything?  For me, I might be offended by things that aren't true for everyone in the group.  If you say "White people don't have rhythm", I might be a little offended because I think I have a small amount of rhythm, though I would agree that many white people do not.  If you say "Men can't understand art", I might be a little offended by being grouped in the category of "men", which is usually used to imply machismo and stupidity.  So I guess the conclusion is that I would be offended by being grouped in certain categories that I don't feel apply to me. 

So maybe the terms "gays" and "blacks" are offensive because of their connotation.  Sure, gay people are gay and black people are black.  But what does a person mean when they use these terms?  I think they're usually used with a bit of stereotyping and criticism.  "All gay people are like that guy from Will and Grace."  I personally know two gay people that live across the street from me.  The one guy couldn't be farther from that stereotype.  "All black people play basketball."  I knew a black guy in college that couldn't dribble a basketball to save his life.  He definitely didn't fit the mold (my own stereotype) of "black". 

In conclusion, labels are offensive when they imply certain things that aren't entirely true. #psychology