That's so girl wearing a skirt as a shirt

I would dare to make the sweeping generalization that everyone has said or been apart of a conversation when something was "so gay" or someone was a "fag" for doing or not doing something. Living with three boys and a few of our adopted roommates, almost everything revolves around this language in one way or another. Homework - so gay. Traffic tickets - twice as gay. Cleaning the bathroom? You could only imagine. The fact of the matters is however, that these words have become a part of a vernacular un-phased by Ad Council campaigns. This is our new culture, whether you like it or not. Like time, you cannot "un-do" existing language. Phase it out? Yes. But with what? More words that mean the same. As a society there will always be words that thrive on our fears, that further stereotypes, and become embedded in our everyday conversations.

The Ad Council's "Think B4 You Speak" campaign is a valaiant effort, but one that I think should be revised. Answer me this - are 15 year old boys likely to listen to Hilary Duff? Wanda Sykes? Although I wish, I also doubt. The effectiveness of these ads reaches our lived lives in that they are visually appealing and speak to the truth of a problem. The artistry is well played (*see attractive celebrity personalities and teenage actors, interesting scenes, and engaging dialogue) but the problem, I believe, is that they do not reach to the level of seriousness. The narrative is so light-hearted that I think it fails to address just how hurtful and destructive this language can be.

On the other hand, I also believe that this series of ads is a smooth and easy introduction to the issue at hand. In terms of creating and developing political behavior and identity, "Think B4 You Speak" opens up the doors to the idea that words do mean more than what they seem and that they do have effects, regardless of what we may think. For young students, these ads help to identify an existing problem and the support resources that address them.